Category: The Word On Restaurants

The three sisters’ restaurant reviews.

Pita’s Mediterranean Grill – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Pita’s Mediterranean Grill is a modern-style cafe that serves classic mediterranean food including falafel, kabobs, and gyro, (also known as shawarma.) About a month ago, we decided to check it out! Our dad ordered a mediterranean salad and a lamb shawarma sandwich. He thought it was appetizing and packed with flavor. We also ordered 4 chicken kabob plates which came with rice, pita bread, hummus, salad, and the chicken kabobs. The plates were shared amongst the rest of us, and we all enjoyed it. It wasn’t very flavorful and was bland, but was ok. Lastly, we ordered 2 side orders of shawarma. Shawarma, (gyro,) has always been one of our favorite Mediterranean dishes, so we loved it!

We are used to eating Mediterranean food from Daphne’s Greek Cafe, which is essentially the Americanized type of Mediterranean food, so this style of food was a little bit different for us. While we aren’t the biggest fans of this restaurant, it will probably appeal to many. Our family might not try Pita’s Mediterranean Grill again, but it is a popular restaurant that serves good food, and we recommend trying it out!

Sushi Huku – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Sushi Huku is a Japanese food restaurant that is located in San Marcos, and for Kiran’s and Simran’s birthday in December, we decided to try it out for the first time!

California rolls (image taken by the Jayasinghe family)

We got 2 orders of the California rolls, 1 order of the Crunch roll, 1 order Spicy Tuna roll, and 1 order of the Baked Salmon roll. All of the rolls we ordered at Sushi Huku were great, but some were better than others.

The California rolls, (a personal favorite of ours,) were ok. They were a bit plain, and not the most flavorful, but they were still tasty. We loved the Crunch rolls! They were filled with scrumptious ingredients and had a satisfying crunch to them. The Spicy Tuna rolls were delicious! While they were a little spicy, they weren’t too hot, and were filled with flavor. The Baked Salmon roll was also amazing, and was our mom’s personal favorite.

Crunch rolls (image taken by the Jayasinghe family)

Compared to all the other sushi places we have tried, the rolls from Sushi Huku were more fresh and also seemed larger. We enjoyed every single roll we tried from Sushi Huku, and recommend checking it out!

IHOP – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

IHOP, (which is an acronym for the International House of Pancakes,) is an American restaurant chain that is known for its breakfast foods. In August, my family had a little staycation at home, which meant no cooking. For breakfast one day we decided to order from IHOP. Kiran ordered the French Crème Brûlée Pancakes. There were 4 pancakes included that were covered with brûlée creme and sweet vanilla cream. There were also caramel sugar crystals to top it off. She says they weren’t very sweet, but were still delicious.

Double Blueberry Pancakes (image by ihop.com)

Simran ordered the Double Blueberry Pancakes. These buttermilk pancakes have blueberries hidden inside them, as well as a delicious blueberry compote (blueberry sauce,) coating the top. Simran loves these pancakes! She says these pancakes are extremely scrumptious. They are very rich, but are a must order item if you are a fan of blueberries. I ordered the Strawberries & Creme Crepes. This order includes four crepes garnished with strawberries with vanilla cream drizzle glazed on the top. I thought that these were ok. They were pretty good, but they were very plain, and there was a strong egg flavor as well, which wasn’t the most delicious. Overall, they were good, but they could’ve been better. My dad ordered the Spicy Poblano Omelette. Inside the omelette is shredded beef, onions, bell peppers, cheese, avocado, Serrano and Poblano peppers, and more. He loved it! Dad says that the spiciness and sharp flavor added to the deliciousness.

Spinach & Mushroom Omelette (image taken by ihop.com)

Lastly, our mom ordered the Spinach & Mushroom Omelette. This omelette is stuffed with cheese, tomatoes, onions, spinach, mushrooms, and more. Mom found this scrumptious! It was very flavorful and cheese-y, which she liked.

We love IHOP! The food is always delicious and tasteful, and there are many options to chose from as well. This a great breakfast/lunch/brunch place that we highly recommend.

Which Wich – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

The Meatball Hero (image by seamless.com)

Some time ago my family and I went to Which Wich for lunch. Which Wich is a restaurant chain that mainly specializes in sandwiches and salads. The restaurant is known for its ordering system where customers use a Sharpie to place their order on a menu printed on a brown paper sandwich bag. First you choose a sandwich, then the bread, toppings, cheese, and sauce. Kiran and I both ordered the Meatball Hero. We both loved it! It was delicious and flavorful. It was a little messy, but it was totally worth it.

The Philly Cheesesteak (image by whichwich.com)

Simran ordered the Pepperoni Pizzawich. She thought it was very enjoyable and said it was both flavorsome and tasty. Our mom ordered the Philly Cheesesteak and our dad ordered the Gyro Sandwich. Both of them thought their sandwiches were tasteful and delicious. All of them were a little bit messy, especially since we ate them in the car. I’m looking forward to the day where I can go peacefully enjoy a sandwich at the restaurant.

We absolutely loved Which Wich and definitely recommend trying it!

Brigantine – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

The Seasonal Salmon (image by the Jayasinghe Family)

Back in September my family and I ate at the Brigantine in Escondido to celebrate my mom’s birthday. Brigantine is a restaurant mainly known for its wide range of seafood. For appetizers we ordered calamari, crab cakes, and two oyster shots. Only Kiran and I ate the oysters, and we quickly figured out we are not the biggest fans of oysters. To us, the oysters didn’t have much taste and were too slimy for our liking. For our meals, my mom and my grandparents ordered the Seasonal Salmon. All three of them really enjoyed their food, and thought the salmon was really flavorful and delicious. Kiran and I both ordered the Seasonal Shrimp & Grits. While some people might be a fan of this dish, it was definitely not our favorite. It lacked flavor, and was overall a little bland.

The Seasonal Chops (image by the Jayasinghe Family)

Simran ordered the Macadamia Crusted Mahi. She thought it was delicious, but it didn’t exactly satisfy a swimmer’s appetite. Lastly, my dad ordered the Seasonal Chops. Along with the chops it came with mashed potatoes, green beans, and steamed carrots. It was a large dish, and he didn’t end up finishing the whole thing, but he really enjoyed it.

For dessert Kiran ordered a Classic Creme Brulee, and the rest of us got two Mud Pies both with vanilla ice cream on the side. One for our parents to share, and one for Simran and I to share. Kiran thought the Creme Brulee was okay. It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad either. The Mud Pie was delicious! It was very rich and chocolate-y but the ice cream helped balance it out. They were both great desserts and we all loved them.

Mom’s birthday dinner (Image by the Jayasinghe Family)

Overall, Brigantine is a good restaurant! While I do not think it is on our list of top restaurants we enjoy, it might be the perfect place for seafood lovers. They have a great variety of delicious seafood and I recommend trying it.

Nothing Bundt Cakes – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Picture taken by the Jayasinghe Family

A few weeks ago, my family and I decided to go to Nothing Bundt Cakes. Nothing Bundt Cakes is a cake shop where they sell cakes in a variety of flavors. The smallest bundt size you can get are bundtinis which are bite-sized and only come in the dozen. The next bundt size you can get are bundtlets which are a medium size, bigger than bundtinis, but smaller than a bundt. The biggest bundt size you can get is a bundt, which is the size of a normal cake. These cakes are made with special ingredients that make a delicious, soft, and moist cake. The frosting is made with velvety cream cheese and butter that has just the right amount of sweetness. My family and I absolutely love Nothing Bundt Cakes and definitely recommend trying it!

The Melt – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Picture by the Jayasinghe Family

On Saturday August 8th my family and I went to the Irvine Spectrum Center. We went to many places there including The Melt which is a restaurant that serves grilled cheese, fresh burgers, fries, soups, Mac n’ Cheese, ice cream and more delicious foods. We ordered one cheddar bacon ranch fries and some regular fries to share. The cheddar bacon ranch fries were amazing and we all loved them and ended up ordering two more. Then we ordered our separate dishes. Both my dad and my mom ordered the Spicy Chicken Mission and they both loved it. It has tomato, onions, lettuce, chicken and has a delicious flavor. Kiran and I both ordered the Melty Mac which is mac and cheese with bread crumbs sprinkled on top. Overall it was pretty good but was lacking some flavor and was a little bland. Simran ordered the Mac Daddy Cheese which is basically a grilled cheese sandwich except its mac and cheese instead. She thought it was okay. It wasn’t amazing but it wasn’t bad either.

Overall the food was pretty good and I recommend trying it if you haven’t before.

85 Degrees Bakery Cafe – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

On Saturday August 8th my family and I went to the Irvine Spectrum Center. We went to many places there including the 85 Degrees Bakery Cafe which is a bakery/ cafe that sells bread, cakes, drinks, pastries, and merchandise. When you go inside you grab a tray and tongs and then pick what you would like from the display cases. You can order other items and drinks at the counter.

Picture taken by the Jayasinghe Family

My family and I ordered 4 cheese dogs, 3 spicy sausages, 1 sugar cream cheese pastry, 1 cranberry cream cheese pastry, and one chocolate bun. The staff are very helpful and nice, there are many pastries and other items to choose from, and the food is amazing! My family and I love 85 degrees and definitely recommend trying it.

Niki’s Indian Food – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Niki’s Indian Food is a restaurant in Santa Ana California that serves Indian and other South Asian cuisine. Because of the Covid rules we had takeout and went home and enjoyed the food for dinner. This place doesn’t really have the best ambiance and for the price they charge the portions are very little, but the food is delicious.

My family and I having Indian food (Image taken by the Jayasinghe family)

We ordered garlic naan, white rice, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, chana masala, chicken shahi, and some vegetable samosas. The food was amazing! If we ever pass the area again we will definitely get some food from here. We really enjoyed the food and highly recommend Niki’s Indian Food.

A great sunset for a nice dinner (Image taken by the Jayasinghe family)

Dunkin’ Donuts – A Restaurant Review

By Svara Jayasinghe

Dunkin’ Donuts is a coffee/donut chain that has stores located all over the world. We ordered glazed donuts, boston creme donuts, and maple donuts. The service is great and the staff are extremely kind and helpful.

My family and I at Dunkin’ Donuts (Image taken by the Jayasinghe family)

The donuts and coffee are delicious and always taste nice and fresh. We went inside and sat down and enjoyed some donuts and coffee. Overall we had a great time and recommend Dunkin’ Donuts.

Note: We went to Dunkin’ Donuts before quarantine in early March.