Eating Out of the Vox in Fountain Valley

 Vox Kitchen

16161 Brookhurst Street

Fountain Valley, CA  92708

If you search Yelp for the most reviewed Orange County restaurants, Vox Kitchen is ranked number seven, with over 5,300 reviews. What's even more astonishing than that is that Vox Kitchen is the proud owner of a four-and-a-half-star rating. Yelp is notorious for its reviewers getting on their platform to complain about restaurants, so a place with such a high rating and many reviews has excited me. 

I was also excited because we were finally going to be able to eat at Vox Kitchen after a false start. About six months ago, we had come here and were met with a two-hour wait, which was not conducive to how hungry we were. We found a Peruvian spot a few miles away, but I knew we would be back to try this busy spot. With the help of the Yelp waitlist, we got our name on their list and timed it ideally to arrive at the restaurant just as our table was ready. It worked like a charm. 

Vox Kitchen is part of the Kei Restaurant Group, run by Executive Chef Viet Nguyen, who started Sup Noodle Bar in 2014. From there, he and his team opened up Vox Kitchen three years later and now have a full roster of restaurant concepts under their tutelage. Their website boasts 11 restaurants, most located within striking distance of the Little Saigon area. 

Vox Kitchen is described as Asian Comfort Food inspired by chifa cuisine. What is chifa cuisine, you ask? I had to look it up as well. It's the culinary fusion of Chinese and Peruvian cuisine brought to Peru in the 19th and 20th centuries by East Asian immigrants. The menu resonated with the community, as they are packed almost every night. Let's check out what all the hoopla is about. 

We started things off with two small plates, the first of which was these Bacon Brussel Sprouts ($12). Everyone is doing a brussel sprout dish these days. This one from Vox is topped with crispy bacon, an egg, and pork sung, which I'd describe as pork dust. I liked that they did not try to do too much with this. They did not rely on a sweet sauce to make these sprouts enjoyable. Instead, they doubled up on the pork and allowed the runny egg to tie everything together. The sprouts could have been left to get a bit crisper, but they are a solid starter.  

Elote ($13) was not something I was expecting to find at Vox Kitchen, but they nailed it. Sweet corn mixed with parmesan, parsley, and spicy crema came together to create a nicely done version of this Mexican street food staple. It was not on the cob, so it was easier to eat this way. 

Our good friend Adrienne will start the entree part of our meal with her selection, the House Fried Rice with Chicken Thigh ($16). The fried rice is mixed with scrambled eggs and scallions and topped with a fried egg. The cubed chicken is served to the side, which I liked, as it lets the chicken stand out a bit more. The chicken was seasoned well and tender. No complaints from Adrienne with this one, as she took half of it home to be eaten for lunch the next day. 

Katie switched things up by getting the House Garlic Noodle with Filet Mignon ($20). They use an organic wheat noodle here and mix it with a little dusting of parmesan, butter, garlic, scallions, and a secret sauce. The result was quite delicious. Very comforting, and it went nicely with the cubed steak and onions. Katie enjoyed the tender beef, but it was overshadowed by the garlic noodles, which she called wonderfully delicious. She was also a big fan of the green aji sauce. 

I'm a sucker for a good Saltado with Filet Mignon ($20), and this one was one of the better ones I've had. Another comforting dish, this had a base of french fries with tomatoes, onions, and steak heaped over it. It was good, but their spicy green aji sauce raised this a level. The fries picked up the juices from the steak and made them a little mushy, which was fine. I steered clear of the big hunks of tomato and used my leftover aji sauce to mix with the scoop of rice to ensure my carb consumption was even higher than it typically is. 

Unlike me, my buddy Chris is very carb conscious, so he steered clear of the mound of rice on his  Mushroom and Rib-Eye Stir Fry ($17). Instead, the plentiful shimeji mushrooms are mixed with little bits of ribeye in a soy beurre blanc sauce. I thought the mushroom to steak ratio was one-sided here, in favor of the mushrooms, but no complaints from Chris about this. 

We made another visit to Vox Kitchen with my aunt and uncle a month or two later, and on that visit, I tried the House Fried Rice with Rib-Eye ($27). This was even better than my first meal here. Even though I'm a big fan of their saltado, the fried rice will be my go-to meal at Vox from here on out. The rice, fried egg, and the nicely done medium rare steak worked together to create a well-balanced meal. 

It's easy to see why Vox Kitchen is so popular. Their food is very comforting and appeals to a wide range of people. I could even see taking my parents here, who are not exactly the most adventurous eaters, and I bet even they would enjoy the food at Vox Kitchen. The prices here will not break the bank, but you need to be aware of something when eating here. They get their food out incredibly quickly, which is usually good, but not when you eat in a sit-down restaurant with family or friends. We felt rushed on our two trips here and were only here for 45 minutes. However, that doesn't change the fact that we really enjoyed Vox Kitchen and will return soon. I'm sure their popularity on Yelp will continue to grow. 

Out of five comic books (because there's a character in the DC Universe known as Vox), five being best to zero being worst, Vox Kitchen gets 3.5 comic books. 

For more information about Vox Kitchen, head to their website by clicking here: https://www.eatvox.com/