Mr. BBQ

Oh wait.  Mr. BBQ???  Didn't I blog about this already in 2019?  Ah yes, the good times before this thing called Covid-19 existed.  It was so care free...  The memories...  Well that was our epic road trip down the coast and then over to some beautiful National Parks on the way up.  With history repeating itself, we once again drove down the coast in 2022 and instead of parks, we kept close to the urban areas and ate our way back.  But we did repeat at Mr. BBQ in Fullerton because we just love the place.

Unlike last time, we came for lunch and it is a steal at $25.99pp.  Even with traffic, it wasn't that far of a drive from where we were staying. Now I'm not going to compare the place to Park's BBQ because they are just not the same (even though they are both Korean BBQ).  So with that out of the way, let's enjoy all the Banchan we were presented with.  Love their selection and they are very good about refilling them.  All very classic and solid including pickled daikon, kimchi, tofu skin, spicy cucumber, pickled sliced daikon, japchae, stewed potatoes, rice noodle sheets, onion, spicy sprouts, mac salad, marinated sprouts, konjac noodles, potato salad and green salad.

Since the place is AYCE, you will never go away hungry and often, be very stuffed.  We started with some Bulgogi, Teriyaki Chicken and Pork Neck.  Marinated just enough without being too sweet nor salty, the bulgogi was tender with sufficient charring from the grill.  Chicken thighs cooked up nicely and of course were buttery due to being dark meat.  We actually got 2 orders of the pork neck and it was quite meaty and soft.  It was very filling though, so maybe we should've only gotten one order. 

Naturally, the thinly sliced Beef Belly was very fatty.  I would've used the word "marbled", but there was more fat than meat, so let's just go with fatty.  Now a lot of the fat did render on the grill, but it was still super buttery and aromatic.  For the regular USDA Prime Grade Beef Brisket, it was rather lean.  However, since it was sliced razor thin, it was super tender and cooked up real fast.  These were not marinated, so dipping it into the sesame oil and salt was the way to go.

Moving onto some more pork, we had the Miso Marinated Pork Belly as well as the Spicy Garlic Pork Butt.  Oh, that miso pork belly was the bomb.  Being pork belly, it was naturally tender and juicy.  Add in the fermented saltiness of the miso and the flavors really popped.  We got 2 orders of this.  As for the spicy pork butt, it was tender and definitely took on the garlic marinade and did have a nice sweet kick.

Last items we had included the Green Lip Mussels and the Spicy Squid.  Nothing super interesting about the already cooked mussels, but they were large and meaty.  Now for the squid, it was probably one of my favorites.  Loved the chewy snap texture of the squid where the marinade completely penetrated.  Hence, it was spicy and sweet with a touch of the natural squid sweetness coming through.

Even the included dessert was extremely satisfying.  We were given the option of either Chocolate Ice Cream or Rainbow Sherbert.  I just had to be different and had the sherbert.  It was super refreshing after a BBQ meal.  Chocolate ice cream was actually decent being creamy with only a bit of iciness. Again, for AYCE, Mr. BBQ really delivers.  No, it can never compete against the big K-Town spots in L.A., but it isn't trying to.  Great value, more than acceptable meats, lots of banchan and great service.  I think I'll be back when I return to the area.

The Good:
- Meats are surprisingly good
- Good value
- Excellent service

The Bad:
- Can be super busy
- Still think the floors should be less greasy 

 

Fuoco Pizzeria Napoletana

After back-to-back days of Asian food that included Japanese and Vietnamese (as well as some eats from the Anaheim Packing District), we decided to go for Neapolitan pizza out in Fullerton.  Just a quick drive out on N. Harbor Blvd, Fuoco Pizzeria Napoletana was closeby to where we were staying near Disneyland.  Luck would have it, it was a Monday and their Margherita pizza was only $5.00!  Score! Also, with free parking at the back, this was super convenient.

If we had known that the foccacia that came with the Bufala & Burrata was essentially a pizza, we would've ordered differently.  However, that wasn't a big deal as the cheese was fresh including the creamy burrata.  It was accompanied by homemade pesto, fresh arugula and cherry tomatoes.  We added the prosciutto crudo di parma for good measure.  A really nice way to start the meal, but we were already getting full off our appie!

For our pizzas, of course we had the Margherita for the super low price of $5.00 (only on Monday's with a purchase of another pizza).  Although you can barely see it (maybe a bit on the edges), the bottom of the pizza sported nice leoparding.  Hence, there was a smoky nuttiness to the crust.  Most of the crust was crunchy, yet a bit too chewy, while the middle was tender.  I found the tomato sauce to be on the milder side.  Would've liked to see more tang and seasoning.  A good amount of mozzarella was on top, but we wished there was more basil (and that it was not cooked with the pizza).

Moving onto something with some toppings, we had the Funghi e Salsiccia featuring roasted mushrooms and sausage.  So essentially this was a Margherita base with the addition of the toppings.  Hence, all the qualities of the Margherita were present in addition to the woodsiness of the mushrooms as well as the meaty fattiness of the sausage.  Naturally, with these ingredients, the pizza ate more hearty and the center was a bit softer.

Our last pizza was also the grandest in terms of toppings.  The Quattro Salumi with prosciutto cotto, prosciutto crudo, sausage and salame.  No surprise as the base pizza was essentially a margherita once again.  This ate hearty and was a bit saltier due to the meats.  The crust wasn't any soft than the previous one, so it was mostly crispy.  Overall, we thought the pizzas at Fuoco were solid and pricing was reasonable.  Really nice people too.

The Good:
- Solid pizzas
- Well-priced
- Nice people

The Bad:
- Crust was good but maybe a bit too chewy
- Tomato sauce a bit too mild