An enchanting mermaid lures Orange County foodies and tan, beach, beautiful people with her siren song to Starfish in Laguna Beach, seducing them with bites of Asian coastal cuisine and the promise of more delights.
Tabu Grill owner Nancy Wilhelm unveiled her latest culinary concept Starfish a few weeks ago at a Grand Unveiling reception and fundraiser which resulted in over $8,000 benefiting the local Pacific Marine Mammal Center and leaving guests hungry for more of her renditions of classic Asian dishes, signature cocktails, sexy ambiance, and richly-hued Asian meets art deco design.
Seductively labeled “Opium Bites” on the menu, guests were offered an array of tray-passed appetizers which were more familiar than fusion and tasty enough to entice you to return. So join the buzz and take a drive to legendary Laguna Beach to try Starfish for yourself.
Mauna Kai Ahi Poke
yellow fin tuna, with tobiko cavier, scallions, pine nuts and truffle oil served on taro chips and dotted with micro shiso
Saigon Spring Rolls
tiger prawns, vermicelli, mint, Thai basil and cilantro with the smoky flavor of grilled asparagus, and the crunch of carrot, cucumber and mung bean sprouts with roasted peanut hoisin sauce
Kobe Banh Mi Beef Sliders
Vietnamese seasoned kobe beef on a sweet bun with pickled carrots, daikon, sriracha aioli and cilantro
Lemongrass Filet Satay (my favorite bite of the evening)
spicy lemongrass marinated filet mignon with chili, lemongrass, mint dipping sauce
In the food frenzy, I didn’t get a good photo of the BBQ Chicken Lumpia (roasted teriyaki dark meat chicken, with crunch carrot, cabbage, and mung bean sprouts flavored with garlic chives, scallions, and cilantro and a bit of heat from jalapeno served with sweet & sour dipping sauce) but I do remember that the dark meat added a wonderful depth of flavor.
Oh, the rapture!
Photo courtesy of Patty Mitchell
Starfish
30832 S. Pacific Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 715-9200
Magic of Spice
July 8 at 5:27 pmI was just in Laguna on Sat for brunch…this place sounds great! Will have to put it on out “to do list” when we make our way over there 🙂
Hope you had a great week and an even better weekend!
Hugs
Angie's Recipes
July 9 at 9:35 pmThis place sounds a must-visit! Love all those little bites.
Lindsey (aka modchik)
July 10 at 9:22 amOhhh that looks good, the name alone would bring me in!
Kim
July 10 at 5:01 pmPriscilla, I LOVE all the dishes you listed! Looks like it’s time for me to brush up on some of my Vietnamese cravings. Any chance you want to go back? 🙂
[K]
Priscilla
July 10 at 8:36 pm@Kim – I’d love to go back! I’ll DM you.
@Charlie – I love Big Fish! Sorry you had a bad experience.
Charlie
July 10 at 5:14 pmThis place sucks actually. Was shocked as someone told me it would compare to big fish. This place was loud, overpriced, food was not good, and the menu was small, not many options. O Japanese Cuisine in the same complex is way better. Bummer too, always thought that chinese place that used to be there was a waste of space, this is no upgrade though.
sippitysup
July 11 at 9:13 amI have never been to Starfish, but boy I could tell you a few tales about Laguna from “back in the day”! GREG
Priscilla
July 11 at 10:52 am@sippitysup – lol, I’m sure you could 🙂
1000steps
July 11 at 1:23 pmI would suggest going back when the food isn’t free and the party luster wears off. $4 extra for rice and $1 for water is the deal there, and that’s just ridiculous.
Priscilla
July 11 at 1:51 pm@1000steps – You make a good point, we’ll do just that.
Faith
July 11 at 2:30 pmSounds like a great place and the food all looks incredible! I love the different flavors in the Saigon Spring Rolls — I’d love to try to recreate those at home!
Anita Lau
July 11 at 3:00 pm1000 Steps: it IS in laguna and nothing there is ever cheap.
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
July 13 at 2:33 pmHow fun!!I wish I lived in a city with cooler restaurants!
Priscilla
July 13 at 2:44 pm@Erin – Aww, I wish you did, too. Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂
Lori Lynn
July 18 at 12:13 amHi Priscilla – the title of your post got me hooked because I attended the baby shower of a friend in Newport Beach this weekend, and her nursery theme is starfish.
That lemongrass satay looks fabulous.
LL