[Irvine] [Chinese] Chef Chen

Chef Chen
馥園
5408-B Walnut Ave
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 786-8898

We had been wanting to try Chef Chen ever since we moved down to Orange County. It's been two years, and we finally tried the restaurant.


花生 Peanuts

Free peanuts was served before the food arrived.

Stephanie & Kenny's Wedding

We attended my friend Stephanie and Kenny's wedding at Kyoto Grand Hotel in Little Tokyo. The wedding was AWESOME!



The rooftop garden is adorable. Unfortunately, we missed the outdoor ceremony. Damn traffic on the 5!

[Laguna Beach] [Seafood] House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer

House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer
540 S Coast Hwy #200
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 715-4500
http://www.houseofbigfish.com

My friend Juey and Geddy came to visit from Taiwan! I haven't seen them for about 10 years. I was so excited to see them. We had so much to catch up on. I wanted to find a restaurant with good food, and where we can sit to talk all night long. I thought about my favorite K'ya Bistro, but unfortunately they were fully booked that night. Then I tried their sister restaurant, House of Big Fish and Cold Beer, and was able to make reservation for the 3 of us that night.


Bucket of Beer - Pacifico ($18.00)

We got to Laguna Beach a bit earlier than our reservation so we could walk around the beach a bit. When we finally sat down at the restaurant, we were ready for some cold beer. I ordered a "bucket" of Pacifico for us. It was their first time trying Pacifico since it wasn't available in Taiwan. They said it tasted similar to Corona but better. They liked it so much that they even talked about imported it into Taiwan and served it at their live houses. (They owned two live houses in Taiwan called Riverside. If you are visiting Taiwan, be sure to check out the venues. They always have great concerts and live shows there.)

Dinner at Jen and Peter's

Our friend Jen and Peter invited us over for BBQ dinner. They live two houses down from my parents' house. I knew Jen since I was 16. It was really funny how she ended up marrying a guy who lives two doors down the street. :-)


Ceviche

Jen made ceviche for appetizer. Lots of shrimp and fish. Very yummy.

[Laguna Niguel] [American] Bistro K

Bistro K
30100 Town Center Drive
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 495-9101
http://www.thebistrok.com

I bought a 4 course dinner for 2 at Bistro K from Travelzoo.com for $59. It was a great deal, unless they try to cheat you by adding a ridiculous amount of MANDATORY tips on the bill. Last time we used a Travelzoo voucher at Gemmell's, similar thing happened. The food at Bistro K was amazing. But because of the mandatory tips that they forced us to pay, we probably will never step into this restaurant again.



We went to Bistro K on a Friday night. To our surprise, this place was completely packed with tons of people waiting. We were glad that we had reservation. The seating was tight. We were only a few inches apart from the tables next to us. When people get up to leave from the next tables, we actually had to move our table to make room for them to get out. They had a guy playing guitar and singing at the bar area. It was very lively with customers singing along with the singer. The music was really loud though. We had trouble talking and hearing each other over the music. So don't go there if you're expecting a quiet and romantic dinner.

[Laguna Hills] [American] Outback Steakhouse

Outback Steakhouse
25322 Cabot Road
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
(949) 829-0683
http://www.outback.com

A while back I signed up for some kind of free giveaway on Outback Steakhouse website, then just forgot about it. Then I received a nice surprise in the mail.



I got a free steak dinner coupon from the restaurant. The offer was good for one 6 oz Outback Special Sirloin and a choice of one side. Since it was valid only Monday through Thursday, we were there on a weeknight. To our surprise, the restaurant was completely packed. Do people in South Orange County eat out everyday?

[Laguna Niguel] [Bakery] Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe
27221 La Paz Rd #K
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 425-8673
http://www.cornerbakerycafe.com

I won a $100 gift card from Corner Bakery Cafe for entering their recipe contest. Yay! Dr. P and I went there for a light dinner.


Chicken Carbonara ($7.79)
All-natural roasted chicken, spring peas and linguine pasta in our creamy carbonara sauce, with applewood smoked bacon and toasted bread crumbs.

Dr. P ordered Chicken Carbonara. I always get this one when I feel like having pasta at Corner Bakery. The chicken is very tender. The carbonara sauce was tasty. This was a heavy pasta so you get full pretty fast. Dr. P said he would like it better without the bread crumbs.

[Irvine] [Chinese] Spicy City

Spicy City
雲川園
14310 Culver Dr #F
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 733-9200

We were in the mood for spicy Chinese, but thought we went to Chong Qing in Irvine a bit too often. We haven't been back to Spicy City for a very very long time. We thought the food at Spicy City is way too spicy, and like Chong Qing's flavor better. But we haven't been back for so long, maybe the food would taste better now?


風味涼菜 Cold Table Appetizers ($5.50)

We started the meal by going to the counter to pick our 3 item cold appetizer. We got spicy beef, spicy pork skin and seaweed. Everything was good. My favorite was the seaweed. I like the vinegar, cilantro, and slightly spicy sauce of the seaweed a lot.

[Laguna Beach] [Seafood] House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer

House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer
540 S Coast Hwy #200
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 715-4500
http://www.houseofbigfish.com

We saw House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer's menu while walking down Coast Highway a while back. They have happy hour Monday through Friday from 2:30pm to 6:30pm. The price for each dish goes from $2.30 to $5.30 as the time gets later. Dr. P had a Friday afternoon free, and I thought of happy hour at House of Big Fish and Ice Cold Beer.



We got to the restaurant around 2:45pm. Happy hour is first come first serve at the bar area. Seemed like everyone knew about the cheap hour hour at 2:30pm, and the place was packed.

[Cook] Roasted Fruit

This dessert recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast was just alright. I thought it tasted too buttery for my taste. I actually thought fresh nectarin, peach, and plum tasted better than the roasted one. I did like the rosemary in the dessert though. It added a different flavor and made this dessert tasted special.


Roasted Fruit

Roasting peaches, plums, and nectarines releases their juices and creates a nice sauce for this herb-scented dessert. You could also add apricots.

Yield: Serves 4

[Cook] Roasted Salmon With Lentils

We absolutely love this recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast! The Mediterranean style sauce was so good with the salmon and lentil. It also tasted very healthy. I will definitely make this one again and again!! If you like salmon, I urge you to give this recipe a try, please~~~~


Roasted Salmon With Lentils

A mustard vinaigrette gives this Mediterranean-inspired dish its tangy flavor. Drizzle some over a leafy-green salad, and serve it on the side. The cooking time for lentils can vary widely depending on their age. Older lentils require more time. For the best results, we recommend buying a fresh, new bag.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield Serves: 4

[Cook] Orecchiette with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

Another recipe from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. I always bought roasted peppers in a jar before. Never knew roasting your own peppers was that easy. And it tasted sooooo much better than the jar ones. Also it's a lot cheaper to make your own. I will always make my own roasted pepper from now on. This pasta recipe is so easy to make. It's simple, but full of flavor. The savory and rich sausage goes so well with sweet roasted pepper.


Orecchiette with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

Freshly roasted peppers give this hearty pasta a smoky taste. If you like, you can use jarred peppers, thinly sliced, instead of making your own, and skip step 1. To skin the peppers, char them and then cover tightly with plastic wrap. This will produce steam and make the skins come off easily.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield Serves: 6

[Cook] Sloppy Joe

This recipe came from Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. I really like this cookbook. The book has 4 sections divided by season so all the ingredients in the section is in season and fresh. All the recipes were simple, using everyday ingredients, and tastes great. This recipe was supposed to make 4 servings of Sloppy Joe, but we had so much leftover I think it actually made 8 servings. I used the leftover with pasta, and it tasted great.


Sloppy Joe

Soft buns work best with these classic kid-friendly sandwiches. Serve them with pickles or potato chips. The beef mixture can also be served over pasta.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield Serves: 4

[Laguna Niguel] [Japanese] Sango Sushi Restaurant

Sango Sushi Restaurant
27261 La Paz Rd #A
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677
(949) 831-7287
http://www.sangosushi.com/Laguna.htm

If we want something Asian, fast, cheap, and close to home, Sango Sushi is always our first choice.


Spicy Beef Bowl ($4.60)

Dr. P got his usual sushi combo B. I wanted to try something different and ordered Spicy Beef Bowl. The sauce they used tasted like spicy teriyaki sauce. The beef was charbroiled. Great flavor and tender. Good amount of food for under $5.

[Irvine] [Korean] Korea House

Korea House
5301 University Dr
Irvine, CA 92614
(949) 552-9998

After the beer fest, for some reason I was craving meat, lots of meat. All you can eat Korean BBQ = lots of meat. It was an obvious choice. A quick search on Yelp on my phone, we found Korea House.



Korea House offers all you can eat Korean BBQ for $19.99 per person with 5 choices of meat. We got there right before the crowd around 5:30pm. By 6pm, the restaurant was packed with tons of people waiting outside the door.