Aloha gang! Thought it was time to revisit Pan Asia Buffet. I was coming back from a Sunday…read moreafternoon at the casino in Temecula and was in the mood for an all you can eat buffet. When I arrived, the restaurant was packed. I had to check in and take a number, but they managed to seat us in under 10 minutes. If you're not into crowds, I would definitely avoid Sunday's. My usual visits are during the weekdays when they open first thing for lunch. You get first pick of the buffet offerings and it's much more enjoyable without the crowd. My faves are the Chow Mein, Teriyaki Beef, Fried Rice and Honey Walnut Shrimp. So....if you have a craving for AYCE buffet, check it out!

It's a BIG NO from me dogg…read more.. "I hate to do it, just as bad as you hate to see it done, now calm your boys" As a a non-seafoodie, I entered with trepidation...as soon as I stepped in, the stench of seafood hit me in the face, oh no...I had a strong inkling of what was to come. Disclaimer: Had I not been part of a large gathering that was coming here, I doubt I ever would have come to this buffet. Pros: They had the World Cup playing on a "2017 New" 36ish inch TV with the tags still on it The food was mostly hot The cream cheese wontons were delicious, creamy, and crispy Cons: I tried like 11 items, and only the cream cheese wontons were hittin'. Out of the 11 items I tried, only 3-4 items were passable as decent The food was salty The black pepper chicken tasted like fish The food ended up giving my bubble guts the bubble guts-SHEESH! While there were loads of offerings, which I appreciate, the organization of said offerings were a bit strange. The hibachi was set-up going left to right, while the food stations on either side of it were going right to left, creating this crazy clash of people heading in opposite directions. It just wasn't for me.

This is our 64th day cruising this year and we wanted try some local Chinese. Goldenbay was…read morerecommended by our server Ana Marie on the Luminosa. It was a short walk from the pier. (cross the foot bridge, go to the right at the end of the bridge and then left past the guard. It's right down the street). See the map I posted. We got the special #3. It was way too much food for the two of us. The building is nondescript, but the inside was very clean and spacious. Service is very quick. If you are looking for warm and fuzzy, wait until you are back on the ship. The entree portions were huge and we couldn't finish it all. The shrimp were very big, no tiny bay shrimp here. When we come back we will get the lunch combo instead. I hate wasting food. They had a steady flow of crew members including togo orders. Cash Only. We paid $50 including tax and gratuity.

Great Chinese food near by the Carnival Cruise Port. Authentic and delicious! I'm surprised that…read moreEnsenada has good Chinese food. Everything was fresh It can get quite busy during port days. So either go early or order Togo! Will always stop by when we're in town since cruise foods can get tiring at times.

I came in person recently with 9 friends. They were able to accommodate us even though we were just…read morewalking in. The woman was super friendly even though it was a little chaotic. At first, she said the order only could be done on 1 bill. And then later she compromised with 2 bills, 5 people per table. That was nice of her! I just had 2 coffees before entering so I decided to skip ordering Thai tea. But they had a large drink menu, of fruit teas and more. My friend had the lychee tea which was very large and looked super refreshing! They also came by often to top off our waters which was nice. To eat, I ordered the $16.99~, Cashew Chicken Stir Fry with White Rice. It came with onion, green onion, carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, and cashews. The carrots were beautifully cut, but a little too crunchy for me to properly enjoy in the stir fry. Everything else was delicious! I think this could definitely be shared between 2-3 people. It was a lot for me, even after a large hike. The sauce was flavorful and not overly salty. I didn't ask for any spice level, but I think I'd choose mild or medium next time. My friends ordered-- - $12.99, Dirty Fried Chicken: This had a blitz coating of lime, mint, and spices. And it was decorated with thinly sliced green onions with a side of sweet chili sauce. The chicken was hot and plump, not dry, and very much mouthwatering! Would recommend. - $14.99, Thai Grilled Chicken Salad: Grilled Chicken Breast on a bed of mixed green salad, carrots, and cucumbers with peanut dressing. It reminded me a little of chicken satay~ it smelled and looked incredible. I think I might order it next time, when I want something light and fulfilling after a hike. - $11.99, Cream Cheese Avocado Wontons (6PC): These came out piping hot and when you took a bite they were oozing. It was very creamy and when you dip into the plum sauce it's a delectable bite. A nice appetizer to share with the table. - $16.99-$19.99 (depends on what protein you get), Pad Thai: This proportion was manageable for one person. The restaurant used thin rice noodles, but it didn't clump excessively compared to other restaurants. The prices are what you'd typically see at a Pan-Asian restaurant, a few dollars more than what you'd want to spend. But these kinds of restaurants, in my opinion, are for enjoying with others. So, if you're sharing food and all that-- the price is worth it (esp with the quantity that is given). Next time, I would probably order one of their noodle dishes rather than rice. Oodles by the Noodbar has such a large and diverse menu so I would highly recommend coming in to try them out.

Experience was fantastic start to finish. Service was quick and friendly. The two women in the…read morefront seemed very busy yet keeping it all together. The restaurant's interior is clean and aesthetic, but very lively and popular. I ordered the mi goreng, which was extremely good and the spice levels don't play. My girlfriend got the garlic noodles which came with a large portion of good quality meat. The avocado cream cheese wontons were soooo good as well. I'm from out of town but I would come back.

Very cute interior design.. feels fancy yet welcoming…read more Kevin was a great server, he was polite and quick to get our food to us, making sure we knew exactly what was on the plate (describing the types of dipping sauces on the plate) The pot stickers were the BEST -- thick dough, yet crispy bottoms, and full of meat. They were amazing. Second star of the show was the lo mein, I saw on a yelp review to add the omlette and im glad I did! These noodles were savory and full of flavor. They tasted event better as leftovers the following day! This place has large portions, so be prepared to share, or take home leftovers.

I was in the area and decided to try this place out. It was not what I had expected…read more First impressions were everything. The ambiance, decor, and food presentation were delightful. Service was great and the food was delicious. Their menu was also fairly priced for the amount of food that was served. The place is small but I have seen them accommodate to a large party. Roughly around 10 people.

One of the better Ramen places you'll find in SD. My fav bowl here is the Belly of the Beast Ramen,…read more add the Fireball spice & it's delicious! The other bowls are good too but this one is my fav. If you have a big appetite like me get the Pork Belly little sandwiches, it's a perfect side with your Ramen Bowl. Miso soup & wings were ok. What I loved tho is their Cucumber salad, went perfect with my spicy Ramen, Dumplings are very good too. Customer service was good from the door to the table to the bar all very attentive & nice. Now it can get busy at times especially dinner so there might be a wait & parking ain't the best. But it's still worth the wait just come before 6 if you don't want to wait too long. As for me, I'm a fan & will continue to come back, keep up the good work Underbelly & see you soon.

I rarely leave negative Yelp reviews, but I had a very disappointing experience here on Sunday,…read moreAugust 2. The moment we walked in, we were told to order and pay right at the entrance. I asked, "What if we want to order more beer or sake later?" because whenever we come here, we usually order three or four sakes and three or four beers throughout the meal. His response was simply, "It's just the two of us." I understand that they were short-staffed, but that's not an excuse to make customers feel rushed and unwelcome. Honestly, the way he spoke to me and looked at me genuinely scared me. After we sat down, I turned to my friend and said, "I'm scared of him." I rushed through the menu and ordered the first thing I saw because I just wanted to get away from the counter. I've been here before, and I loved the food. In fact, that's exactly why we came back. But this time, because of the atmosphere and the way I was treated, I couldn't enjoy the meal at all. The same food I had loved before tasted awful to me because the experience completely ruined it. No one checked on us afterward. We had to get our own napkins and anything else we needed. I worked in the restaurant industry for 16 years, so I understand how stressful and difficult the job can be. I've dealt with all kinds of difficult customers, but I still treated people with kindness and respect. I really do love this restaurant, which is exactly why this experience was so upsetting. I sincerely hope this was just a one-time experience and that it never happens again. I would love to come back and enjoy the food the way I always did before

I had no idea what to expect for this place, went in thinking it was a dive bar but it's actually a…read moredelicious restaurant. Ordered so many things and none were average or bad! Rack of lambs are some of the best I've had, spicy eggplant so dang good, gyoza 10/10, my stepdad had the burger and said it's honestly one of the best he's had, sweet and sour chicken, so good, duck buns are also perfect. There is definitely something for everyone. The place is great and service is attentive and come with great recommendations, but it was a bit loud with the live music, still recommend.

Wide and varied menu. Asian fusion for the most part. The dishes were fried were uniformly…read moreexcellent. Prices were on the higher side of reasonable given the venue/quality. Parking is adequate in the shopping center. The scented cleaning products smell was pervasive and likely will prevent us from returning. Not sure if was hand sanitizer or table cleaning or what, but genuinely unpleasant.

3.5 stars We came here because they're closing at the end of…read morethe month. So, Yes it was a bit pricy but i wanted to try it before it closed. Made reservations online for the tasting menu $225. The place is in the middle of nowhere, from the outside you'd never guess it was fine dining. We started off with a trio of little bites, a tile fish gungakn roll, fried mochi threads, and an acorn cracker filled with camembert cheese. The raw tile fish gunkan was ok, the mochi threads were nice and crunchy, the camembert cheese was too pungent for me. Hamachi/Raspberry - slices of Yellow tail and raspberry in a ponzu sauce. The ponzu stood out most and gave it a salty profile i couldn't really distinguish between the hamachi and the raspberry as the textures were similar. Artichoke Kohlrabi gyoza with a bri sauce. This dish was very good though i thought it was more like ravioli than gyoza. It even looked like ravioli. I think they just called it gyoza to make it fit the Japanese theme. Shrimp tempura was delicious! it was lightly battered and fried and put in a shallow bowl of shrimp broth. They said it came with dynamite sauce but i think it was just kewpie mayo. Very good and one of my favorites of the evening. Chicken wing stuffed with scallop, part of the wing was deboned and stuffed with a Hokkaido scallop. It was very tasty, the scallop was very sweet and tender. I wish the skin of the chicken wing was crispier. It was quite charred but did not crack when bitten into it and a little rubbery. Tile fish had a very crispy skin and came with a beautiful sauce of i think apples and apricots and a walnut butter. I really liked the sauce that was spooned on the plate. another one of my favorites of the evening. Duck done 2 ways; roasted and a fried tsukune meatball. They both came in a light carrot sauce. The fat on the roasted piece was nicely rendered and the duck meat very tender. The tsukune was nicely fried and crispy and still rare inside. The palate cleanser was a pine ice cream with Aloe Jelly, The pine ice cream was quite refreshing and smooth i thought the aloe jelly was a bit strong tasting. I think flavor came from the geranium but something had a strong taste to it. The dessert was also one of my favorites White chocolate with hokkaido milk powder on top of miso ice cream and slices of tangerine. It was supposed to be reminiscent of a creamsicle. The Hokkaido milk power was magic on the shards of white chocolate, the miso ice cream was very smooth and dense and when eaten together with the pieces of manderin orange did remind me of a creamsicle. They gave us a trio of finishing dishes a trio of bites; Castella cake, Kokuto jelly and raspberry mochi. The castella cake didn't really stand out, it wasn't the sweet dense cake that im used to. The kokuto jelly had that deep brown sugar taste but was too stiff in my opinion. The raspberry mochi had a strong raspberry flavor which i loved and had a good chew to it. Service was exceptional, water was filled many times almost every time the water glass went down 1/4 it was filled to the top. Each course was preceded with the proper utensiles and were cleared after each dish. i must have had at least 4 forks and 4 spoons. Definilty 5 star (Michilin style) service. Food was very good maybe 4 stars. Value was ok maybe 3 stars. If you divided the courses by the price it came to $25 per course. If you looked at the ala cart menu, many of the items were there and could be had for less than $25, of course not all the dishes on the tasting menu were available ala cart. But i feel if you sat at the bar and ordered a cocktail and maybe 5-6 dishes you't still pay a hefty price but it would be much less than $225. I feel like thats the way to go instead of the tasting menu. Come here if you want exceptional service.

I learned that Matsu will be closing at the end of this month and possibly reopening at another TBD…read morelocation. We decided to come for a weekend dinner. To my surprise, there were plenty of time slots available for this fine dining establishment located in a former neighborhood corner bar and grill in Oceanside. There was a small parking lot to the south of the building which had dedicated spots reserved for this establishment. A copy of the tasting menu was posted outside next to the entranceway. I took a picture for future reference because little did we know that we would not be seeing a list of the preset offerings during our visit. The inside was a dimly lit open dining space with a bar in the back left corner. The decor was minimal with some greenery and figurines along a couple of the walls. After mentioning that I had made a reservation, a worker guided us to one of the round tables in the middle of the room. The reservation required that we pre-pay the cost of the entire meal plus tax. Our server asked if we wanted any enhancements like caviar or wagyu. After declining that and any wine or sake pairings, the staff began to bring out a procession of courses in the following order... * Otsumami - Gunkanmaki, Mochi Fry, Acorn | Camembert * Kanpachi | Raspberry * Artichoke | Kohlrabi | Brie * Ebi Tempura | Dynamite | Tentsuyu * Chicken Wing | Imo | Scallop * Tilefish | Apple | Walnut * Duck | Carrot | Wasabi * Pine | Aloe | Geranium * White Chocolate | Miso | Tangerine The dishes were each beautifully plated. The chicken wing was partially deboned and stuffed with a mix of potatoes and scallop. That was my favorite item of the group. The dessert was also very good with the citrus from the tangerine paired with the pieces of white chocolate. Locally caught tilefish was the replacement protein for the pork neck course. The fish was cooked well, however I would have liked to try the pork preparation as it had been listed on the tasting menu. An aspect that confused me was the number of courses for the $229 price. I had expected ten, but when we declined the wagyu upgrade for the beef course, there was no lower tier of meat served as a substitute. Therefore, we only received nine courses but still paid as if there were ten. That should have been explained by the waitstaff because the value of the dinner became less with one fewer protein serving. Not providing the actual menu for the evening was a major faux pas and oversight. Every high-end restaurant where we have enjoyed a pre-fixe dinner always furnishes the menu du jour. The top-notch service was the reason why I rounded up my rating of our Matsu experience to a four star level.

I've gone to glass box multiple times, either with friends or as a date. Every single time, I was…read moremet with a chill romantic ambiance, even during the busier times. I've tried 2 of 3 Omakase Set Meals. Their cuts on the nigiri are generous. I just wish they had a little most variety. Between 2 of the sets, the only differences would be the edamame and red snapper at a $9 difference. My favorite roll is the TSA! The seared tuna gave the roll a smoky also meat-like flavor that I loved. I also appreciate how the sauce placing is intentional. I never felt like their added sauces were overpowering, and each roll had balanced flavors. Service is also great every time. They check on you the perfect amount of times. Glassbox is a go-to date night spot! Try it out at least once!

YUMMY CRAVING (4.5 stars)…read more Keeping the simple order because what is all what is needed to satisfy the cravings. When not craving other foods at SkyDeck I will turn to a sushi roll from Glass Box. One of my friends literally comes here weekly and I can see why. Chef Ethan is also an amazing chef - if you know, then you know! I've tasted several other things he's created that are offered at his brother's restaurant and it's amazing. SALMON LEMON ROLL ($26) - (spicy) yellowtail, cucumber inside, topped with salmon, lemon, and ponzu. This is my go-to order but I customize mine and as for NO spicy on the yellowtail because I feel when I see that on the menu the heat is overdone as raw fish picks it a little too well that it can mask the fish. Yes, I admit it is on the pricy side but execution is so good to me. I love this roll - it's a safe choice and simple with great flavors. HIGHLY RECOMMEND UNTIL next week. lol.

I love that it's a family restaurant and they always have good service. I loved coming here before…read morewhen it was called Nood bar too. It's more the mom's dishes now on the menu which I have enjoyed. The ambiance it's also nice and I love the decor. So definitely will be back.

Nood Bar renamed to Hom Mali, right next door to The Friendly! Very good service, and the portions…read moreare pretty decent. Prices are a little bit on the high side but what isn't nowadays? Lol The inside is very cute, super clean. Lots of seating too. Not much of a wait since it looks like most people do to-go orders.