We got off the boat on Thursday in San Diego and checked into the Hotel Solamar in the Gaslamp Quarters. The hotel is nice and the room are a good size, but I would not recommend it. They had a rooftop pool/bar so that was nice, but the bar and security staff were really strict and rude about kicking us out when they closed at midnight! I had to bring my drink with me. Twice!
At any rate, on to the food! So Thursday, I really wanted ramen. I've been to Tajima a few years ago with some of my sorority sisters, so I wanted to go again. This time, I had the spicy ramen and it was delicious! It was the best thing I had since being on vacation. The broth had a good back kick to it and as you ate more, it had really good heat. The noodles were good too. Nothing worst than mushy ramen. Yum! I wish I could have some more now.
For dinner, we went to Kaito Sushi in Encinitas which was highly recommended on Yelp and by S (who I now consider a local and has good taste in food). The place was smaller than I expected but the perfect size for what it was. The sushi chef was chatty, there were a few other tables and he was the only one working so it was not as attentive. But that's okay, I was there for the fish!
We asked for the omakase or "it's up to you" so the chef just served us what he thought was the best. In order, we had halibut, shad (pictured above), kampachi, squid, bluefin tuna, giant washington clam, octopus, ono, saltwater eel, and uni. T had a toro tuna hand roll too, but I was too full. The fish was so delicious! All the reviewers and S were not joking about the high quality of the fish. You could taste how fresh everything was and the sweetness of each fish. I especially enjoyed the shad, kampachi, and uni which were my favorites of the night. The only thing I didn't like was the squid (pictured below). It had that gummy feel that I really hate (just like ebi) so it was hard to stomach for me. Overall though, I really liked the place. I love places that are full of delicious and great quality ingredients, but has a very unpretentious feel. The price was really reasonable too. About $60 per person I think.
The next day, we wanted to go kayaking and snokeling. The snorkel rental guy said we would be better off kayaking as there was not much to see that day. I love kayaking! We got to see seals and here them whine (or at least that is what it sounds like). They're so cute!
We had thai food for lunch at Kafe Yen because T went there years ago and remembered he really liked it. He had said that their mieng kham (leaf wrapped in toasted coconut, peanuts, ginger, lime, and shrimp) was one of the best bites he's ever had. I thought they were good, but nothing I'll probably remember or crave.
We did get Yogurtland after and I'm definitely craving that now though. It was so cheap and as T said, it had a great mouth feel. My sister tells me they've opened one in Tempe so maybe I'll go this weekend.
At night, we wanted oysters so we walked over to Oceanaire since we saw it earlier that afternoon while grabbing coffee by our hotel. Turns out, Brian Malarkey from Top Chef Season 3 Miami owns it and is actually at the restaurant. The oysters were very delicious and I wanted more. We also got escargot and an order of rock shrimp.
For entree I ordered the lobster encrusted halibut with English peas and sweet corn. That was tasty, except the lobster crust was over salted. The fish was cooked really well and the beurre blanc broth sauce with it was excellent. The corn really added a good sweetness to the dish. I opted out of dessert, because we still had half a bottle of wine left and I was really stuffed. But I always have room for oysters so we ordered more. They were out of the kind we had earlier so they comped us on the next half dozen which were not as good. And I ended on a bad oyster so bleh.
This is a terrible picture, but I told our waiter, Jorge, that I was a fan of Brian (well okay, I did root for Hung the whole season, but Brian was good looking!) and he told the chef who then came out. He was really nice and humble. Overall, the food was okay. I would give it a 7 out of 10. If you like seafood, big portions and reasonable prices, this is a good choice.
I'm absolutely in love with the city of San Diego. I love the ocean, I like the night life, the people, and of course, the food. Everytime I go, I forget how much I liked it. I wanted to go there for college but never applied since I didn't want to take the SAT II for UC's school. So perhaps in a few years, if I ever figure out what I want to do with my life, I can work it out that San Diego is a part of it. Until then, I'm ready to take another weekend trip out there soon!
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