いらっしゃいませ!

Welcome to my ramen dream... Currently being interpreted in Ramen Burger Land... Looking for a good slurp? Email me ! - Keizo

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Chopstix - San Diego, CA

4633 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 569-9171
google

Within walking distance from my first stop, Chopstix had already formed a line during its peak lunch hour so that's how I ended up eating at my second stop beforehand. I also spent some time at BOOK-OFF to digest and rest and regretfully ended up spending waaay too much on manga...dammit!

By the time I returned, the peak lunch hour was over and I was ready to tackle my third and final stop of the day. Like Tajima, they have more than just ramen, but who really cares anyway...hehe. (Btw, it looked like everyone else cared because nobody around me seemed to be ordering the ramen.)


Shoyu Ramen: I really had a hard time deciding whether I should order the shoyu or the mabo, but I settled with the shoyu since mabo might be a little more filling and I wasn't sure if my stomach could take it. In any case, shoyu is always my first preferred measurement so it was the right thing to do. At first glance, the gritty residue forming on the edge of the bowl from the soup triggered a pleasant memory, but sadly it could not live up to that expectation. The soup was a very classic "old-school" shoyu that probably once gave birth to the more exotic versions prevailing throughout Japan today. It was slightly on the bland side with very little exhilaration. The toppings (chashu, egg, naruto, moyashi, negi) were forgettable.


The noodles weren't bad. They just felt a bit too slippery and lacked a significant chew. They sort of reminded me of rockstar, but saying that would be much too harsh. I now wished I had chosen the mabo...maybe next time.


Gyoza: Rarely do I run into a gyoza that's disgracefully inedible. I...am...serious. These tasted like they were filled with dirt. And that's still being somewhat generous with its description.


Overall, it was a great day trip to San Diego. Sadly, the ramen here is only ma~ma~ (for the ones I've tried so far) and somewhat deplorable. I know there is demand, so hopefully that'll force new ramen-ya's to open or old ramen-ya's to improve. Please keep me posted so I can keep you posted!

Hours:
11am~10pm (Mon-Fri)
11am~9pm (Sun)

8 comments:

  1. I think you nailed the description pretty well Keizo. Although perhaps fine as a meal, Chopstix never satisfied my ramen cravings.
    The mabo here is very sweet and not to my taste either. They have decent katsu.

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  2. Yeah, sweet mabo does sound disappointing. Thanks for the warning. I guess I'll go back when I'm not in the mood for ramen...which would be never. Haha. How is Chopstix Too? The same?

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  3. Wow, I did my own mini ramen crawl one time by going to Eboshi and Mama Ramen. Ran out of room for Chabuya. LOL

    Back to Chopstix, eeeek. The ramen looked store bought (of course I'm only making off color remark about that). The soup doesn't look good at all. And that was a shoyu?? My first choice of soup is always shoyu also because that is the first bowl for every restaurant I would order. That bowl looks to be not very pleasing for the eyes, I really don't know if stomach can handle that. LOL

    Damn, that SD trip look to be disappointing for you. At least you got some manga from that trip! Hehehe

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  4. Nice Pepsi! What did you think of Eboshi?

    I actually found the rustic look of this ramen to be appealing, but after looking at the pic again, you are right. It doesn't look good at all...haha.

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  5. Don't certain restaurant names just make you want to avoid them like the plague? For me, it's anything with "chopstick" or "wok" or "ninja" (true story: I saw a place called "ninja sushi" up in Walnut...that just made me want to run away!)

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  6. Hi Keizo,

    You don't want me to tell you what I think of Eboshi. I really didn't like their soup broth. Very disappointed that day. The only reason I didn't reviewed it was that I had a momentary lapse with the photos. I have to dig them up from my old computer to post that review.

    I read your review of Eboshi. Do you really think the ramen cause the whole thing to taste bland? I don't know where, but I read it somewhere that someone compared it to dishwasher water. LOL. Man, that was a brutal comparison.

    Funny thing Keizo, I actually prefer Mr. Ramen over Eboshi. :P

    Hey Edjusted,

    There is a sushi place in Cerritos called Sushi Samurai. Avoid that like a plague!

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  7. @edjusted: Hahaha, I've been to Ninja Sushi!! It's actually not that bad, but agree that the name is frightening. I thought exactly the same thing when I saw Chopstix. But the big Japanese Noodles sign calmed my fears a bit.

    @Pepsi: Dishwater?...ouch. I think I should go back to Mr. Ramen again.

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  8. Keizo/Pepsi Monster: Haha. I just get really curious about the thought process behind naming places like Ninja Sushi and Sushi Samurai. I can just imagine a bunch of people sitting around the table, asking "ok, what kind of name sounds Japanese and makes people want to eat here...I know! Something "with" Ninja...or Samurai! That's Japanese!" If you've ever watched Monty Python & the Holy Grail, it reminds me of the witch scene..."and what *else* sounds Japanese..." "Ninja!" "Samurai!"

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