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Subject: Asian Food and Cooking
Irvine's Saigon Grille Becomes Pho Ha Noi
Throw a stick anywhere in Westminster and it'll hit a pho joint. Not so in Irvine, where Vietnamese restaurants are as rare as the slices of steak in the soup they serve. At my last count, there are exactly five eateries that serve this foul-weather food. The stalwarts are the two Pho Bac Ky's and the Pho 99 on Jeffrey. But the rest changes hands more often than a basketball. The latest to get passed is Saigon Grille, which enters the open court as Pho Ha Noi, managed by the same people w
February 24, 2008Good Chicken Tikka Masala at the Olde Ship, But What the Hell is that "Naan"?
The chicken tikka masala at the Olde Ship in SanTana? Two moist, slightly grilled chicken skewers coated with a thick tikka masala sauce. On top of a large mound of succulent jasmine rice with peas. Ramekins of a curry sauce that worked this time and yogurt more sour cream than raita. As good as you'll get with Indian food in a stateside English restaurant.But...the naan. The menu stated that a buck extra would get me some of the subcontinental bread standard. What the nice waiter brought out th
June 1, 2009Update: Tokyo Table Opens Wed. Sept. 17 (and Special Offer)
Tokyo Table, the first restaurant of many at the new Diamond Jamboree in Irvine, will have its grand opening tomorrow, Wednesday, September 17, at 5 P.M. The restaurant's already got two outlets in L.A. County (Beverly Hills and Arcadia). Other than the usual roster of rolls, teriyaki and tempura, this is a Japanese restaurant that looks like it wants to do EVERYTHING. The menu is as voluminous as those at Jerry's Deli -- but hopefully, better with the execution. A few things on it caught my
September 16, 2008Izakaya is the New Sushi
Have you noticed something lately? Izakayas -- the Japanese equivalent to the gastro-pub, tapas house, and neighborhood bar all wrapped up into one -- are popping up all over O.C. So many izakayas have opened lately, in fact, that the trend is obvious: Izakaya is the new sushi. Last year, Takashi Abe of Bluefin fame debuted his Izakaya Zero in Huntington Beach. Then the Wasa Sushi people introduced their Izakaya Wasa at the Irvine Spectrum. And a mere two blocks away from Honda Ya -- arguab
October 1, 2008The Only Ponzu Sauce on Earth that Matters
Everything that Edwin wrote about Hamamori in South Coast Plaza earlier this year is true--the sushi is creative and stunning (and, quite frankly, worth it), the sashimi a bit pricier but also divine, the entrees decadent. One appetizer he didn't mention, however, were the rock shrimp tempura with an accompanying ponzu sauce.Fried rock shrimp might seem beneath Hamamori, but the buttery coat and soft flesh was better than half the meals in Newport Beach--and, at $9 for a hefty offering, is one o
December 8, 2008Thai Food: Endangered
Reuters had an enlightening article today about how in Thailand, authentic Thai food is endangered because of "changing tastes wrought by globalization." And most lamentably "culinary shortcuts (that) have ended up changing Thai flavors, and placing some dishes in danger of extinction altogether." The story goes on to say that "Convenience and cost are two reasons why Thai food is changing, spurring many locals to bemoan what they think of as the death of their renowned local cuisine."&n
December 10, 2008Yoshinoya Now Does Sushi?
OK. I'll admit it. I go to Yoshinoya....a lot. As a kid, my parents decided that their beef and teriyaki chicken bowls were a better alternative than McDonald's or Burger King. And as with anything one grows up with, it's a comfort food that's hard to shake. Also, it's cheap. It has rice. It has meat. And if you got the chicken bowl, you get a decent serving of veggies, eventhough it was covered in that flavorless cornstarchy goop. I stick with these basics. The beef bow
January 19, 2009Can Anyone Beat Royal Khyber's New $10 Lunch Menu?
I don't think so. For just a tenner you get two courses: a starter of either soup or salad, then an entrée from a choice of five (including chicken curry, tandoori chicken and veggie options such as saag paneer). Plus rice, vegetables and proper naan bread! Stitch that, Olde Ship, with your pita-masquerading-as-naan! (And, to answer your question, Gustavo, like you, we Brits call naan naan and pita pita!)South Coast Plaza Village's Indian eaterie is offering other prix fixes too: a $15 lunch de
June 2, 2009Capital Seafood's Glitzy New Irvine Location Fits Right Into Diamond Jamboree Plaza
April 2, 2009[Hole in the Wall] Say Mucho Domo Arigato to Wafu of Japan
March 19, 2009Wako Honey Pig: How Sweet It Is
March 12, 2009[Hole in the Wall] Bowled Over on Balboa at Macksan's Cafe
February 19, 2009Bai Plu Makes the Combination of Sushi and Thai Food Seem Like It Was Meant to Be
February 5, 2009Both You and Your Dry-Cleaner Will Love India Cuisine
January 15, 2009[This Hole-in-the-Wall Life] Pork Power at Banh Mi Ba Le in Westminster
December 25, 2008In Garden Grove, Thien An's Meat-Heavy Meals Are More Like Belly-Busting Endurance Contests
December 11, 2008[This Hole-in-the-Wall Life] Pay Teriyaki Forward at Tokyo Teriyaki
December 4, 2008Tokyo Table Pops the Culinary Cherry of Irvine's Diamond Jamboree Shopping Center
October 16, 2008Chef Cody Requejo Shreds With Both Sushi Knives and Stratocasters
October 2, 2008OC's Rock-Star Chef Takashi Abe Does San Clemente at Sea Smoke
September 11, 2008New Irvine Korean Barbecue Shik Do Rak Takes the DIY Aesthetic to a New (And Delicious) Level
July 24, 2008[This Hole-in-the-Wall Life] Pho Your Health at Pho Cali
June 19, 2008Despite a Few Menu Kinks, the Tattoo-Inspired Sushi Joint Irezumi Earns Some Very Good Ink
June 5, 2008[This Hole-In-the-Wall Life] A Tale of Two Nik(k)i's: Niki's Indian Food
May 15, 2008Thai Swan in Orange Is Home Cooking Made Simple and Comfy
April 17, 2008[This Hole-In-the-Wall-Life] A Zen Burrito at Fuji's Famous Burgers
March 27, 2008The Slow Food Movement Infiltrates Huntington Beach at Slowfish
March 27, 2008Korean Restaurant Harubang Spices up Buena Park
March 6, 2008Broken rice at Com Tam Tran Quy Cap in Fountain Valley
February 14, 2008Letters
'Normally, writers of your muckracking calibur would drop the context out of a quote, but you actually left it in. Thanks for doing half the job for me'
January 17, 2008This Hole-in-the-Wall Life
January 10, 2008Letters
'Save the music, y'all'
January 3, 2008This Hole-in-the-Wall Life
November 15, 2007Sashimi Surrender
Let Ikko Kobayashi have his way with you
October 25, 2007[Hole in the Wall] Bánh Mì Déjà Vu All Over Again at Nhu Lan Bakery
April 30, 2009The New York Times Discovers Sriracha
A candidate for Stuff White People Like...Of all of America's wonderful ethnic cuisines, the New York Times understands Vietnamese creations the least. Last month or so, the Gray Lady published a piece on how Vietnamese-American chefs in New York were reinventing the bánh mì, an article that appeared a couple of months after the paper declared 2009 was "the year" of the bánh mi. As I noted in my review of Garden Grove's Nhu Lan Bakery, the Vietnamese sandwich is so 2002--always a delight, yes
May 20, 2009Cracking The Code At George's Thai Bistro
George's (Santa Ana) is a local fave of ours, not just for the decent Thai food but also for the counter-side eating (complete with corner TV) and ice-cold Singha beer. Plus which, portions are always big enough for two meals (dinner, plus lunch straight from the fridge the next day).But then there's the one-to-ten spiciness scale for the entrées, which can be baffling for first-timers--or even regulars, for that matter.While we do know people who have ordered "Ten Plus" and survived to tell th
April 20, 2009Now Open at The District: Asian Mint
Edwin GoeiI've never been so relieved in being so wrong. As it turns out, Asian Mint at the District has no affiliation whatsoever with the Asian Mint's in Texas, as I previously guessed. It is, in fact, a straight-up Vietnamese restaurant, not a Thai-sushi hybrid like their Lone Star State doppelgangers.They opened for business two days ago. And the dining room is quite the looker. It is, perhaps, too good. In my experience with Vietnamese restaurants, there is an inverse relati
May 21, 2009Annapoorna Offers a Distinctive Blend of Indian and Chinese Cuisine
May 21, 2009Presentation: Japanese Tea Ceremony & Tasting
May 28, 2009The Other Other White Meat at Zen Vegetarian
June 25, 2009Traditions Offers Cheap, Hot, Delicious North Indian Cuisine
July 23, 2009LA Times: De-odorized Kimchi Patented
Edwin GoeiBreaking news: according to a fascinating LA Times article, someone has invented kimchi that doesn't stink. Now, I didn't know kimchi stink was even a problem, let alone one that needed fixing. To me, the Korean side-dish of Napa cabbage pickled in garlic, chili and ginger does not possess an offensive odor. In fact, I think it's got a glorious aroma. A little pungent, yes, but so are dill spears.It's still got nothing on the stench of the Filipino bagoong or the Indonesian tera
July 29, 2009Recession-Time Sushi at Kappo Suzumaru
You know times are tough when even a standard like Kappo Suzumaru in Tustin, still one of the better examples of serving serious Japanese food and sushi, was near empty on a Thursday night like yesterday. I've patronized this place for years, usually Thursdays for purely coincidental reasons, and have always seen it slammed from 6 p.m. until closing. My friend and I arrived around 8:30 p.m.--we were the only ones in the sushi bar the entire night.Suzumaru doesn't have the best sushi in the count
February 6, 2009Full Moon Sushi to Open in Tustin at Old Haru Izakaya Spot
Edwin GoeiI can't say I'm surprised. The spot previously occupied by Haru Izakaya -- the Korean izakaya I reviewed for OC Weekly and chronicled when it folded -- is being reworked into a sushi joint.
September 17, 2009Dueling Dishes--A Brace of Quick Curries
Suffering through a horrid cold, I thought I'd sample two healthy-ish frozen, microwaveable curries, to try to clear out the sinuses.First up: Trader Joe's Chicken Vindaloo.Now, as much as I love TJ's, I've had pre-packaged frozen entrées from them before, and, suffice to say, they were not a success. One, a disgusting concoction of chicken and blue cheese, was so vile it went from oven to trash almost without touching the plate. Yeuch!At least the ingredients are all natural, and, with 2
September 24, 2009[Hole in the Wall] Throw Pho Quang Trung's Chicken Pho Before Swine (Flu)
October 22, 2009Kula Offers Sushi Not As Art, But As a (Still Tasty) Commodity
October 22, 2009Myung Dong Kal Guksu in Anaheim Is a Temple of Korean Hand-Cut Noodles
October 29, 2009Life on the Veg: Noorani Halal Tandoori in Garden Grove
Dal UradNoorani's Halal Tandoori Restaurant is a hole-in-the-wall type establishment that is pretty easy to overlook, particularly amid the clusterfuck that is Little Saigon's urban design. If you do notice, chances are you'll experience a moment of severe disorientation when you realize you're looking at a Pakistani restaurant in... well, Little Saigon. It may look like a fish out of water, but since it has been located on the same block for about 20 years, it's most likely that the outgrowt
November 18, 2009
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