iSushi

They give you free edamame and miso soup, which is nice.
The soup wasn't bad.  The edamame needed salt!

"Yellowtail Delight" -- it wasn't entirely delightful but it was okay.
It wasn't as spicy as it looked.

These were live shrimp just minutes earlier! 
Sadly, they weren't very flavorful.  I liked the fried heads though.

Rating: Two thumbs down
Date: 3/14/14

Time in: 1:51 PM
Time out: 2:25 PM
Servers' recommendations: Live shrimp sushi, Yellowtail Delight
What we ordered: Live shrimp sushi, Yellowtail Delight
Number in our party: 2
Final check amount: $21.85
Price per person: $10.93
  
Notes: 

• The server was a pleasant fellow and very enthusiastic about his recommendations. It was clear he took pride in working at the restaurant. He asked us if we wanted the shrimp heads from the sushi fried, and he took the trouble to inquire with the chef which fish was freshest today.
• Despite the adorable server, the meal was underwhelming in the most boring way. The food and the ambience of the restaurant was just so meh.
• We went and had Sage Cake afterward as a palate-cleanser.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION  
Address: 4365 Convoy St
Phone number: 858.560.0990
Noise level: 2, but no one else was there at the time because we went at an off-hour.
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Shared lot; you have a decent chance of finding a space.
Ideal group size: 1-4

Tajima

Omu-yakisoba.

Mabo tofu ramen. 
Started out good but it grew...off...me?  Can you say that?

Karaage bowl.

Okonomiyaki.  Kind of lumpish and heavy.

A very pretty onigiri...well, except for that creepy-looking takuan.

Rating: Two thumbs down
Date: 3/19/13
Time in: 8:40 PM
Time out: 9:42 PM
Servers' recommendations: Karaage bowl, mabo tofu bowl, chicken katsu bowl, curry ramen, hayashi omu-rice, Japanese flavor steak
What we ordered: Omu-yakisoba (Miko), karaage bowl (Nick), mabo tofu ramen (Jenne), okonomiyaki (to share)
Number in our party: 3
Final check amount: $44.17
Price per person: $14.72/person
 
Notes: 

• Servers' recommendations were given with confidence!  We had two who waited on us, and they were both helpful and charming.  Unfortunately, I hated the omu-yakisoba that the girl recommended, but I felt like I had to eat a good amount of it so she wouldn't feel bad. 
• They revamped and are expanding.  They used to focus more on Japanese clientele, and now they're gearing toward yuppies.  Tajima used to be homey, and they had manga in the waiting area and Japanese signs.  Now, it's all fancy with a big bar.
• This restaurant was a go-to for me, especially for late-night dining.  Now, I would just go to Yakitori Yakyudori or Yokohama Yakitori Koubou.
• They have fountain soda!  This is very rare in an Asian restaurant, Nick notes with excitement.  (Jenne and I could not care less.)  

RESTAURANT INFORMATION 

Address: 4681 Convoy St, Ste 1
Phone number: 858.576.7244
Website: http://www.tajimasandiego.com 
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Shared lot that's pretty tiny, but there's decent turnover, so you can usually squeak into a spot that someone's pulling out of.
Ideal group size: 2-4
Available vegetarian options: Plum onigiri, salads, veggie tempura
Noise level: 3.5

Mapo BBQ Korean cuisine

Miko remarked on the "blinged-out" menu.

Bland panchan and weird-tasting kimchi.

I was charmed by the "Help Roaster" logo.

Bland mushy dumplings.

Bland tofu stew.

Rating: Two thumbs down
Date: 1/26/13
Time in: 8:46 PM
Time out: 9:31 PM 
Servers' recommendations: Tofu stews
What we ordered: Bean paste tofu stew, boiled dumplings
Number in our party: 2
Final check amount: $17.26
Price per person: $8.63 (but we were still hungry)
Notes: 

• It was surprisingly spacious inside.
• It was rather difficult to get a recommendation from the servers.  The first lady didn't speak a whole lot of English, but the fluent guy had trouble too.  They kept waving vaguely at the menu.
• The boiled dumplings were clearly from a package.  In fact, they tasted suspiciously similar to the frozen Daylee Pride gyoza that I get at the Asian market.  I was not pleased -- for the same price I paid here for a dish of 10 dumplings, I could get a bag of 40.
• The panchan was bland, and our favorites (potato salad, fish cake) were missing.  The kimchi had an odd flavor to it -- sweet and musty.  
• Gah, the stew.  It tasted like miso soup, but with tough, stringy beef and clams that were definitely not the freshest.  We did ask for the stew to be mild, but it was so bland that we were forced to mix the kimchi into it.  And then we'd realize that the kimchi tasted funny and made the stew taste even weirder.
• This was incredibly rude of me, but I called Red Moon Noodle House on my cell phone and ordered Singapore noodles while I was still sitting at the table, waiting for the check.  My mother would kill me if she knew.  I couldn't help it; the disappointing meal had taken away any shred of courtesy I'd had!  And we knew Red Moon was closing in just a few minutes!

RESTAURANT INFORMATION 
Address: 4647 Convoy St, Ste 104 
Phone number: 858.565.0403 
Website: http://mapobbq.blogspot.com 
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Shared lot, still crowded
Ideal group size: 2-6
Available vegetarian options: Vegetable tofu stew, chivas [sic] green pancake
Noise level: 2

Nozomi

It's very cute inside.

Lovely tomato?  Is it made with fish??

Tasty miso soup.

Rice cake yakitori -- it's a good idea!  Just needs better sauce.
This sauce was not delicious.
I think it would be good with just a little soy sauce and sugar.

They have a LOT of different rolls including something called the "Bill Gates Roll".
Does it use money instead of nori?

Okonomiyaki -- just kind of sad.

Miso salmon -- it sizzled excitingly as it came to the table, and we liked that it had a lot of vegetables, but the seasoning was kind of blah and the salmon was overcooked.

The rice was cooked well, but tasted of nothing.

Rating: Two thumbs down
Date: 1/19/13
Time in: 11:15 AM
Servers' recommendations: Miso salmon a la carte 
What we ordered:  Miso salmon a la carte, rice cake yakitori, okonomiyaki
Number in our party: 2
Final check amount: I forgot to write it down, but according to my bank statement, I paid $19.62 (including tip, and I tend to pay at least 20%)
Notes: 

• The inside was very cute and carefully decorated, but even then, it doesn't quite have x-factor.
  
• Everything was a tad on the expensive side, $1 or 2 more than we'd expect it to be.
• The server was friendly and gave us one concrete recommendation.  We liked that, especially because the menu was very lengthy.
• The miso soup was good.  It tasted like they actually made it.
• The salmon was okay -- the thick fatty parts were pretty tasty, but the thinner half was dry and overcooked.
  
• As Jenne said in the captions, the mochi dish would have been good if they had used a different sauce.  This one tasted like an overseasoned spicy ketchup.
• The okonomiyaki was gigantic.  Anything tastes good with tonkatsu sauce and mayonnaise drizzled on it, but the pancake itself was gummy and chewy, and the bonito flakes on top tasted stale.
• Jenne would disagree, but I'd rather go to Nozomi than Chopstix.  But that ain't saying much. 
• Nozomi is kind of like a Japanese version of Ranchos in North Park.  Plants outside, lots of vegetarian options, and food that doesn't taste very good.    

RESTAURANT INFORMATION 
Address: 4637 Convoy St, Ste 104
Phone number: 858.569.7773
Website: http://nozomisushiandteriyaki.menutoeat.com 
Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Shared lot that's big for Convoy. It has spaces during the day, but hardly any at dinnertime.
Ideal group size: 1-6
Available vegetarian options: Very pescatarian, vegetarian, and vegan-friendly, with a menu specifically for them. More sushi roll options for vegetarians than other sushi spots.
Noise level: 3 with no one in the restaurant -- the music was loud, especially for an early lunch.

Sushi, Roll Depot

Harris just wanted rice and seaweed,
so they brought her this seaweed salad.
I have a feeling you can buy it in 10-gallon buckets
from whatever the Japanese equivalent
of Sysco is, but it's pretty tasty.

Calm down; it's just chopsticks, people.

Red dragon roll.

Spicy dynamite roll.



Salmon skin roll.  The enthusiastic waiter highly recommended this,
but I (Jenne) thought it was entirely gross. 
I don't think the others hated it quite as much.

Crunchy roll, but the crunchies were stale.  Sad-face.

California roll.  Meh.

Rating: Two thumbs down

Date: 8/11/12

Time in: 5:50 PM 

Servers' recommendations: Salmon skin roll, red dragon roll

What we ordered: Salmon skin roll, red dragon roll, spicy dynamite roll, crunchy roll, California roll, seaweed salad, bowl of rice

Number in our party: 4 (with Anna and Harris)

Final check amount: I forgot to write it down, but it was about $10 each.

Notes: 

• The punctuation on the sign sure is puzzling.  On their website, they leave out the comma.
• The server was very nice and enthusiastic, and he tried so hard.  We didn't like the food and he could tell, which made us feel bad.  He graciously got Harris a bowl of plain rice, even though it wasn't on the menu.
• The rice in the rolls must be pressed into some sort of mold -- they're too square on the edges to have been rolled the traditional way.
• The red dragon roll tasted pretty good.  It was the first to come out, and we were fairly pleased with it.  Unfortunately, the meal went downhill from there.
• The salmon skin was a bit chewy.  I didn't find it disgusting like Jenne did, but it didn't taste good either.
• The crunchy bits on the crunchy roll...weren't.  They were stale.  Plus, the mayo sauce drizzled on top was spicy!  We all know how I (Miko) feel about spicy.
• The rolls that were marked "spicy" were actually quite spicy.  (And some that were NOT marked spicy were too -- see above.)  That's unusual for a sushi restaurant. 
• The ginger tasted like cleaner.
• Harris enjoyed her bowl of rice, but Jenne and I (being the rice snobs our Conquest has made us) noted that it looked rather dry.
• This was the second two-thumbs-down restaurant in a row!  Ouch, that's never happened before.  And we felt bad that we invited Anna along for the first Convoy experience of her life, and THIS was what she got.  Boo.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

Address: 4225 Convoy St

Phone number: 858.560.5345
Website: https://sites.google.com/site/sushirolldepot/

Accepts credit cards? Yes, but there's a $10 minimum.
Parking: Crowded lot with itty-bitty spaces
Ideal group size: 1-4

Available vegetarian options: Vegetable roll, tamago, edamame and other appetizers, ice cream

Noise level: 2

Grandma Tofu & BBQ

I (Jenne) was mesmerized by this concert video of one or possibly several K-pop boybands and could barely listen to what Miko was saying...

Even bad Korean restaurants usually have good panchan!

This supposedly "curry" stew tasted exactly like the powdered cream of chicken soup we used to take on backpacking trips.

Miko was strangely enthralled by this rice, despite that fact that she usually hates brown rice or anything whole-grain whatsoever.

This was basically salty and spicy and nothing else.

Rating: Two thumbs down

Date: 8/4/12

Time in: 1:20 PM

Servers' recommendations: Seafood pancake, tofu stews and tofu stew combos, BBQ dishes, bibimbap, yuk gae jang, stir-fried squid/octopus

What we ordered: Curry soondobu, yuk gae jang

Number in our party: 2

Final check amount: $22.60

Notes: 

• Our stews were pretty disappointing.  I (Miko) ordered the curry soondubu, and it tasted strongly of instant chicken bouillon.  Gross.  Jenne reported that hers was not horrible, but flavorless.
• The restaurant is unnecessarily fancy -- lots of decor and not enough focus on the food.
• The potato panchan was really good, and the rice was one of my (Miko's) favorites on Convoy.  We can't just come here for the potato panchan and rice, though...

RESTAURANT INFORMATION

Address: 4425 Convoy St 

Phone number: 858.277.2220

Website: http://www.yelp.com/biz/grandma-tofu-and-korean-bbq-san-diego

Accepts credit cards? Yes, but the bill has to be over $20.
Parking: Shared lot; there are reserved spaces for the restaurant.

Ideal group size: 2-4

Noise level: 3, but only because of the South Korea Vs. UK soccer game that was on TV.  It was pretty fun to watch the middle-aged men cheering at their tables.

Emerald Chinese Seafood Restaurant

Shrimp dumpling, other dumpling, fluffy bun (not pork).

Yet another dumpling.

Sticky rice dumpling that we liked.

Mysterious bun.

Sweet egg yolk bun.

Shrimp-stuffed tofu.

That beef noodle thing that Miko likes and Hildie hates.

Pork bits of some kind--tastier than it looks!

Fried dumplings--UNACCEPTABLY thick wrappers, dude.

Sesame balls--I always have to get them!  These were just okay.

Rating: Two thumbs down
Date: 4/15/12
Time in: 9:40 AM
Time out: 10:45 AM
Servers' recommendations: N/A -- they recommend everything on their carts

What we ordered: Any number of buns and dumplings
Number in our party: 3 (Hildie as a guest judge today)
Final check amount: $41.05
Notes: 

• A few of my friends swear by Emerald.  I had dinner there once, but it was so unimpressive that I can't even remember which entree I chose.  A sub-par experience in all, but I was excited to go for dim sum.  (Miko) 
• It's always nice to try lots of different things at a meal.  And we LOVE buns and dumplings!
• I especially liked the shrimp dumpling that was covered in sticky rice.  (Miko)
• Dim sum carts are fun in theory, but we'd rather go to China Max.  When the food gets pushed around in carts, the food tastes older or staler, and your conversation gets interrupted a lot.
• The service was rather incomprehensible.
• Hildie noted that the teapot was inexcusably dirty.
• Bottom line: the food was okay, but if anyone wanted to go to Emerald, we'd try to talk them out of it.  We'd rather go to China Max or Jasmine instead.  Maybe it's because we went so early in the morning, but the place was empty and kind of depressing.  And the clincher: there was a bug crawling around in one of the carts!  It looked alarmingly roach-like.  Jenne and I couldn't stop staring at it!  We're not germophobes, but that is quite the turn-off.

RESTAURANT INFORMATION
Address: 3709 Convoy Street, Ste 101
Phone number: 858.565.6888
Website: http://emeraldrestaurant.com/index.htm

Accepts credit cards? Yes
Parking: Private lot

Ideal group size: Any
Available vegetarian options: Vegetable and tofu dishes, desserts
Noise level: 2