Din Din A Go Go, Los Alamitos, CA

So once again, I find myself lining up in the cold, this time near Los Alamitos Racetrack for another edition of Din Din A Go Go. There were fewer trucks this time around but probably because everyone is prepping for the new years, with new recipes, new specials and probably just new ideas in general. I found our friend the Tropical Shaved Ice Truck and also Vizzi Truck that Tony along with a few new ones like Lee's Gogi Truck and Chomp Chomp Nation.

For the first timers, the address is located at 11081 Winners Circle, Los Alamitos CA, 90720.

Lee's Philly Gogi Truck

Their Menu

Gogi Beef and Spicy Chicken Tacos

As with the tradition of the food trucks, they have freshly prepared tacos. Meat, Kimchi, Sauce, Cheese and Tortillas.

Review: The spicy chicken was something I was particularly interested, more-so than the beef, because from what I could tell, the beef is a sweet soy marinated beef that most asian foodies will experience so I wanted to see what the twist on the chicken would be. In actuality, the chicken wasn't too spicy at all. It just has a slight spicy bite that I suspect might have been from the kimchi instead. Although, the plus side to the taco is that they are so massive that you are almost guaranteed to have "taco run-off" where the filling falls in the tray the second you pick it up. All in all, not a bad buy because of the price and how big these tacos actually are. The Gogi Beef taco was what you might expect, a sweet and savory taco that is easy on the mouth. The beef is the thin sliced beef you would typically find in Shabu Shabu or hot pot and full of flavor as well. The cheese in the taco kind of takes the edge off the overpowering meats, so that definitely helps.

Price: 5/5
Wait Time: 3/5 (There was a bit of a wait for me because there was actually a decent sized line ahead of me.)
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 4/5

Vizzi Truck

Their Menu

Braised Wagyu Beef Sliders (2) and Black Skillet Chicken Slider

Cookies

Braised Shredded Beef Sliders with Special Creme on a hawaiian roll, Grilled Chicken Thigh with Creme Sauce, Popcorn dusted with white truffle powder, salt, figs, and 2 Chef Inspired Cookies.

Judgment: The beef is SO TENDER! The sliders literally break apart and melt in your mouth. I'm sure they use a special slow-cooking process to make the beef so soft and the flavors are fused into the meat so robustly. The Hawaiian Sweet Roll is there mainly to give you a break in the midst of the rich flavor of the beef and creme sauce. What was surprising to me was that the Wagyu Beef Sliders were already really good, the Black Skillet Chicken was even better! The skin was crispy, and the chicken was very moist! I would have thought it would have been dry but I felt the chicken slider was better than the beef ones. I think that now when I go eat at Vizzi's on my free time, I'll probably just order 3 of the chicken sliders. The sliders were also pretty massive as you can see, the chicken was twice the size of the sweet rolls in the photo. The Popcorn was a good idea and alternative to french fries, and definitely a bit healthier than a box of fries as well. The white truffle essence is kind of hard to pick up on, but it is definitely there, with the Figs in to provide a hint of sweetness whenever you happen to eat one. The cookies were okay, just your typical run of the mill fresh baked cookies. I was hoping it was as amazing as the sliders but I guess it was a fine way to round out the meal.

Price: 4/5
Wait Time: 4/5 (Even though there is a wait time, I like how this truck had LCD TV's mounted on it to help pass the wait time)
Presentation: 5/5
Taste: 5/5

That's all for now! I think I'll be visiting the Irvine DinDin-A-GoGo tonight. I want to go bowling again!

Curry House, Cypress, CA

My aunt has been living at my house and she's been bugging me about eating together, so we met up with my cousin and his family for a family dinner at Curry House. Man, having a baby in your party makes the dining experience quite interesting...

Corn Potage



Corn Cream Soup

Judgment: This corn potage was the very first one I ever tried, and that was maybe 15-16 years ago. To this day, Curry House still kept the same recipe and it's still quite delicious. The mild sweet flavor of the corn is accented by the minced chives they top the dish with. 8 / 10

Hamburger Steak



Seasoned Hamburger Steak topped with Shredded Daikon, Alfalfa Sprouts, covered in a Garlic Sauce.

Judgment: The dish in the menu is presented with French Fries but clearly in the photo there aren't any. But the Roasted Red Potato makes an excellent substitute because it takes the garlic sauce really well. The steak itself is tender and you can eat it with just a fork. The daikon kind of neutralizes the garlic a little bit but I'm a garlic lover so i push that aside a bit. Overall the dish is a little bit on the salty side but I guess that's what the plate of rice that accompanies it is for. 9 / 10

Conclusion: Curry House is the type of place that I would go to if I didn't know what to eat on a random weeknight. Granted it's not somewhere I go too often but it's always in the back burner as a backup plan to get dinner. The only thing I dislike about the restaurant is that it closes around 9 PM or at least they stop seating people at 9 PM.

This restaurant gets an A-Rank.

Hiro Cafe, Cypress, CA

Went after work to celebrate my friend, Tim Lee's birthday today. Except one of our friends that joined us, Daniel Chang told the waitstaff that I was gonna write a review about their food. I wanted to smack him for that. LOL. You never tell the waitstaff for a reason: so you won't end up with a biased experience.

Beef Tataki



Thinly Sliced and Seared beef topped with Roasted Garlic. Daikon, Scallions and Ponzu on the side.

Judgment: The beef was rich and flavorful and the accompaniment of the toppings just enriched the flavors all the more. This is one of my favorite dishes at this restaurant, if only the portion was bigger. 9 / 10

Seared Ahi Tune Poke



Seared Tuna over a bed of mixed greens with noodles and sauce

Judgment: Like the other dishes I've eaten at Cafe Hiro, the ingredients and flavor are always fresh. The tuna was seared in an interesting way. It did not taste how I expected but actually a bit better. It almost felt like eating a piece of pork rather than tuna. 8 / 10

Fresh Salad



Chopped Lettuce with Citrus Dressing

Judgment: A vibrant and refreshing salad. The simple presentation and subtle tastes make the dish. 8 / 10

Soup



Creamy Soup

Judgment: It was really too bad I didn't catch the name of the soup. It was actually quite delicious. Like most soups served here, it was at a temperature where you could just dig right in and polish off the bowl. There was a taste of potatoes that lingered around when you drank it. 8 / 10

Osso Bucco



Braised Wagyu Short Rib with mixed vegetables

Judgment: This dish made the night for me. I have always wanted to try the Osso Bucco here and tonight was the night. The beef was fork tender and broke apart easily. The sauce was richly seasoned and the cream offset the saltiness of the sauce perfectly. The vegetables were prepared to the right temperature, it was not mushy at all. All in all the dish was put together nicely. 9 / 10

Panna Cotta



Fresh Yogurt with Strawberries, Kiwi, Blueberries and Blackberry. Topped with blackberry sauce

Judgment: I'm a big fan of Panna Cotta and this is no exception. It was great. Subtly sweet and went well with all the fruit items. 9 /10

Conclusion: Hiro Cafe is a very nice and cozy restaurant. It is easily overlooked, but those people that know about the restaurant really enjoy the secret treasure they have to themselves. The waitstaff is very friendly and they were even willing to play credit card roulette with us when it was time to pay.

The Restaurant gets an A-Rank.