311 Marine Avenue
Newport Beach, CA 92662
Well, I just had another trip around the sun, and that's cause for a birthday dinner. I'm not really big into birthdays. No big parties, no presents, just a simple night out trying a restaurant with Katie. Very simple and uncomplicated. Maybe also a trip to Mastros for my favorite dessert of all-time, butter cake. That is if we are not too tired. Yes, getting older definitely zaps all of your energy.
For this year's birthday extravaganza, I went to my trusty restaurant wishlist to select one of the restaurants that have been on my list the longest. Only six restaurants have been on this list longer than Royal Hen, which I have been meaning to try since 2016. That's when they opened their doors for the first time and almost immediately got praise from the local press and patrons alike for their food. It only took six years, but my 51st birthday seemed the perfect time to visit.
We had made reservations for 7pm on a Friday evening, and with some good luck with parking on Balboa Island, we arrived about ten minutes early and were sat right away. We were led past the very crowded bar to the back dining room, which was a tad quieter than the front of the restaurant. The room was darkened a bit too much, but it lent to the gastropub vibe they are going for at Royal Hen. In addition, the restaurant exuded friendliness, as our server, manager, and other customers were quick to converse about their love for this restaurant. It really felt like we had just walked into a party in progress.
The menu at Royal Hen is one page and separated into four sections; snacks, entrees, sides, and desserts. Mains average around the $24 price point, which is not highway robbery when considering this area. The snacks will set you back $15 or so, and two salads are available. They are serving European-sized plates here, meaning portion sizes are curtailed a bit. Something to keep in mind if you are debating whether or not to get a starter or not. We were here celebrating, so let's see what we ended up having.
The first of our two snacks was the Crispy Wrapped Asparagus ($16). Three asparagus stalks are wrapped in a crispy pastry with prosciutto and herbed cream cheese, with a horseradish yogurt on top. I was not expecting this kind of preparation, but I ended up enjoying this. The outer crunch with the prosciutto and asparagus was a nice contrast in textures that kept me interested. A bit more horseradish yogurt would have raised this even higher.
Next up was some Warm Miche Bread ($7). Miche is a loaf of sourdough country bread, which was quartered and served with ample salted Sierra Nevada Creamery Butter. Our slice of bread was pretty close to being charred on the outside. However, the inside was dense and light simultaneously, which is precisely what you want with sourdough. Again, the butter was very high quality, and I was pleased they were not stingy with it.
Katie kept the carbs coming when she selected this Short Rib Fettuccine ($28) for her entree. The fettuccine is made in-house, combined with a great short rib ragu, and topped conservatively with shaved parmesan and fresh basil. We both enjoyed everything about this plate. The pasta was cooked al dente, the ragu was meaty and flavorful, and the only drawback was the smaller than usual portion size. We could have eaten a whole lot more of this.
When Royal Hen first opened, two items were not on their printed menu that food critics were wild about, the burger and this Chicken Pot Pie ($21). In those days, you just had to know about them to get them, but now they are on the printed menu. People are still crazy about this chicken pot pie, as it's one of their most reviewed dishes on Yelp. I liked it, but I'm not fanatical about it. It's on the smaller side, probably the same circumference as a softball. The inside was not as creamy as others I have had, and the chicken was in tiny pieces, which did not help make it stand out. There were some peas, carrots, and onion in here too. I was a little confused about the small salad on top of this, as it wasn't dressed and not really needed. Once I discarded the salad, it revealed a top crust that was more buttery than other versions. I was happy I tried it, but I'd get the burger the next time I was here.
As far as birthday dinners, this one was pretty solid. Royal Hen is one of the rare restaurants I've been to that I have liked even more as I'm writing this review. It's not that I wasn't a fan as we walked out, but writing this review has gotten me excited to revisit and try their burger and other items soon. The service was friendly and welcoming, and I did not think the prices were that expensive. The night went perfectly, and we made it to Mastros for that butter cake.
Out of five college students (because in 1971, the same year as I was born, Cup Noodles was also invented, and many college students have survived their four years on this instant ramen), five being best to zero being worst, Royal Hen gets 3.5 college students.
For more information about Royal Hen, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.theroyalhen.com/
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