The best part of my LA trip

Thanks to Joy, I was able to hit the highlights of Disney dining - like Ariel's Grotto and the skewer place - but a girl like me needs some real (non-Mickey) food to walk around all day, especially with a ~50 lbs backpack on in the form of a little sister from time to time.

My dear friend, Arik, armed us with just the right recommendation before coming down to LA. He'd spent his college days in Irvine, and since his mama is a killer cook, I knew I could trust his rec's.

So, off we went to New Harbor Seafood Castle (新港海鮮城）, otherwise known as Oriental Seafood Noodle House. I don't know why the name of the restaurant in English and Chinese is so different... But goodness, this restaurant was enough of a reason for me to go down to LA!!!!

All three dishes here were excellent. I had some of the most succulent and flavor basil-infused clams here.

And boy, the lobster! The lobster here was so good, it almost replaced the lobster-ponzu combination as my No. 1 favorite lobster preparation. It was stir/flash-fried with a layer of aromatic garlic-green onion-salt coating. So fragrant, and so delicious!

The remaining dish - shrimp with several different fungi in a brown sauce - was fresh, delicate, and full of texture that one of my little ones finished pretty much on her own! She dove right into the dish because of its wonderful aroma!

If you are ever in the Irvine/Anaheim/Greater LA area, this place is very highly recommended!! It was so good that the Papa and I briefly considered driving down again this weekend just dinner!