Starfish won me over with soup … and more

Posted on March 29, 2012 by Mad Hungry Woman

I’ve never been a fan of Asian fusion, but something happened this year. I found myself surprised by some non-traditional Asian cuisine and even liking some of the westernized food on offer. Starfish Laguna is one of those places.

I recently visited again and was drawn to the Hot and Sour Soup ($5), filled with organic pressed tofu,bamboo, shiitake mushroom and finished off with egg drop. I added a spoonful of sambal oelek for more heat, but it was a stellar bowl of hot and sour! — lunch specials come with soup and egg roll.

I was enticed by the description of the Singapore Bamboo Roll ($7) — soy seasoned bamboo, carrot, jicama, cilatro, thai basil served with a roasted peanut hoisin dipping sauce. I was so happy that it tasted exactly as I’d expected it to! The rolls are so refreshing with crunchy vegetables stuffed inside. I can eat two orders of these on my own — easily!

Another item I enjoyed were the Korean Galbi Tacos ($9), served three to an order. The barbequed sesame soy seasoned natural angus beef was flavorful and the spicy gochujang aioli added a nice kick to them. Pickled daikon soothed out the flavors by adding some crunchy tartness.

I love eggplant and insisted on ordering Japanese Eggplant ($10) slow braised with house made sambal, Sichuan peppercorns and bell peppers. I was disappointed. Not only was there no hint of the Sichuan peppercorns’ numbing effects, but the dish was surprisingly bland. We all agreed this was our least favorite item.

Garlic Noodle ($10), priced the same at the one at AnQi was a much larger portion dotted with wild mushrooms, vine ripened tomato and bean sprouts and was so much more flavorful. I will take this over AnQi’s “famous” garlic noodles any day even though the noodles here are much thinner and not as garlicky.

One of my favorite dishes was Beef and Coke Farms Broccoli di Ciccio ($12) a sauteed item with garlic, rice wine and soy. I can eat this with a bowl of steaming hot rice and call it a day.

We ended with Thai Fried Rice ($12), a quite tasty combination of wild gulf shrimp, Chinese sausage, edamame, egg and cabbage. Not your traditional fried rice by any means, but will appeal to both kids and adults alike!

Yes it’s not traditional or authentic Asian fare, but if it’s tasty I’ll eat it AND enjoy it. Just like PF Chang’s, Starfish Laguna has definitely caught my attention with their twist on food I grew up eating. I will be back again for those Bamboo Rolls, hot and sour soup and the beef with broccoli!

I have a $50 giftcard to giveaway to one lucky reader. Tell me what your favorite Chinese dish is and make sure you include your FULL name & email address. “Like” Starfish Laguna and diary of a Mad Hungry Woman‘s Facebook pages, leave a 2nd comment to let us know and you will be entered for a 2nd chance to win.

Starfish Laguna
30832 Pacific Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Tel: 949-715-9200

A gem so hidden you’ll never find it

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Mad Hungry Woman

I had seen this place when I went to Doner G and I thought it had an interesting name, but didn’t give much thought to it until several people mentioned it to me. After that, I had to check it out! This little Vietnamese deli is in the same plaza as Doner G and sits behind the car wash and is a mom and pop business serving both as a small grocery store as well as a restaurant.

I asked my friend who lives in Anaheim to join me for an early lunch seeing I wanted to try a bunch of things and there was no way I would be able to finish it all on my own.

As soon as we enter, we were greeted by a very friendly lady who asked us what she could get for us. I’d wanted to try several things and after I perused the board and ended up getting more than what I had originally planned. Thank god Gerry was there to help me polish all this food off.

We started with banh mi, a foot-long Vietnamese sandwich, filled with shredded rotisserie chicken ($2.89), In true banh mi style, there was do chua (pickled julienned carrots and daikon), cilantro and jalapeno (if you asked for spicy).

They make the rotisserie chicken in-house and is flavored with an Asian style marinade consisting mainly of soy sauce and other seasonings. The sandwich is good, but needed a even more of a kick than what the jalapeno was doing, so I squeezed some sambal oelek into it which did the trick.

Ca Ri Ga or chicken curry ($5.50) is served with your choice of rice or bread and arrives in a bowl swimming with carrots and potatoes. The curry is mild and although the sauce is on the watery side, the flavors are good. I can really taste the coconut milk in here. The bread soaks up the sauce pretty well and we do this until all the bread is gone. We didn’t want to waste any of it.

The same shredded chicken used in the banh mi is also served with sticky rice ($3.50) and I thought tasted more flavorful than when eaten as part of a banh mi. Fried shallots are sprinkled on top of this dish giving it an additional southeast Asian flavor to it. It is a filling meal for a very small price.

They’ve recently added lemongrass beef banh mi ($3.99) and I highly recommend this if you want a tasty Vietnamese sandwich! The meat is very aromatic, flavorful and very delicious. If you don’t want to eat a sandwich, you can also have the beef with rice, eggs and soup for $6.50.

Although I didn’t try the chicken udon noodles ($4.75) the table next to me ordered it so I asked if they would let me take a photo. They kindly allowed me to. The broth used in the udon is house-made chicken stock so you know it is just like home-made.

The store also sells fresh poultry and eggs. I brought a chicken home and made chicken soup with it, plus 2 dozen eggs. I loved the eggs because the yolks were so plump, but the chicken was just okay. I still prefer the ones at Dakao Poultry. The rotisserie chicken used in the dishes we ate are also available to take home whole.

If you live in the area, this place is a great place to stop by for great cheap eats and pick up a dozen eggs while you’re at it. For me, it’s quite a trek to just drive on over for banh mi and chicken curry, but if I ever find myself in the area craving a banh mi, I’ll definitely think of this place! The owners are friendly and lovely and I am always a firm believer in supporting small independent businesses! Go check them out!

OC Poultry & Rotisserie
2117 E Ball Road
Anaheim, CA 92806
Tel: 714-780-0225

East Borough

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Mad Hungry Woman

I love lil Saigon and I go there at least twice a month, sometimes, once a week, which is why when I saw this place at The Camp, immediate skepticism hit me. I love Vietnamese food! I’m just not sure I love having a shi shi Vietnamese restaurant in the middle of, well, THE CAMP!

I was certain it was going to be over-rated, mediocre, hyped up and just to prove myself right, I got two of my friends together and went down there just so we could order the whole menu.

Holly, Selene and I arrived early and well, although we didn’t order the entire menu, we ordered plenty! As you might have guessed, I arrived already pre-judging the place and I was determined to dislike it.

The gal at the counter was very pleasant! Drats! Why can’t you be surly like everyone else in lil Saigon? After ordering, we found an available table, took a seat and chatted while waiting for the food. My plan wasn’t working — the staff is friendly and we certainly liked the atmosphere…. I mean what’s not to like? But how about the food?

We ordered Traditional Spring Roll ($4.50/2 rolls or $6.25/3 rolls) with pork and shrimp (although there are also chicken and shrimp or tofu) and is accompanied with the pre-requisite hoisin sauce like you get in lil Saigon.

Of course, these were pricier than what you will find in Westminster, by about 50 cents to $1 more, but I remind myself that rent is higher and I’ve saved on gas. They were decent and I liked the hoisin sauce a lot.

Grapefruit Lemongrass Salad ($7.35) was innovative, tasty and refreshing, especially if you are watching your carb intake. Lemongrass infused chicken is served over carrots and cabbage and topped with grapefruit and cilantro. The dressing is awesome — a citrus vinaigrette which is similar to nuoc mam but without the obvious taste of fish sauce and the sesame cracker added a nice crispy component to the salad. It is simply delicious.

For the bun, or Vermicelli Noodles ($7.35), you can go vegetarian by choosing tofu instead of grilled pork, but we wanted meat! There was a good amount of lettuce, cucumbers, mint leaves and crushed peanuts, but just a little too much noodles when compared to the accompaniments. You also get a small egg roll with this entree but it wasn’t enough to offset the massive amount of vermicelli.

Banh Mi were $4.35 for an 8-inch and $6.40 for a 12-inch. We ordered grilled pork which is beautifully seasoned with bits of do chua (pickled radish and carrots) and cilantro in between the baguette — which, incidentally, isn’t hard and didn’t cut the roof of my mouth like it usually does when I eat banh mi. My only gripe is that there isn’t enough filling, but otherwise, very tasty indeed.

Beef Stew ($6.95) was piping hot when it arrived, a bowl of hearty, rich broth with tender beef, sweet carrots and potato.

Garnished with cilantro, lime and onions, the stew isn’t greasy at all and possessed a heady star-anise flavor which I so love. It is served with a baguette, and the best part is that the beef isn’t fatty or grisly at all, nor was the baguette hard and dry.

There were other items on the menu such as curry which I’ve yet to try but for now, East Borough is a definite “like” for me. Service is great, food is stellar and I can get there in 10 minutes! As long as I can find parking at The Camp, it’s all good!

East Borough
2937 Bristol Street
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Tel: 714-641-5010

Pho Ellie — diamond in the rough

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Mad Hungry Woman

I rarely go to Fullerton but on this occasion my BFF Sunny and I were attending to some business in the area and lost track of time. By the time we realized, our stomachs were growling, and needed food STAT, but neither of us had the energy to venture far from where we were in search of a place to eat. What to do?

Luckily, within walking distance of where we were at was a Vietnamese place and even though I didn’t have time to check on Yelp (they have a 3 and a half star average) we decided to give it a shot anyway, at least to satiate the hunger pangs for the moment.

BFF is from Indonesia so she commented on the sign outside Pho Ellie stating they serve “halal” meat. This means the restaurant caters to Muslims who ordinarily aren’t able to eat the beef served in regular restaurants. There is also no pork on the menu.

I am always skeptical when it comes to really clean and new looking Vietnamese restaurants. I guess I’m just used to getting great food at hole-in-the-wall joints in lil Saigon and most of the nicer places tend to cater to the masses rather than staying true to their roots.

We were famished and ordered a lot. I figured if we don’t finish it, we can just take it home. What’s the big deal, right?

We started with Ellie’s spring rolls ($3.95), two rolls arrived looking rather dismal because they were limp and uninspiring, not tightly wrapped like they normally are. We took a bite and were surprised at how good they tasted.

Filled with chicken, lettuce, shrimp and served with a not-too-sweet dipping sauce, they were definitely a tasty start even if they weren’t as aesthetically a work of art. We laughed about pre-judging them on their looks and devoured them rather quickly.

Rare steak and brisket pho ($5.75) is next and comes piping hot. The broth is dark and the aroma of star anise fills the air. I took a sip of it marveling at how flavorful and rich it tasted without being greasy.

They are not stingy on the meat either and a plate of fresh herbal condiments graces the table to add to the al dente pho noodles. We were both surprised that pho of this caliber can be found outside of lil Saigon (why can’t that be the same for Irvine?).

Grilled shrimp and egg roll rice vermicelli ($6.95) or bun, is smaller in size than places I frequent, but again, everything from the grilled shrimp and the fried eggrolls are cooked to perfection and seasoned well.

Vegetables such as cucumbers, cilantro and lettuce add a great freshness, while pickled daikon and carrots tasted homemade. The crushed peanuts are ample and together, created a really delicious plate!

Our final dish of lemongrass chicken rice plate ($6.95) is a stir fry of chicken strips in a lemongrass sauce, served with a deliciously fragrant butter, garlic and parsley rice.

Although the soy dipping sauce is great over the rice, it is not needed to help enhance the already flavorful chicken and caramelized onions.

Not surprisingly, BFF and I polished off EVERYTHING. This always happens whenever we’re together — she’ll say she’s not hungry so don’t order a lot, or she’ll say “that’s too much”, but ends up eating more than I do and she’s half my size!

Pho Ellie is a hidden gem. I’m glad we gave it a shot, otherwise we would’ve missed out on some very tasty fare.

Pho Ellie
765 S State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA 92831
Tel: 714-879-1004

>Kang Lac Bakery

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Mad Hungry Woman

jook and crullers (background)

When I am craving breakfast it isn’t the bacon and eggs or waffles and pancakes that I long for. What I want is an Asian style breakfast consisting of rice porridge.

One of my go-to places for an Asian breakfast is in Westminster and sits inside a bakery. If a friend of mine hadn’t told me this years ago, I would probably still be in the dark about it and have missed out on one of the simple pleasures in life.

This little Vietnamese-Chinese bakery sells breads and pastries, both sweet and savory, but if you want to enjoy some of the dishes they have to offer, grab a table and sit down. When they bring the menu to you, it is surprisingly extensive for such a hole-in-the-wall. There are noodles, rices, and of course, the quintessential Asian breakfast item, chao or congee, or jook. I usually order the “century egg” and pork version ($4.75) and it arrives piping hot with half a black egg and shredded salted pork.

taro and radish cake

Century eggs can be either chicken, duck or quail eggs. They are preserved in a mixture of rice hulls, ash, lime, clay and salt for a few months and turns the egg black. The overpowering smell of sulphur and ammonia can be quite overwhelming to first time eaters but for me, this is the only way I like my porridge.

Porridge here is awesome, it is thick, piping hot and they serve it Vietnamese style, with lime wedges and beansprouts. In Hong Kong, scallions and julienned fresh ginger are the condiments.

sticky rice

Crullers are also a condiment which go perfectly with jook and are called “dau chao quy” in Vietnamese or “you tiao” in Mandarin. Regardless of how you refer to these, for a buck, they are well worth the price. I like to dip mine into soy sauce and eat it with a spoonful of hot porridge. The crullers are best when hot and crispy and if you come here later in the day, sometimes, they aren’t crispy anymore.

Cu Cai Khoai Mon ($5.50) or radish taro pan fried cake is also tasty. Unlike the Chinese version, which is served as is, the Vietnamese style ones here are dipped into egg and fried. A salty tart dipping sauce is served alongside. I just like mine with a bit of Sriracha.

bo luc lac with fried rice

Sticky rice in lotus leaf ($2) is a snack often eaten as a dim sum item. You can purchase these at the counter to bring home but they will heat them up for you if you happen to order one while dining in. The sticky rice is nice and soft and the meat and mushroom filling is seasoned nicely.

My son often will eat the porridge, but when it gets too close to lunch time, he prefers to have something other than breakfast food. His usual favorite is the Com Chien Bo Luc Lac ($7.95) Euro-style butter filet mignon with fried rice. The cubes of beef are tender and very flavorful and goes perfectly with the fried rice which is equally delicious. If you prefer steamed rice, you can ask them to switch out the fried rice for you. A bowl of mustard greens soup comes with this meal and is quite good when piping hot.

If you’re ever feeling like something different for breakfast, why not give Asian breakfast a try? You might like it and maybe, crave it once in a while like I do!

Kang Lac Bakery, 9301 Bolsa Avenue, Westminster, CA 92683. Tel: 714-894-6122

>Xanh Bistro — a delicate balance of the old and new

Posted on October 22, 2010 by Mad Hungry Woman

**This article is featured in the OC Register**

Xanh Bistro is tucked in the corner of a larger strip mall with no signage to alert you to it from the street, so if you’re not looking for it, you won’t find it. But let me tell you that this is a gem of a restaurant you definitely need to go in search of because you won’t regret it.

The food here can be construed as modern Vietnamese, but the only thing modern here is the presentation and attention to detail that Chef Haley Nguyen puts into every dish that hits your table. The food itself is as traditional and authentic as one can find in lil Saigon but your food won’t be carelessly dumped on your table, nor would the staff treat you with nonchalant disrespect. Here the service and food go hand in hand to give you a complete experience.

There are ubiquitous items on the menu such as cuon (rolls) and there are many to choose from. Salads are innovative and the intricate preparations are not lost on me. I see the julienned banana blossoms in the Goi Hua Chuoi, along with the daikon and carrots and everything else in the salad that require so much knife-work for it to be this simple and refreshing salad, but more on this later,

Chef Nguyen will be the first to tell you that Vietnamese food requires a lot of preparation but the end result is well worth it. Nguyen also runs cooking classes which teaches eager students easy ways to prepare Vietnamese meals at home (check out the website for more information).

squash blossom salad

Refreshing salads are very popular in Vietnamese cuisine and almost every restaurant will offer some sort of salad on its menu. Goi Hua Chuoi, or banana blossom salad is one such salad. Banana blossoms are found on the condiment plate when you eat bun bo hue, a beef noodle soup from Hue, the old capital city of imperial Vietnam, and have a nice crunch to it, which makes it ideal in a salad. Here, Nguyen adds pickled daikon and carrots, Vietnamese mint, peanuts, sesame seeds, shrimp and grilled pork. All the ingredients tossed in a dressing made with nuoc mam, or fish sauce, it is the perfect way to tease and whet your palate for whatever else to come.

Com Chay Thit Nuong is an appetizer comprising of crispy rice and grilled pork. Chunks of jasmine rice, deep fried until crispy is topped with pieces of flavorful grilled pork to give this dish not only great flavor, but also, great texture. Crispy rice is always delicious regardless of what cuisine it comes from, whether the bottom of a Korean bibimbap pot, part of Chinese sizzling rice soup, or this, I love it all. This appetizer is definitely something I would order over and over again!

crispy rice

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is Cha Ca Thanh Long, dill fish. I’ve had it in so many restaurants in lil Saigon….. usually whitefish is preferred ranging from catfish to snapper, but the best ones are seasoned impeccably and cooked to perfection, moist and flaky. The fresh dill brings an added dimension to the dish and is the primary factor in the wondrous aromatic finish of the fish. Bun, or rice vermicelli, along with lettuce, peanuts and special black sesame crackers are served alongside this dish to be assembled before eating. A bowl of special shrimp paste sauce is served alongside for dousing purposes. Although the one at Xanh isn’t pungent enough for my tastes, it will be accepted by the majority of people because it is mild yet flavorful enough to enhance the ingredients.

I also got to sample the Bo Ham Ngu Vi — five-spice braised short ribs — which reminded so much of a dish my mother makes. It was not surprising then when I found out that this dish has its roots from Chinese cuisine and although Nguyen’s version isn’t as intense as my mother’s, it was beautifully paired with garlic mustard greens. The meat was tender and it was obvious it had been slow cooked for hours.

dill fish

Chef Nguyen also makes her own ice cream in-house so if you have room, by all means try the ginger ice cream! It is delicious! There were so many other enticing dishes on the menu I had wanted to try, but unfortunately, there is only so much my stomach can endure in one sitting. I am already eagerly anticipating my next visit and I am planning on bringing along some friends so we can order more dishes to share.

Xanh Bistro, 16161 Brookhurst Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92780. Tel: 714-531-2030

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