A Night of Excellent Indian Cuisine at Tamarind of London - CLOSED

Tamarind of London

7862 E. Pacific Coast Highway

Newport Coast, CA 92657

Writing this blog has taken us to some great restaurants. If it weren't for me writing this, we probably would have never experienced all that we have, and for that I am thankful. Five years ago, before this blog, I was like a lot of people that you know. I ate what I was familiar with, and what was close to me. Even now people still think that it's crazy that we drive forty minutes in rush hour traffic to have dinner, but that's what we do for our readers. All three of you.

We have recently gotten into Indian food. I had Indian food one time in my 20's and was not impressed. We then had it one time during the run of this blog, and liked it a little more. Then Katie's brother suggested an Indian place for his birthday. I kind of felt that he just suggested this to irk his family, who likes to frequent the same four restaurants over and over again. During that visit, I was even more impressed with Indian cuisine. So when we were invited to try Tamarind of London in Newport Coast, I became very excited.

This is one of those restaurants that we probably would have never gone to before this blog. I would have imagined that it would have been too expensive or stuffy due to the area, and that the staff would be too snobby here. Even just being here for five minutes, I could tell that none of this was going to be the case. Tamarind is located in the Crystal Cove Promenade, which is the same shopping plaza as the cougar den, also known as Javier's.

We arrived at Tamarind at 6pm on a recent Wednesday night. The restaurant is split into two parts. One side is the more formal dining room side, and the other side, which is closest to the bar, is more of an open air patio, with a nice and relaxing garden vibe going on. There's a fountain with trickling water, which almost makes you forget that you are just a few feet away from all the cars whizzing past you on PCH. With the ambient music playing over the speakers, this is almost more day spa vibe than restaurant, but then you get a whiff of the great food coming out of the kitchen, and it gets your mouth watering.

We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to chat with Executive Head Chef Imran Ali. He is from Pakistan, and started working in kitchens as a dishwasher and has worked his way up to the head spot in the kitchen. He travels to India yearly to inspire himself, and the cuisine that he creates. I asked him why so many Americans have not embraced Indian cuisine. He felt that many Indian restaurants do not have enough diversity on their menus, and that their items all kind of taste the same. We were very excited to see the wide array of flavors and dishes coming out of his kitchen.

Just like you would get at a Mexican restaurant, here at Tamarind, you will start your meal with their version of chips and salsa. Of course this is a little different. These are Lentil Chips with a trio of chutneys. These chips are also known as Papadam. They were light and crisp, and were made even better when dipped into my favorite chutney, the Apricot and Fennel Chutney. Sweet, but not over the top, it had a great flavor to it.

To start things off for us, Chef Imran sent us out a small plate of Tandoori Appetizers. This sampler plate is not offered on the regular menu, but after we devoured this small plate, we think maybe it should be. This plate included a Grilled Prawn, Tandoori Chicken, Lamb Roganjosh, and a Spiced Masala Potato Croquette. We were asked which one of these was our favorite, and it was a really hard question to answer. The prawn was very meaty and large, the chicken was tender, and the potato had a great spice to it, but my favorite was the lamb. A lot of places tend to over cook their lamb, but that was not the case here. It was definitely fork tender, and had no need for the supplied chutneys.

Of course Tamarind has a full bar, so I tried one of their drinks off of their cocktail menu. I was told that this Tower of London ($12) is their most popular drink, so it was no contest what I was going to order. This martini like beverage starts with Pinnacle Gin, Chase Elderflower, simple sugar, fresh lime, and muddled mint and lime. Very refreshing, and it brought to mind a mojito that I had recently. The lady behind the bar really knows how to put together a well made cocktail.

The food started coming out of the kitchen fast and furious for us now, starting with this Coconut Prawn Curry ($28). Lucky for me Katie is not a fan of prawns, so I had this all to myself. These jumbo prawns were served in a traditional sauce made with coconut milk and ginger. Just like the prawn used in the appetizer, these prawns were very meaty, and the sauce covered them well. The sauce was not spicy, but had more than enough flavor. I finished this dish pretty quickly.

When we chatted with Chef Imran, Katie mentioned that she had the best tasting Biryani when we were in New York City, off of a biryani cart. He sent out this Dumpukht Biryani Rice Casserole ($26) to see how it compares. Katie thought this was even better than the one we had in NYC. It comes to the table sealed in a pastry lid, then is opened right before your eyes by the waiter. Filled with rice, shrimp, chicken, veggies, and lamb, this was total comfort food. We had to let it sit for awhile, because this thing was smoking hot coming out of the kitchen. It was real tasty though, with lots of chopped chicken and plenty of rice. Perfect for the cooler days we have in store for us this winter.

Of course we could not come to an Indian restaurant and not have the classic Indian dish, Chicken Tikka Masala ($26). This version was right up there with some of the best we have had. The sauce was nice and thick, coated the chicken well, and had deep, rich flavor. The chicken was tender, but of course I could have used a whole lot more of it. I'm needy like that.

If we were judging the dishes here, like at the county fair, this would win the blue ribbon as the best dish of the night. When I think of Indian food, I very rarely think of seafood, but this Tandoori Sea Bass was pretty darn special. Charbroiled Chilean sea bass is marinated in a mixture made up of saffron, ginger, and green chili, then served with an apricot curry sauce, and placed on top of a mound of Indian risotto. The result was a buttery and flaky fish, with big burst of flavor in every bite. The risotto was done well, and the apricot curry added just the right amount of sweet. This would be the first item I order on future visits to Tamarind.

A couple of side items rounded out our meal on this night. The Yellow Lentils ($12) might be a main course for some people, but if there's no meat in them, I consider them to be a side item. These were very filling, and the cumin and garlic really made these pop. I'm not really a fan of goat cheese, but the Goat Cheese Naan ($9) was a winner in Katie's book. The naan was not overly stuffed, but you could totally tell it was present. Of course I was more partial to their regular naan, but the cheddar naan caught my eye, and will be the one I order next time.

There's a new pastry chef at Tamarind, the very talented Mark Medina. He's got the job of creating desserts for the menu at Tamarind. Knowing that Americans enjoy sweeter desserts than their Indian counterparts, it's a challenge for him to find the happy median. He hit that mark perfectly with this trio of desserts he brought out for us. There was a traditional rice pudding with pistachios on top, which was paired with a lassi yogurt drink. There was also a sweet honey filled doughnut item that was rolled in pistachios. This was my favorite of the three. The trio was completed with an interesting rose flavored paneer with pomegranate seeds. Not my cup of tea, but I liked the originality of this. Dessert items change frequently, so make sure to ask what is being made that night.

We were lucky enough to be invited into the kitchen to watch our Date Naan being made. The naan tandoori oven gets up to 800 degrees, and the bread is placed on the side, where it browns and bubbles up a bit. The cook then skillfully uses two metal rods to take it from the tandoori oven to the block for cutting. We were pretty full from our meal, so we ate this the next day for breakfast. It was still really fresh, and because of the dates inside, it was almost like having a danish.

On our way out the door, I spotted the Golden Foodie Award that Tamarind proudly has on display by the hostess stand. They won this award for best Indian food back in 2012, and are up for the award again this year. If our experience is any indication, they should be a shoo in to win it this year. We really had a wonderful experience at Tamarind of London on this night. Even though we ate a lot here, this food was not as heavy as other Indian experiences we have had. They are using quality ingredients, prepared the right way.

I left Tamarind a little sad. I wish that more people would give Indian food a shot. I told many people about our experience at Tamarind, and most told me that they do not like Indian food, because they have never had good Indian food. I guess it's not something that we all grew up with, but it's definitely a cuisine that I have learned to like, and I think that after eating at Tamarind most people will become converts to Indian cuisine.

We would like to thank everyone at Tamarind of London for making our visit so pleasurable. From the moment we were welcomed by the hostess stand, to the time we left out the same door, we were treated warmly, and made to feel like family. General Manager Christian was a very gracious host, and answered all of our crazy questions without fail. It was a great honor getting to meet Chef Imran Ali, and learn about the great passion that he has not only for this restaurant, but Indian food in general. His passion definitely is apparent when you see and taste everything that comes out of his kitchen. Lastly, we need to thank our waiter, Frankie. He was on top of his game on this night, and we were never in need of anything for too long. Thanks for everything Frankie.

If this has piqued your interest in Indian food, or you just want more information, go to the Tamarind of London website here: http://www.tamarindoflondon.com/

New Location, Same Great Result at Break of Dawn - CLOSED

Break of Dawn Restaurant

24291 Avenida De La Carlota #P-4

Laguna Hills, CA 92653

Yes, we do hit up restaurants more than once. Even with a growing list of restaurants we wanted to go to, we wanted to try Break of Dawn again. When we first hit up Break of Dawn in 2009, it reaffirmed my love of doing this blog. I probably would not have heard about this restaurant if it had not been for the blogs I read back then.

For those who do not know the story of Break of Dawn, here's a condensed version. It was opened by Chef Dee Nguyen in 2006 after a very successful stint as the Executive Sous Chef at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. He left his lucrative career to be closer and care for his special needs son. This restaurant is three miles from his home, and being the boss, he can set the restaurant's hours to allow for maximum time to be with his son, Berlin. Break of Dawn is only open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 to 2pm.

Just this year, they moved three doors down from where they had been for seven years. They are still in the same shopping center, but now they are between Road Runner Sports and a Chinese restaurant, Mandarin Terrace. We immediately spotted the new location, with an assist from what I assume to be Dee's old-time truck parked out in front. I don't know what kind of truck this is, but it had a 1939 license plate. One of you will likely alert me to what kind of truck this is.

Anyway, the new spot is much more open than the old one. We arrived here at 11 on a recent Sunday morning, and a good group of people was waiting to be seated. We put our name down on the list and walked around the nearby stores. After about a half hour, we were seated inside. They also have a nice-sized patio in front of the restaurant. The inside space is dominated by a graffiti mural spelling out the restaurant's name. The restaurant is airy, with many exposed light-colored wood and high ceilings. Even with it being so busy here, the restaurant seemed in control.

The menu at Break of Dawn could best be described as traditional breakfasts with a twist. It may be more like brunch dishes, but it is like nothing you have seen before. There are egg dishes, French toast, and other breakfast favorites, but they are prepared with Chef Nguyen's special vision, which has brought a large number of people to this restaurant. Everything on this menu looked so good that I was debating over ten or so items. Let's see what we finally decided on for this visit.

We'll start with Katie's selection this morning, the Sausage and Rice ($13). See, this is not anything you can get at your local Denny's. This plate comprised Hawaiian sausage, two fried eggs, rice, scallions, hijiki, and a green papaya smear. I had never heard of hijiki before, but after doing a little research, I found that it's a brown sea vegetable growing on the coastlines of Asia, and it's also been named one of the most healthy foods in the world. Katie loved this plate, calling it "the best breakfast in Orange County." She was surprised by the lightness of the sausage; the eggs were fried nicely without being too greasy, and the rice was excellent and flavorful. Needless to say, she was delighted with this.

Man, I had a rough time deciding what to have at Break of Dawn. I had my choices narrowed down to ten items, but I finally decided on the Mac and Cheese ($14). Yes, you read that right. This is the mac and cheese. The menu describes this dish as bacon fried eggs, with Sicilian sausage, short rib, and a Parmesan-tomato cream sauce served alongside this. I would describe this breakfast as a mac and cheese omelet. I thought it would be heavy with all the meat included in it, but it was one of the lightest breakfasts I have had. The sauce gave this dish an Italian feel, and the macaroni only added to that feeling. It was very different, and after eating this, I wondered why no one else had thought of a macaroni and cheese omelet.

Love creme brulee, but do you want to have it for breakfast? Then this French Toast Creme Brulee ($16) is for you. This French toast starts with raisin brioche and Mexican chocolate, coconut, and chocolate-soy caramel thrown in. It's not as sweet as you might think, but oh so good. There is no need for syrup for this breakfast plate. Katie and I really were jockeying for bites of this near the end.

It's good to know that the food and Dee Nguyen's vision have not changed just because Break of Dawn has moved. This is still as good as the first time we visited, and maybe even run a little smoother. I was impressed with everything that hit our table and had a front-row seat watching Dee oversee his kitchen. He called out orders, let waiters know their food was up, and talked to customers. For such a busy day, we made it in and out a lot faster than I would have expected. Sure, the prices are a little on the high side for breakfast, but the quality you are getting makes it worth it once in a while. Good to be back at Break of Dawn. Now I'm just looking forward to our next visit, which will happen more frequently than once every five years.

Out of five bottles of dishwashing liquid (because Dawn is the best-selling dishwashing brand in the US, and I'd imagine they would have to use a lot of it to clean all the plates here), five being best to zero being worst, Break of Dawn gets 4 bottles of dishwashing liquid.

Break of Dawn does not have a website, but you can find out more info about them on their Yelp page here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/break-of-dawn-laguna-hills-2

Finally Making a Trip to Cypress

Joe Schmoe's

5123 Ball Road

Cypress, CA 90630

This visit to Joe Schmoe's killed two birds with one stone. One, it brings the number of OC cities that I have yet to visit on this blog to two, and it also rounds out my lineup for my wedding, as this is the restaurant where I asked my buddy Erven to be one of my groomsman. It's a pretty good feeling to accomplish two things at once.

Our long awaited visit to Cypress is way overdue. More a result of geography, than a lack of restaurants in this landlocked, western OC city. Cypress is filled with lots of Asian restaurants, most notably Cafe Hiro and Vietnamese banh mi powerhouse, Sandwich House, which is the highest rated restaurant on Yelp in the city. These were both in the running to be our first Cypress restaurant, but Erven has four kids, and we thought a trip to Joe Schmoe's would be a little more kid friendly.

Joe Schmoe's has been open for just over a year now. Owners Mike Richards and Nick Harris, both of whom have lots of restaurant experience in places where they had staffs of over 50 people, wanted to try their luck at opening a simpler venture, a classic hot dog stand. Like any good owners, they did a lot of research on hot dogs, including traveling all over North America for tips, inspiration, and cooking styles. They decided to steam their natural casing hot dogs, and then put them on the grill hoping to provide that lucrative snap that almost all hot dog eaters desire. They also fell in love with frozen custard and had to add this to their menu as well.

We met up with Erven and his family at 5pm on a recent Saturday. Joe's is located in a strip mall that has definitely seen better days. There's a Walgreen's here, but lots of empty storefronts also dot the landscape. Joe's is located closest to Ball Road, in an A-frame building that brings to mind the nostalgic style of Wienerschnitzel's and Tastee Freez's of long ago. Most of the seating is outside, on a covered patio with picnic benches, but there's bar seating along the windows inside. Joe's brought in a steady stream of hot dog eaters to this dilapidated shopping center. There was a constant stream of customers ordering off of the rather large menu. Erven's kids were getting restless, and I was pretty hungry, so let's see how our first visit to Cypress turned out for us.

I know I promised hot dogs, and we will get to them, but first up was this Pastrami Reuben ($6.95). this is one of three kinds of pastrami sandwiches that they have here, but this is my favorite way to eat pastrami. They steam their pastrami, pile it on rye bread with Russian dressing, Swiss cheese, pickles, and sauerkraut. The pickles were a little too much here, so I took them off. This was a very good version of this classic sandwich. The pastrami was above average, but we needed a little more of it. The rye had a good crunch to it, and there was just the right amount of dressing on here. For a place known for their hot dogs, they also make a pretty mean Reuben.

Erven and I split four things, so we could get a good handle on this place. I did not want you to think that I ate all of this by myself. The first hot dog we tried was the Chili Slaw Dog ($4.45). This came with mustard, coleslaw, and a spicy chili. This hot dog had a lot going on with it. Even with all of the toppings here, I definitely got the snap on my first bite. The chili kind of was a let down. It really lacked spice, and it only added moisture to this dog. The coleslaw was very fresh, and the mustard did not get in the way here. It was good, but might have had too much going on flavor wise.

The LA Street Dog ($4.75) was up next. This was a bacon wrapped all beef hot dog, with mustard, mayo, grilled onions and peppers, and fresh fried jalapenos. This was my favorite hot dog of the night. It was not overly saturated with mayo or mustard, which allowed the bacon wrapped hot dog to shine through. The onions and peppers were nicely done, and the bun, which was nothing spectacular, did an admirable job of holding everything in place. This hot dog would have been helped with more jalapenos though.

Katie got in on the hot dog scene at Joe Schmoe's, when she selected this Blue Cheese Slaw Dog ($3.75). One of the simpler dogs on the menu, this one only featured mustard and blue cheese coleslaw, and she substituted the beef hot dog for a turkey frank. Katie liked the way the mustard and the blue cheese played off of each other. There was a nice texture component to the coleslaw. For being one of the simpler dogs on the menu, she could not have been more pleased with her selection.

Probably the best thing I had at Joe Schmoe's on this visit was this Bacon Cheeseburger ($5.75). The burgers here are a quarter pound, made of ground chuck, and hand formed daily. The meat definitely had a freshness to it, and the bacon was nice and crisp. This came with a big hunk of tomato, more than enough lettuce, grilled onions, and Joe's dressing, which resembled thousand island. A very clean tasting burger, I would not hesitate to get this again.

Here's a quick look at what the kids ate, the Build Your Own Dog ($2.95). With this base model of a hot dog you get to choose between mustard, ketchup, relish, onions, or jalapenos. Of course the kids went with plain hot dogs, and true to form, some of the kids liked it, and others were more interested in the fries and tater tots. I liked the scoring on this hot dog, it made it look better than your average store bought hot dog.

Whenever we are up in this part of OC, I always remember fondly the chili fries I had at Volcano Burger in neighboring Los Alamitos. Those were some of the best ones I have had, and I had similar visions when ordering the Chili Cheese Fries ($4.25) at Joe's. Those hopes were dashed though, because although these looked so good, the chili kind of fell flat. I did have the option of ordering the spicy chili, but Katie was sharing with me, and she's kind of skittish about spice. The fires were pretty standard, and I liked that they were very generous with the cheese. Next time I'm trying the spicier chili.

I've probably written it on this blog before, and I'll probably write it again, but I wish more places would serve Tater Tots ($2.25). These ones at Joe's were pretty stellar. They had a good crunch to them, and inside the potato was tender. It also helped that these came out scalding hot.

Earlier in this review I had mentioned that the owners had fallen in love with frozen custard while they were going around the country getting ideas for this restaurant. So it was natural that we try some. They offer this custard in cones, sundaes, floats, shakes, and these concrete concoctions. The Concretes ($3.50) are offered with your choice of mix ins, or you can just choose their top flavors which is what we did. Both Katie and I split the Reese's Mixer. This had plenty of Reese's pieces in it, but the custard was really melty. I think that is my biggest complaint about frozen custard in general, it's never cold enough. I'd rather have ice cream any day. Erven's family split the Cookies and Cream Mixer, which they had no complaints about. I liked this a little better than our choice.

Joe Schmoe's was a pretty good introduction for us to the culinary scene of Cypress. There have been so many closures of these kinds of places in OC lately. Pee Wee's and Game Day Hot Dogs comes to mind, so any welcome addition to the hot dog market here is appreciated. Unfortunately, Joe Schmoe's is not as good as these departed hot dog restaurants, but they are definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. I would say I liked Joe's food, but was not in love with it. Joe's will always be a favorite for myself since it's the place where I asked my friend to be in my wedding, and it also brings us closer to our goal of eating in at least one restaurant in every OC city. La Palma and Seal Beach we are coming your way soon.

Out of five surfboards, (because the city of Cypress is where actor John Stamos grew up, and he has frequently played with the Beach Boys during their concerts), five being best to zero being worst, Joe Schmoe's gets three surfboards.

For more information about Joe Schmoe's, go to their website here: http://www.joeschmoes.com/