Located in the old Eden Vegan space inside Dana Point’s Monarch Bay Plaza, Lúa Eatery, helmed by chef and co-owner Khang Nguyen, offers Vietnamese dishes with nods to other Southeast Asian countries and beyond. Currently in its soft-opening stage, Lúa Eatery will make its grand opening on Saturday, June 8.
Formerly of Gem Dining, Nếp and the Recess Room, Nguyen will feature a fusion-forward menu with such fare as bò kho, a sizzling beef jowl with a poutine-adjacent twist (served with potato wedges topped with cheese curls); crispy pork belly banh mi with chimichurri sauce; and Hainanese chicken rice, which originates from Hainan, Singapore, with garlic-ginger rice, tender chicken breast, pickled cabbage, carrot and cucumber, served with ginger-scallion sauce and sweet and sour fish sauce.
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The menu also boasts three types of pho, which includes smoked (with a 12-hour smoked short rib), original (ribeye and/or brisket) and chicken (chicken breast in chicken stock). Other highlights include chicken wings with lime and Sriracha, crispy imperial rolls, a pork belly vermicelli salad and a cauliflower salad with green curry and candied peanuts.
For the vegan-minded, the dedicated meat- and dairy-free menu includes imperial rolls stuffed with glass noodles, cabbage, carrots and bell pepper; a vermicelli noodle salad with sauteed bean sprouts, mushrooms and carrots; and a yellow curry packed with tofu, potato, carrot, pumpkin, red pepper andmushrooms.
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The Filipino-inspired banana fritter, a sweet concoction of banana rolls filled with shredded coconut and peanuts, served with nostalgia-inducing Thrifty brand vanilla ice cream, and an acai sorbet round out the dessert menu.
Lúa Eatery, one of the few Vietnamese restaurants inside the beach enclave, is currently open Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. After its grand opening, hours will extend to Monday and Tuesday from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.
Find it: 32860 Pacific Coast Highway, Suite #1,
