Javier's Cantina & Grill in Newport Beach

My brother took us to this Mexician restaurant for dinner and it is by far the best Mexician restaurant we tried so far in US. Their nacho with hot salsa sauce was great, we couldn't stop ourselves from eating that. In the end, we had to order extra nacho and salsa sauce to take home. They also have a good selection of margarita. Service was good and they made you feel very welcoming. Price was reasonable too. A must to bring your family and friends there.

Shilla Restaurant in Gardena

Both service and food were good at this Korean BBQ restaurant. My wife loved one of the BBQ beef. There were 9 of us and we had the private room. Apparently, a number of sportsmen and sportswomen, e.g. tennis star Maria Sharapova, came to this restaurant before, pictures of their signed autographs were hanged on the wall at the entrance. Dinner was $240 altogether.

Romano's Macaroni Grill in Cerritos

Second time we came to this Italian restaurant in Cerritos. They have an open kitchen where you can see how their food is made. We ordered meatball spaghetti, pepperoni pizza, Romano's sampler (some deep fried seafood stuff) and grilled prawns. Food was okay, nothing spectacular, service was a bit slow. Atmosphere was good, there's a guy who sang 'Happy Birthday' in Italian for birthday boy/girl. $75 for 3 people. I doubt that we will return to this restaurant in future.

Ka Ju Tofu Restaurant in Irvine

Another soft Tofu place in the Irvine area. It is right outside the freeway 5 Jeffrey exit. This restaurant has various tofu sets. We tried seafood, mushroom and pork tofu sets, and they all came with grilled fish and rice as usual. My favourite dish was actually... Oi Kimchi. I previously tried curry tofu here but the flavor was so weak that I didn't feel like I was eating curry, so that dish is a no-go! $34 for 3 dishes was reasonably priced. May come again.

Benihana Restaurant in Anaheim

We tried Benihana in London before and this is the first time we tried it in LA. Seatings in this Benihana were cramped, but packed with customers. Chefs and waiter/ess were all very entertaining, and they sang 'Happy Birthday' in Japanese to almost every table. Teppanyaki is always tasty, this one is no exception. Each set is around $30, much cheaper than the London ones.

BJ's Brewhouse Restaurant in Laguna Hills

BJ's is a chain pub food restaurant. Food was ok. Pizza was good, so as the salad. But my spaghetti was a bit dried, without much sauce. Fish and chips - served in mini fish portion just like the Cheesecake factory. They brewed their own beer, quite a few choices. We will probably eat at BJ's again some day.