Quick Iceland Guide!

(For the adventurous souls trying to make the trip somewhat affordable)

Bottom line, it’s not going to be. Other than the cheap flight. Iceland is EXPENSIVE, and you definitely don’t get what you pay for foodwise. By that I mean $20 for a basic sandwich or $11 on fruit. You go to experience nature. Northern Lights (if you’re lucky), frozen waterfalls, geothermal baths and glaciers if the world doesn’t continue to be a total a**hole with global warming.

(credit: Omeed Moghadam)

Flight if you’re flying WOW Air

Bring your own food and water (and travel size adult beverages). The airline does not provide any of that complimentary (not even water). They do sell a good variety of foods and drinks but key word...sell. No TVs either.

*Note: you also don’t get a complimentary carry-on or so they say...

What to wear

Layer layer layer. I threw out “looking cute” as quickly as I stepped out of the airport. But if you are a queen (which you are **yaaasss** there’s no shame in you’re fabulous queenie-ness) get some cute sunnies and scarves to dress outfits up. But first, BASICS! You need under thermal garments (both top, bottoms and socks). Thick gloves and beanies. Not just cotton, but water/wind resistant too. Winter pants and jackets (again, wind resistant is key). Ski masks saved our lives. It got so cold in some areas that any part of our bodies touching the air stung. Don’t let this deter you though. It’s part of the adventure. Plus what good is this trip if you can’t part with the car heater and play our parts of Disney’s Frozen when you want to??

Phones/electronics

Call you your provider to set up a per day data travel plan. For AT&T at least signal was pretty good and if you’re driving around yourself, definitely a must-have for directions.

You’ll need a power converter. Make sure to bring mobile battery banks too and maybe a car charger if you plan to rent a car. Weather this cold completely depletes your phone battery. You’ll go out to take photos for 15 minutes and find your charge down to 30% or lower. Be prepared! Gotta do it for the gram!

Rent a car/tour?

We rented a car and drove around ourselves and loved it. Lots more independence and flexibility for spontaneity. With that, more research is needed, especially weather and road condition-wise. Here are resources.

Road conditions: www.safetravel.is

Weather conditions: vedur.is

Keep in mind there are single-lane bridges in Iceland. It’s courteous to treat it like a stop sign.

If this is a bit stressful, there are plenty of tours.

Food

You’ll quickly find eating out all the time will drain your bank and leave you unsatisfied. (I’m also a bottomless pit mind you)

So unless you’re rolling in dough or allergic to money, grocery stores are your friend. The main franchise there is called Bonus. Gas stations actually have a good selection of to-go grub too. That sounds weird because US gas station food usually sucks, but in Iceland, it’s totally okay to order a sandwich, grab some yogurt, etc. Cheapest option is a grocery store though. No fridge? Just leave it outside! Jk, don’t. Mice.

Stay

Airbnbs are expensive in the city. We opted for a hotel room the first night. The capitol Reykjavik is worth maayybbee 1-2 days. After that get out of there in my opinion.

Outside of urban areas, Airbnbs are awesome especially if you’re in a group. Ours had room for 8 people (even a separate guest room) full kitchen and a hot tub to thaw our frozen bones and booties.

Our itinerary for a guideline 

Omeed did such a great job! We were in Iceland for only a few days but did so much more than expected exploring the southern region. An area known for a lot of iconic sites. Sure, one day we (by we, I mean he) drove for 8+ hours. It was looong but the destination was a glacier. I mean, who does that??! These crazy pants, that’s who. If you have more time though, it’ll be easier on your body for sure to stay the night, etc. Yolo fasho. (That’s what the kids are saying right? Or is it like soooo 2015?)

Omeed’s masterpiece:

Friday 

4:10 am – Arrive to KEF

Reykjavik – 1 Night 

Morning – Go to Hallgrimskirkja/iconic church

(credit: Omeed Moghadam)

Afternoon evening – Go to Blue Lagoon (this was a highlight for sure! People will tell you it’s touristy. It is but who cares. It’s amazing!!)

Restaurant here is expensive but really good. 

Saturday 

Morning to Afternoon:

Pingvellir National Park/Geysir

(credit: Omeed Moghadam)

Gullfoss Waterfalls

4:00pm – check in at Airbnb -Langholtsvegur, Flúðir, Iceland – 2 Nights

Sunday 

Morning:

Skogafoss waterfall

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach (Game of Thrones filmed here)

(credit: Omeed Moghadam)

Svartifoss waterfall

Jokulsarlon/Glacier Lagoon (4 hr 11 min away from Airbnb)

(credit: Omeed Moghadam)

We Investigate: Cuban/Dominican/Puerto Rican Food

On a mission to uncover the truth and hold the bland accountable, our investigative team went deep into the trenches of Clairemont seeking fried plantains and slow-cooked meats. 

For years I've heard good things about Tropical Star Restaurant and Specialy Market on Balboa Avenue, so I was thrilled to try it with my station's I-team. Plus, I wanted to see what it'd be like to have three Asians, a mid-Westerner and a Bay Area guy-turned-San Diegan in a Latin American restaurant talking American politics.

I can't believe it's taken me so long to visit this place. What a hole-in-the-wall superstar! Probably the best spot in the entire county to experience a wide array of Latin American home-cooked food, including Cuban, Puerto Rican, Venezuelan and Dominican cuisine. I mean, it's no Bronx, but it's pretty stellar given it's San Diego.

Around Paul Krueger and me is the rest of the NBC 7 Investigates team: Mari Payton, Lynn Walsh and Jay Yoo. Fellow journalists and some of the most fabulous food friends. 

Don't we look angry in that picture? Don't we look like we want to troll each other's Facebook posts or storm out of the room screaming "I can't believe you voted for that person! I don't even know you anymore!" *insert dramatic ugly cry*

Haha, no. It was one of the best conversations I've had post this exhausting and wildly divisive election. Why? Because we all respect one another and, although our opinions differ on many topics, we know certain things will always bring us together.

Like foooooooood. 

Like pastel y arroz con grandules. 

Similar to a shredded pork tamale, this steamed pocket of goodness is made with mashed green bananas instead of corn masa. Delicious. So delicious that I was supposed to be on a diet and eat half, but next thing I knew it was gone. I don't know what happened. I must have blacked out for a second and it all fell into my mouth. Darn it...again! 

With only a few tables inside and two outside, the homey restaurant exists in a market that looks like grandma's pantry. It is as rich in color as it is in culture. 

Here's Mari with her fruit smoothie and pabellon venezuelan combo. She had the Venezuelan seasoned shredded beef, white rice, black beans and fried ripe plantains.

Without asking Mari gave me one of her plantains and took a bite of my tamale. That's my girl.

Our photographer Jay kept it simple and got the arroz con pollo (chicken and rice). 

The flavors in all these dishes are spot on. You can taste that the meat has been slow-cooked for hours flavoring the rice, beans and sauces. Sure some Maggi powder was probably used, but heck if you've traveled abroad, you know that's pretty much just salt. 

I'm a sucker for contrasting flavors. Like Batman needs Joker and Superman needs Lex Luther, flavors come alive when they have a complementing rival. 

Viola! The suicide squad of flavor villains! Hello, habanero! 

Admit it. It's really hard to eat amazing food and be in a bad mood. Like, even if you wanted to talk to me about how Kylie Jenner isn't ruining America for little girls everywhere - put some dumplings on the table. You have ten minutes...okay, five. 

Takeaway? If you're going to talk politics, try and make sure you have some bomb grub around. It helps take the edge off. More than that, I think it shows we are all more alike than we are different. It helps rip off labels and dissolve the us vs. them mentality. It's a reminder we are all human and we all like to eat!

Okay, maybe not some of you. You Soylent-drinking deviants. You scare me.

Plus, this place sells avocados the size of your head. If that doesn't bring America together, I don't know what will. #MakeAmericaEatAgain

That Thai Surprise, Baby

“Did she just call me baby?”

That had to be the quote of the night.

This was from a man who has been on assignment in Afghanistan, crawled through the underground tunnels of Saigon and has been in the aftermath of probably every natural disaster imaginable. And here he was with me in an itty bitty Thai restaurant in Chula Vista totally stunned by this older hostess who'd just called him baby.

“What can I get you, baby? The orange chicken? Okay, baby!”

I was enjoying every second of this awkwardness.

That's the thing. This was Nikki's restaurant. This was her world. We were just living in it.

This unique exchange pulled me out of work mode. It’s not every day people surprise and draw me in.

You know what, though? Her food had the same effect. What a surprise. What a GEM!

I got number #13 the Yum Woon Sen with chicken. Clear glass noodles seasoned with sour Thai herbs, carrots, red onion, green onion, celery, tomato and cilantro.

My photographer got the orange chicken...at a Thai restaurant. Yeah, we're going to ignore that, but I'll post a picture anyway.

"What level hot you like, baby?" she asked me. Okay now she's calling me baby. How cute.

"Um, 5 please."

"No, no? Do you want to die!? My 5 is too spicy for you. You like spicy? Yeah? Okay, 1."

What the heck? 1? I told her I liked spicy. Why would you even have a spicy scale if your spicy is 1?! 

Whatever. I'll get a spicy level 1. Lame. Then I started to look at the signage around the restaurant.  They told me to "Believe her!" Believe/don't believe mommy.

There was some weird Oedipal business going on here. I'm going to call her Nikki.



Now back to my Yum Woon Sen. The flavor was outstanding. You can tell there were no flavor enhancers. No substitutes. She didn't cut corners. Nikki used real ingredients.

She came over again to tell me she drives to a Los Angeles market every Sunday to do all her shopping. She gets produce, noodles, meats and other ingredients unique to Thai cuisine that, she says, she can't find here in San Diego.

She pointed to the trifecta of hot sauces in front of me exclaiming, "I make that and that and that!" Thumbs up, Nikki! (or whatever you're doing there with your hand).

  

 

Man, sometimes I wish I was a cow so I had four stomachs and could eat more. I want to be able to write about other dishes here, but I'm human. No number of burpees can excuse me ordering four dishes for myself. I'm not saying I haven't done it. Just saying...it wasn't appropriate and I may or may not have lied to the hostess saying "Yeah, yeah this is for my family. No this is not all just for me. That would be crazy..."

Anyway, back to the daily grind. What an incredible find in the middle of Chula Vista.

P.S. My photographer said the orange chicken here was very good.

Ja'Maican Me Crazy for that Jerk Chicken and Gravy

Holy smokes! This place is so good it caught me off guard! I wasn't ready for you, Island Spice.

After years at its Market Street location, it's moved to 6109 University Avenue. Where ever you go I.S (how does that song go?), I will follow yooouuu!

Red bean rice. Good. Jerk chicken. Brown sauce. Good. Fried plantains. Gooooood.

When it comes to Caribbean food, Island Spice has a solid act. By that, I mean, they know who they are, they know the food they serve and they do it over and over again and make it real good. Respect.

My photographer, who must not be named because he's a "vegan," got the brown stew chicken. All I can say about that is ... lol.

I got the brown stew fish which is fried red snapper with brown sauce. Both meals came with a mixed beans and rice side, greens and fried plantains. Here's the menu.

The chicken was seasoned, fried and then drenched in their brown gravy. The sauce has a homey, deep flavor that's not overpowering even the slightest. However, it is the strongest element of the dish perfectly complemented by the savory flavors from the rice/beans, greens and sweetness from the fried plantains.

Everything goes together. It just works. This is definitely one of the meals you'll thoroughly enjoy and crave randomly later, especially after some questionable nights. Makes you understand where the term soul food came from.

The red snapper dish (picture below) comes out as the whole fish, head and all. If you're squeamish about that (get over it because that's how fish looks. Yes, they have eyes), maybe opt for something else. I hope you don't though because you'd be missing out. The meat was crunchy on the outside and flaky and tender in the inside. Very flavorful. Perfect if you're wanting something lighter. I loved it.

Another must-get is the ginger beer. I've never had a drink that complemented my meal so well (well, maybe red wine with steak, but that's a whole different ballgame). Ginger beer is a great palette cleanser. It is spicy. Helps make that fifth or sixth bite as good as the first. 

The only slight downside is the service can be a tad slow. One time I arrived when the place was supposed to be open, and they weren't ready for another hour or so. Could've been a fluke. Honestly, to me, it wasn't a biggie and happened a while ago. Kind of added to the island feel haha, but if you're on-the-go and want something fast, you may want to wait until you have a comfortable amount of time to try this place.

#NomOn, my friends. 

My Inexplicable Soup Obsession

Like Anthony Bourdain is obsessed with pork, I get down-right oogley over soups. Clear/brothy soups, thick/creamy soups, seafood, chicken, vegetable, with rice, with noodles, broth all by its lonesome. I don't discriminate. It's all good. No,  it's great.

I love it. I want it. I need it. I don't give a rat's left butt cheek that it's 90 degrees out. Give it to me and no one gets hurt. 

It's pretty ridiculous how many pictures I have with soup. Like more than with some family members.

My love for soups is both inexplicable and something I can describe in painfully great detail.

For instance, I love the way clear broth tastes "clean." Like the Food Gods magically extracted the essence of a chicken, piece of beef or fish, mixed it in warm water and sprinkled glittery dots of animal fat on the top for bitty flavor boosts. I love its ability to give you that savory satisfaction all while remaining light and fresh. And, when perfectly cooked rice or noodles, meat and leafy greens are in the mix, you get a theme park of textures. Plus, the soup adopts an entirely new character. The same but different. Like if an already amazing friend studied abroad for a year and came back all spicy and cultured. Weird analogy, but I think it works.

(FYI, don't get my friend Amanda and I started about this new "bone broth movement." You'll see it in places like trendy grocery stores and on TV. Don't get sucked into that Columbus-y silliness folks. Typical, take-something-that's-been-done-forever-by-other-people-and-sell-it-yourself-to-make-it-trendy crap going on. How else do you make proper broth, I want to know? With bones! Yes, my grandma made soup by going to the butcher, asking for cheap bones and boiling the living daylights out of them. "Bone broth" shouldn't be sold like a cold-pressed juice for goodness sake! Okay, I'm done here. This was supposed to be a quick aside. See! I told you not to get me started. Read more.) 

But, why soup? I can describe any food. A haiku about fried chicken. A sonnet about burritos. But, soup...

Maybe it's because it reminds me of growing up. As a single parent working two full-time jobs, my mom didn't have a lot of time to cook. So, she threw a bunch of bones and meat into a crock pot to make broth. Then throughout the week, we'd throw in veggies and meat that would cook in minutes and voila, a meal!

Then there's my grandma who'd make us drink a whole bowl of Chinese soupy something before we could eat. Believe me, most of the time it was not good, but it was healthy (she claimed...). Three words at which most Chinese kids shudder: bitter melon soup. The horror! It was something my brother and cousin and I tortured through, sometimes making jokes like "I'm going to put as much as I can in my mouth then go to the bathroom and spit it out." We'd try and then see chopsticks come flailing towards our temples followed by angry threats from my grandma I didn't understand. Well, I did. Not the words because I don't know Chinese, but the gist. Something along the lines of "I'm going hit you! When I was your age, I was 90 pounds! Fine, get sick. See if I care!" Oh man, I love my grandma. Isn't she cute and cuddly? (If she knew I wrote this, she'd glare at me with a five pound cleaver in her hand. She was a cook, so she usually had a cleaver handy. Oh, the love.)

Finally, there's college. I lived off soup because I was broke and it was cheap and easy to make. Safe to say, I did not gain the freshman fifteen.

Also safe to say, I have a soft spot for soup. Soupy McSouperson, you've been a good friend. Always there to warm me up, make me laugh, make me cry....what? This is getting weird? Sorry.

Alright, here's the moment of truth. My favorite places to get soup in San Diego.

1.  Clam Chowder @ Ironside Fish & Oyster (Little Italy)

2. Pho @ Pho Hoa (City Heights), Pho Cow Cali Express (Mira Mesa), Pho T Cali (Kearny Mesa), Phuong Trang (Kearny Mesa), Pho-Ever  (Vista)- I know my pho.

3. Wonton Noodle Soup @ Minh Ky Chinese Restaurant (City Heights)- This has egg noodles, ground pork wontons (Chinese meat dumplings), BBQ pork and green onions swimming in a clear broth. To...die...for. Make sure you have the chili oil on hand!

4. Pozole @ where ever you can get it. It's a very traditional Mexican soup made up of tender pork chunks and hominy. Think of menudo but without tripe. Comfort food to the max. The Waterfront Bar and Grill (Little Italy) serves some and it's received good reviews. I've had pozole at random restaurants throughout the county. I love getting it at Northgate Gonzalez Markets (countywide), which is a gem in itself.

5. Soon du boo @ Convoy Tofu House or Grandma's Tofu and BBQ (both in Kearny Mesa).

6. Souplantation (uh...err where)-  Don't hate. I'm no food snob. I get my soup where I can get it. I mean, the flavor lacks sometimes, but add a little salt and hot sauce...BAM! The best ten bucks you'll spend on all-you-can-eat soup.

7. Ramen @ Izakaya Masa (Mission Hills) and Santouka (Kearny Mesa).

8. Sinigang - I need help with this one! It's one of my favorite soups of all time. Sour Filipino soup made with either pork or seafood. Problem is, the only time I've had really good sinigang was at someone's house.

Why? Because they have the fried chicken donut sandwich w/ red velvet waffles. That's why.

Better than Roscoe's? Dare I say it. Guess what? I don't have because my photographer did. And, he worked in LA, so that's saying something.

Who even came up with the chicken and waffles combo? Probably someone eating breakfast and had leftover fried chicken from last night. Brilliance by accident? Maybe. Either way, Streetcar Merchants in North Park is the place to get your fix on.

The restaurant located at 30th Street and Lincoln Avenue serves several things. Donuts and coffee for breakfast, beers for the evening and chicken and waffles for ... all day long. The owner told me he did this intentionally so his business wouldn't be pegged as a "breakfast place" or "evening place."

You can get these items a la carte or, of course, combo style as you see them here. They also serve some "off the eaten path" items that are actually very true to southern style cuisine. We're talking fried chicken giblets - liver, heart and gizzards. I love 'em, but definitely can't have a whole plate. One or two and I'm good.

Given I haven't try this yet, it looks phenomenal. It's their Southern fried chicken doughnut sandwich with red velvet waffle with cinnamon cream cheesecake butter.

Let me just write that again...Southern fried chicken doughnut sandwich with red velvet waffle with cinnamon cream cheesecake butter. Shut the front door!

The only downside to this place is their menu can get confusing. It's sort of all over the place. For instance, I didn't even see the red velvet waffle option. And, when I took a while the person at the register seemed to get impatient with me. Big no no. I'm no diva, but I may or may not fall in love with your restaurant in the next 15 minutes, so give me some love and support here. That's something I can get over though. Everyone has bad days.

Streetcar Merchants? A definite must-try in San Diego (but maybe take a look at the menu first before going to the counter) and a great add to the eccentric North Park vibe.

Somali Food in San Diego

Curry and cumin. Lamb and goat. Seasoned rice and spaghetti. Those are some of the flavors and foods of Somali cuisine found in City Heights. San Diego is home to the second largest Somali population in the U.S.

Abdikadir Osman sits with me to talk about Somali culture and cuisine.

Continuing NBC 7's series celebrating San Diego’s rich cultural diversity, here are the places we visited and the dishes we tried:

1.       Fatuma Restaurant (4869 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92105).

- Combo plate with grilled goat, fried tilapia, rice and vegetables.
- Soor, which is a style of corn grits. That was served under seasoned spinach.

- Mixed fruit drink (tastes like guava juice).

Faridas East African Cuisine (1754 Euclid Ave, San Diego, CA 92105)

- Chicken and beef sambusas (fried meat or vegetable pastries).

- Combo chicken plate

- Traditional Somali tea, which is like a fragrant milk tea.

 

If you like spicy, make sure you ask for the green sauce – or as online reviewers like to refer to as “the green stuff.” The restaurant may give a banana with your meal. If you can resist, don’t eat it right away. It isn’t an appetizer. Traditionally, the banana is eaten with the meal, like a condiment.

In the 90’s thousands of people escaped Somalia as a result of the Somali Civil War. Before then, imperial powers and civil unrest had already displaced many Somalis around Africa (notably North and South Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti) and the world.

There are between 10-20,000 Somalis residing in San Diego.

Abdikidar Osman welcomed us into his business, Fatuma Restaurant, and explained customers can sit and eat at tables or take off their shoes and eat on the carpet on the ground. Traditionally, Somali food is eaten that way, using hands.

At Fatuma Restaurant, you can eat at a table on on the ground

“One of the most important things people should know about Somali culture is we are very open-minded people. We like to talk, and Somalis are well known for sitting around having tea,” said Osman.

When asked what a first-timer should try at his restaurant, he recommended their lamb and goat with rice dishes.

The goat is boiled for two-three hours to make it very tender. It’s then spiced with cumin, curry, pepper and Fatuma’s secret mix of other spices. Many people like the goat grilled after it’s boiled to give it a deliciously gristly crunch.

(left) Combo plate: goat, tilapia, rice and salad. (right) Soor or corn grits with spinach.

In 1990, Osman came to the U.S. by himself. He had two things – $19 in his pocket and a positive attitude. Noticing the Somali community in San Diego didn’t have the best access to the food they needed, he opened a market in City Heights and then a restaurant. He named his restaurant Fatuma, after his wife who currently resides in Ethiopia. Together they have six children.

Abdikadir Osman talking to photojournalist Jeff Herrera

Somalis are Muslim. They eat Halal food which means it’s prepared following Islamic principle.

“For the Somali community, going out and trying to eat that food, there was no accessibility there,” he explained. “For me it was a business opportunity and at the same time serving the community.”

Although Somalis are, geographically, a divided people, Osman says San Diego has united them.

“The most amazing thing in San Diego, compared to other cities, and I can fully say this – the community, the elders in San Diego are very united elders,” he said. “We were divided back in Somalia because of the civil war, but once we come over here it’s a completely different mentality.”

Elders are the most respected – the decision makers – in Somali communities.

** If you’ve been watching/reading this “Off the Eaten Path” series celebrating San Diego’s diversity through food, share your thoughts with reporter Candice Nguyen by emailing her at candice.nguyen@nbcuni.com or messaging her on her Facebook page.  

** A TV segment of this will air Friday August 28th on NBC 7 at 4:30 p.m.