Upon entering the massive stainless, open-late, double-doors of this credit card accepting place you’re greeted by a large, framed “we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.” warming.

Pho Thang Long has an unusually nice atmosphere. An almost unnoticeable water-wall and a fancy pants high ceiling like some hollowed out bank is nothing I’d ever seen or expect in a Vietnamese joint. I feel like they’re going to bring me out my lockbox along with some pho.
Pho Tai Chin (#5?) is my favorite. A large bowl seems like you get the same amount of food…. floating in more broth. hmmm… slick. However, it’s pretty good for restaurant pho. I’ve only tried a few of the rice dishes here, and they do not seem up to par with the similarly priced restaurants nearby.

Remember that warm, framed welcome you had at the door? EXPECT the standard Vietnamese waiter’s slightly annoyed, I-might-spit-in-your-pho attitude. As my Cuz says: “that’s why at Vietnamese places you’re allowed to tip 50 cents.”

Pho Thang Long
9550 Bolsa Ave
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 839-4955

When night time rolls around and the thought of fries makes me sour, Little Saigon is my go-to place and Thanh My is one of my favorite destinations.
You’ve got to love a place where six ladies work the kitchen while all the men buss tables and work the floor.

The menu is THICK. Don’t worry if you don’t read Vietnamese!–there are photos for most of the dishes! This menu does change to a smaller, photo-less one sometime after 10pm.

I enjoy the Com Tam Bi dishes (shredded pork/skin with broken rice) and the Vietnamese iced coffee here. Nom!

+ accepting credit cards (at a Vietnamese place. WoW!)
+ open late night
+ affordable, decent $6-$10 dishes.
- creepy men (customers)
- having to guard a lockless SHARED bathroom for the ladies

Thanh My Restaurant
9553 Bolsa Ave
Westminster, CA 92683
(714) 531-9540

Keep the fish in the bottle! Unless you have no other options for sushi…….. still don’t come here. Get some Molca Salsa or instant ramen.

Fish In a Bottle is located in Placentia. I have never really explored this place and upon entering the plaza, sushi did NOT seem like a good fit. I ordered the nigiri sampler which came with 5 different kinds of fish and one shrimp. Hopes sank with each bite, making me kick myself more for not picking up some pastrami from The Hat. The fish was not fresh, each was mealy, chewy or very fishy smelling. As for the rice, there was too much. Each grain was dried a bit and chalky. Just awful. I did not have the heart to finish the last two pieces of fish or even try the shrimp. I have NEVER not finished nigiri until this night. This changes the meaning of ‘bad sushi’ for me.

Ok enough bashing. The decor, music, and atmosphere of this place was modern, upbeat, and comfy, respectively. To my surprise the salad that came with the sampler was nothing ive seen at a Japanese place and it was decent. It was mixed greens with candied walnuts, dijon balsamic vinaigrette, and a slice of pear(poached?).

They did seem to have a big selection of special rolls though, if you’re into that. Wouldn’t the icky fish be in that too? Yes! But to quote Anthony Bourdain, “An ounce of sauce covers a multitude of sins”
Lured with nice reviews and an attractive greeter ne’er again!

Fish In A Bottle
1205 E Imperial Hwy
Placentia, CA 92870

The menu at Oki Doki is all over the map with pretty affordable prices. That should be warning sign #1 if you’re looking for high quality across the board.

$1 Kirin mugs for happy hour is aweesome! I believe they have changed this happy hour recently to Mon-Thurs 5pm-7pm or 7:30pm. The perfect break right before night class. There is still NO ONE here during happy hour.

I’ve been to the Oki Dokis in OC quite a few times for sushi and this location is the ONLY one you should even think about visiting for sushi. You’re in for a world of hurt ordering it at the Garden Grove or Costa Mesa locations. The man, Takashi usually runs the sushi-ing here. Some new additions to the menu which are also only at this Oki Doki keep me coming back.

My faaavorite here is the albacore with garlic chips. You’ll smell like garlic for days but its TOTALLY worth it.

My second favorite is the spicy tuna on “grilled” (er, deep fried?) rice. It’s a little fried cake of rice topped with some spicy tuna, a tiny slice of jalepeno and Sriracha. x4. This and $1 Kirin alone is worth the trip!

The tuna/avocado tortilla chip dish is incr-edible.
Soy sauce and red wine stewed ribs are melt off the bone and continues melting in your mouth delish.
The ramen here is decent. The Malay style fried rice goes well with a mug of Kirin too.
For the most part, I do not like the nigiri. The quality of all the fish varies a lot so curb your expectations and you’ll be fine. I’ll still order it to get my fix. If you want some serious nigiri, head down the street to Wasabi and get your wallets ready.

Oki Doki
13681 Newport Ave #9
Tustin, CA 92781
(714) 730-7051

*see the revisit post*

Positioned around loads of fast food, something like a Denny’s, behind a gas station, and baring neon paint on its face, Wafu of Japan is a gimmick. right?!

Whatever it is the seafood is fresh. We had the salmon, yellow tail, albacore, red snapper, and the octopus–they have all been consistently fresh and delicious.

The calamari part of the “Calamari Soo Good!” was unlike any I’ve had before… very good! If only it wasn’t filled with tuna. It was also quite pricey for a few pieces.

Craving a hit of Panda Express after it’s closed? Try the sesame chicken =O. It was unexpectedly drenched in a pungent, vinegary sauce. I say no to the teriyaki chicken too–it was just so-so.
Not being a fan of roe, or any mayo/cheese/smeltys I did not try any of the rolls.

The cozy room with very friendly chefs makes for a nice atmosphere.
Recently, however, I have been turned off by the nigiri. Having tried better fish elsewhere, I would only come back to try some rolls.

Oh yeah, and at which other sushi bars do you find fried ice cream? Take that one however you wish.

Wafu of Japan
320 Bristol St Ste G
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 641-7321