Cafe Beau Soleil and Creperie - Newport Beach, CA : French Split Crepe

After eating my omelette and salad in the previous post I had room for dessert. Yeah!

French Split

After perusing all the crepes (since we wanted something French!) we chose the French Split on the advice of our waiter who really liked it. Inside the crepe are bananas, Nutella, and some nuts (I forgot what kind), and it's topped with vanilla ice-cream. In case you don't know, Nutella is a hazelnut chocolate spread. Kind of like what's inside a Ferrero Rocher....it's actually the same company. This was so good too. I kept getting all the bananas though, and apparently more of the Nutella was on the other side of the crepe. Doh!  Even The Meat-eater who doesn't usually like chocolate things liked this. This was indeed a sweet dessert...but not TOO sweet. And I love ice-cream so this was a winner! We'll be going back to try the other goodies they have. =)

Cafe Beau Soleil
(At Fashioin Island)
http://www.cafebeausoleil.net
953Newport Center Drive,
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 634-4402

Cafe Beau Soleil and Creperie - Newport Beach, CA : Spinach Omelette

Walking through Fashion Island there's the usual American type food places, but near Yard House and next to Daily Grill, there's this little cafe with blue checkered cloth covered tables. It looked quite adorable to me and very quaint. With a name like Cafe Beau Soleil...I figure ooh French food...why not?

Spinach Omelette with Organic Greens

All right, so as a vegetarian...I chose the omelette for its nutritional value....so not quite French. However, I must say that I did enjoy my food. The flavor was very light. I'm sure many will say it's bland, but for me...after trying to eat healthier...I don't like food that's too salty or sweet (Although I still think I've got a pretty sweet tooth.) So for me the flavor was good...very very light. The portions were also good, just enough for one person and room for dessert if you want it. In my opinion, I'd rather have smaller portions of better quality food rather than large portions of greasy, overly flavored food to trick your brain into thinking it's good. With this light seasoning, you can taste the egg, tomato, cheese, spinach...etc. However, if you're not used to eating this way, you will definitely NOT like this...so beware...everything has its target audience. After completely devouring this...I had room for dessert and didn't feel sick from any greasiness in my food. =) Two thumbs up!!

Cafe Beau Soleil
(At Fashioin Island)
http://www.cafebeausoleil.net
953Newport Center Drive,
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 634-4402

Mitsuwa Hokkaido Fair 9/17/2011 - Obanyaki

Popped over to Mitsuwa this weekend to check out their Hokkaido Fair. They have different foods brought to you from Hokkaido, Japan. It's hard for a vegetarian to find anything, but desserts are always an option. This time I found something called obanyaki.

Obanyaki stand

This is the first stand when you walk in...so it's hard to miss. It is also called imagawayaki (that's how it's listed in Wikipedia) and reminiscent of taiyaki (a red bean filled cake in the shape of a fish). There are many names for this depending on the area. I couldn't find something exactly like this.

Putting in red bean filling.

So by the looks of this, I thought it was a cake batter outside with a red bean filling inside. Looks like a lot of those Asian stands where they make small cakes with fillings...except this was much bigger.

Left back is red bean, right front is caramel

These things were huge. I couldn't wait to try this. I've never had this before! I wonder if it's the same as the other Asian waffle like batters with the different fillings inside. That's what I think it is.

Cut open...dog wants some too

So I had to cut it in half to see what it looked like. You know, it doesn't have that cake/waffle like texture...I was wrong! (The dog smells the aroma and comes out to see what it is...and if she can try some. Dogs love all kinds of food!) Anyway, back to the food...it's not what I expected! It's not a cake/waffle batter...it's more of a mochi consistency...very chewy. Interesting...never had this before. Oh these things are huge...and very filling. I think one per person is enough. I like red bean, so that was my favorite flavor, but the caramel wasn't bad either. I'm not a big fan of mochi though...so I wouldn't want to get this again...but it was pretty good...and I like trying different Japanese desserts. They're not usually TOO sweet. =)

Mitsuwa Marketplace
Costa Mesa Store
665 Paularino Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714)557-6699

http://www.mitsuwa.com/english/index.html

Kitayama Restaurant - Newport Beach, CA : Vegetarian Eats

For a more "authentic" Japanese feel, Kityama has the decor and waitresses dressed in kimonos to make it happen. It is pricier than most places, but many years ago we felt the food was worth it. However, this review is based on last November (yes I have food I have not posted about from eons ago)...and our thoughts have changed.

Miso Soup

I don't have bad things to say about miso soup. It's generally the same to me...although some places are saltier or have a "powdery" taste to it...but this one was fine.

Tofu w/ Mushrooms and Veggie Roll in back

Many years ago I had their Japanese potatoes and some other little things that were vegetarian. This time I just found the tofu with mushrooms and the usual veggie roll. Both were also fine...but there was nothing extra special about the food. I came here many years ago because they had different types of food...even for me. Now this food is food you can get at any Japanese restaurant...and more reasonably priced at other places. It now seems like you're just paying for the atmosphere. And this is not just because I'm vegetarian...The Meat-eater feels his food was also good but not extra delicious like previous years. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad...it's still pretty darn good...but we're not into paying for atmosphere. We just want the good food! We can get this quality food at other places for less. I used to love this place...but things sure have changed....oh well. =( Maybe after a while...we'll see if yelp users have changed their opinions and give it a try then....but we'll be looking for other places to dine. I wish they had Roka Akor out here...that place is sooo goood. (It's in Scottsdale by the way for those of you out in AZ. More expensive...but really good in my opinion and The Meat-eater's too.)

Kitayama Restaurant

http://www.kitayamarestaurant.com/
101 Bayview Place
Newport Beach, CA 92660
(949) 725-0777
Lunch Mon - Fri: 11:30AM - 2:00PM
Dinner Mon - Fri: 6:00PM - 10:00PM
Sat: 5:30PM - 10:00PM
Sun: 5:30PM - 9:30PM

Dippin' Dots

If you love ice-cream like I do, then maybe you'll want to try some Dippin' Dots. It's basically ice-cream made into tiny little balls. It's flash frozen, kept at a colder temperature, and has less air than regular ice-cream. So even though it's tiny, it doesn't melt as fast and is really hard.

Mint Chip

I got my hands on my usual favorite flavor of Mint Chocolate Chip. (I seem to like the mint and chocolate combo.) I like that it's so cold and because it's so cold and hard I have to chew it a bit. Melting it in your mouth seems to take longer so I just chew. Towards the end, the rest of the balls will melt slightly and then it's kind of like regular ice-cream. It's a harder consistency than regular ice-cream but it's different and I like something a little different now and again.

http://www.dippindots.com/home.html

Le Napoleon Cafe - Irvine, CA : Macarons (Macaroons)

Upon this posting, I am not sure if this shop is still there. Someone said that they called the Irvine Spectrum and it was closed. Another one said it was closed for renovation...so maybe it'll open again later. This was visited months ago and am now just posting. They were no longer at their larger location, but relocated to a smaller shop by the movie theater. Anyhow, here are some of their macarons.

5 Flavors

Starting from the green going clockwise...the green is pistachio, chocolate chip (I think...or something chocolaty), almond, coffee, and raspberry. These are my first macarons and they're pretty good. The outer "cookie" is light and soft but not soft like cake or cookie...it's lighter than cookies...crunchy soft if that makes any sense. I like that it's different from the traditional cake or cookie.

Pistachio and Almond in front

The paste inside, however, was kind of sweet to me. It really depends on the flavor you get. Pistachio wasn't too sweet to me, but the rest kind of were. I'm not hooked on these but I hear that these (in France) are not really too sweet and that people that aren't fond of sweets actually really like these. So I will try them from other shops and see if I can find ones I really like. =)

Le Napoleon Cafe
http://www.lenapoleoncafe.com/index.html
The Irvine Spectrum
83 Fortune Drive, Suite 219
Irvine, CA
(949) 788-0904

Yogurtland - Tasting Another 4 Flavors

It is getting warm again....so more ice-cream...well frozen yogurt actually. This time I got 1 flavor that I liked before and tried 3 more that I haven't tried before.

Four Flavors here

The topmost is Peanut Butter Cookie (I got this one last time and liked it), then it's kind of indistinguishable. The one clockwise below Peanut Butter Cookie is New York Cheesecake (it's slightly yellower and just a little of it), the bottom-most (whiter and more of it) one is Pecans & Pralines, and the pink one is Dragon Passion Tart. You can taste the peanut butter in Peanut Butter Cookie...but I haven't tried just plain Peanut Butter so don't know the difference. The New York Cheesecake was not bad...similar to the cheesecake taste...I think the tart in yogurt helps bring out the tart in cheesecake flavor. The Pecans & Pralines might be one of my newer favorites...I can taste the nuttiness in this one...and not too sweet for me. I seem to like nuttier flavors. The Dragon Passion Tart consists of dragon fruit, passion fruit, and strawberry. I liked this one too! It's very fruity, kind of tropical type of feel to it....so if you want something fruity, this is quite good to me. All in all, I liked all these flavors I tried, nothing that stood out as too sweet or salty or whatnot. Yummy choices mmm...nom nom nom.

Yogurtland
http://www.yogurt-land.com/

Fukada 2 Go - Irvine, CA : Vegetarian Plate

Nestled among the newer condos off of Jamboree and Scholarship (between Dupont and Campus) is Fukada 2 Go. This place is a smaller "faster" version of Fukada Restaurant. Haven't been to Fukada Restaurant yet, but I've heard good things and when I do go, I will definitely write about that too.

Tofu Burger Bento

When I go to Japanese places, I usually have the vegetable roll or salad...those type of things. I can never have a bento box because there isn't one for vegetarians...unless maybe if you only want fried tempura in it (which I don't). So here, I got the Tofu Burger Bento box. My very first one! They also have the option of organic brown rice...which I love and greatly appreciate. Thank you for making healthier options for some of us! The brown rice was excellent...soft and not too dry or too soggy. The tofu burger has bits of carrots and I think egg in it to keep it together. It's pretty soft but still tasty with the teriyaki sauce I chose. You can also choose ponzu sauce. The green beans with sesame sauce and hijiki (sea vegetable) were both cold but good. It's the first time I've had it so I'm not sure if it's normally a cold side dish or not...but it's good either way. The sauce used in both dishes was a sweet sauce...kind of like a sweet teriyaki...and made it taste good. I like the simplicity of the food, but it was all still good. (Have I used the word good enough yet?) We'll be back for more! There is tofu salad and vegetable rolls too of course. =)

And just in case you're wondering and you're not a vegetarian:

Udon Noodles

The Meat-eater had a combo of udon noodles (I don't remember what kind these were).

Spicy Tuna Don

And a Spicy Tuna Donburi bowl. Apparently for the price, these were also very yummy. 

Fukada 2 Go
http://fukada2go.com/home_eng.html
6200 Scholarship
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 756-0810