Top Pan Asian Restaurant in Poway
Kai Sushi Restaurant
13425 Poway Rd, Poway, CA 92064, United States
We found this place randomly searching for food. Its such a cute space. We didnt realize they had the bell to call for service(just like in Japan) until we finished eating. They were so present I didnt even realize they had that. We went at 730-810pm on a Friday night. I spent 10-15 minutes just looking at the menu items because they had some interesting renames. I love their white sheet of information that lists the roll names and the ingredients(not sure if I was supposed to order with that sheet). The kids bento box portion was massive. I should have had both kids share 1 dish but one wanted sushi and the other wanted a bento box. The prices of hand rolls are great. My 7 year old barely finished a CA handroll(it was huge), my 5 year old barely made a dent in her delicious chicken teriyaki bento, and my husband ate more than half of full size chicken teriyaki bento. I got a UFO roll and was soooooo full. It was such a massive roll that could have been 2 lunches for me. The portions are huge in a bento box, sushi roll and kids bento. They gave us a free piece of salmon(fin or tail). It was delicious. My son asked for extra crumbles of tempura on his CA roll so it doesnt normally look like what it does in my photo of his roll. The prices are good considering the portion size is the largest out of all the places in SD I have been to. Its an easy place to bring the small kids to eat. Although there is no coloring pages to distract them, the food comes out super quick.
Top other services in Poway:
Iron Pan Thai Kitchen
13538 Poway Rd STE A, Poway, CA 92064, United States
I used to eat lunch here at least once a week. So much has changed since this place changed ownership. The currys taste watered down and are served with 5x more onion than any protein you order. The yellow curry no longer has those hints of lemongrass you find only in homemade versions. The massaman curry is mostly watered down broth with a little coconut milk. The nice upside-down dome of steaming, perfectly cooked white rice has been replaced with just an ice cream scoop of hard undercooked (or stale?) grains. The service is polite enough yet cursory, almost insincere. The atmosphere has lost its authentic charm, replaced with a more austere, less welcoming look. And finally, the new smaller portions now come with a higher price.By the way, tip is based on the pre-tax subtotal, not the post-tax total. You dont tip for tax. And please dont store propane tanks, new or used, in between the front dining tables. Bad idea. And lastly, when its cold outside, please, close the front door. Everyone inside was wearing their winter coats.Looks like its time to look for a warmer, more authentic Thai experience... somewhere else.
Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe
12265 Scripps Poway Pkwy #b109, Poway, CA 92064, United States
Food: 5/5Service and Setting: 3.5/5Value: 3/5Ju Feng Yuan is a new restaurant that has opened where a Lao restaurant used to be. The interior has not changed much and there is not even a sign up yet. The restaurant itself is clean. They are very short staffed so while the service is very kind, they do tend to run behind. One of the chefs would come out and serve the food and share lots of information about the restaurant and how things are going in Mandarin, so if you want to practice this a great spot! The young lady helping me in the front told me that this restaurant is an extension of another small restaurant in LA. I was not expecting much, but the food here is exceptionally honest, authentic, fresh, and has a homey flavor. Please come out and support a new small business!Pork and Chive Dumpling: 5/5I really wanted to try their xiao long bao 小籠包 and their sheng jian bao 生煎包, the waitress told me that they just sold out. I got the pork and chive dumpling instead and it was very good. The skin was thick and chewy the way a boiled dumpling should be. The filling was lightly bouncy and had a good amount of soup inside. The ratio of meat to chive was perfect as well as well seasoned. I did not like the dipping sauce and would have preferred just some soy and black vinegar, but I did not want to add more to their work load. A stellar example of what a dumpling should be.Shrimp and Pork Wonton in Chili Oil: 5/5This wonton was also spectacular. I have always been disappointed with wontons from most restaurants as they tend to use the same filling as their dumplings. At Ju Feng Yuan, they do it the right way with a coarsely chopped meat and big chunks of shrimp. Again, a deliciously thick skin with a wonderfully springiness that soaks in the sauce. I am not a particularly big fan of their chili oil, but it is very complex and hits all of the flavor points, particularly sweet and sour and not so much spicy. To me, it tasted a lot like a sweet and sour version of sha cha jiang 沙茶酱.Beef Dumplings: 4.5/5I'm not an expert on Chinese food, but beef and onion dumplings are a Northern style that I do not have a lot of experience with. Always seeing people eat this online has made me crave it intensely and I'm glad I got to try it here. It is not common to serve and they do a good job. The flavor of the meat is strong, almost a bit gamey with some bits of gristle that I think help give it flavor. It was a bit tough, but “tough” isn't the exact word I would use. Maybe sinew-y? The flavor was shockingly similar to beef kebabs, especially Pakistani renditions. Again, the dumpling skin was great and lots of soup inside with the filling.