Editor Pick
Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine
- June 4, 2006
- Rated 3 of 5 by
stvchin from Tustin, California
It's interesting going to Roy's one day after going to Duke's, as they are both higher-end Hawaiian themed restaurants. Roy's is located in Fashion Island in Newport Beach. It's adjacent to Flemings, and the entrance is at the opposite side of the building that houses both.
Roy's is a Hawaiian themed restaurant with more of an Asian feel than Duke's. It's definitely feels more formal too. They just happened to have a table ready for us, so there was no wait. The waitresses and servers wore Chinese style blouses, not Hawaiian shirts like they do at Duke's. We noticed quite a large number of dressed up young prom-goers dining there. Ahh...those ol'days...heh...
There were a lot of items on the menu, as well as a sushi section. (they have a sushi bar too.) Both of us ordered the Prix Fixe (Price Fixed menu) which is $33 for an appetizer, entree, and dessert. The appetizer is Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Sampler, which consists of a Shrimp on a Stick with Wasabi Cocktail Sauce, Wood Grilled Szechuan Spiced Baby Back Pork Ribs, and a Chef's special creation, which was a tasty crispy seafood potsticker. We had our choice of entrees, from Slow Braised and Charbroiled Shortribs of Beef, Hibachi Style Grilled Salmon or Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with Lobster Butter Sauce. I chose the shortribs and my friend chose the Mahi Mahi. We had our choice of two desserts, Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé or Caramel Macadamia Nut Almond Tart with Vanilla Bean ice cream. We each chose one of the desserts.
A server came out and personally served us fresh rolls with butter, rather than leaving a bread basket on the table. Our appetizer came out moments later. The portions weren't large, but tasty. The shrimp on a stick was literally that with a unique sesame taste. The rib and potsticker were quite good too.
Our dinner came out, and I was very happy with my short ribs. If I ate nothing else but the short ribs, I'd still be happy. My friend noticed her Mahi Mahi was a bit raw, so she had it sent back. The Mahi Mahi was returned to her by the manager, who took great care to make sure she was happy with it, and she was.
Our dessert came out after we were done with the main course. The chocolate souffle was extremely rich, and served with raspberry sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. My caramel macadamia nut tart was good and nutty, but I did tire of it after a few bites, preferring to munch on my friend's chocolate souffle.
Our bill, with two prix fixe meals and two soft drinks, came out to $80 before tip. I'd recommend Roy's, it's a bit pricey, but still good nonetheless if you like Hawaiian/Asian fusion cuisine.
From journal Dining Around Orange County