Robataya Oton, the little Japan of San Diego

Shoes off when dining in the private seating areas of Robataya Oton

Neighborhood: Kearny Mesa, just a couple of blocks off-Convoy Street

Price: $$$ (Depends on how much fresh sushi you order!)

Vibe: This dark little restaurant, with private wooden booths gives us all the feels for an authentic Japanese dining experience

If you’ve read this blog before, you know how much I love Convoy Street (Kearny Mesa) and all that this area of town has to offer. We are SO lucky to have such an eclectic selection of wonderful Asian restaurants right here in San Diego. If you haven’t explored this part of town yet, please get out there and try something new next time you dine out. P.S. my blog offers a ton of our favorite offerings at different restaurants along Convoy Street. Just search “Kearny Mesa” here to see some of my suggestions.

Back to this fabulous little restaurant that is Robataya Oton! Located in a little strip mall off Kearny Villa Road, just bordering the 163 freeway. You must make reservations because the restaurant is small, with only a few private dining booths and some seats at the sushi bar. As customary when visiting someone’s home in Japan, you take your shoes off before climbing into one of the private booths, and immediately you feel a little more relaxed in this charming dining spot.

Our view of the sushi bar from our private booth

The owner and chef, Takumi Sakurai, prides himself on choosing only the finest local ingredients and actually sources some of the seafood selections straight from Japan! This is ever-so-evident when we start getting our dishes delivered. I’m a little embarrassed by how many orders of the yellowtail belly nigiri and fresh Hamachi carpaccio we ordered, so I won’t exhaust you with the details. The sushi here is so unbelievably fresh that it literally melts in your mouth. We were so into our eating experience that I failed to get a picture of the Hamachi carpaccio, except for one last piece, oops!

Yellowtail belly nigiri

The only picture I got of the Hamachi carpaccio — a testament to how delicious it was.

We also ordered the chicken karaage, lightly battered and deep-fried and seasoned to perfection. This was a delicious crunchy bite, and yes, we ordered this twice because the first order went so fast.

Chicken Karaage

Tara Saikayo

Though the image above doesn’t quite do it justice, I also must recommend the Tara Saikyo — an appetizer of black cod cooked and caramelized in a delicious Saikyo miso marinade. I could have eaten 10 of these!

Our fixens for Shabu Shabu

The grand finale of this eating adventure of course had to be one of the hot pot options on the menu. I love a good hot pot, and while we typically order the Chanko Nabe (with miso base and pork — incredible!), this time we opted for the Shabu Shabu - just to try something different. It was a great selection of Premium thin sliced beef and vegetables, mushrooms, and tofu cooked in Japanese "Dashi" soup stock. The Shabu was a fun change, but the dashi soup stock didn’t have that knock-you-down flavor I was hoping for. It’s served with sesame sauce and ponzu sauce, and we found that adding some to our individual bowls and using it for a dipping sauce was a needed addition to the Shabu Shabu.

Shabu Shabu

Robatay Oton is a truly special restaurant in the off-Convoy area. A great way to taste a variety of Japanese offerings in a place that feels like home.

Robataya Oton

5447 Kearny Villa Rd.

San Diego, CA. 92123

Trust Restaurant’s upscale brunch is divine

Neighborhood: Hillcrest

Price: $$

Vibe: Beautiful open-concept restaurant with seating both inside (where you can watch the chefs cooking up some glorious eats) or outside on the patio right on Park Blvd. Great decor that feels upscale but still gives you that comfortable neighborhood vibe.

I love a good brunch spot, and it had been a beat since I’ve visited this lovely spot in Hillcrest - let me tell you, I’ve been missing out! We came here for a birthday brunch, looking for something on the brunch spectrum that was a little more upscale for a celebration.

Trust is a beautiful place, with ceiling to floor windows and an open-kitchen concept that allows you to watch the chefs slaving away at your brunch meal. Seating inside is really lovely, the space is big and airy and doesn’t get loud like some open space restaurants like it. There is also outdoor patio seating, great if you want to bring your furry friend along or catch some of our beautiful weather in San Diego.

We started with some delicious grapefruit cinnamon, and orange juice mimosas with prosecco, which were fabulous! I would never have thought to pair the citrus and cinnamon together, what a delightful surprise.

Grapefruit cinnamon mimosa is a must try!

The brunch menu was eclectic and honestly made it hard to choose due to so many fun options, but our group chose a great variety for our meal.

I chose the Pancakes and Fried Chicken, a delicious combo that I have not had before. Chicken and waffles, yes sure. But fried chicken served with fluffy and delicious pancakes? This might be my new favorite combination! YUM. The chicken was crispy with some spice to it, and I loved that it came in small bite-sized morsels. It paired beautifully with the sweetness of the pancakes and homemade maple syrup.

PANCAKES & FRIED CHICKEN garlic, chilies, honey-butter, syrup

We also ordered the Smoked Pork Shoulder Hash, which had a great depth of flavor. It came served in a skillet with layers of complexity, spice and yumminess. This one is a bit on the heavy side, so if you’re hungry it will absolutely satisfy you.

SMOKED PORK SHOULDER HASH sunny side egg, fresno chiles, black bean+radish salsa, ‘nduja mayo, cilantro

We also tried the Rolled Tacos Con Huevos, which were incredibly flavorful and just a unique delight as a brunch dish. Don’t let the look of the dish fool you, it was incredibly filling and satisfying on a plate of delicious black beans and chorizo.

ROLLED TACOS CON HUEVOS 2 eggs, black beans, chorizo, potatoes, salsa ranchero, oaxaca, guacamole, radish

We were too full to try the famous Trust Ultimate Sticky Bun on this visit. The restaurant puts out a different version of the sticky bun each brunch and is a fun option to share for those that didn’t fill up on their meals like we did.

We truly enjoyed every aspect of our brunch here and this one is definitely going back into our rotation of favorites.

Trust

3752 Park Blvd
Hillcrest, 92103

Sugar and Scribe Bakery is Everything You Want in a Brunch Spot

When you visit Sugar and Scribe, you must take a cruise through the bakery inside. The sweets, the cakes and baked goods are a Willy Wonka-style wonderland.

Neighborhood: La Jolla

Vibe: Adorable European-style sidewalk cafe with seating both inside and outside.

Price: $

I love finding a good brunch spot that not only offers a wide selection of brunch options, but also one that delivers on even the most basic of dishes, like a simple French-style cheese scramble cooked to fluffy perfection. Sugar and Scribe is everything you want in a brunch restaurant and more. Thier wide selection of baked goods is rivaled only by the kitchen, putting out delicious European-inspired cuisine. Oh, and did I mention the coffee? Yum!

This is one of our “go-to” spots on a Saturday or Sunday - but it can indeed get crowded during the summer/touristy months, so beware of the wait time. But the food is well-worth a little wait, especially considering the long lines outside of rival brunch spots like “The Cottage”, that don’t even compare, food-wise. If you do have to wait a bit, go into the bakery and order a coffee and take a little walk around the neighborhood. There are a ton of cute little shops just one street away on Girard, and don’t forget Warwick’s Book Store, which one can easily whittle away a half hour browsing around.

On to the food! I typically order the same thing when I come here — there is nothing I love more than a good simple scramble served with a salad (yes, a salad! It’s very French.) for breakfast. This time during our visit, we tried something new. Sugar and Scribe is inspired by classic bakeries around the world (they serve a full Irish breakfast for those wanting to partake in this specialty), so we decided to try the scotch egg. This is not a menu option you can find in many restaurants, so it was fun to give it a whirl.

Scotch Egg served with house gravy is a fun bite to share!

My favorite dish here that I’ve been hinting about in this blog, is the Sligo Scramble. Eggs scrambled with goat cheese and Irish cheddar with a spring salad. I always order this with the Irish multigrain bread with homemade jam. It may be the most perfect breakfast (says me)!

Sligo Scramble

My brunch mates on this fine day, ordered the Naughty Skillet and the Lobby Roll. The plates and presentation are beautiful.

Naughty Skillet — with roasted potatoes, Irish white cheddar, bbq beef, two eggs and spicy sriracha hollandaise

Lobby Roll —Maine lobster, lemon aioli, celery and parsley on a butter roll

Don’t forget to check out the bakery, it’s truly an enchanting experience and I dare you not to treat yourself to one of these delectable items!

Sugar and Scribe

7660 Fay Avenue, Suite I

La Jolla, CA 92037