Vagabond: Kitchen of the World is a cute little restaurant nestled into the heart of South Park. It’s easy to pass by (especially at night!) on the road as its tucked into its little area with no large signage proclaiming its existence. The inside of the restaurant is warm and cozy, mostly lit by candlelight in the evening. They have a collection of items from around the world, giving substance to the “kitchen of the world” slogan.
My friend Laura and I dined here one evening not too long ago, intrigued by the thought of dishes from all over the world. We spent a good deal of time looking at the menu (I actually had to wait for a menu since I accidentally got two wine menus – I guess they really wanted me to drink) before deciding on what to eat.
After deciding on a few dishes for ourselves, we were brought some bread and butter.
It looks ordinary, doesn’t it? Warm french bread and some butter. But the butter was secretly very flavorful – it had a strong garlic taste which made me extremely happy. I kept slathering it onto every inch of my piece of bread, enjoying how garlicky and tasty it was. And warm bread is almost always delicious. It was crusty and fresh and a nice way to pass the time before getting our meal.
Our meals seemed to take a little while to come out, but we didn’t mind as we had some things to discuss anyway (ahh, bridal shower planning). But when they did come out, I thought my meal was almost too pretty to eat. Almost.
I ordered the Poulet Basquaise, $18.50, a pan roasted chicken dish from “Pays Basque”, an area shared by France and Spain. Underneath the crispy chicken is some ratatouille and fingerling potatoes. The aromas alone were delightful and the taste just as good. I especially liked the outside texture of the chicken – so crispy! The veggies were soft and roasted and well seasoned with herbs. To me, it tasted almost like a spring/summery day with the infusion of fresh herbs. Yum!
Laura got the Moule Frites, $17.50, a pound of Prince Edwards mussels in a white wine sauce. It came with Pommes Frites (sorry, no photo) – very thinly cut french fries. I tried the skinny fries – they were pretty tasty – but I did not try her dish, but she seemed to enjoy it as she ate every bite.
Vagabond would normally be a bit out of my price range, but Laura brought along a coupon with her which made the meal a little more manageable to my wallet.
Vagabond: Kitchen of the World
2310 30th St.
(between Fern St & Juniper St)
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 255-1035
I have been wanting to eat here ever since I heard about it from a friend.
Sounds pretty good. I agree the prices seem a little high.