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Starfish, Laguna Beach

July 8 by Priscilla 15 Comments

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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

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Category OC Dining| Restaurants Tags Laguna Beach| Starfish

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Magic of Spice

    July 8 at 5:27 pm

    I 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

    Reply
  2. Angie's Recipes

    July 9 at 9:35 pm

    This place sounds a must-visit! Love all those little bites.

    Reply
  3. Lindsey (aka modchik)

    July 10 at 9:22 am

    Ohhh that looks good, the name alone would bring me in!

    Reply
  4. Kim

    July 10 at 5:01 pm

    Priscilla, 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]

    Reply
    • 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.

      Reply
  5. Charlie

    July 10 at 5:14 pm

    This 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.

    Reply
  6. sippitysup

    July 11 at 9:13 am

    I have never been to Starfish, but boy I could tell you a few tales about Laguna from “back in the day”! GREG

    Reply
  7. Priscilla

    July 11 at 10:52 am

    @sippitysup – lol, I’m sure you could 🙂

    Reply
  8. 1000steps

    July 11 at 1:23 pm

    I 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.

    Reply
    • Priscilla

      July 11 at 1:51 pm

      @1000steps – You make a good point, we’ll do just that.

      Reply
  9. Faith

    July 11 at 2:30 pm

    Sounds 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!

    Reply
  10. Anita Lau

    July 11 at 3:00 pm

    1000 Steps: it IS in laguna and nothing there is ever cheap.

    Reply
  11. Erin @ Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

    July 13 at 2:33 pm

    How fun!!I wish I lived in a city with cooler restaurants!

    Reply
  12. Priscilla

    July 13 at 2:44 pm

    @Erin – Aww, I wish you did, too. Thanks for leaving a comment 🙂

    Reply
  13. Lori Lynn

    July 18 at 12:13 am

    Hi 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

    Reply

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