Road Trip: Sakura Saku - Huntington Beach(OC)

On a recent trip to Orange County, I was beset by hunger. Not really quite sure if I should make the trip over the 405 freeway to Westminster, or just keep driving in what seemed to be fast food and chain restaurant hell. When out of the corner of my eye, I spied a little restaurant next to a Michael's.

My curiosity piqued, I decided to pull over into a parking space in this vast strip mall parking lot, and check the place out. I was still wondering what drew me into this little restaurant....it sure wasn't the Hello Kitty motif, but there was a kind of charm and a quaint kind of vibe to the place. Looking over the large menu, it became clear that this was a little mom-and-pop Japanese Fast Food joint, with items like Salmon Onigiri, Vegetable Curry rice, and Oyako Donburi on the menu.

The really nice older Gentleman, took my order, and I had a seat. Meanwhile two groups of young people entered, they ordered quickly....they had obviously been here before and knew what they wanted.

I started(yes, started....I was starving) with Pork Cutlet Combo(Tonkatsu Combo $7.00). When the food arrived I was a bit disappointed with the portion size, which seemed on the small side(except for the rice).

The small pork cutlet was nicely breaded though on the tough side. It was covered with a good amount of katsu sauce. The "salad" was shredded iceberg lettuce, with a mild mayo based dressing...I've had this salad many times, mainly from Bento-ya's back home in Hawaii. The yakisoba was a stroll down memory lane.....it tasted almost like my Mom's! Mildy salty, with just a touch of sweetness, not the most amazing Yakisoba, but it brought back nice memories.

I had also placed an order for a side of Chicken Karaage($3.50). Compared to the Tonkatsu, this was quite a bit of food for a side order....three large pieces of chicken thigh, marinated, dusted with a corn starch-flour coat, and deep fried.

This really tasted home made...like it came from the kitchen of someone's Mom. The flavor was sweeter than most versions of chicken karaage, but it was still pretty good. In fact, I would have done well with a couple of onigiri and a side order of this....or even a Chicken Karaage Combo($6.00).

Meanwhile one of the young men on a nearby table was eating the strangest bowl.....it smelled like taco meat.....and when I inquired, I was told, it was something called "Taco Rice", which was taco meat topped with cheese, tomato, and lettuce on a bowl of rice! I was told that the "young people like it." Now why didn't I think of that??? The menu also features versions of shaved ice, Udon, Curry Rice, and other items......all created with a home made touch.

The food at Sakura Saku won't set the culinary world on fire, in fact based on the tonkatsu I'd say YMMV(Your mileage may vary), but in the vein of fast food, it is a more than worthy alternative to all those chain fast food places. Nice folks as well. Heck, I wish we had a Sakura Saku in our neighborhood....I know I'd be eating there often. 

Sakura Saku
7572 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA 92647

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am-9pm

Postscript: Food blogger extraordinaire Elmo of Monster Munching, went ahead and had the Taco Rice. You can read his post here.

Comments

[Stephen Chiang]

If you're ever in Huntington Beach again try Fuji Burger (on Gothard near Edinger next to the Armstrong Garden store and Cocos). Their teriyaki burger great and it is one of the best burger joints around. Also Mario's Fiesta Maya on Beach near Talbert(used to be a hole in the wall deli attached to a liquor store where Subway now sits) has a really good carnitas burrito.

[nhbilly]

Nice little review. Regarding Fuji Burger - the sauce is very mild and tasty but I would like to see more MEAT otherwise double the patty and top it off with bacon and avocado would be very filling.

[janfrederick]

Taco rice??????! Now I know what I'm going to try for Monday Night Football. ;)

[Mama Penguin]

Isn't taco rice something that originated in Okinawa? Anyway, it sounds real ono.

[Kirk]

Hi Stephen - Welcome, and thanks for suggestions.

Hi Billy - Having to add bacon, avocado, and another burger is not quite a shining recommendation.

Hi Jan - Well let me know how it turns out.

Hi MP - You're probably right....but I'd never heard of it before. That kid really was chowing it down.Smelled great too...though it's not quite the fragrances I associate with Japanese food.

[nhbilly]

What can you say I'm a carnivore.
The teri avo burger is the classic. My wife loves it. I guess I'm just use to the Fuddruckers 2/3lbs medium rare. I will attempt the 1lbs eventually.

[Stephen Chiang]

Re: Fuji. Yeah, the only complaint my wife and I have are the smallish burgers. It's no $6 burger, but you can always buy 2 and they're damn tasty.

[Nate]

Taco Rice - very, very popular here in Okinawa. Some say it was supposedly "invented" here.

[elmomonster]

Dude. Taco meat? Holy geez. That sounds crazy enough to try myself!

[Kirk]

Hi Billy - I guess you are.....

Hi Stephen - Well good enough....I'll make sure to add it to my list!

Hi Nate - What a trip....I'm wondering who invented it?

Hi Elmo - If you check it out, let me know how it tastes.

[janfrederick]

Taco Rice
---------
So last night was takoraisu night. I perused the internet for ideas on Monday and quickly realized that there is no "correct" way to prepare taco rice. Then again, how hard is it to put taco filling on top of rice?

I used Lawry's taco seasoning and fried up some ground beef for the filling. From what I understand, beef isn't used as often as ground pork in Okinawa. I guess they don't have as much pastureland as, say, Iowa (or huge amounts of corn for that matter).

The layer order differed from recipe to recipe. One recipe even called for mixing the beef with the rice. But I'm a rice whore and so I left it pristine.

I used large Chinese soup bowls and topped the rice with the beef, shredded iceberg, grated cheddar, large tomato chunks (easier to handle with chopsticks), La Victoria salsa, and a dollop of sour cream. My avocado wasn't ripe yet, so I had to leave it out (dang!).

Before I tell you how good it was, let me qualify my comments with the fact that my wife and I are bowl food fiends. We just love having a bowl of whatever. And if it involves rice, all the better. That being said, my wife turned up her nose at the idea when I told her what we were having during Monday Night Football. We're not rabid fanatics or anything, we just like the excitement and the excuse to eat stuff in bowls in front of the TV.

This stuff is fantastic! It's a delight to pick at. From the crunch of the lettuce to the beef and rice and tangy spicy salsa, it all goes well together. I'm by no means a chopstick pro, but this dish had me up on my game. My buddy from Hong Kong would have been proud.

Anyway, I have a feeling we'll be having a repeat performance for the Chargers game next Sunday.

Thanks Kirk!

[Kirk]

Hey Jan - Thanks so much for sharing!!!! Your descriptions make me want to have some for dinner tonight.