My wife is mainland China born, and we lived in RB for several years, moving away last year. We know the San Diego Chinese restaurants really well. (Now we are in Bay Area, where obviously the Asian (and other) restaurants are better by an order-of-magnitude)
I rarely agree with the fat_union_guy on any post, but in this thread I’m agreeing, mostly.
We agree that Pearl (Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant) is quite good for dim sum at lunch when carts are pushed, and we like it also for evening dinner. It is actually somewhat authentic, and well liked by the many local Chinese patrons
However, it is an exception to the trusty rule that the best authentic Asian restaurants in San Diego are all within one mile of Jasmine on Convoy. Jasmine certainly is an important restaurant, as many in San Diego’s active Asian community consider it THE place to have dim sum on weekend late morning/early afternoon with family/friends. Also, Jasmine has one of the better Lion Dancing shows every Chinese New Year. We think their dim sum is good, relative to San Diego’s other options. Yet, I often find myself thinking Pearl has BETTER dim sum (but is often not as fun as Jasmine’s raucous weekend Dim Sum fests)
An example of a Convoy area authentic Chinese restaurant usually highly regarded among Chinese (and usually unknown among non-Chinese) is: Spicy City Chinese Restaurant. Expect to wait for a table if you arrive during dinner rush. You might read what yelpers have to say: http://www.yelp.com/
Some locals say their quality has suffered a bit since they lost their great chef some years ago. Spicy City
4690 Convoy St Ste 107
(between Engineer Rd & Opportunity Rd)
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 278-1818
Another example of good Chinese restaurants in that area is: Shanghai City Restaurant
3860 Convoy St Ste 105
(between Aero Dr & Kearny Mesa Rd)
San Diego, CA 92111
Keep in mind that Shanghai City is not comparable to a restaurant like Pearl in RB. You go to Shanghai City restaurant for gritty low-brow authentic Chinese, and because is decorated very much like some restaurants you’ll see in mainland China; something about Shanghai City restaurant makes me feel I’m back in China. FYI: the Chinese buffet which is a few paces away (behind you as you enter Shanghai City) is HORRIBLE.
We completely agree with other posters that New Panda in RB is one of the best Chinese buffets, but we last sampled it at least a year ago; hopefully their quality has held up. http://newpandabuffet.com/
However, if cost is ignored then for buffet we would always head instead for: Onami Sushi and Seafood Buffet. (which I acknowledge is not Chinese buffet)
For good (Americanized) Thai, we really like Spices Thai Cafe in RB, especially for their Tom Kah Talae in Hot Pot, which is seafood in spicy coconut soup & mushrooms. However, the quality of that soup totally depends on if the good chef is cooking; when you get the good chef then that soup is GREAT. http://www.spicesthaisandiego.com/
For earning points with your woman, a great Thai-fusion place in an upscale ROMANTIC setting is Rama. It is worth the trip just to try their Crazy Duck Salad. If on a date, then ask for a table by the waterfall. http://celadonrestaurantgroup.com/
When your next up in LA, you must try Din Tai Fung because eating their Xiao Long Bao is nearly a religious experience! I was recently in Beijing, where they have another branch, and eating those dumplings was heavenly. How good are these dumplings? There is NOT a restaurant anywhere in the Bay Area having soup dumplings which even approach the standard of Din Tai Fung, and trust me, we have trecked to MANY Bay Area restaurants seeking that end of the rainbow. http://www.dintaifungusa.com/
