The theme for this weekend ended up being “eating not-so-good-for-you food”.  Part of our dinner tonight was green (spinach) smoothies, in order to make up for it! 

It all started when we drove to Huntington Beach to deliver dinner for a family with a new baby.  To make the most of our driving time, I thought it would be prudent to try out a couple of places that have been on my mental list of places to try. 

First, we went to Da Hawaiian Kitchen in Huntington Beach to try the famous Chili Peppa Chicken.  We ordered one “regular” and one “spicy garlic”.  This chicken had the crispiest skin ever, and was quite flavorful, too.

Afterward we went to Afters Ice Cream in Fountain Valley.  This place is known for Milky Buns, which is basically a donut ice cream sandwich.  We opted for a glazed donut with strawberry crunch ice cream and sweet cornflake cereal.  Yes, we shared one for the four of us, so I didn’t end up feeling *too* bad about this decadent treat.

The verdict?  Well, as D concluded, you could pretty much make this at home, with donuts and ice cream.  It is an interesting concept though, especially how they seal the donut, and the play with warm and cool.  I don’t think we’ll go again, but it was fun to try.

Yesterday we tried a new restaurant in Irvine, Yellowfin Fish Grill.  We used a deal on Yelp which was $20 for $10. 

There is a free tortilla chip bar with various salsas/sauces.  The kids were intrigued with the different colored tortilla chips.

One of the plates we split was a fried shrimp and fish plate ($9.99).  The shrimp were excellent—plump and crispy.  However, the batter on the fish didn’t stay on too well and became soggy quickly.  Maybe we should just get the all shrimp plate next time. 

The other plate we split was red snapper with lemon garlic aioli ($9.99).  We also upgraded our side to grilled zucchini in order to meet the $20 threshold.  Unfortunately, while the portion was large, the fish tasted too “fishy”.  I’m not sure if this is a red snapper thing, or it just was not a good piece of fish.  The reviews on Yelp are pretty good, though, so I would recommend trying another type of fish. 

Last weekend we ventured to another new restaurant in Irvine—Thuan Kieu Noodle & Grill.  Apparently the original locations are in Garden Grove and Westminster.  D and I really enjoy Vietnamese food.  Don’t laugh, but one of our go-to restaurants at our old home in Anaheim was called Pho Today.  We were happy to find out that tasty Vietnamese food is now available very close by again.

We ordered two Daily Specials ($6.50), which consists of chicken, rice or noodles, and egg rolls.  It was a good thing we ordered one with rice and one with noodles because I totally forgot that Vietnamese bun (rice noodles) is usually accompanied by peanuts.  I love the crunch and the contrast of the cool noodles/vegetables with the warm chicken and egg rolls.  The kids preferred the rice anyway, so it all worked out.  D and I also shared the rare beef pho.  It was also very good, but not enough noodles for us.  We ended up putting some of the noodles from the chicken dish in the soup.

Welcome to Irvine, TK Noodle! 

On Sunday afternoon we went to Irvine Regional Park’s birthday celebration and rode the train for $2 each (usually $5 each).  There was quite a crowd.

The ride was not very long, but there was a nice little narration that talked about some points of interest.  I do not think it would have been worth $20, but $8 was an ok value.

We ate a picnic lunch and then looked for a good place for the kids to ride bikes.  Not really seeing any, we decided to stop at the playground.  k and n kept themselves busy for a looong time, pumping by themselves.  This was the first time that n kept himself going for such a good period, so it was cause for celebration.

For dinner, we tried a new place called Doner G, which serves Turkish and Mediterranean food.

We ordered a beef plate and chicken pita.  We used a coupon from the Irvine Crossroads Shopping Center website for a free side of hummus.  Everything tasted really good, even though the kids were skeptical when we said we were eating Mediterranean food.  D nods his head when he likes his food, and there was a lot of head nodding during this meal.  The people eating there seemed to be a lot of different ethnicities.  The service was friendly and fast.  I feel like there are so many restaurants to try, but we get in a rut of relying on a few places that are close by and cheap.  It was nice to try something new. 

Friday afternoon I took the kids to the Grand Opening for a new grilled cheese restaurant at the Spectrum called The Melt.  They were offering a free sandwich and side, and you know that I cannot pass up a chance for free food. 

The signage reminded me of The Veggie Grill, which is right across the way.  We had to wait in line for around 30 minutes.  The process was very streamlined: they let in 12 people at a time, and there was a set sandwich and side (no choice was given) which I guess changed throughout the day.

During our wait, they handed out free mini samples of their vanilla shake.  I liked the vanilla bean specks, but it tasted a little thin.

As a surprise, they also gave everyone a free drink from the soda fountain.  The sodas had sugar (as opposed to high fructose corn syrup), and I allowed the kids to have one (this is quite rare, so they were quite excited).  I did not allow them to drink the whole thing, however!

You can see the food being prepared.

Our sandwich turned out to be the “Mac Daddy” and the side was a Caesar salad/chips.

Yes, it was carb central.  No, it would not have been my first choice.  Of course, the kids loved it.  n even ate the same amount of sandwich as k and me!   (We saved one meal for D at home).

Aren’t those grilled cheese croutons so cute?

All told, our order of three sandwiches, sides, and drinks would have cost $33! 

A new store named Snow Station opened in Tustin, in the same shopping center as Cream Pan.  We were able to visit during the Grand Opening, when they were giving away a free mini size (which was actually not that small).  It is usually $2.95, including one topping.  n and I chose passion fruit while k and D opted for mango.  I would recommend getting the “popping balls” as a topping as opposed to mochi bits, which get hard when they are cold.  I thought it would taste like shaved ice, but it is really different, as it is soy-based, and the flavor is infused, rather than poured on top.  If we ever go again, we would probably just share a bigger size, but it is always a treat for the kids when they do not have to share.  Maybe someday I will try the horchata flavor.