To celebrate Taro’s birthday, Andy and Amy treated us to breakfast/brunch at Break of Dawn. They initially found out about the place from their neighbors and suggested it as one of the restaurants we could go to. Always in search of a good breakfast location, we happily agreed. Upon arriving at Break of Dawn, the menu intrigued me with its blend of American/Vietnamese choices. I love fusion places, but a fusion place that serves breakfast? I have not gone to one before! It was hard to make a choice on what to eat, but I finally decided on the Skillet – Roasted New Potato, Bacon, Cheddar Poached Eggs, Guacamole, Chipotle Sour Cream – based on Andy and Amy’s recommendation. (They actually had it the first time they came and thought it was excellent.) Taro was conflicted, but eventually chose the Benedict – Two Soft-Poached Eggs, Grilled Potato Bread, Tender Smoked Ham, Asian Pesto Hollandaise.
When the food arrived, we started off with the Crispy Lobster and Shrimp Roll appetizer. They were so good that we actually ordered another one! Since Amy isn’t a big fan of soup, she gave us the one that came with her food, which was Kabocha Squash. The soup was nice and creamy and had a strong squash flavor; overall, I think am quite fond of squash soup now despite not having it as a kid nor most of my adult life. Shortly after, our entrees arrived and the size of the Skillet was overwhelming! Andy and Amy were not kidding that it could be shared – and that is exactly what Taro and I should have done. I really enjoyed the heartiness of the meal and the blend of ingredients. Taro’s Benedict, the bite that I had, was also good; he shared some with Andy and he had positive things to say about the grilled potato bread.
This was definitely a treat and what made it even more special was that Amy showed me the restaurant website back at their house. Dee Nguyen, chef and owner of Break of Dawn, has such a tragic yet uplifting story to tell. In a gist, he was an up-and-coming Executive Sous Chef at the Ritz Carlton when his son nearly died during a surgery procedure. Dee Nguyen had to make some tough choices, but he was able to open up his own restaurant close to his home. Hence, that is why the restaurant is only open five days a week and closes at 2:3o p.m.; he wanted to be able to stay close to home and spend time with his son. After reading about Dee’s story, I had tears in my eyes and I really admire the balance he has in his life – pursuing his dream of being a chef while maintaining core family values.
I look forward to visiting again and will definitely try something new on the menu! Thanks, Andy and Amy, for sharing this great find in Orange County!
K was also ready for breakfast. I love how she is staring off into the distance.
Afterwards we were able to hang out with Andy, Amy, and K. We first went to Babies R Us and I thought it was cute when Taro sat K on the Sesame Street ride. Once we got back to their house, she just climbed all over her Uncle Taro and even just sat on his lap drinking her juice. I think it is absolutely adorable.
During our month of travel, Taro and I must have been really lucky because we rarely had problems flying with Jet Blue. Our trip to San Francisco was bumpy to start – 30 minute delay – but we made it. Some people on the plane complained openly and vocally about it; I figured it gave me some time to grade those darn IB papers so the slight delay wasn’t that big of a deal. Once we got to San Francisco and our hotel, though, we had to get our priorities straight, which essentially means food. Instead of traveling too far only to wait an hour plus to get a table, we just walked a couple doors down to Chaya, which turned out to be a great experience.
Chaya blends French and Japanese cuisine together. The menu had an array of choices, but we had to figure out what to blend together. To start, we ordered the Rainbow Sashimi and Seaweed Salad (ahi tuna tataki/hamachi/scottish salmon/wasabi pickles/citrus dill/salmon caviar/yuzu pepper garlic vinaigrette). The appetizer was packed with flavor and the sashimi was delicious with the roasted garlic on top. Practically anything with yuzu is a favorite of ours and we thought that this dish was the perfect way to start.
Afterwards, our Kaffir Lime-Scented Seafood Chowder (lobster/shrimp/calamari/mussels/fish) came out. Our waiter actually suggested putting a spoonful of sherry into the chowder in order to accent the seafood flavor. Taro and I decided to do a taste test and we tried the chowder without the sherry first. It had a much more creamy taste to it and once we added the sherry, the seafood really did stand out much more. It definitely gave the chowder a different taste and it was fun experimenting based off the suggestion of our waiter.
Following the chowder, we had Seared Day Boat Sea Scallops (cauliflower/peas/chard/veal jus/truffle sherry vinaigrette). Strangely, I am not a huge scallops fan; I want to say it’s because when I was younger, I would give my scallops to my brother in exchange for his lobster pieces. However, these scallops were fantastic! It had just the right amount of truffle so that it wasn’t overwhelming and the pieces of cauliflower with the vinaigrette gave it nice flavoring. After this, I just might have to reconsider giving up my share of scallops.
The sushi rolls came out next, which were good, but nothing extraordinary. Although we were stuffed, I had to order the dessert after reading reviews on Yelp about the dessert alone. Chaya is known for their Warm Milk Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding (with caramel ice cream). I thought Mastro’s dessert was pretty darn good, but this bread pudding beats it. According to Taro, it was “Goooood.“ It was warm and savory…plus I had to nearly fight to have my share because Taro wanted to devour it up! That alone should tell you how good it was.
Overall, Chaya was a nice way to spend our first evening in San Francisco. We were able to enjoy good food and sake and rest up before the adventure in the Bay area. We definitely look forward to going to Chaya again in Downtown LA!
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