Yogurtland [Irvine]

The yogurt craze continues to invade Orange County. Many UCI students satisfy their cravings at this self-serve location where prices are determined by the weight (30 cents per ounce). There are approximately 10 flavors a day with tart and sweet flavors available. I'm not sure if there's a pattern to the flavor offerings as they tend to differ slightly each time I visit. The toppings range from fresh fruits to syrups to other sweets.

Although the yogurt here is rather icy, I find that most of the flavors are good with chocolate mint being my favorite. The tart is sub-par compared to Pinkberry's so I avoid any variation of tart at all costs here.

Expect a slithering line out the door if you come after sundown. At that time, the wait is usually around 15 minutes. And it's not because the cashiers are slow. I see them standing at the registers with nothing to do for brief moments. It's the fact that the consumers don't know what they want and they take forever to make their choices. If everyone just knew what they wanted and went straight to it, it'd be a lot more efficient.

Also, sample cups are available from the cashier. They'll usually only give you 2 or 3 though.

Yogurtland
14775 Jeffrey Rd., Ste J
Irvine, CA 92618
(714) 525-2912

Oriental Kitchen [Irvine]

The menu offers a small range of plates and bowls covering a wide range of the different Asian cuisines. I ordered a teriyaki chicken plate which included a side of noodles and salad.

As a to-go order, the teriyaki sauce came on the side and so upon opening the plate, the chicken was not a pleasing sight at all. It had a strange appearance to it and was placed haphazardly around the rice. Although I think that even with the sauce on the chicken, it wouldn't have made much difference. Rather than being a pleasant surprise, the taste reflected the sight quite well. For the most part, the chicken was dry and the sauce didn't to much to save the dish. The noodles were definitely under-seasoned and very bland. The best part was the salad which you can find practically anywhere else. It was just lettuce with red cabbage and miso dressing.

The side order of 6 pieces of gyoza for $2 was also displeasing. The pieces were small and the skin of the gyoza was strangely tough. My friend claims that she's had some of this before from the frozen aisle in the supermarket.

Overall, my meal was a huge disappointment.


Oriental Kitchen
4535 Campus Dr
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 854-7247

Piccomolo [Irvine]

The construction of the new Woodbury Town Center in Irvine has paved the way for the introduction of Piccomolo to Orange County.

I've only visited at night but always found the store to be brightly lit and a warm glimmer amongst the row of closed surrounding stores. There are only two cases full of creamy gelato that is made fresh daily at the store, even though the website offers a far more extensive list. I have reason to believe that the flavors turn each month but I'm not entirely sure about the process.

The employees are friendly and efficient; the large crowd is quickly served and no one is kept waiting too long. A plus is that ample samples are provided upon request.

The gelato is as pricey as any other gelato place. For $3.50, you can get a small serving and choose up to two flavors. I got tiramisu and lemon cooler on my first visit. The tiramisu was quite creamy but didn't resemble the Italian dessert much. The lemon cooler was advertised as a customer favorite and I'll have to agree. The texture was right in between gelato and sorbet and would be very refreshing on any hot day for a lemon lover looking for a good pucker. On my second visit, I got kiwi and coconut. I'll have to admit that I've had better kiwi gelato; it didn't carry the tang that is characteristic of kiwis and was mild. However, I loved the crunch of the seeds as I ran them through my teeth. The coconut was very delicious. It wasn't overly creamy and it even had some coconut shreds.


They also make custom cakes and to-go containers of gelato are available.

Piccomolo
6412 Irvine Blvd
Ste. 1200-3
Irvine, CA 92620
(949) 733-3373

The Wheel of Life [Irvine]

I didn't know many places with spring rolls in Irvine and found this place after some scouring. Some loved it, others didn't and I figured that the only way I'll really know if it's good or not is to go try it out myself.

Initially, I thought the sign out front said Vietnamese Cuisine but it actually says Vegetarian Cuisine.

I was greeted warmly upon arrival but after seeing that credit cards are not accepted for orders under $20, I had to make a detour to the ATM and come back. Five minutes wasted.

Most of the dishes on the menu are around $8 and are meant to be served family-style. They also offer a "lunch special" of food from the steam table -- i.e. combination plates of 2 or 3 at $8 or $9, respectively. I deterred from that because of the fast-food like appearance and got what I came here for along with a Thai iced tea ($2.50).

The iced tea was extremely sweet. I don't have Thai iced tea often, because the color stirs me, so I'm not exactly sure if they're all supposed to taste like this. I got my four spring rolls ($8.00) after a little bit of wait and dug in. The rolls were tightly tucked and looked appealing but my tongue says differently. I found that there was a blatant lack of fillings and not like the spring rolls I've had in Westminster or Garden Grove. Is it because this is a Thai/Chinese restaurant and not a Vietnamese one? The rolls had dark-leafed lettuce, cucumbers, fake chicken and nothing more! Where was the mint? Where was the crunchy stuff? The vegetarian chicken was decent -- I've had better fake chicken elsewhere. The sauce it same with was topped with chopped peanuts and had a spicy kick to it.

Even though I only had an appetizer for lunch, it was filling. But, I do feel that I was grossly overcharged for the quality of food I received. Their other dishes may have more potential -- I see that many other reviewers favor the pad thai.

The Wheel of Life
14370 Culver Dr., Suite 2G
Irvine, CA 92604
(949) 551-8222

Kimera [Irvine]

Kimera has all the trappings of the type of restaurants I tend to be wary of. First, it belongs to a restaurant group (namely the Dining as Art Collection, which also owns Bastide). Second, it serves fusion food in a trendy lounge and dining room combo. And lastly, it falls into the category of restaurant that I call "overpriced fine dining designed to appease OC conservatism."

To say I was skeptical about coming to Kimera would be a gross understatement. To say that you'd have to drag me kicking and screaming on any other day besides Father's Day would be more like it.

What ended up really selling me on the restaurant was the OC Weekly's mention of "chef Chris Grodach—a true food alchemist from Napa Valley institution the French Laundry." French Laundry and molecular gastronomy? The two biggest buzz words on the culinary front right now? Now I was really curious.


The restaurant certainly makes a statement with its slanted bamboo ceiling and the splashes of abstract art scrawled across bold red walls. The flower arrangements at the center were nothing short of stunning and I'm told that they're brought in on a weekly basis.

Despite the Asian-sounding name and the few dishes reflecting influences from Japanese and Thai cooking, most of the menu has a Mediterranean slant with some Spanish and Italian thrown in for good measure. The menu is purposefully vague and begs you to ask questions of your waiter. We ordered three appetizers and two entrees to share between three people.

Based on our waiter's recommendations we started with the Polenta Beignets ($10.50) and the Seared Scallops ($12.75). I didn't feel as though frying was the best way to bring out the flavor of polenta and the most prominent flavor was the Parmesan cheese, which wasnt even mentioned on the menu. Regardless, the waiters were recommending it left and right and it seemed as though every party had an order on their table. The two jumbo scallops were perfectly cooked and were good enough to be served on their own (the olive oil emulsion and prosciutto didn't add much).

We also tried the Heirloom Squash Blossoms, which came with came with an ibarra and milk chocolate mole sauce. You would have expected the combination of achiote, lime, mole, and goat cheese to be overwhelming, but the flavors worked as good balances against each other and the dish was incredibly light.

For our mains, we ordered the Seared Ahi on ratatouille ($26.75) and the Paprika-dusted hangar steak on a bed of corn with a manchego fondue ($23.40). While both proteins were cooked well and of high quality, they were also both under-seasoned. The kernels of corn that came with hangar steak were like biting into little nuggets infused with the essence of summer.

As a whole, I felt that the flavors could have been crisper and more distinct. While the dishes tasted good overall, the individual flavor components were either incomplete, incompatible, or absent altogether. The aesthetic and presentation, however, was flawless.

I was glad to see that the restaurant had an in-house pastry chef and we opted for the Tropical Cheesecake ($7.50). The texture was good, though the flavors of the coconut macaroon crust and pineapple gelee were lost in the cheesecake.

Service was uneven, though the effort was there. Our waiter neglected to bring us a basket of bread in addition to spilling a glass of water on our table. He seemed to struggle with his words when I asked questions about the menu, though that could have been a lack of eloquence more than anything else. But ultimately, we received our service with a smile and everyone worked together to make sure all our needs were attended. Hey, no harm, no foul.

Chef Grodach's experience at the French Laundry shows in the kitchen's ability to turn out dishes that are perfectly cooked, but the true test of his skill will only be known when the dishes are perfectly seasoned. Kimera just opened not too long ago and I suspect the kitchen and waitstaff have yet to work out the kinks. When they do, I'll be the first revisit.

Kimera

19530 Jamboree Rd
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 261-1222