The Gossiping Gourmet: ‘Top Chef’s’ Shirley Chung creates modern Chinese fare at Twenty Eight
I have been eagerly awaiting the restaurant Twenty Eight since I read that chef Shirley Chung, a finalist on “Top Chef,” planned to open a restaurant in Irvine.
I followed the progress online and went just a few days after the place opened. I don’t typically do this because I know it takes time to work out the kinks.
I took some friends who were visiting, and our first problem was trying to figure out how to get in. The address is on Jamboree, but the entrance is accessible only around the back, off Fairchild Road. We drove around for a while, taking different driveways into the complex of tall buildings, and finally found our way into the valet parking and the restaurant.
The space is very large and very pretty. You enter into the bar and lounge area and continue into the big dining room. The space has black walls and floors, big plants, high ceilings, white leather chairs and inset light fixtures. It also has a large enclosed glass patio on two sides.
On the night we went, the restaurant was almost empty. Maybe would-be diners had had the same problem finding it. The wait staff seemed disorganized and unfamiliar with the menu. The servers made several mistakes in our orders and forgot our wine. In the end, I decided that I should not have gone so soon after the opening. I chose not to review Twenty Eight until some time had passed.
We returned recently and things were quite different. It was the night of the Clippers game, and the place was not crowded. The wait staff was professional, nice and attentive.
The cuisine is defined as modern Chinese, which allows for a lot of leeway. For starters, we selected an item from the Munchie Munch category described as “not a taco” but rather “spring pancake wraps from Beijing.”
This dish was two thin pancakes, each stuffed with fried yellow tail slathered with citrus herb aioli, earthy fried mushrooms, pickled carrot strips, radish, cilantro, sliced cucumber, house pickles and bean sauce. The medley of ingredients was quite tasty, but the fish itself was mild and not up to the rest of the dish.
We did enjoy the twice-cooked pork belly buns. The buns are steamed and then finished in the frying pan to give them a nice crust. They were filled with shredded red-braised pork belly that was tender and well seasoned with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and a bit of sugar. On the side was something I had never seen before, a dipping sauce that consisted of thickened condensed milk, which provided a wonderful sweetness to the pork buns.
Another favorite was the caramel-laced prawns, which featured excellent salty, peppery, gulf white prawns, slices of oranges and grapefruit, and the piece de resistance, a spun-sugar, caramelized lace topping with bits of spicy toasted walnuts. A sweet plum aioli sauce rested on the bottom of the plate.
Our server recommended the oxtail fried rice, which was a winner. Slow-braised pieces of shredded oxtail were mixed with fried rice and finished with Shaoxing wine, a slightly sweet maltose reduction, Napa cabbage and Fresno chilies. Delicious.
It was time for some vegetables, and we chose stir-fried Chinese broccoli with stems in soy and oyster sauce. This selection was served with minced shitake mushrooms and a 62-degree poached egg nestled in the center. It was fabulous.
We completed our meal with a petite tasting — three small samples of desserts. We only really liked the dark chocolate mousse with tiny, crunchy chocolate bits and two soft caramel drops.
It’s worth taking the time to find this place for the enjoyable modern take on Chinese cuisine.
TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].
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TWENTY EIGHT
Location: 19530 Jamboree Road, Irvine
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Fridays; 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays
Prices:
Appetizers: $6 to $19
Entrees: $17 to $38
Desserts: $8 to $12
Wine:
Bottles: $22 to $390
By the glass: $7 to $24
Corkage: $20
Information: twentyeightoc.com