Jade Palace II Chinese Cuisine (Aliso Viejo, CA)

26921 Aliso Creek Rd
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
(949) 360-7666

Jade Palace is a very interesting place--it's Chinese Cuisine with Vietnamese food. I'm not quite sure why, but they have a lot of different kinds of pho to choose from, as well as some Vietnamese soups. I'd say skip the Vietnamese though. The fish and chicken pho was the blandest pho I've ever had, though it was probably fairly healthy. I also tried some Vietnamese soup (I believe it involved Tamarind flavor), and found it TOO strongly flavored.

The variety of Chinese dishes available was a little disappointing compared to at most Chinese restaurants. We ended up ordering Mongolian Beef, and Eggplant and Tofu stuffed with Pork and Shrimp. The Mongolian Beef was tasty, but nothing remarkable. You could get this anywhere. The Eggplant and Tofu was actually really fantastic. It came in a sizzling dish, served with an array of vegetables. This was fresh, hearty, and perfectly flavored.

All-in-all, Jade Palace did not make too much of an impression on me. This is your standard Chinese fare (plus very mediocre Vietnamese)...but with good service :) The most noteworthy part of our meal here was the very sad and uninspiring fortune that my friend received: "If you don't do it excellently, don't do it at all." That is actually the advice I'd give Jade Palace regarding their pho...

Tapioca Express (Irvine, CA)

2636 Dupont Dr
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 553-9988

Okay, the milk tea still tastes freakin' weird. I swear, it tastes...smoky. I feel so confused whenever I take my first sip. Smoky is good in BBQ food, or Yakitori, but not milk tea. The pearls themselves aren't bad though, decently chewy.

This one time though, I had a satisfactory milk tea, when the girl there custom made a peach milk tea for me, with less sugar. It was not bad at all...but hey so far it's 25% of the time satisfactory, which isn't the best rate I'd say. I have noticed that this TapEx is really willing to custom make drinks, which is kind of awesome. I've heard people order combination Snow Bubbles (my example: strawberry and banana).

I have to rate up TapEx not for the boba, but for the amazing combo meals that are available on weekdays until 9pm. I've had the mushroom chicken twice in the last week with half fried rice and half chow mein (it comes with your choice of steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein, or half and half). This stuff is unbelievably good, and it takes a while to come out (piping hot when it does), so you know it's fresh. Mmmmmm tender chicken, succulent mushrooms, and fresh zucchini. Even the chow mein and fried rice are fantastic, not oily like you find in most places. The fried rice is fluffy rather than hard and dry, and the chow mein is a stir-fried with a decent amount of vegetables. (Other entree options include Broccoli Beef, Pork Chop, and Basil Chicken).

This is probably the best Chinese food I've eaten in Irvine (besides Yu's Garden, maybe...) when you take into account healthiness, value, etc. The portion size is HUGE (lasts a substantial 2 meals) and the meal is only $8.50 including tax AND a boba tea. I couldn't believe it when I was eating, that such delicious Chinese food existed so close to me.

My next mission is to try the Broccoli Beef and see if it's also good, or if this is just a fluke (and too good to be true)...

Pho Kimmy (Westminster, CA)

14932 Bushard St
Westminster, CA 92683
714) 775-1699

I was referred here by Jon N., who said this was his favorite pho in the area, or something in those regards. One sad night, we tried eating here but it was closed, so we went to Pho 79 instead, which he does not approve of. This time the experience was flipped. Pho 79 was closed, for the billionth time [I can't remember the last time I successfully went there...it must have been in October], so we came to Pho Kimmy (5 min away), which actually has better hours (though these hours are sadly not listed...I believe it was open until 11pm on that Sunday).

The pho was actually really amazing. I didn't believe that something could rival Pho 79. I had rare beef and well done beef and found both really tender and flavorful. The noodles were also well cooked, and I was particularly impressed by the broth, which was complex in taste. Pho Kimmy also provides a good amount of fresh vegetables, which I appreciate.

Last, we each had a glass of coconut water which was insanely refreshing (served with pieces of pulp). Get it. It was the perfect meal.