S.W. Seafood & BBQ

> Location : 5406 Walnut Ave., Irvine,
California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Canton (Chinese)
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

In the city of irvine, there aren't a lot of big chinese restaurants around. there's the one in the same plaza as tako (it's right by jeffery). there's also sam woo on culver and deerfield. those are the more major chains around.

however, besides those two, s.w. seafood & bbq makes an interesting splash among the chinese cusine mix in irvine. like the user above said, the service is good. usually in traditional chinese places, it's about going to a restaurant often and people gettin to know you. it's not about good services for everybody.

the amont of food you get + the quality + the price is probably the best thing at this place. the food isn't super super good but it's well above average. the pricing isn't a lot. you can probably feed like 4 people and it'll cost you 20 ish the most during lunch. just a little bit more for dinner. the place isn't totally geared towards seafood but it's acceptable nonetheless. a lot of the dishes are pretty much cantonese style since the people running the restaurant are all pretty much cantonese. my favorite dishes has to be the beef, turnip hot pot (something to that extent, i don't know the specific english title) and the chicken with taro hot pot. i've tried many of their other dishes and most are safely above average.

i almost forgot about phoenix on culver and walnut. i think besides phoenix and s.w. seafood & bbq, the rest can be left out unless you wanna travel further to the asian cities (rowland heights, monterary park, etc). definitely a good place to go to for most chinese food eaters.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

A & J's

> Location : 14805 Jeffrey Rd., Irvine,
California 92620, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Simple Northern Chinese
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

It's definitely not a bad place for simple northern chinese food. a&j is a nice small simple restaurant order using a piece of paper kinda like ordering sushi at a sushi joint.

the fried meat bun, spicy or non spicy beef noodles, ja ja mien, potstickers, thounsand layer pancake and a lot of stuff are all very acceptable. definitely a different type of chinese food if you want to get away from the southern, canton style type of chinese food.

if u're vegetarian or just tryin to get healthy, their vegetarian delight is good too. comes with soup, rice, bean curd, vegetable, black fungus, mushrooms and other stuff. it has a good taste to it yet it's light and healthy

they also have a lot of small dishes to choose from like cucumbers, seaweed. they are a bit sweet but mostly sour cold dishes if u know what i'm talkin about. good to open up your appetite (sour things, especially food mixed with vinegar helps your appetite).

the pricing is normal and just right. the service is fine. it's located near taiko and right next to a hair salon on jeffery/walnut. help this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 3 1/2 out of 5 >

Houston's

> Location : 2991 Michelson Dr, Irvine,
California 92612, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : American
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.hillstone.com/

Houston's is a great place for ribs and the alike. heck, even the sandwiches are good. it's not a cheap place and like my friend raymond who started the review, it's a cut above places like black angus but right below places like ruth chris and other expensive steakhouses. the environment is very dim during the evening time. a big bar with a lot of tv's around it for sport fanatics.

the spanich dip is always good. one thing i always get when i go there. the ribs are very good also. juicy and of good quality. usually it's a place late 20's 30+ year old people go to. 'cause most dishes are in the high $10's and usually $20-30+. yet, don't let the price fool you. although it won't be like a claim jumper portion at houston's, what you get is consistently high quality. the salad, pastas are all good. and of course like i said, there's a bar, so if u're with the boys or on business outing, there's a wide variety of drinks u can order.

finally, like my man raymond said above, be pepared to spend about 40-60 a person if you want a decent meal for two (about 50 ish when i went with a friend. two entrees and one starter dish). you can probably get out with around 30 ish if u order the cheaper stuff like the sandwiches and the alike. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Philly's Best

> Location : 4250 Barranca Pkwy Ste R, Irvine,
California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Philadelphian Cheesesteak
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.eatphillysbest.com/

Seriously, out of every darn place in california i've been to for a cheesesteak, this is still the best out of anywhere else i've been to! get the philly's best or if u're not too into beef that day, the philly's best chicken is good too!

a lot of tv's so you can watch your sports and don't be hesitant if you wanna watch a different channel. just ask and they will switch it for you. it seems pricey at first but for the quality they give you, i don't mind it at all. i also have to mention, the onion rings with pizza sauce are great! i'm not overstating, but this are probably the meanest onion rings around the area. so give those bad boys a try next time you go!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 5 out of 5 >

India Cook House

> Location : 14130 Culver Dr., Irvine, California 92604, U.S.A.
> Cuisine : Indian
> Tel. # : (check website)
> Website : http://www.indiacookhouseoc.com/

I can't say much about the specific ordering of dishes for this indian restaurant. however, i can tell u a good amount of what the lunch buffet is all about!

for $9 dollars, you can have a full indian lunch buffet. it's not some tiny buffet section in the restaurant, it's actually a decent size with a good amount of selections! all sorts of curry, chicken, lamb, desserts, all you can eat naan, a few kinds of indian fried foods, vegetables and a lot of other stuff! seriously, 9 bucks, not a lot for something like this!

i've been to the lunch buffet about 3, 4 times and everytime it tastes consistent from each other and very good! of course, it's a buffet after all, so the quality isn't top notch. however, judging it according to buffet quality, it really is better than a lot of places i've been to!

if you want buffet, got a lot of room in your stomach and want some indian food, i totally recommend you this place. it's next to caspian, hidden behind the dennys on culver. anyhow, hope this helps!

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >

Thai Spice

> Location : 15455 Jeffrey Rd., Ste 315, Irvine,
California 92618, U.S.A.
> Cusine : Thai fast food
> Tel. # : N/A
> Website : N/A

For some quick thai food, thai spice does it job. i live fairly close to thai spice for like 3 years so i had a lot of experiences there. they may not use traditional ingredients in every dish, but for someone with a new tongue in thai food, it really is still some above average food.

as the name tells u, this place isn't kidding with the spiciness! you get to choose up to 4 or 5 different levels of spiciness. mild is usually good enough in my opinion unless you like to fight fire throughout your meal!

as one reviewer stated, their soup isn't exactly up to par with sit down restaurants. but still it's acceptable. most notably, tom ka ka and tom yum gong. i'm usually a sucker for their noodles. pad see u, pad thai, lad lan, pad kee mow, chicken curry noodle are all good (pardon the spelling). rice wise, i like the spicy chicken on rice over pineapple fried rice. just because of the consistent taste.

speaking of taste, because they change between 2-3 chefs now and then (i know of an older lady chef and a younger/middle age lookin chef), the consistency of some dishes can vary sometimes. due to this fact, picky eaters can feel negative about this. it has been a month or two since i've been there so things could have changed.

appetizer wise, their chicken wings are really good. spicy with a lot of honey and other ingredients, this to me is the best appetizer besides their fried tofu with the peanut sauce or the satay meats.

anyways, overall, it's one of the better place for asian semi-fast food around that area. if you go there often enough, u might even get free appetizers or drinks like me =) on a side note, they can make green curry even though it isn't on their menu. try requesting it, they might make it for you. i know they did for me! how did it taste? it's alright. not great but heck, i use to go there so often, i needed something else 'cause i had everything on the menu already!

i would give this place three stars. BUT because of their friendly service (at the very least to me ^^) and it is fast food after all (yet, the quality isn't horrible when the right chef is working, the old one i prefer), for a place like this, it deserves 3.5-4. since there's no 3.5, i'll give it a 4! hope this helps.

* these short reviews by me can also be found on www.yelp.com

< 4 out of 5 >