So not a single Corean place (neng myun, kal gooksu, chachangmyun, yukejang, sulangtang)? That's jacked up yo.
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The Mein Event: OC's Best Noodles
Noodles, noodles everywhere, from pho to pad Thai and everything else
SOBA
You won't find many chefs who make their own buckwheat noodles in this country, let alone in Orange County. Irvine's Fukada is one such rarity. Served hot or cold, the perfectly al dente soba noodles can be ordered in several traditional Japanese variations accompanying a subtle dashi broth that tastes lightly of dried bonito flakes, kelp and soy sauce. Soba specialists also tend to be expert tempura cooks, as the two things go hand in glove. Fukada's tempura comes out lacy and crisp, the greaseless batter tasting subtly of the toasted sesame oil that's part of the fry-oil blend. 8683 Irvine Center Dr., Irvine, (949) 341-0111.
PAPPARDELLE BOLOGNESE
Too many people think of Italian food as overboiled, gluey pasta with sauce slopped over the top; try handmade pasta just once, and it'll change your entire way of thinking. Sadly, homemade pasta is harder to find in Orange County than you'd think, perhaps because it's labor-intensive. Fortunately, beachside carb-lovers have three branches of Cucina Alessa to choose from to get wide, soft egg noodles cradling a tender, meaty Bolognese that's more condiment than sauce. A little hit—just a little—of Parmigiano, and you'll never look at Olive Garden again. 6700 W. Coast Hwy., Newport Beach, (949) 645-2148; also at 520 Main St., Huntington Beach, (714) 969-2148; and 234 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach, (949) 497-8222; www.cucinaalessa.com.
LP Hastings
Fiesta noodles at Jolibee
LP Hastings
Lobster pasta at Cucina Alessa
Location Info
Map
Quan Hy Restaurant
9727 Bolsa Ave.
Westminster, CA 92683
Category: Restaurant > Asian
Region: Westminster
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Dx Peruvian Restaurant
3930 Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Category: Restaurant > Latin American
Region: Santa Ana
Midan Al Tahrir
1324 S. Magnolia Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92804
Category: Restaurant > Middle Eastern
Region: Anaheim
Katella Deli
4470 Katella Ave.
Rossmoor, CA 90720
Category: Restaurant > Breakfast
Region: Los Alamitos
Dat Thành
10032 McFadden Ave.
Westminster, CA 92683
Category: Restaurant > Vietnamese
Region: Westminster
Rufino’s Ristorante Italiano
938 S. Euclid St.
Anaheim, CA 92802
Category: Restaurant > Italian
Region: Anaheim
Franco's Pasta Cucina
2222 Michelson Drive
Irvine, CA 92612
Category: Restaurant > Italian
Region: Irvine
Chong Qing Mei Wei Szechwan Restaurant
5406 Walnut Ave.
Irvine, CA 92604
Category: Restaurant > Chinese
Region: Irvine
Jollibee and Red Ribbon Bakery
601 N. Euclid St., Ste. A
Anaheim, CA 92801
Category: Restaurant > Fast Food
Region: Anaheim
Pho Thanh Lich
14500 Brookhurst St.
Westminster, CA 92683
Category: Restaurant > Vietnamese
Region: Westminster
Fukada Restaurant
8683 Irvine Center Drive
Irvine, CA 92618
Category: Restaurant > Asian
Region: Irvine
Cucina Alessa
520 Main St.
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
Category: Restaurant > Italian
Region: Huntington Beach
Cucina Alessa Restaurant
234 Forest Ave.
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Category: Restaurant > Italian
Region: Huntington Beach
Cucina Alessa
6700 W. Coast Highway
Newport Beach, CA 92663
Category: Restaurant > Italian
Region: Newport Beach
Thai Nakorn
12532 Garden Grove Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Category: Restaurant > Asian
Region: Garden Grove
Vientiane Thai Laos
10262 Westminster Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Category: Restaurant > Thai
Region: Garden Grove
Vien Dong
14271 Brookhurst St.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Category: Restaurant > Vietnamese
Region: Garden Grove
O-udon
17879 Newhope St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Category: Restaurant > Japanese
Region: Fountain Valley
Warung Pojok
13113 Harbor Blvd.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Category: Restaurant > Asian
Region: Garden Grove
Pho Dakao
15532 Ward St.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Category: Restaurant > Vietnamese
Region: Garden Grove
Pho Crystal Noodle House
3037 S. Bristol St.
Santa Ana, CA 92704
Category: Restaurant > Vietnamese
Region: Santa Ana
Quan Hop Restaurant
15640 Brookhurst St.
Westminster, CA 92683
Category: Restaurant > Vietnamese
Region: Westminster
Mas' Chinese Islamic Restaurant
601 E. Orangethorpe Ave.
Anaheim, CA 92801
Category: Restaurant > Chinese
Region: Anaheim
Related Content
More About
PAD KEE MAO
Pad kee mao—literally "drunken noodles"—isn't actually on the menu at the venerable Thai Nakorn. While awesome, the menu is fairly short on noodles, but the kitchen staff will gladly make it if you ask—and you should because it's one of the best versions in the county. There's so much wok hei it tastes smoky, and the garlic, chiles, fish sauce, soy sauce and basil strike as though they're an assault. Order the dish with beef and savor the tug of the noodles against the wilted snap of the bean sprouts—the pure distillate of Thai street food. 12532 Garden Grove Blvd., Garden Grove, (714) 583-8938; also at 11951 Beach Blvd., Stanton, (714) 799-2031; www.thainakornrestaurant.com.
PAD VOONSIN
Little Saigon's Vientiane is one of the few restaurants that serves the Laotian community. It will have Thai dishes as well as those from Laos, one of which is the glass-noodle dish pad voonsin. On the one hand, it's a simple wok-fried creation of glass noodles, vegetables and a meat of your choice, but the care in cooking each element quickly over a volcano-hot gas burner adds the slightly charred, lightly smoky character the Chinese call wok hei that makes this dish crave-worthy. 10262 Westminster Ave., Garden Grove, (714) 530-7523.
BÚN CHA CA THANG LONG
Turmeric-rubbed catfish grilled on a ripping-hot iron platter with onions and dill that's then mixed with fresh herbs, cool rice noodles and fried shallots. What's not to like here, especially on a steamy day when you want a light lunch? Normally, the cha ca Thang Long at Vien Dong, one of Orange County's oldest Vietnamese restaurants and one of the best Hanoi-style places in the county, comes with the fish, herbs, noodles and condiments kept separate, so you can build your own. The pre-made bowl, though, is cheaper, with a lot of fish, and is so convenient it's worth not building it yourself. 14271 Brookhurst St., Garden Grove, (714) 531-8253.
KAKE UDON
The décor at O-Udon is sparse—just bowls of condiments (load 'em up!) and long tables. It doesn't matter; you're here for kake udon, those chewy udon noodles with a salty, savory sauce that will stick in your head for weeks. Kake means "splash," and the idea behind kake udon is to have so much sauce that eating the thick, slippery wheat noodles splashes sauce on the table. If you want to taste this treat, though, you'll have to come early; a limited number of orders of udon is made daily, and it generally runs out by the time the lunch rush subsides. 17870 Newhope St., Fountain Valley, (714) 427-0482; www.oudon.com.
PAD SEE EW
Pay no attention to the chafing trays, the orange chicken and the food-court setting. Despite these incriminating details and the off-the-shelf name, Thai & Chinese Express' true calling is its made-to-order, street-hawker-style noodles. The pad Thai tastes like it came straight from Bangkok, but it's the pad see ew you should get. Since its components are rudimentary—Scotch tape-wide rice noodles, sweet soy sauce, beef, and something green and stalky—execution becomes everything. The bok choy, American and Chinese broccoli literally shines. The beef is plentiful and tender. And noodle ribbons render to edible silk. 2540 Main St., Ste. J, Irvine, (949) 724-1813.
MIE AYAM
The Indonesians in Jakarta like noodle soups dry, with the broth segregated. And that's exactly how Warung Pojok does it. The mie ayam—the classic Chinese/Indonesian bowl of egg noodles—is lubricated in a flavorful, almost peppery oil, the whole crinkly nest topped with diced chicken and mushrooms, but the soup is served on the side, with beef meatballs called bakso bobbing as if they were buoys in broth. Eat the dish as separate entities. First, Hoover up the noodles, taking note of how well that seasoned oil dresses the chewy strands. Then chase them with a sip of the soup and a nibble of a spring-loaded meatball, all the while slathering everything in sambal. 13113 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, (714) 638-8716; www.warungpojokindo.com.
8 comments
Interesting, there are fideos Chinos, fideos de Vietnam, fideos Japoneses, fideos Filipinos, fideos Alemanes, fideos Italianos, and so on but no Mexican Fideos, considering we are in SoCal it is shocking, what is even worse I did a search on google and yelp, from LA to San Diego, with only a handful of places showing up online, Gustavo there must be places that sells Fideuà Mejicana (Sopa Seca) otherwise it should put it on the socal endangered dishes list, plenty of places selling fideos in San Antonio though, please tell us Gustavo!
@mhschepers I can count the number of places in Southern California selling actual cuina catalana on one finger: the annual picnic of the Casal dels Catalans, usually in May near Cal State Dominguez Hills. Paella, amanida, pà i postre.
Why don't you open a real Catalan restaurant? Introduce Southern California to the wonders of arròs nègre, fideuà, esqueixadas, olladas, escudella, suquet de peix ... I'd pay a lot of money for a real calçotada.
@mhschepers There used to be one place in SanTana that sold great fideo, but it's gone! Sounds like an Ask a Mexican question to me!!!
Well, there ya go, lifelong So. Cal. resident and here's a Mexican-style dish I'm not familiar with. I'd love to have the opportunity to give it a taste.
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