Trying Shabu Shabu from Japan to Vietnamese Cuisine for Irvine Restaurant Week
And so it begins, Irvine Restaurant Week (IRW) kicked off today Friday January 11th at 30+ Irvine (and some borderline Tustin) restaurants and you don't want to miss out on the amazing prefixe lunch and dinner menus. I had the opportunity to taste SWSH Shabu Shabu and Pho Saigon Pearl's (both located at the Diamond Jamboree) IRW menus, and let me just say that it was the perfect way to start my week-long eating escapades.
SWSH Shabu Shabu offers a unique Japanese dining experience; serving only the freshest in 'quality meats, seafood, vegetables, and fruits' that are submerged in boiling kombu (kelp) water, then dipped in 'homemade ponzu and goma dipping sauces and sukiyaki and kombu soup bases add the finishing touches to a tasty and delightful meal'. I've had shabu shabu before but I particularly enjoyed SWSH's intimate, lounge-like ambiance.
From the IRW Lunch Menu, I ordered an Orange Crush + Fried Gyoza + Angus Short Rib. Check out the entire menu below:
You can also enjoy other specials such as HAPPY HOUR on Sundays, Buy One Get One FREE House Sake/Flavored House Sake on Thursdays, and 25%off the featured sake of the month. Customers have said that SWSH provides the most extensive selection of sake!
Half Spicy Miso Broth/Half Kombu (Kelp)
Regular Certified Angus Ribeye
Regular Certified Angus Shortrib
Although SWSH has only been open since 2011, it is quickly rising AND was named one of Orange County's top 100 restaurants in 2012!
--------------
Now travel a little bit east of Japan to Vietnam (or across the Diamond Jamboree complex). I have to say that anytime is a good time for Vietnamese cuisine, maybe I'm partially biased since I'm Vietnamese but I was excited that Pho Saigon Pearl delivered the most delicious and authentic culinary dishes. I tasted their IRW Menu which was quite tasty AND affordable. For a mere $10 you get:
You may get 1 Spring roll instead of 2 Egg Rolls! It always warms my soul to enjoy genuine Vietnamese food, especially pho. Pho Saigon Pearl's pho brought me back to summer days when grandma would spend 6 hours making the broth alone. Grandma had a way of handling the noodles and meat, placing each into the bowl a certain way, in which it was like an art form. Thank you Pho Saigon Pearl for giving me a home away from home, especially with the amazing service! I wasn't quite used to the fried exterior of the egg rolls, but it was nevertheless utterly delicious. Take advantage of their IRW menu!
