Kat's 9 Lives

I have been meaning to post this return to Eva's Caribbean Kitchen in Laguna Beach with Tofu. Mango and Coconut were suppose to come with us but they bailed on us. Their loss. =9 We had a nice drive to the beach and found parking easily on the street since it was earlier in the day. We arrived right as they opened and were welcomed in. I really liked how everything was so luminous because the sun was still out strong. This time I have improved my camera skills 10 folds, so the picture are much better than our first trip. You will be able to tell when the photos are taken a while ago or recent. ^_- The plants are nicely placed outside and I loved how they turned out in the photos.
We were sat near the patio so it was very refreshing and nice to get a closer look at the patio decor. As soon as the bread was baked they brought out fresh rolls that are always very tasty with the butter. I love hot bread that just melts the butter away and absorbs the flavor. Each bite was great and we ate a lot of fresh hot bread.
To start off the night we ordered drinks. I am not one to order drinks a lot unless I see something I really like or there is something I want. Since Tofu was leaving soon and there were so little meals left, I decided to splurge a little. He ordered the Guava Mimosa and I got the Mock Mango Tango. Sorry, I don't like alcoholic drinks all that much... Despite what others may think =P **Burumun!** lol I really liked my drink. It was sweet and flavorful. The mango they used was delicious! I even ate the skin! ^_^ The drink looked so beautiful and cute. Eva is always as sweet as ever and as I finished my drink she poured the remaining liquid in the blender into my cup before I could order another. She's always so sweet and nice.
Tofu and I decided to share and try the Crab and Sweet Corn Cakes. It's Dungeness Crab meat and Sweet Corn seasoned with Herbs & Spices from around the Caribbean served with Pineapple, Mango Salsa. We both really enjoy them. I liked the crisp texture of the outside and moistness within. The flavors were good by themselves only enhanced by the salsa.
I wanted to try something new so I got the Cornmeal Louisiana Catfish. It's fresh Catfish Filet seasoned with Garlic, Shallots, Thyme, Scallions, Chilies, Bacardi Limon and dredged in Cornmeal. This dish was great. It was extremely flavorful. You could smell the dish as they brought it out. I was ecstatic that it was boneless and it was a huge piece of fish. The fresh vegetables were good as usual. I love the Plantain that comes with every dish. Sometimes I wish we could order a side order. ^_^
Tofu decided to try something new too. He ordered the Curry Chicken. It's succulent pieces of fresh Chicken sautéed with Madras Curry, Garlic, Cumin, Katchula, and Potatoes. This dish was plentiful too. The flavors were good and there were a lot of chicken in the dish. There is a lot of sauce for you to mix with the rice.
Like I said, we were kind of splurging a little and ordered a dessert to share as well. Okay we are very silly together, we often can't come to a decision. We debated for a long time. It was time to pop out a coin and let the gods of fate choose. lol So we decided to try the Coconut Crème Brûlée only to find out that they didn't have any that night. Back to the drawing board again. We decided to try the Banana Passion Flambé. It's sliced Bananas sautéed in Passion Fruit Liquor, Sweet Butter, Brown Sugar, and set ablaze with Dark Rum served with Vanilla Ice Cream.
I agree that the show would have looked much nicer at night so that you can see the flames rising. Bear with me on the collage. I tried my best to catch the flames in the bright light. Luckily Tofu was wearing a darker shirt so that you can see it better on his shirt maybe? lol This dessert was totally drenched in alcohol flavor. It was a little too strong for me. The presentation was great, but I am not that into alcoholic things. I tried to eat as much as I can, but Tofu was able to finish more. The ice cream helped mellow it out. I mean the dessert was good, just not my cup of tea.
All in all the food was great and the service was great as usual. I like it best when Eva came around. That night I talked to her about having my B-day dinner here, which I will post really soon! ^_^ I think it's a very quaint and adorable place. It gives off a wonderful feeling and experience. So I thought it would be nice to share with all my friends. And of course to meet Eva who is such a sweetheart! ^_-

Eva's Caribbean Kitchen
31732 Coast Hwy
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
(949) 499-6311

Yay! I am glad I finally got to go to Cream Pan! It was definitely worth the trip! I am counting the days when I return for some more yummy pastries.
The service was extremely friendly and the decor inside the place was a wooden furnish. It was very clean and inviting. If I lived around there I would come by to get some delicious pastries a hot drink then just sit and relax there.
There was a lot of different choices, too many to eat in one day! They had a variety of breads, pastries, cakes, sandwiches, salads, and more. It's definitely a great place to get breakfast of lunch. They are only open 'till 4PM.
While we were there I had the Cheese Boule first. I love cheese and it looked really delectable so I picked one up. Even though it was warm, the bread was crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. There was a generous amount of cheese distributed from the center that oozed out onto the bottom and still attached. It's like a volcanic explosion of cheese from the bread. Sadly the whole thing was not filled with cheese, but nonetheless fabulous in both taste and texture! It had just the right amount of flavor, taste, and salt. After a few bites, I knew I had to get more!
Word to the wise, I had it the next day and it was still delicious! The trick was to put the bread back in a toaster oven. Keep the temperature low and pop it in. Depending on the temperature and how fast the bread absorbs the heat, watch it carefully so it does not burn. Take it out after 5 or so minutes and let it cool off a little. That will allow the outer crust to crisp again and dig into the bundle of joy!
Luckily I stuffed my face with a superb Strawberry Croissant while I was there. Even though they kept in a cool area, the flakiness texture was perfect. The cream inside was light and sweetened to perfection. They must pre-soak or glazed the strawberries, they were all sweet and firm. Each bite was a heavenly delight. I am not a fruit person, but this was a great combo. If they were closer, I'd be there every day to pick this treasure up!
Today I had the Yakisoba Bread. Again, I toasted it in the oven for a little bit to crisp up the bread and heat up the Yakisoba. The presentation was very nice and desirable, but I was not a big fan of the pickled vegetable on one side. I think overall it was good and definitely a lot of thought was put into the sandwich. It tasted even better when I topped it with some sauteéd beef I had at home.All in all this place will definitely be on my mind! It's definitely one of the better bakeries I had in the OC. It might even be one of my favorite bakeries. I'll definitely be recommending this place to all my friends and for those of you who haven't been there I will take you there myself ^_- so I can get my fill cheese bread and wonderful pastries! Lets do lunch!

Cream Pan

This is a back post, but I really liked Eva's Caribbean Kitchen on South Coast Highway. The ocean is a skip and a jump away. It can be quite chilly at night so be sure to bring a jacket. I originally wanted to have my birthday party here. It's a very small place so they told me that I would have to book the whole restaurant and each person has to spend $60 minimum. Needless to say that would be too much to ask each person to spend, especially since the food was not even that expensive. So I decided to come back with a bunch of friends at a later time and boy am I glad I did! Go early! We went when they opened and the service was SUPERB! So attentive and friendly.
We started the night off with drinks. I got their non-alcoholic drink, a Mixed Tropical Fruit juice. It was delicious! My friends tried the Mango Mojitos and they were okay. The best part was Eva was so nice & sweet, she brought us a free drink. It was like a Cinnamon Apple Martini, which tasted really good. Hey anything free is awesome! One of our friends didn't drink her mojito so she took it off our bill and brought a different drink that our friend still didn't drink. Eva even took that off as well, SUPERB service!
I love coconut shrimp so I had to get their Punani Shrimp. Yes, many of my friends have told me that punani would not be a word you'd use to describe food or in general. It was jumbo shrimps seasoned and breaded with coconut served with mango chutney. They were decent, but I must say that I still love Outback's much better. Eva gave us a free eggplant appetizer to try as well. Did I mention, AWESOME service!
For my main course, I got the Pineapple Glazed Pork Loin. It was grilled boneless pork loin marinated in dark Puerto Rican rum and garlic served with pineapple chutney. The side dishes were a vegetable medley and mashed potatoes. I thought this was decent because the flavor was lacking a little. The meat was cooked tenderly and I actually liked the vegetables. Shocking I know! My friends got the blackened dishes and they were delicious! They really packed a punch. The best part was Eva gave us free prawns in a SPICY madras curry. It was extremely flavorful and spicy, which would have went great with rice. Word to the wise, stick with the blackened or spicier stuff and you won't be disappointed.

Oh my goodness! What service! Lots of yummy food and lots of free goodies! We also shared the Guava Cheesecake at the end, which was good but nothing special. All in all the food was not bad, but it wouldn't blow me out of the water to be honest. Service, on the other hand, did I mention SPECTACULAR! I must say it's one of the best dining experiences I have had! All my friends were amazed by the service and praised me for choosing this restaurant. It's truly a mom & pop shop. They treat you like kings & queens and they truly care about your dining experience! We went early so I think she was extra attentive, until more people showed up. I will definitely be back!