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Pho Flavor Delivers A Unique Flavor Filled Pho Presentation
Pho Flavor -The Background
There’s a lot of Pho resturants in Orange County and it takes a lot to stand out amongst the many fine options available. One way to stand out? A unique presentation. Pho Flavor certainly delivers on this end, which I’ll explain later on.
Pho Flavor slow cooks their bone broth for over 12 hours. The “secret” ingredients, have been refined and perfected over three generations and is offered in two different styles – Southern and Northern.
There’s currently there’s two locations – one in Garden Grove and the other is in Fountain Valley – with a third opening in Irvine. I visited the Garden Grove location.
The Experience
I went to Pho Flavor for lunch on a recent weekday, and they quickly seated me, with no wait, at around 11:30 am. The restaurant is fairly small and narrow, and I can see it filling up quickly during peak times, but at this time there was ample seating.
Something that stood out right away with the menu was the option of the “style”. There’s both a Southern and Northern choice. I honestly have no idea what the difference is but after looking at the below I opted for the Southern Style with brisket.
Pho Flavor also offers two different types of noodles to choose from: fresh flat noodles or thick flat noodles. I went with the thick flat noodles which were supposed to be chewier.
The pho, like most pho places came out within minutes. The difference? Without a doubt HOW the pho came out. There’s three different containers stacked on top of one another. I’ve never seen pho served this way before!
On top is the hoisin sauce and Sriracha 
The second level has all the usual veggies that accompany pho 
The third level is the steaming bowl of pho This presentation definitely makes the experience memorable. They also provide Thai basil in a bottle which you can take home with you!
Of course, presentation is important to a certain extent, but food is what makes a place memorable, one way or another.
Fortunately, Pho Flavor also delivers on this front. The Southern style broth was quite light but still managed to be rich and flavorful, just not in a heavy-handed way. The noodles were very fresh, springy, and the chewiness was great. These things were slick too! It was hard to grab them with the chopsticks!
The brisket is thicker than in other pho places but is quite tender, especially the longer it got to simmer in the broth. There’s a lot of meat in the bowl as well. The more I stirred up the bowl, the more meat seemed to float to the top. This is always a good thing by the way, lol.
Speaking of the bowl, it’s deceptively deep, with a lot of noodles and meat. At first glance it didn’t look like a ton of food but it seemed to be a never ending bowl as I dug in. Definitely a good thing!
The Verdict
Looking beyond just the dish the pho comes out in, the pho itself is quite good. I really liked that they have two different broth options and noodle types. It makes me want to go back and try the other combination.
It would be hard to try the flat and soft noodles since I really enjoyed the chewiness of the thick, flat noodles. They were my favorite part of the pho.
I wouldn’t consider this to be my own personal favorite pho place, but it’s certainly a quality spot and worthy of place in the pho rotation.
Pho Flavor
10130 Garden Grove Blvd,
Garden Grove, CA 92844
Phone: (714) 591-5265
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SteelCraft’s Barrio: A Unique Fusion Of Filipino & Korean Flavors
The Background
SteelCraft locations are unique communal dining spaces with three locations in Southern California. They include craft foods and drinks and wide open areas with large tables and benches. The distinct feature with all SteelCraft locations is that the restaurants are built within old modified shipping containers.
The main communal eating area at SteelCraft Garden Grove The Garden Grove location is really cool looking. It’s a very distinct looking center due to the shipping containers. I can’t say I’ve seen anything quite like it. I love how wide open the communcal area is and how the restaurants are all on the outside of this area surrounding it. They certainly did build this with a sense of community and togetherness with having everyone eating in the same area.
The Food
Barrio
One of the restaurants that peaked my intererst at the Garden Grove SteelCraft was Barrio. A fusion of Filipino and Korean BBQ. That’s not a fusion I’ve ever seen before and the menu sounded pretty solid. It was time to give it a try!
The Barrio at Garden Grove SteelCraft 
Yes, there’s an order process! 
The popular dishes SteelCraft Barrio has a lot of different skewers to choose from (pork, chicken, shrimp, tofu) as well as other proteins like pork / beef bulgogi, salmon, and liempo. You can mix and match the skewers so I decided to go with the pork and chicken. I had wanted the rice but they were out for the night so I got it with the mixed green salad and also got the kimchi. It’s a fair amount of food for $10.50
The full skewer meal with salad and kimchi 
The salad has a few toppings on it but is pretty much a garden salad. There is a generous amount of spring mix here and it’s a lot of salad. I thought there could be a bit more dressing provided. It was a bit dry and certainly could have used more dressing. I also didn’t feel that there was very much kimchi as a side. It was pretty solid kimchi, just could have used some more of it.
The skewers are well marinated and well coated. There’s a good char on them and they taste great mainly due to the sweet and tangy marinade and sauce. The meat itself was pretty over cooked and tough, which was disappointing.
The chicken skewer 
The pork skewer 
A piece of pork
The Verdict
For the amount of money for the meal ($10.50) it’s a good amount of food. The proportions, especially the salad, is a lot. The quality is good as well. The marinade and the sauce is really tasty and is a highlight to me. It would have gone really well with rice for sures.
The few things that were a negative to me were the lack of salad dressing, small side of kimchi, and overcooked meat.
Again, it’s tough to find a meal like this for only $10.50 in this day and age and it’s certainly worth the price despite the “negatives” I list. There just needs to be a few tweaks and I feel like Barrio would be pretty legit.
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Pho 79 lives up to billing as one of the best in Southern California
The Background
Pho 79 is a well-known, beloved Vietnemese location that’s been serving it’s slurp worthy signature pho since 1982. Yes, 1982! It’s in a non-descript area, nestled behind a strip mall but where there’s good food, people will find it.
The popularity is evident within the restaurant which literally has a wall’s worth of accolades and articles written about the great tasting food. The restaurant proudly displays its recognition as a James Beard Foundation Winner under the restaurant signage, indicating that its received notable national acclaim.
Such long staying power is a testament to the of quality food. But what makes Pho 79 truly special is their pho broth.
The Experience
I thought I’d beat the lunch rush and get to Pho 79 well before noon. When I pulled up to the restuarant, around 11:15 am on a Wednesday, I noticed there was already a line and the parking lot was quite full.
There’s a sign in sheet attached to the front door which had a 4-5 parties in front of me. It went really quickly. It only took around 10 minutes to get seated, which was nice!
Pho 79 really has a massive menu, with a wide variety of Vietnamese dishes to sort through. The pho portion of the menu is teeming with different variations with all sorts of different meat. Most come in three different bowl sizes. My go to pho is always just the rare beef, so I went with the medium bowl ($13.25)
The food comes out exceptionally fast. I went to use the restroom to wash my hands and came back to my table with a steaming bowl of pho waiting for me. It couldn’t have been more than five minutes.
Slurping up a spoonful of the broth was a memorable experience. The broth is so rich, hearty, and flavorful, it really warms the soul. After savoring a few spoonfuls of broth, I started adding in the usual pho veggies: thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapenos, and squeezed in some lime. I added in some hoisin sauce and some Sriracha as well.
At first I wasn’t too impressed with the amount of meat in the bowl. It just looked like four slices of beef. As it cooked more in the broth, layers started peeling off the meat though. There was a lot more meat than I orginally thought! The beef is good quality and as it turns out, there’s quite a bit. The noodles were excellent and plentiful as well. For a medium bowl of pho it was a good amount of food for a good price.
The Verdict
This was the first time I’ve been to Pho 79. I can see why it’s so well-known and has been around for over 41 years. The bowl of pho was flat out delicious.
What separates it from other places is the broth. It’s definitely one of the best pho broth’s I’ve ever had. I’m not sure what they do differently to prep the broth, but you can taste the difference compared to other pho places. Outstanding flavor. I can’t wait to go back and have another bowl!
Also, on a side note, this is a cash only restaurant so be sure to have some cash on you if you visit. I think the best times to go will be off peak hours either early or late lunch / dinners.
The parking lot will likely be packed at peak times so best to avoid if possible.
Pho 79
9941 Hazard Ave. Garden Grove, CA 92843
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Raspberry and Vanilla Pancakes @ Plums Cafe in Costa Mesa, CA | Pacific Northwest Inspired Breakfasts in Orange County Spot
The Background
Nestled into the corner of a non-descript Costa Mesa shopping center is one of the best breakfast locations in Orange County: Plums Cafe.
This popular cafe has been located in Eastside Costa Mesa for over 32 years, speaking volumes to its popularity and lasting appeal.
This is a unique Southern California cafe. Many items on the menu are inspired from the Portland and Seattle areas. The menu pops with items you don’t readily see at other breakfast locations.
The Campfire Rainbow Trout, Smoked Salmon Hash, Dungeness Crab Omlette, and Dutch Baby are a few unique items on the menu. The presentation on all the dishes is top notch, making the food look even more appealing.
In addition to the breakfast / brunch menu there’s a good selection of intriguing lunch items to choose from. I’m a sucker for the breakfast items here so I’ve never ventured into the lunch part of the menu. Tempted, yes, but have never pulled the trigger since I have my favorites here!
Plums also offers a number mixed drinks and other adult beverages that go hand in hand with brunch.
The Experience
I came in knowing what I wanted already but did a quick once over of the menu. I hadn’t been here in quite some time, probably a couple years (!), so wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything new that caught my eye. There were definitely a few things that caught my attention but in the end I had to go with my favorite item on the menu – the Raspberries and Vanilla Cream pancakes ($18).
I’ve tried a few other items on the menu but always find my way back to these pancakes. Also, always have to order a side of the thick cut Pepper Bacon ($4), mmmm bacon.
Now you may say that those aren’t all that unique, you can certainly find Raspberry Pancakes at other breakfast places, but these are on another level.
You get a three-stack of Raspberry Pancakes with raspberries layered in between each. Topped with raspberries, raspberry syrup drizzle, vanilla creme, and powder sugar. They bring out an additional plate with a side of butter and syrup, but you really don’t need them.
The pancakes are so light and airy while bursting with flavor. The combination of the raspberry syrup and vanilla creme is excellent. It really creates flavorful bites with the sweet vanilla taste and slightly tart flavor of the raspberries. Three pancakes is just the right amount for myself as well. They’re more filling then you’d expect for something so light!
The Pepper Bacon is always delicious as well. It doesn’t resemble the familiar crispy bacon from other places; instead, it’s brimming with a peppery saltiness. It’s a little pricey for a couple strips of bacon but the flavor makes it worth it to me.
The Verdict
I’ve been coming to Plum’s for years. The food and service have always been top tier. The Raspberry Pancakes are without a doubt a comfort breakfast item I crave and certainly missed.
Overall, Plum’s provides a wide variety of items on their menu. They offer some unique items not found at many other locations here in SoCal. If you’re in the Costa Mesa area and you’re a breakfast / brunch fan, Plums is definitley worth a try!
Plums Cafe
369 E. 17th Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92627 -
Gurume Sushi In Irvine Offers High Quality Sushi in the OC
The Background
Found in the corner of a shopping center in Irvine, CA, Gurume Sushi offers gourmet style sushi (Gurume means “Gourmet” in Japanese after all) and other signature dishes. There’s also an Omakase menu which is a nice option to see.
The menu is pretty hefty and diverse. In addition to some inventive rolls and sashimi, there’s classic Japanese dishes like Suki Yaki, Udon, Tempura, and Japanese meal sets . There’s also fusion type offerings like Yellowtail w / Jalapeno Carpaccio, Amberjack Miso Ceviche, and Uni Pasta.
There’s so many items on the menu that sound appetizing it’s certainly tough to decide on one single item!
The Experience
I came here on a Friday with family around lunch time and got seated immedietely. The restaurant was pretty quiet on this day, which was nice. The atmosphere overall seems like a very chill vibe with a sleek modern look to it.
We ended up ordering the Shrimp Tempura ($13 for pcs) and Vegetable Tempura ($10) for appetizers. I also ordered the Rainbow Roll ($18) and shared a Spicy Tuna Roll as the main course.
Vegetable Tempura The tempura comes with a side of grated daikon (it’s a type of radish) along with a dipping sauce (tentsuyu). Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to grab any photos of the shrimp before it got devoured. But the shrimp was delicious. You’ll have to take my word about it.
The batter they use for the tempura is outstanding. Light and airy, with an incredibly satisfying crunch on the outside contrasting with the tenderness of well cooked shrimp. Best part is the lack of grease. At some places the tempura may be a tad soggy due to the excess grease. Not here!
The vegetable tempura consisted of onion, I believe shishito pepper, yam, and zuchinni. Equally as delicious as the shrimp, the batter coating the veggies really shines through again. My favorite was the shishito pepper. Definitely very tasty especially when dipped into the tentsuyu sauce.
Spicy Tuna Roll 
Rainbow Roll 
Starting with the Spicy Tuna Roll: I thought this was good. Tuna was solid with decent spice. Rice was well seasoned and tasted good.
There wasn’t really anything about it that stood out to me. It’s a solid roll and what I would expect at a restaurant like this. With Spicy Tuna rolls it’s a little more difficult to truly stand out as exceptional and unique. There’s only so much you can do with it in my opinion.
Now the Rainbow Roll on the other hand, was quite exceptional. Consisting of bluefin tuna, yellowtail, salmon, shrimp, and avocado on top of snow crab roll, the presentation was fantastic and the roll was well made. What really stood out was the freshness of the fish. This was very good quality. Some of the best I’ve eaten in Orange County. Combined with the snow crap mixture, avocado, and well-seasoned sushi rice, each individual piece was a treat to eat after a quick dip in soy sauce and wasabi.
The Verdict
Gurume Sushi offers premium sushi at fairly reasonable prices. The service was great and attentive and food came out quickly. It may be a little pricier than similiar sushi joints, but the higher prices are easily justified with the quality of the food.
Specifically talking about the fish. I really wasn’t expecting it to be as fresh as it was. Definitley the good type of surprise! And certainly not something that can be said at many sushi places in the area.
I’m looking forward to my next trip to try something else on this expansive menu!
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Flavorful Spicy Garlic Ramen From Kashiwa Ramen! One Of Orange County’s Best Ramen Spots
The Background
Orange County is a hot bed for ramen with a ton of restaurants in the area. There’s a lot to choose from, so deciding on one place can be a daunting task if you start going down the rabbit hole of researching ramen spots.
During one of these recent ramen deep dives I came across Kashiwa Ramen in Costa Mesa. Voted Best Ramen of 2019 by OC Weekly, it wasn’t a ramen place I’d tried yet. Something that really stood out to me at first glance, was that they’re famous for chicken broth.
I haven’t seen too many places that offer a chicken ramen broth. Most places have the pork based tonkotsu broth so seeing a chicken broth was interesting.
A few different types of ramen on the menu also sounded delicious and unique,so this was a pretty easy choice to check out on this day.
The Experience
I got to the Kashiwa Ramen right around the time they opened, 11:30 am on a weekday, to avoid any potential lunch rush and walked right in. Nestled in the corner in the back of a large shopping center, there’s ample parking, especially at this time.
The restuarant itself is pretty small. I see how it can fill up quickly.
The two types of ramen that caught my eye earlier were: the Spicy Black Garlic (I’m sucker for all things spicy) and the Tsukemen aka Dipping Noodle. I haven’t seen much dipping noodle ramen options in Orange County. I’ve seen it on food vlogs but haven’t yet experienced it. Choices, choices, choices. Quite the food predicament of what to order. They also have a ramen + rice bowl combo which clearly I had to try as well.
The lunch rice bowl selection 
The actual order! I couldn’t decide which ramen to try so I asked the server which bowl was the most popular and they pointed out the Spicy Black Garlic. Sold! I also decided on combo-ing it with the Soboro Bowl. That poached egg was calling to me.
The Soboro Bowl
The Soboro Bowl came out first. A Soboro Bowl, for those that don’t know (including myself, I had to look it up) is a deep bowl dish of rice topped with a seasoned protein, in this instance ground chicken. Seasoned with a combination of soy sauce, mirin and ginger it’s generally topped with egg, this one being poached.
Pre Poach Egg break 
Sorry Mr Poached Egg, had to be done! 
Solid spoonful of Soboro It’s a deep bowl with a lot of ground chicken and rice. The egg was poached perfectly while the green onion makes the bowl “pop” with color. It’s definitely a nice looking Soboro Bowl!
Breaking up the egg and mixing it into the seasoned crumbled meat and rice provides a further richness and creaminess to the side dish.
The Spicy Black Garlic Ramen
Soon after the Soboro bowl came out the bowl of ramen followed. The ramen is topped with four pieces of grilled pork, half an egg, green onion, and wood ear mushrooms.
Anytime I get a fresh bowl of ramen the first thing I have to do is get a nice spoonful of that broth. I chose the swirl as my base broth, a combination of the chicken and tonkatsu broths, which sounded too good to pass up. A spoonful of the broth delivered a real jolt of flavor.
A rich flavorful bowl of ramen! 
Solid bite of ramen right here The garlicky, peppery flavor with a hint of smokiness, and spice from the homemade chili oil, strikes the taste buds all at once. It’s defintely one of the most flavorful broths I’ve had. The spice level was moderate. They bring out a side of the chili oil so you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
The wavy noodles were al dente and fresh tasting while the pork pieces were tender with great flavor. The wood ear mushroom provided a different type of texture and crunch to each bite.
The Verdict
Overall this was a very enjoyable lunch and quite filling. The menu has some intriguing options that are different than the usual Tonkatsu broth joints around.
The Spicy Garlic Ramen and Soboro Bowl hit the right spot for me and certainly have provided me more options to think about when I’m craving ramen in the OC.
I look forward to going back to try the Dipping Noodles along with another one of the rice bowls in the near future!
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A&J Restaurant in Irvine, CA Offers Authentic Taiwanese Dishes in Orange County
The Background
A&J Restaurant is a popular restuarant in Irvine which offers many traditional Tawainese dishes. I hadn’t eaten here before, so I was looking forward to giving it a try!
I met up with some family at 12:30 pm on a Saturday and the restaurant was packed. The restaurant isn’t too big and fills up quickly. The wait probably took about 20 mins for a party of five.
The menu is quite expansive. There’s plenty of noodle dishes, appetizes, as well as some soup and rice dishes to choose from.
My cousin suggested the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup and Pan Fried Beef Bun, so those were must tries for me. By the sound of it the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup is one of the most popular items on the menu.
We also decided to get an order of the Pan Fried Pork Dumplings and the Chinese Beef Wrap to share.
The Experience
Beef Noodle Soup
With the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup you get a choice between a thin or thick noodle. I opted for the thin noodle.
The broth is rich and flavorful, with just the right amount of heat from the chili peppers, which melds well with the base flavor of the broth. It will definitely get your lips burning but isn’t OVERLY spicy. The noodles were perfectly cooked and tasted quite fresh.
In addition to the broth, the beef is a real standout here. It’s extremely tender and full of flavor and really soaks up that delicious broth.
The Bok Choy and scallions add some nice crunch to the soup. A nice way to balance out the textures within the tasty soup.
Pan Fried Beef Bun
One of the standouts under the Small Plates section of the menu is the Pan Friend Beef Bun.
The pan fry gives the top and bottom of the bun a nice fried, crunchy, exterior, while the inside is nice and doughy.
The bun encases some seriously juiced up ground beef. After taking a bite the juice comes flowing out. It’s delicious!
The scallions inside the bun provide a nice crunch as well. It’s a good combination of subtle crunch from the exterior of the bun, then the dougy interior, juicy, flavorful beef, and added crunch from the scallions.
Dipping in chili oil and soy sauce, of course, is always a must for any type of bun and made this even more delicious.
Pan Fried Pork Dumpling
This is very much like the Pan Friend Beef Bun, just in a different shape and stuffed with flavorful, seasoned pork instead of beef. These don’t have the juiciness of the beef bun but the outside of the dumpling is nice and crispy while the inside is dougy. There’s a good amount of pork filling in these as well!
Chinese Beef Wrap
The Chinese Beef Wrap is a unique item on the menu. The outside of the wrap is crispy and flaky and inside is doughy with tender strips of marineted beef, scallion, and cilantro inside. This is somewhat similar to the beef bun and pork dumpling except the beef wrap is a lot flakier and has thinly sliced cuts of marineted beef. I liked the addition of the cilantro. It really complements the beef well.
The Verdict
I really enjoyed the food at A&J Restaurant. The standout for me was the Spicy Beef Noodle Soup. The soup broth, fresh noodles, and tender chunks of beef are really outstanding.
Since the beef bun, pork dumpling, and beef wrap are all somewhat similar I’d go with whatever you’re in the mood for on that particular day. You probably don’t need all three unless you’re with a large party to share.
However, if I had to choose only one of the three it would be the beef bun. What specifically stood out for me was the immense flavor from all the juice contained within it.
There’s so much more here I want to try too.
This is certainly a Taiwanese spot that warrants a stop when you’re in the Irvine area!
A&J Restaurant
14805 Jeffrey Rd, Irvine, CA 92618
http://website.uniquemobileapps.com/free/rios12345/west-coast
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Shin-Sen-Gumi A Southern California Staple For Hakata Ramen
The Background
I’ve been eating at the Shin-Sen-Gumi Fountain Valley location, essentially since it opened, back in 2000. To say that I’m a fan would be an understatement. Much like anyone’s favorite restaurant, there’s something about its ramen, atmosphere, and overall vibe that has kept me coming back for years.
Their specialty ramen broth is the hakata tonkatsu broth. Based off their website they evidently prepare the broth over a three-day period. They’re meticulous with how the broth is prepared and the broth is temperature sensitive. It goes through several processes and needs to be remain heated all day to maintain its highest quality.
They use an original Shin-Sen-Gumi noodle recipe for their Hakata-style noodles. These are not made in house, but are made daily for them by an outside noodle shop.
Shin-Sen-Gumi has a cental kitchen system. The ingredients are freshly prepared and transported to all 14 branches daily.
The Experience
As I’ve noted, I’ve been coming to this restaurant for 20+ years. Which is pretty insane to me. Time really flies. Correspondingly, there’s a comfort and familiarity in taking a seat here and getting a nice bowl of ramen.
The interior is pretty small. The main seating is a large bar that wraps around forming an L shape. There’s some tables lined around the outskirts of the room by the windows. It makes for a cozy atmosphere but can certainly get quite busy at times.
I always enjoy coming here during lunch. The lunch combos are filling for a very reasonable price. My go to has always been the C-Set: Hakata Ramen with a 1/2 Takana Fried Rice.
The menu has changed and expanded throughout the years but what keeps me coming back is the tonkatsu ramen.
When I first started coming here for lunch the Lunch combos ran from A-Set to D-Set. The options have grown through the years The Ramen
The tonkatsu ramen is topped with green onion and ginger and comes with a couple pieces of pork chashu. There’s numerous toppings you can choose from. I always get the bamboo, which comes out on the side. Lastly, I add in sesame seeds and a chili powder mixture to add some spice.
The broth has a deeply umami, rich pork flavor. It’s extremely satisfying and undoubtedly, hands down, my favorite ramen broth in Orange County.
You can choose the firmness of the noodes which are always fresh and al dente. These noodles are thinner which is a characteristic of Hakata ramen. You can add more noodles when you finish your first bowl, if you’re craving more.
The Fried Rice
The 1/2 portion of Takana fried rice always goes well with the Hakata Ramen. The stir-fried rice consists of leaf mustard, sweet and savory soy sauce flavored pork, onion and egg. I always add a little additional soy sauce to this as well. It’s definitely a tasty fried rice.
The Verdict
Shin-Sen-Gumi has been around for 31 years for a reason. It remains immensely popular and it’s food, at its core, by and large has remained largely unchanged from what I can taste. That’s a good thing! It’s consistency is certainly one of the reasons why its had sustained success. The Hakata ramen is a classic in my books and remains my favorite in the Orange County. That’s saying something considering the number of quality ramen options in the area!
