Kat's 9 Lives

As I rarely ever go down to San Diego to eat and play, I always make the most of it if I am down there.  We decided to go to Horton Plaza to kill some time between meals.  I decided to see what there was to offer nearby as a snack and found Spike Africa's Fresh Fish Grill & Bar.  It's walking distance from the mall.
Being that it was around late afternoon, the place was not packed and we were seated right away.  The interior was very clean and had a nice bar area.
Even though we were still pretty full from earlier in the day, I was tempted to order more because I may not come back.  I have always had a soft spot for delicious poke so I had to try their Tombo Tuna Poke.  It comes with seaweed salad, mango, soy ginger ponzu, and wonton to enjoy.  I liked that they had the sweet seaweed salad but the flavor was just so so to me.  The overall taste was sweet but not quite savory enough.
At that time they had a Yelp check in where you can get an order of their house made BBQ chips.  They were fresh and good but little did we know that it came with our meal so there was way too many chips to eat lol.  Right now the Yelp check in is a free butterscotch pudding.
I was craving lobster and decided to get their Pt. Loma Lobster Roll with roasted jalapeno tartar and avocado.  There was a decent amount of lobster inside.  The flavor was light and the brioche was good.  It wasn't anything that blew my mind away.
All in all the vibe was good but not anything that I would ever crave or drive far for.  There's plenty of food in the Gaslamp district to check out before I'd probably come back.

Spike Africa's Fresh Fish Grill & Bar
411 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 795-3800

It was getting really late at night and we had a full day in NYC already but our last stop of the night was at the The Breslin in Midtown West/Chelsea. I will admit that I was a bit skeptical when Ms. Lin suggested this gastropub for lamb burgers. There have been very very very few places where I have actually had a decent lamb burger that did NOT taste like feet. Don't get me wrong, I adore lamb and raw meat but I don't like the heavy herbs that over power the natural flavors and only makes the gaminess unbearable.
Since I have had many bad encounters, I was a bit cautious when she ordered. It was late at night and close to last call so we asked the guy to first put in an order of the lamb burger and THEN I will decide if I will have another one. Ms. Lin and him probably thought I was funny and since they have both had the lamb burger, they knew that the answer would be yes! Not that you couldn't tell from the title of this post, lol.
At first I was in a sour mood because nothing else on the menu appealed to me and the prices were mid-high for stuff that I did not want to eat. Prices in NYC always tend to be higher, but since I was not here for a real meal and I am surrounded by tons of great eats in this city I was hesitant to order the other dishes. Luckily I just waited to try the lamb burger and didn't!
If I wasn't so full from all the eating around NYC, I wish I stuffed another burger down the gullet! The Lamb Burger ($21) was topped with feta and served with cumin mayo and thrice cooked chips on the side. I am glad that the mayo was on the side because I don't really like cumin. The fries were piping hot and well seasoned. I really enjoyed the presentation on the cutting board. We cut the burger in half and I was delighted that the center was reddish-pink. It was a juicy, sensuous, and flavorful burger that completely melts in your mouth! Be sure to eat it while it is piping hot and before the juices leak out onto the bun. **Gobble Gobble**
We started the night off with the Caramel Popcorn ($5), which I thought was cutely presented. The name tag and date of birth was a great idea. It wasn't quite what I expected it to be and the caramel was quite sticky and chewy. For me, it was just okay but I did really like the packaging.
I have never heard of a Scotch Egg ($8) but Ms. Lin was excited and wanted to order it. What? I was a bit skeptical because I thought it was a bit pricey for something that has the word egg! For those who know me, I am not a big of eggs and wouldn't order it but I am glad we did. This was surprisingly tasty! Instead of a hard boiled egg inside, it was a nicely poached runny egg encased by meat then batter and fried to crisp perfection. Yum! It was crispy and savory. I actually thought the combination was very nice and was tempted to have another one. The portion size was pretty decent too.
We debated about another appetizer/snack and we decided to order the Beef and Stilton Pie ($7). The server described it as beef and cheese inside a tasty crust, so we thought sure bring us an order! I wished we ordered another scotch egg instead! Of course I wouldn't have known without trying so c'est la vie. The flavor of the beef was decent but there wasn't much cheese inside. To me it was just alright.
All in all it was a hip and tasty gastropub. They definitely sold me on their lamb burger and scotch egg! The menu might change often but I hope they keep those two on the menu! Ms. Lin was a little reserved about this place because it had been a while since she'd been here and since she was introducing this place to me, she wanted to make sure I'd like it too. Luckily, the burger was just as good as she remembered. Proving that when something is good, it can still taste just as good years later and not just be a memory.
The Breslin
16 W. 29th Street
New York, NY 10001
(212) 679-2222