Aladdin Mediterranean Cafe, Hillcrest

This is a little eatery on Cleveland ave. right opposite a starbucks nook. The decor is very ornate with inlayed furniture and ornate lamps...basically very middle eastern to look at. We struck up a conversation with the owner who suggested we try the following menu :
appetizer :
borak (this was a open 4 cornered pastry with mildly flavored kheema...very fresh and really good)
entrees:
1.chicken biryani (very Indian Tandoor-ish ...we later found out they had picked up the recipe from an indian cook !)
2.mixed sheesh kababs (chicken tikka was the best I've had in San diego, the lamb kabab was very chewy however the kheema kababs were really juicy and tender)
dessert :
baklava (nice ...hadn't eaten it in a while so I was happy to get some familiar comfort food)
Kunafa which is supposed to be a kind of a cheese cake(Ravi absolutely loved it and I absolutely hated it...so its up to the reader to try it :o)
All in all a good experience with interesting company from the owner..a really nice softspoken gentleman.
~Arati

Ba Ren

Reputedly one of San Diego's best Szechuan restaurants, Ba Ren is a great place if you're in the mood for spicy. On our last visit, we happened to be with a large sized group, and so we had the opportunity to sample several items on the menu. For appetizers, we had the Hot and Sour soup, and Szechuan cold noodles - the latter, rather unique in its flavors. Some of the entrees were really exceptional, including the Dry cooked lamb, and the Rice crust with sliced chicken (vaguely reminiscent of the original Indian Chinese food). The Hot pepper chicken is quite a sight - on this plate, you have higher odds of picking the red peppers than the popcorn style chicken. The twice cooked fish, boiled fish in spicy sauce, and the vinegar potatoes were very tasty as well. Located off of Clairemont mesa blvd, this restaurant has a nice authentic feel to it, and is one of the hidden gems of the San Diego food scene.
-rajiv.

Wasabi Sushi on Garnet Ave.

We were supposed to go to Sushi Ito but at the last minute Wasabi Sushi aroused my curiosity.The restaurant is very plain to look at from the outside. However you really get a very spacious feel when you enter. We had the following sushi rolls :
Samurai Roll (awesome)
Wasabi Roll ( good)
Volcano Roll (the fish was very tender the roll itself was prepared very well !)
Lobster Roll (A let down... I am convinced that Yoshi Sushi makes the best Lobster Roll)
Green Tea Ice cream (Good but Yoshi's is better)
By far the rolls were very elegantly made I was very happy with this place.
Down side :
The service is really slow so if you are in no hurry to go this is the place for you. (3 waitresses serve about 30 people !!)
~ Arati :o)

Saigon on 5th

Hillcrest does Pho. And predictably, it's with style. You're met by an imposing faux marble Buddha as you enter, and looking around, you catch women in flowing ao dais.
The menu is quite reasonably priced, and while the food may not quite match the ambience, it's still quite good (as a matter of fact, Zagat rates it 'Very good to excellent').
The chicken pho was faultless (and msg-less), and the appetizer spicy lemongrass soup was delicious. Opinion on the flat Spicy noodles was divided however (I found it a bit bland)
Since, we don't do Vietnamese very often, every visit ends up being an occasion to get a pho-fix, but to the more adventurous gastronome, there're many options on the menu.
-rajiv.

Sally's Cafe, UTC

This is the breakfast place that replaced Le Peep. Standard breakfast menu, but the food quality was pretty bad. $20 for breakfast for two.