san diego and my new hiking buddy

i decided to visit friends in san diego last weekend. it really was a spur of the moment trip (as in planned in less than a week), which i really should do more often. anyway, i went on a hike with my friends in carmel valley. the hike was a bit weird in that the trail started behind this apartment complex:

the trail head goes up this ramp:

the initial part of the hike was fairly steep. the ascent came in about three stages. the entire elevation increase lasts for maybe a quarter of a mile. no biggie.

once you reach the top, it's all flat. like hiking on a mesa.

here's franklin, one of my hiking buddies. ain't he adorable?

on top of the mesa is what they call a vernal pool...

where you can see tadpoles.

here are some views of the urban sprawl.

the recent rain left weird black sand (or maybe it's something else?) on the trail.

this sign cracked me up. it just identified a civil code. that was it.

...and i killed another shoe.

this was the post-hike meal at nico's in carmel valley. i wish i could say great things about it. but i can't. i am a sweet lover but this taco was drenched in some sweet cream sauce. even the horchata was too sweet. after i diluted it in more water, it was still too sweet.

luckily, dinner at an izakaya place in kearny mesa, called oton, more than made up for the not-so-good lunch. this was fabulous. i highly recommend making reservations because this place is tiny.

we started off with tuna belly, which portion was generous for $14.

next, we had monkfish liver. it was prepared cold with a bit of vinegar, which was fine. although i prefer mine served warm.

this black cod was fresh, had natural sweetness and delicate.

the final meal was a hot pot cooked in front of us. it was a miso based soup with chicken, shrimp, finely sliced pork belly, pork dumplings and mushrooms.

i think the pot is ready.

the finished product.

dinner at oton was more than satisfactory. the ambience was nice. we were in a small private room (all of the booths were private) with a curtain to shield us from other prying diners. we happened to be sat in the elevated booths where one had to take off one's shoes and go up the private booth. they then arranged our shoes so that we didn't have to turn around to put them on after we descended the short stairs. the service was also top notch. very polite, very prompt with refilling our water and tea. and very talented in walking backwards without falling off the stairs.

the next day, i headed home. but not before breakfast. introducing, the bacon cheddar pancake.

my friend j really adores this. i found it more of a novelty more than anything. the bacon, because it was cooked in the batter, wasn't crisp as i like them to be. glad i tried it but i was not enamored by it.

but before i leave san diego, here's another picture of my buddy franklin.

with a hiking buddy like franklin, i'll probably go back to san diego and go on more hikes.