52 Week Project : Week 16
Duckling Pond
Canon 5D MkII / 85mm f/1.8
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52 Week Project : Week 15
Mont Blanc Timewalker
Canon 5D MkII / 50mm f/1.4
Kaisen Kaiten
Kaisen Kaiten has always been my long time favorite spot to get a quick fix of cheap and delicious sushi. One of the novel things to point out about Kaisen is that they have a revolving sushi bar, which is great for those who are on time crunch and just want to sit down and grab a quick bite off the conveyor belt. For people who can spare the extra time, they can place the order down on the conveyor belt and the sushi chef can assemble them a fresh dish. While they may not be the best sushi joint in town, they are definitely better than a lot of the other “to-go” sushi places in the area and by far the best rotating sushi bar in Orange County. It is what it is, bang for bucks sushi.
52 Week Project : Week 14
Dual Lizards
Canon 5D MkII / 85mm f/1.8
Murasaki
A few of my friends had some positive feedback for Murasaki, so I decided I should give it a try to see how it was for myself. It wasn’t hard to tell that Murasaki had all of the makings a of great sushi restaurant. The venue itself had an upscale appeal to it but without losing the small quaint restaurant feel. The staff was polite and the chefs were all knowledgeable. So when I found out that their sushi bar was reserve strictly for omakase, I was quite happy and optimistic.
However, even though all of their cuts were high quality, it felt like something was missing. I don’t know what it was exactly, but there was definitely a missing element that kept this great restaurant from being a really fantastic one. We even exhausted the menu trying to find that one dish that could have added the “wow” factor, but we gave up after our chef ran out of ideas.
By no means does this make the restaurant anything less than great. The steep bill was a little bit more than what we were accustom to, but that was only because we went through over 15 some odd items. Plus the quality and taste of each fish was more than enough to justify the cost. I only wish it was a more memorable first impression.
Kitayama
We eaten at Kitayama on several different occasions, but never had the chance to indulge ourselves there enough to truly explore their menu. However, opportunity presented itself under the guise of a “celebration”. So since we were celebrating, my significant other went wild and ordered every other item from the menu.
It was quite a feast! We were in their tatami room thinking that the extra room would make it easier to maneuver around all of the dishes, but it wasn’t long before the large table started to become full. We were dining with some friends who never been to Kitayama before, so we ordered the Shabu Shabu Course on top of all of the other dishes. It’s always a safe bet for first timers. But the highlight of the night was the Shishito Peppers, Lobster Egg Custer, and Black Cod Teriyaki. We actually ordered the Shishito Pepers by mistake, but we were happy that we did. The peppers were sautéed and garnished with Katsuobushi and only produced a mild heat, so it was easy for everyone to eat. The Lobster Egg Custard was out of this world or at least for us anyways. Everything from taste to texture was new and different to us. There were even bits of uni inside of the custard. Then there was the Black Cod Teriyaki that I admire for its simplicity but exquisite taste. To wrap up the night, we tried the Black Sesame Crème Brule which was full flavor without being overly sweet.
We opted out of the sushi bar since our guests were a little skittish when it comes to sushi. With that said, all of their menu items were amazing, none of which failed to satisfy all of our friends. Furthermore, one of the most fascinating things about Kitayama is their ability to present their some of their most exotic dishes in a way where it still seems appealing to the most squeamish eaters. Our entire experience at Kitayama was so wonderful, that we are just intrigue to see what their sushi bar has to offer, but that will have to wait for another time.
Bruxie
When I first heard of Bruxie, I initially thought it was just another gimmick to create some hype and buzz. But after trying their Bruxie Burger with avocado and beacon, I have to admit that they have a pretty solid burger, even without the waffle. The patty was not only juicy, it was quite flavorful. This was an important element of the burger for me since a lot of other burger joints tend to focus on toping and sauces while delivering a bland meat patty.
For those who are looking for a burger alternative, Bruxie also offers a Smoked Salmon & Dill Cream Sandwich. The crispy waffle really did put a different twist to the salmon lox. Also their milkshakes was really rich, Chocolate Shake > Mint Chocolate Shake.
All in all, Bruxie’s Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches has a lot more to offer than just the hype.
52 Week Project : Week 13
Wood
Canon 5D MkII / 50mm f/1.4
52 Week Project : Week 12
Billards
Canon 5D MkII / 85mm f/1.8
Took up billiards as another new hobby, so I picked up a set of Aramith Billiard Balls.
Shimura
Shimura is literally a hidden gem in Fountain Valley. You wouldn’t be able to tell that it was a Japanese sushi restaurant from the outside, but once inside, it apparent that Shimura didn’t have a hard time attracting customers. There was a unique vibe inside of Shimura, where it felt as if everyone seems to know each other, which made us believe that most of them were locals who regularly dine there.
We were lucky to get a seat at the sushi bar after a short wait and as always, we ordered our usual, masago and uni, before asking the chef for omakase. To our delight, nearly half the dishes they brought out were new to us. Most memorable was the deep fried lotus root and octopus. Everything was amazingly fresh. Even the sweet shrimp was still alive and moving before it was prepared for us.
Unfortunately, they were out of Sculpin, which was one of the main reasons we went there. From what they told us, it was a seasonal fish and summer was a better time to come back and try it. Overall, everything else was fresh and delightful but at the same time it was quite affordable. However, I didn’t get to try the Sculpin or any other their other live dishes, so it wouldn’t be fair to give Shimura a final verdict until revisiting them again in the summer.
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