Trendy Asian Restaurants in Southern California
Whenever I plan a trip to visit Southern California, I ALWAYS get myself excited about the amazing food that I'm about to chow down on! In fact, Yelp's bookmark feature is one useful method that I always use to save the restaurants and cafes that I potentially want to visit in the near future. I highly suggest using this feature if you ever plan a getaway to a new city because it really helps you narrow down what places you can visit based on your current location! In this blog post, I cover certain Asian restaurants in the Orange County area that I've visited and enjoyed either for the very first time or as a returning customer.
Brodard Restaurant (Garden Grove)
I've never actually dined in at Brodard Restaurant, but you'll always find me looking up their phone number to place a to-go order for their delicious Nem Nuong Cuon. The Nem Nuong Cuon, or spring rolls, are the best I have ever tasted and no other restaurant can compare in such quality and flavor. In all honesty, I'm not a huge fan of spring rolls at many Vietnamese restaurants because I feel that they lack a lot in flavor or freshness. To me, Brodard Restaurant is like the jackpot of all spring roll places. Why? One spring roll is jam-packed with cucumber, mint leaves, crushed deep fried eggroll skin pieces, carrots, and grilled sweet pork sausage. Dip this homemade creation into their heavenly orange sauce and you've got yourself both an affordable and satisfying meal.
Dos Chinos (Santa Ana)
When dining at Dos Chinos, I was unbelievably impressed with the excellent presentation and quality of every entree. Dos Chinos definitely KNOWS how to whip up some Instagram-worthy Asian Fusion food, as literally three individual parties went up to my table to ask what exact entrees I ordered. Don't even get me started on the Lobster Fries - who knew such a marvelous creation existed?! We ordered the Lobster Fries, Stoner Bowl, two tacos, and a side of Chorizo Rice. By the way, the Chorizo Rice was pretty damn addicting...and guess what?! You can order it as a side with tacos, or it comes with the Stoner Bowl. If you're visiting Santa Ana, Dos Chinos is definitely worth the pitstop.
Kiyomizu (Santa Ana)
Sushi is a good idea any time of the day, am I right? My sister, niece, and I dropped by for dinner one night and we absolutely loved the unique interior design. This small Japanese restaurant features a sushi bar where you can choose to sit down on stools or stand up at their "standing bar" while you eat. At Kiyomizu, I was able to try their various handrolls, which include blue crab, lobster, salmon, unagi, and the daily special. My favorites had to be the blue crab and the lobster, although you can definitely taste the freshness of each handroll. For hot entrees, we ordered Chicken Wings, Ramen, Gyoza, and Edamame. As a lover of all things fried, the Chicken Wings definitely hit the spot and the Gyoza was crispy on the bottom, yet soft everywhere else. If you're looking for a chill spot to hangout with friends as you get your Japanese handroll fix, then Kiyomizu won't disappoint!
PokiNometry (Anaheim)
Ladies and gents, I think I've found my new favorite poki place. Not to mention, it's also located in the same exact city as the happiest place on Earth! Compared to all of the poki restaurants that I've tried in Northern California, PokiNometry excels above average when it comes to portion size, freshness, and flavor. I felt that the servings of seafood were much more generous than other poki places and I would definitely recommend PokiNometry as one of my top favorite poki restaurants.
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Much Love,
