Last June, I bookmarked a “Hot-and-New” listing on Yelp a few weeks after they opened. Time went by, and I still hadn’t made it in. One random day, that “non-foodie” sister of mine told me she found a new, cool eatery that I needed to try. Believe it or not, it was that same place and I was reminded that I needed to check it out. Two months later, and one week ago, I FINALLY walked in the doors of the little Cross Roast Eatery of Magnolia Avenue in Anaheim– one of the best decisions I have made recently.
Greeted by chef and owner James, I knew I was in for a treat. The way that James so passionately spoke about food, flavor, and cooking captivated me, and I EASILY sat down and was ready for anything and everything he was going to cook up for me.
(Quick background – Chef James was born in Hong Kong and moved to the US at age 8. He grew up submerged in the restaurant industry- working in various restaurants since a young age, including his grandfather and father’ restaurants.)
Now back to the food…
Chef brought me out a few different items to get a feel of everything they do. Cross Roast is BYO-style, but I allowed him free-reign to bring me whatever he thought was best. So, I sat there eyeing 4 glorious dishes: Char Siu pork “banh mi”, chicken salad, “loaded chips” with half roasted pork belly, half shredded duck, & salt/pepper pork belly ramen. Oh, and of course, one of each of the five house made sauces!
I don’t typically eat pork belly because it is too fatty/chewy for me. I mainly only eat chicken, and, honestly, only ever order chicken for myself. This is the FIRST place that I will return to and not even bother with chicken. STRAIGHT TO MY BELLY, PORK BELLY! (He does make 2 types of pork belly and Char Siu Pork. The one I am raving about is the ROASTED pork belly.) It’s easy to see why this goodness takes 3 days to cook. Perfectly crunchy like bacon but more pork belly tasting? I don’t know. It was a total game-changer for me.
Everything was AMAZING, and if you know me, I don’t lie about food. Even the ramen was good, and I am not a ramen person at all. Overall, I was most impressed and in love with the roasted pork belly and Banh mi.
OK, now lets talk sauces… 5 house-made sauces. All SO good. I use like 3 of each.
Sauce Boss Suggestions:
“Whatchama Call it Sauce” – soy-based mayo. What? He uses fermented tofu in this mayo sauce. That sounds crazy, but it is actually delicious and light!
Hoisin BBQ Sauce – let’s put a straw in it and drink it. Enough said.
Chili Oil – Don’t be deceived. It looks VERY spicy, but it isn’t at all!! It is the PERFECT level of a little bit of spice, but not overwhelmingly, mouth-numbing like sriracha.
Chef James and wife Shirley have brought Cantonese food to Orange County in a very approachable way for foodie-newbies. I cannot wait to return!
Sauce Boss Shelby 