China Max

About a month ago a Chinese guy walked into my gallery and wanted to take a look around. He was connected in some tangential way to the San Diego Asian Film Festival and as luck would have it only the Fallbrook Blockbuster had a film in stock that he was  supposed to see. We started chatting and really hit it off.

He told me that his name was Calvin and that he was part of the history department at UCSD, specifically near east studies. I believe that he was studying for his doctorate.

I was the Chief Judge for the Fallbrook Film Festival for the first three years of its life and so we got to talking about movies, we both love samurai flicks and comics, we both read Usagi Yojimbo. We both practiced Kung Fu; he was a student of Wing Chun, I studied Hung Gar and a bit of Wing Chun. We also talked about food, me always on the lookout for a new chinese restaurant.

Yip Man with Bruce Lee 

Calvin asked me for recommendations in Fallbrook and I steered him over to Rosa's. I asked him about chinese food and he sent me this letter.

 Hi Robert,

It was really nice meeting you today.  And, thanks for the Camarones garlic shrimp suggestion at Rosa's.  It was great!

I just recalled that the great samurai movie that I just watched again was Masaki Kobayahi's "Samurai Rebellion" (1967) with Toshiro Mifune.

My favorite place for dim sum in San Diego is China Max, 4698 Convoy St, #101.  They're a little pricey, but the most authentic Hong Kong-style Cantonese dim sum.  At Jasmine and Emerald, they often have over-priced new, fancy dim sum that's not traditional.  My other favorite place because it is good and very cheap is Yum Cha Cafe, 6933 Linda Vista Road.  It's kind of like fast food, you order from the counter, and it's great and cheap.  Pearl Chinese Cuisine in Rancho Bernardo, 11666 Avena Place is also good, authentic, and a little pricey.

I'll stop by to see you again the next time I'm in Fallbrook.

Calvin

關俊榮

Yesterday Leslie and I decided to try out China Max for lunch. San Diego Magazine recently anointed China Max as best in San Diego. In case you are not aware, Clairemont Mesa is mecca for ethnic food in San Diego, specifically Convoy between Balboa and Clairemont Mesa Blvd.

You can find everything from Afghani to Korean, Vietnamese, crab houses, tofu, noodles, Japanese, Thai, and an incredible array of Chinese restaurants. Lots of great markets, Korean, Japanese and Ranch 99.

My posse normally eats at Jasmine. We pulled into the parking lot at China Max and looked longingly at the Sichuan restaurant on the other side of the parking lot. My allergies are acting up and some industrial strength chili paste would really cut through the muck. But we kept our focus and on Calvin's recommendation entered the two story China Max.

China Max is the kind of Dim Sum restaurant where you order off a menu and they then bring you what you have ordered on carts, We were practically the only caucasians in the restaurant. We filled out our order cards and then waited. Not an interminable wait but a wait nonetheless. Now what is cool about Jasmine is that you sit down, you are rock and rolling. Food is flying at you left and right, like jumping into a shark tank. You look, you like, you eat. Simple.

China Max is more of a traditional stoic affair. Bit more reserved. You order and then wait. No ordering on the fly. We started off with pan grilled crab cakes, which were excellent. Out came a delicious order of shrimp shumai. Out of this world. Nice little bowl of chili paste working, we were set.

Then came barbecued pork in rice noodle, frankly kind of lame. Way too much noodle. Not enough pork. If we had seen it rolling by we would never have ordered it. You quickly learn at Jasmine to forego the slimy rice noodle dishes, there's too much other great food. We both ordered the rice cake treats wrapped in lotus leaf, really tasty but smaller than those we are used to across the street.

We tossed back an order of crab claws and then deep fried shrimp balls and maybe something else and we were toast. Both of us missed our customary salted prawns from Jasmine or the whole barbecued duck we normally get. And the gluttonous frenzy, the orgy of food, especially when accompanied by Brigitte and Morgan.

China Max was good, I will give it another shot but I think I still have to vote for Jasmine. But I also can't wait to try Yum Cha.


By the way this is a picture of my Kung Fu instructor Sifu John Vihilidal's teacher, Sifu John Leong of the Seattle Kung Fu Club, one of the oldest Kung Fu schools in the nation. He helped bring the southern five animal style Hung Gar to America.

Melissa sends this over. A chinese blogger is thrown in jail for a bad review, calling the food too salty. The Taiwanese court said that it was an unfair evaluation after only one meal. Think it can't happen here?