Singapore

On The Line: Shawn Xa Of XA Sweet and Savory Cafe, Part One

"My cooking is a reflection of my life, very clean and straightforward." To call Shawn Xa confident is an understatement. Tell him what you are looking for in a meal (or not, if you're vegan or gluten-free), and he'll come up with a flavor profile on the spot. Situated across the street from CHOC, ... More >>

La Guerrerense's Sabina Bandera Takes on Singapore as Ensenada Represents Mexico at the First Annual World Street Food Congress

Fresh from an appearance at MesAmerica, Mexico's most prestigious international chef conference founded by Chef Enrique Olvera of the legendary Pujol, our own Sabina Bandera of La Guerrerense has been given the honor of representing Mexico at the 1st annual World Street Food Congress in Singapo ... More >>

Orange County Woman Caught Smuggling 8-Year-Old Vietnamese Boy Into United States

Little Saigon's Kathleen Thi Hoang Luong thought she could smuggle another woman's eight-year-old Vietnamese boy into the United States illegally, but she had no covert activity skills.Luong owns a small Garden Grove food catering business.On the night of March 17, 2009, she flew out of Vietnam  ... More >>

Chef Javier Plascencia Gets in Touch With His Inner Taquero at Via Mercado

"Just when I thought I was out--they pull me back in."--Michael Corleone, Godfather Part III. There has been a lot of press about the Baja Med explosion, and Baja fine dining--on both sides of the border--what really makes our hearts flutter here in the U.S. is street food. In trends, you can always ... More >>

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Kim Ji-Woon Make Last Stand at Busan West Film Fest at Chapman

Getting director Kim Ji-Woon to open the 2013 Busan West Film Festival at Chapman University is enough of a coup, so it's just piling on to consider the star of Kim's debut U.S. feature will also be tagging along.Perhaps you've heard of him: Arnold Schwarzenegger?

#JusticeForDamini Locks Arms in Santa Ana and Irvine

"If there is somebody in this situation or this has happened to them, I think (this vigil) is a great example to them that if they come out and speak up, we have her back, we will stand with her, we will hold her hand, and we will lock arms."-Minu Singh, the founder and honorary director of Sikh ... More >>

McDonald's Introduces Lamb Burger; KFC Offers Shrimp Stars; Pizza Hut Creates a Pizza That Squirts

Depending on how you look at it, the fast food consumers abroad get the best or weirdest stuff from our American chains. Over the past few days there was news that Australian McDonald's has introduced a Lamb Burger (seasoned with oregano and rosemary, topped with a fried egg); the Colonel has s ... More >>

The Playground Hosts A Southeast Asian Street Food Night On Aug. 20

The Playground, never one to leave any stone unturned or cuisine un-tackled, is taking on Southeast Asian food in its latest pop-up. On Aug. 20, sous chef Frank DeLoach will be heading up "Bites: South East Street Food," a casual, night-market-style event featuring dishes "inspired by the deliciousn ... More >>

Tomorrow: Rob Floyd, Lead Bartender at The Bazaar, To Mix Vintage Cocktails At South Coast Plaza (Plus: A Special Recipe!)

Devout cocktail enthusiasts not only know how to mix vintage libations, but can tell you the stories behind them. For instance, the Sidecar was first created during World War I in Paris when an American soldier ordered the drink and it was served aboard the sidecar of his motorcycle. The Singapore S ... More >>

The "World's 50 Best" List Is Published, Is Usual Steaming Pile of Irrelevance

Oh, look, this year's edition of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants", sponsored by San Pellegrino and its subsidiary Acqua Panna, has come out. Cue the precious online debates and the bored yawns from the rest of the world.Ranked lists of the best anything are patent bollocks: they necessarily reflec ... More >>

On the Line: Phillip Chang of Yogurtland, Part One

We are used to some unique personalities here at On the Line. Phillip Chang was not only cool, but also calm and collected. I dropped by Yogurtland headquarters in Anaheim to understand his driven personality. What I got was a new level of respect for a pioneer in the frozen yogurt industry. Love hi ... More >>

Nail Polish: The New Handbags

[Trendzilla!] Alexander Wang, Sally Hansen, even Spider-Man have their own collections

New Artists Just Added to SXSW's 2012 Lineup

Mary Bell/OC WeeklyDelta Spirit at BuskerFest in Long Beach in 2010​South By Southwest revealed a whole slew of new acts confirmed to play at official showcases during the annual music and film conference in Austin. This is the third list of musicians to be released. The venues and dates they ... More >>

Brainfeeder Audio-Visualist Strangeloop Needs Your Help To Make Sci-Fi Short 'Anamnesia'

​This past summer, Brainfeeder audio-visual artist Strangeloop--aka David Wexler--released Fields, a beautiful experiment in sight and sound. Now, he's embarking on a new project: a short film/interactive website/gallery show called Anamnesia. It's the sci-fi film he's dreamed of making since he w ... More >>

Why We Hope Anthony Bourdain's Second Travel Channel Show Will Be Better Than No Reservations

​The guy who has the job every foodie wants, Anthony Bourdain, will get a second show called The Layover. A Travel Channel press release announced that the premiere of the new, 10-episode long series will be November 21.

OC Foodie Fest 2011 Announces Food Truck Lineup

Christopher Victorio/OC WeeklyLast year's event. ​This is the big one, folks. The Coachella of OC food truck events. Get out your walking shoes, elastic waistbands/maxi dresses and dollar bills. The OC Foodie Fest 2011 is coming to the Angel Stadium of Anaheim in two weeks--Sat., Aug. 27. It' ... More >>

Care For a Glass of Cold, Refreshing Pee Water?

Flickr user riebart​With Texas facing a nasty drought, some folks are going deep into the bowels of, well, bowels, for drinking water.  The town of Big Spring is breaking ground on a $13 million plant that will take treated wastewater, normally discharged into a lake or creek, and blend it in ... More >>

Vela Scarves Blends Western Fashion With Islamic Tradition

Vela's signature piece, the ruffled "Mademoiselle"​"Victorian Lace," "Black Ruffle Prima Ballerina" and "Cat's Meow" are names of the top-selling products at Vela Scarves, a Fountain Valley-based online fashion company that produces high quality hijabs, or headscarves, for Muslim women."Vela is a ... More >>

Youth of Today at the Glass House

Ryan Ritchie​ Youth of Today June 6, 2011 The Glass House There have been a few thousand beers between the time when I was a straight edge punk and now, but that didn't stop me from having a good time at last night's Youth of Today reunion show at the Glass House. Although, in all honesty, a few ... More >>

Chomping the Chomp Chomp Truck

Dave Lieberman​Singaporean food is not exactly commonplace in Orange County; there are exactly zero Singaporean restaurants here, and even Los Angeles is not teeming with stalls dishing up chilli crab, Hainan chicken rice and popiah. So it was exciting to hear of the Chomp Chomp truck, a new, O ... More >>

Two Truck Events, Two Days, Two Charities

  Photo by Christopher Victorio​Food truck gatherings happen practically every day, but few usually benefit charities. Those happening today and tomorrow do. Today, a so-called "Gourmet on the Go Food Drive Event" is happening at the OCEA (Orange County Employees Association) office in ... More >>

Carl's Jr. Gets Voted as the Best Burger Around...in Singapore?!

How many burgers can beat this? Let us count the ways...​Singapore is one of the world's great food centers. CNN is one of the world's great news organizations. Together, they have come to a bizarre conclusion: Carl's Jr.'s Portobello mushroom burger is the best on the island.

Loretta Sanchez Says Vietnam's Rulers Are Pimps

[Moxley Confidential] The OC congresswoman's tough stance on human trafficking should play well in Little Saigon

Rustica To Open At Fashion Island In June

Irvine Company​Grant MacPherson, a chef whose cooking experience has included stints at The Raffles Hotel in Singapore to the James Beard house in New York, is opening a new restaurant called Rustica in Newport Beach's Fashion Island. His menu will feature modern Italian, such as Peppered Beef Ca ... More >>

Vietnam Shoots Down Loretta Sanchez's Travel Hopes

Vietnam has a Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy too​Saving itself a couple of news cycles of international embarrassment, Vietnam has denied a visa to Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, who had been traveling in Asia and hoped to enter the country to meet with disgruntled citizens who say the ... More >>

Chinese, Part 2

Arguably the most familiar Chinese regional cuisine in the United States, Cantonese food got its start with the first Chinese immigrants to San Francisco. At that point they had to make do with what ingredients were available to them. Cantonese food in the US isn't like that anymore.tracyhunter @ fl ... More >>

Sharpies and Coffee Cups and Mr. Boey

Photos Courtesy of Cheeming Boey​Boyishly grinning in his black hoodie and jeans, artist Cheeming Boey easily blended into the crowd at Laguna Art Museum's OsCene. (Read Dave Barton's review of the whole exhibit here.) Yet, his exhibit--simply titled "Sharpie on Styrofoam Cup"--stole the spotlight ... More >>

This Week in Food

Esty Seller SouZouCreationsComplete with veggies and seafood--and a floating pair of chopsticks, of course. $12.50.​Another week of eating, recipes, crime and general food-related goodness has come and gone at Stick a Fork in it, and with Grace off on a vacation, I'm standing in for a roundup of t ... More >>

Häagen-Dazs Serves Sushi Ice Cream...in Singapore

Photo from Keropok Man​ Move over Farrell's. Eat your heart out B&R ice cream cakes. I have seen the next ice cream fad and it is sushi ice cream, which looks more fun to eat than Dibs and a whole lot prettier, too. The rice is made of macadamia ice cream; the nori belts are strips of ... More >>

Five Foods First Eaten Out of Desperation

Certain foods are obviously tasty just from the look; ripe strawberries, rice and rabbits all look delicious. Certain foods don't look delicious, but are close enough to delicious-looking food to understand how humankind got started eating it; bitter melon, cow's milk and Seville oranges fall into t ... More >>

Fugitive Buddhist Monk Pleads Guilty, Goes Free Tonight, Brotherhood Case Finally Closed!

Lorey JamesBrenice Lee Smith and his family in Kathmandu, circa 2000Brenice Lee Smith, the last remaining fugitive from the once-infamous 1972 Brotherhood of Eternal Love case, will be set free from Theo Lacy Prison tonight, having pleaded guilty this morning to transporting hashish from Afghanistan ... More >>

Wacky Snacks: Zooland & Carland Printed Biscuits

​ So it's been a while since we've done one of these "Wacky Snacks" posts.  It was put on hiatus not because there was a lack of "Wacky Snacks" out there, but because it takes a lot of time to produce an episode, er, blog post, what with the picture taking and ingredient li ... More >>

Best News EVER? LA's Mozza Might Be Coming to OC

​This really is the most exciting thing I've heard in a long time.According to the LA Times' Daily Dish, Mozza is considering expanding its brood into the OC. No word yet on whether we're talking Osteria or Pizzeria or--dare we even think it?--both.

Singapore Burger King Ad. Tasteless? Maybe. Successful? Absolutely.

Just a short Friday post here.  What you see above is a Burger King advertisement currently running in Singapore that's been getting all sorts of tongues wagging (double entendre intended) over the last month. The blogosphere has been aghast about how "tasteless" it is. Ever the moral compass, ev ... More >>

Too Much for a Tuesday: Lenka, Speach Impediments, Steelwells and more

I'm torn...and confused. Is a Tuesday night in Orange County supposed to be this good? This diverse? Driving through city borders in Central and South Counties offers plenty in the way of eclectic sonic energy. Tonight's assorted showcases offer everything from flirty Coachella-esque pop (sorry, it' ... More >>

Coming Soon To Diamond Jamboree: Ajisen Ramen

I mentioned in the Tokyo Table review that ran a few weeks ago that Ajisen Ramen is coming to Diamond Jamboree. Now, they've put up a few signs that gives away the location. It will be directly across Guppy Tea House, next to a beauty salon, and the first store you'll encounter on your right as y ... More >>

New Flavor at Beard Papa's in Costa Mesa

Unless you follow foodie bulletin boards and blogs, chances are you haven't heard of or had a Beard Papa's cream puff. That goes double if you don't normally venture out of Orange County, where there are only two outlets of this Osaka-based chain. There's one at Santa Ana's MainPlace Mall, and a ... More >>

To Do Tonight - 11/08

From Hunter to Hunted

In his quest to free slaves around the world, Aaron Cohen thought hed seen it all. Then he went to Myanmar

Bootylicious

Its the end of the world as they know it, and the pirates feel fine

Open-Air Cinema

Watch movies outside? Where?

Commie Girl

Burning Down the House: Al Gore lights our fire

Monster Talent

Painter Eddie Allen is a renaissance weirdo

Straight Talk From the White House

Disney Owns the Night

Why not? They own everything else

One Year, Two Summers

Real life in Southern California

Beyond Politics

Asian fest films get personal

The Straight Guy at the Gay Pool Party

And other tales from the political season

Give It the Old College Guide*

The finer (and lesser) points of local institutions

Fringe Benefits

Web gives all gubernatorial candidates a forum