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Break of Dawn
Categories: Restaurants Breakfast & Brunch Restaurants Asian Fusion Breakfast & Brunch, Asian Fusion [Edit]
24351 Avenida De La CarlotaLaguna Hills, CA 92653
(949) 587-9418
- Hours:
Wed-Fri 8 am - 1:30 pm
Sat-Sun 8 am - 2 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Breakfast, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
662 reviews for Break of Dawn
Review Highlights
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"Sausage and Rice - Loved everything about this dish." In 70 reviews -
"The Smoked Salmon is also delicious." In 42 reviews -
"Cinnamon Sticky Bun - made FRESH to order." In 12 reviews
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661 reviews in English
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Review from Ana D.
Garden Grove, CA
3/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
By far, this is my favorite restaurant, ever! So far, at least. My life as a foodie as only just begun. Anyway, I've never been more impressed at a restaurant. I love the Vietnamese fusion with your typical all-American breakfast. I don't mind paying the price for some of the most creative, unique, and delicious breakfast/brunch dishes I've ever tasted. My goal is to try everything on their menu at least once, and I'm being serious.
Their Vietnamese iced coffee is perfect and also a tad foamy which is something you don't get from other places like Lee's.
The skillet is always safe pick and the things that really pop out for me was the guacamole, whatever sauce is in it, and their home fries--their potatoes are perfectly cooked.
The mac-n-cheese is a great twist on an old favorite. I bet you've never had mac-n-cheese the way they make it. If you're a fan of comfort food, this is a must-try!!
The eggs benedict also has a great twist to it too; the sauce really makes it.
Sometimes when I find a dish or two that I really love at a restaurant, I tend to grow conservative and always order those same dishes or so every single time I go. However, Break of Dawn has yet to disappoint me, so I feel safe trying anything on their menu. :]
It is a bit crowded though, so be prepared to wait up to half an hour.Listed in: Breakfast & Brunch
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Review from Todd A.
Irvine, CA
Didn't have the best experience here, but at no fault of the food really. The main waiter was having a bad day and thus mad me and my entire party have a bad day too. Note on their menu that most everything has eggs in it, regardless of if the menu states it or not. This was what stared our whole issue. The other waiter that was helping us out turned out to be really nice, and I think once we got handed off, we finally started getting our coffee filled and water topped off. Food was good, actually liked the kids banana pancakes more than my own meal of pumpkin soup. Sadly, I don't see us returning here as I would not care to be served by the same gent.
Oh...and no Amex accepted. -
Review from Greg N.
5/11/2012
I'm not a perfect runner
I cramped up on mile 10 in Sunday's race
I needed some consoling
So wifey took me to a new food place
Break of Dawn, before I once again will go
I just want you to know
I found a reason to be
Mornings in South Orange County
Old breakfast plates thought of anew
And the reason is you...
The corned beef thin and salty
The poached eggs complemented so neatly
The cabbage pickled sour
Potato hash cut through the salts sweetly
A balanced flavored dish upon my tongue
Hash and eggs rethought, a new well sprung
Your praises I have now sung
I found a reason to be
Mornings in South Orange County
Old breakfast plates thought of anew
And the reason is you...
And the reason is you...
And the reason is you...
And the reason is you...
The oatmeal had some flaxseed
We want to lower our cholesterol
With creme bruleed bananas
A porridge that my wife you did enthrall
A fresh fruit medley placed on the right side
Health and great flavors provide
I found a reason to be
Mornings in South Orange County
Old breakfast plates thought of anew
And the reason is you... -
Review from Angie D.
Lake Forest, CA
5/7/2012
After reading all the raving reviews, I'm not sure what all the high praise was about... Had brunch here with a group of my gal pals and decided we'd eat at Break of Dawn. We pretty much all ordered something different and the general consensus was that it was definitely "Meh."
I got the Green Eggs and Ham since the hollandaise pesto reeled me in. First off, they gave only a small swipe of the sauce, and it was the most interesting flavor to the entire dish. Like another Yelper wrote, the eggs and ham itself were ordinary and most of the potatoes were hard and unseasoned. Honestly not sure why the dish is so expensive.
The only thing I did like was our small order of the Creme Brulee. It's the only "fusion" flavor I think they got right. Their brulee has ginger in it and was definitely surprising but worked really well with it! (And the only reason I gave another star)
If I ever come here again, I would want to try out their French Toast Creme Brulee. -
Review from Michael C.
Costa Mesa, CA
5/3/2012 1 Check-in Here
First off, the food was great. The quality was excellent for my spam weened taste buds and were pretty unique to me. Price was decent for what we ordered.
My major complaint is that the door host seemed disinterested and vacant. He didn't speak much and when we asked for a different table he threw down the menus on a different table and walked away, all the while not saying a word. It's possible that he's not a morning person.
The experience set the tone for the rest of the visit. Wait staff wasn't particularly attentive with water, coffee or extra condiments we requested.
Then the negatives for me started to add up. Paid $12 a plate for breakfast. Drove 20 minutes. Smallish portions.
I live close to Old Vine in Costa Mesa. If I'm going to drop $$ on breakfast, I'll gladly wait 30 mins for seats there. -
Review from Cryss C.
Irvine, CA
4/29/2012
My boyfriend and I went there to have brunch today and we were pretty disappointed.
We went after the brunch rush, I think, so we were seated quickly. However, we sat there for almost 10 minutes before anybody even came over to greet us and just take our drink order. Mind you, they weren't super busy and there were servers bringing stuff to and take plates away for the people sitting on either side of us. I tried making eye contacts with the servers but they didn't even look my way. There was also an older gentleman who looked like he might be the manager and he was just standing by the kitchen area observing the restaurant. I'd looked his way many times trying to give him a hint that we needed some help; he also ignored me completely. My boyfriend gave them a thumbs DOWN for the service within the first 10 minutes.
Our server finally came so we gave him our drink order and meal order at the same time. He didn't smile and was not friendly. Our food also took a long time to come out. And honestly, the food was just okay. I wasn't impressed a single bit. No one came back to ask us how the food was. Our water was only refilled once. We were basically left alone after they dropped off the food. We had to flag the waiter down to get our bill.
Oh, I just couldn't believe how much our bill was. It was like paying to eat at some high end restaurant - except it was no where near high end. Not even close. They tried to be semi-fancy on the presentation of the food, but com'on, it's just sausages and rice and eggs and some toasts. I would probably only pay half of what they were charging. $14 for rice and 2 eggs and 2 pieces of sausages?? That's ridiculous.
I also read some reviews and caught one where Chef Dee asked if he had reached 4-star status yet and also commented on how he was pissed off when reading some 1-star reviews. My immediate thought was, someone who only cares about his "status" and rating, and responds negatively to critiques instead of trying to listen and improve his restaurant definitely does not deserve a positive review.
I would not recommend this restaurant to people. It is way overrated and we will NOT return. -
Review from Bryan W.
5/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Intriguing menu and spectacular execution. Aesthetic and wall art reflects Vietnamese owner and chef. Rave reviews from newspapers. I tried the much Yelped about Hawaiian sausage, and although I enjoyed it, I recommend you try something else as in the end it was, well a sausage.
Other dishes ordered at my table intrigued me more (e.g., pulled pork). -
Review from Christina L.
Rosemead, CA
5/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
"You're thinking of taking ME to Vietnamese fusion? Okayyyyyy. As long as you know what you're getting yourself into!"
Break of Dawn came highly recommended. Despite my reservations, this Vietnamese girl really wanted to like this place.
I ordered the Green Eggs and Ham hoping the dish would be something innovative and whimsical like something I'd find on Top Chef by Carla Hall. But instead, it was just a poached egg on top of a slab of ordinary ham and a tiny piece of French bread I didn't even realize was there. I am not a big ham fan (Ponyo would be disappointed) but I was hoping it would be somehow transformed. It wasn't.
The biggest disappointment was the pesto hollandaise. There was no kick. There was very little flavor. It was like an indistinguishable green sauce. Maybe I was expecting something like the green bottled amazingness from Peruvian places. This wasn't it.
Chuck C. ordered Mac 'n Cheese with a side of Hawaiian sausage. Hands down, the sausage was the best thing that ended up at our table but in my opinion, not worth the $6, especially due to the heavy char (Do people really like their food this charred?). The herb potatoes on my plate were a close second.
I have a confession. I don't get mac 'n cheese. Okay, I simply do not like mac 'n cheese even though I am a big fan of cheese. Every time I eat it, I wonder why people think it is so amazing. Break of Dawn's Mac 'n Cheese didn't make me a convert. The aesthetics were definitely intriguing but it just wasn't cheesy. At all. Isn't mac 'n cheese supposed to be cheesy?
All in all, we left disappointed. My friend Kar told me I should've gotten the rolls. Chuck said he would return to try the Beef Short Rib. Next time, I will just say no to fusion. -
Review from Erin B.
Henderson, NV
5/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Everything about the food was fantastic! Smoked salmon tasted amazing and presented nice. The skillet was huge and soo good! The guy who seated us was not super friendly but gave us menus and I guess thats good enough. I would recommend this food to everyone who is open to trying some new dishes.
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Review from Rosie W.
4/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
I love their fusion menu - so many non ordinary breakfast items!
I ordered the portuguese-hawaiian sausage with two fried eggs. It reminded me of a longanisa breakfast, minus the over easy egg part. It was pretty tasty. I didn't care so much about the papaya salad though, not sure if it really goes well with it if you have breakfast on your mind. My Fiance ordered the cinnamon bun, which was actually not your typical cinn bun. First of all, it was huge and came in this clay pan which was burning hot. The bun itself was hot and required alot of cooling down before eating it. It was a nice twist to the normal cinnamon bun. -
Review from Hion L.
Fullerton, CA
4/11/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I cannot argue against the fact that the menu at Break of Dawn is amazing. The creative thought that is put into its items grab your interest from the instant you read the menu My biggest dilemma here is that I cannot decide what to order. All dishes are executed well and are composed of quality ingredients. The only reservation that I had was that the complexity of the dishes was someone muted when eaten. This is more than likely due to my own expectations from the menu reading, after all, the food here is still good. There are no fancy molecular gastronomy techniques, but rather a focus on ingredients.
As far as breakfast/brunch goes, I thought the creme brulee French toast was a refreshing change form the overly syrup laden version that many other restaurants serve. Simple French toast with a chocolate creme brulee resulted in being both rich and light. It is like the guilty pleasure that I had as a child eating cookie crisp cereal - the joy of dessert for breakfast! Eggs Benedict had perfectly poached eggs. It felt like having breakfast at the Ritz - good food albeit slightly overpriced.
If you are lucky enough to get to eat dinner which his served on the first Friday of the month, you will find a far better value. Entrees priced from $14-$18 is what I would consider a steal for food this caliber. Our table was so impressed by the offerings that we literally ordered one of every item on the menu.
Arctic Char - smoked eel terrine, seaweed, fava, scarlet orange
Yellow Tail - scallop tartar, verjus, caviar, cured yolk, cucumber chicharon
Americanus Egg - dungeness crab, spaghetti squash, abalone mushroom, shallot
Clam - saffron, chipolini, tomato, cauliflower shrimp broth
Foie - corn cake, cilantro, saba, Mexican chocolate
Wagyu Pork Belly - Korean BBQ baked bean, mustard and kimchi cabbage
Cold Cuts - Venison, sausage, pork rillette, fresh cheese, Master Dean Kim bread
Duck Skillet - taro, aged cheddar, duck sausage fried egg
Baker's Oven - beef, heart, root vegetable, plaintain, jerk spice
Lamb Shank - fenugreek, beet-garlic confit, sweet potato, pinenut
Sesame - Chocolate, honey powder, Speculoos-Tahini ice cream
Onyx rice - pudding, mango creme brulee, Thai basil
Although all items were pretty tasty, I thought there were a few that stood out. You can't go wrong with foie gras, and BOD's version was up there. The corn cake provided a nice textural and flavor contrast to cut some of the unctuousness of the foie. The duck skillet had wonderful duck essence throughout and the addition of the egg made it a homage to the breakfast skillet, but much better. Dessert-wise, I thought the Onyx rice was worth mentioning because it was such a different dish. A warm rice pudding that really captured the texture of the onyx rice and served atop a mango creme brulee was the best version of rice pudding that I had feasted upon.
If you get tired of the standard surf and turf and find that your calendar coincides with their dinner service, I suggest BOD as their menu is avant-garde in the sense that it is the epitome of nouveau cuisine without the heavy use of flashy techniques. Just great quality with daring flavor combinations. There is some solace in the fact that one can recognize the core essence of the dish.Listed in: Essential OC, Aliso Eats
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Review from Grace L.
5/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place was a bit over hyped for me. We had a big group brunch and were eager to try this place out and everything on the menu looked mouth-wateringly delicious. I decided on the BBQ because I heard the tempura egg was to die for. It was. However, the rest of the dish was mediocre at best. I also got to try the Smoked Salmon and Mac & Cheese and nothing was spectacular. Being that I drove all the way from Brea, CA I won't be back. But if I were in the area, I would stop in to try another dish.
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Review from Lotus Pond D.
Mission Viejo, CA
5/18/2012
me and my friends just had the worst experience yesterday. I come here once in a while. Yesterday, I took two of my friends with me for them to also experience the food. My other friend have a service dog with him, even though the dog is not wearing a collar, he should be well treated. We are at the entrance when the owner told us in a very RUDE way that we should leave the place immediately. There are ways of talking to people in a nice way..but this owner should learn how to do that.
I WILL NOT COMEBACK TO THIS PLACE.
I WILL NOT RECOMMEND AND PROMOTE THIS PLACE ANYMORE.
THEY JUST LOST CUSTOMERS BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW THE MEANING OF CUSTOMER SERVICE.
A business is not only about your products and services...it is also about how you take care of your patrons.
Very POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!
we decided to leave the place and never ever we are coming back. RUDE OWNER! watch out people. -
Review from Janet B.
Santa Ana, CA
4/30/2012
this was the worst disappointment I've encountered in a long time. The staff was incredibly rude, and robot like, drinks went unfilled, and the food was mediocre at best. I will not be returning.
seems like they need to take all their complaints on staff, and service to heart. -
Review from Kurdy S.
If you ever find yourself driving down the I-5 to San Diego in the AM, pull over into Laguna Hills and make sure to stop by this Asian fusion fare for some brunch. In fact, its literally right by the freeway.
With an itinerary that included Hiking Cowle's Mountain as the first stop, we wanted to consume enough just to have energy for the hike. Yes, I'm glad we ordered what we ordered as a 3-courser did hit the spot. *split between 2* $20 (approx)
First Course - Squash Soup with an Egg Roll, tasty soup and crispy roll (nothing too wow here)
Second Course - BBQ Pork with Tempura Egg on TOP, cooked tenderly, saucy pork with sweet BBQ-Asian flavors, then break the runny egg over it and you got yourself a grand slam! yum!
Third Course - Chocolate Creme Brulee, pretty good, nice thin sugary layer and semi-sweet chocolaty custard.
With a small glass of OJ, we were content! Service was a bit on the slower side for a not so busy time (too). But the meal made up for it. Decor is bamboo'd out with some modern touches. Yes, I would not mind hitting this up again when I plan another SD trip.Listed in: Showin' my OC Luv
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Review from Kathleen H.
Newport Beach, CA
4/15/2012
A very solid four stars. The food's delicious...what more can I say? My husband and I ordered three entrees between thet wo of us. We were close to ordering a fourth dish, but decided we'll just have to come back next weekend.
We came really early (right when they opened) because we didn't want to get stuck waiting in the long line like last time.
1) Short rib and merlot poached eggs - absolutely perfectly poached eggs. The short rib was extremely tender and the rice on the side soaked up the sauce and mixed so well with the mushroom and carrots. A wonderful combination as it is not your typical steak and eggs breakfast.
2) BBQ pulled pork - the pork could have been more shredded and more tender but the flavor profile was good, especially eaten together with the tempura egg, the contrast of the gooey center and the crunchy batter was satisfying.
3) French toast creme brulee - beautifully prepared raisin broiche french toast served atop sweet and creamy creme brulee! Abolutely a wonderful dessert, not sure I'd be able to order this as a breakfast item since it's REALLY sweet.
The coffee / decaf's pretty mediocre. Wish the coffee was as good as the food the restaurant served.
Definintely coming back. -
Review from Dee D.
Laguna Hills, CA
4/16/2012 1 Check-in Here
4 stars for delicious food...minus half a star for a long wait.. another half for sucky service at the end ;[
I tend not to like going to asian fusion places because I usually get disappointed. I feel like its not asian enough and the flavors are all weird but this place I likeys!
Viet Iced Coffee! Yuuuum. I would go back there just for that! It had the perfect combination of coffee to condensed milk ratio... I got home 30 minutes later and I was bouncing off the walls..
I had the hawaiian sausage and fried rice.. the sausage was really good but the fried rice could have used some work. I enjoyed the green papaya salad alot too. The perfect freshness to counter the sausage.
This palce is tucked away off the freeway.. Ive been to the trader joes a million times I didnt see it until I looked for it. They can be quite busy during brunch hours on the weekend so either come early..come late or prepare to wait! -
Review from Maria C.
Yum!!!
We met up for brunch. I was excited to come here since I heard the chef came from the Ritz-Carlton.
We all ordered various items, but I opted for the 3-course menu ($20):
-Kabocha Soup: Crispy Shrimp/Chicken Rolls and a creamy bisque. A great starter.
-BBQ Pork: Corn cake, slaw, egg tempura. Very unique and tasty. My fave part was to pop the egg all over the BBQ pork. MMMMMMM...
-Chocolate Creme Brulee: DELISH!!! I wish the portion was a big larger. Great end to a nice brunch.
I also tried the Cinnamon Bun ($8), which is their staple dessert. Enough to share with your party.
Service was awesome as they continued to check up on us and refilled our drinks. This place gets really busy so be mindful of the wait time. -
Review from Angela A.
3/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
Thank you Kent D. for your awesome review. I took your food recommendations and ordered the mac n cheese and the braised bacon for myself. There was 10 other diners with me so we all ordered different items. The Sausage and rice, potato n egg skillet, the meat loaf, the vegetable casserole, and the ever-so-amazing French Toast Creme Brulee!!
What more can I say other than the food is delicious, the Asian-inspired decor is modern, minimal - making the restaurant look clean and inviting. The service is friendly and attentive and Chef Dee is very present tending to diners.
We came for a birthday and my friend brought a batch of Snickers cheesecake cupcake - looked so yummy that Dee wanted one and even asked my friend for the recipe!
That is when we discovered that he hosts a special dinner every 1st Friday of the month. Each month is a different menu. RSVP in advance because seats go fast!! Although April is already sold out and this is his last dinner until further notice. -
Review from Stephanie S.
Los Angeles, CA
4/16/2012
This is definitly one of my favorite brunch places in OC.
I been this restaurants more than 10 times. Always want to try different dish each time and none of them have failed me.
Vietnamese style cooking method, great flavors, comfort food, big portion and cheap price! How can you not love this place and want to come back again and again. -
Review from Charles K.
Los Angeles, CA
4/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great place to grab breakfast/brunch. I usually don't trust Asian fusion restaurant (mixing of Asian flavors is just weird...) but this place does it pretty well.
I love love love their Skillet - comes out HOT with a huge bed of potatoes, eggs on top, and a bunch of toppings which include cheese and guacamole. Absolutely in love with it. -
Review from Tanya D.
3/28/2012 2 photos
After having this spot bookmarked for ages on Yelp I finally found an excuse to brunch it up at Break of Dawn! Well that's not true - I tried coming once but was way too hungry for the 45-minutes wait (come early, or starve!)
First off: Get the Tempura Eggs. Just do it. They're amazing and delicious and ____ (insert any adjective ending in -gasmic). Great texture, unique and they're fried so that's already great.
My party tried the French Toast Creme Brulee, Ranchero Omelette and Vegetable Casserole. The presentation is lovely, with the latter served in ... well, you'll see!
The service was great, everybody really enjoyed their meals and I do like that it's a twist on the usual without turning your breakfast experience on its head. From sweet to savory to hearty, Break of Dawn is a unique restaurant tucked in a stray corner near the Laguna Hills Mall.
PS: I wasn't kidding about the Tempura Eggs. -
Review from Coleen C.
Orange County, CA
Why am I dropping BoD's rating from five stars to just three? SERVICE. The food is always great, however. The last two times my husband and I were there, the service was bad. Here are some specific issues:
*This time: When we arrived, the guy walked us to a table near the kitchen and I nicely asked if we could instead sit in the two-top near the window. He silently handed me two menus and turned on his heel and abruptly walked away from me. Uhhhh... thanks?
*Last two times: One person at the table had to wait longer for his/her food, this time, about four minutes.
*Last time: She had to wait about eight minutes. Geez! We fed her our food because we felt so bad!
*Last two times: We were brought someone else's order and the server was super-confused (to our credit, we didn't touch it).
*Last two times: The wait staff was completely remiss on drink refills and even checking back on us after food was delivered. We had to flag them down for more coffee. Hey! more coffee! Please!
This time -- it wasn't even busy.
Folks, you really need to iron out those service issues or you're going to lose customers. Javier M and I are in agreement.Listed in: Early Weekend Breakfast
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/6/2011
Break of Dawn is so good, I'm speechless. Just kidding!
If you are a breakfast or brunch person and… Read more »
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Review from Amy S.
Los Angeles, CA
3/26/2012 4 Check-ins Here
So, I came here both times with Phong N. and I have to say, it's pretty good. I give it the 4 stars only because the prices are a bit much and the food is just alright...well some of it.
Things I've tried:
Creme Brulee French Toast: THIS THING IS HUGE! After I ate this thing, I felt like I was gonna collapse into a food coma. It's really decadent and sweet, but very delicious. It's great to share as a dessert or with friends. It got me with the chocolate syrup drizzled on top.
Smoked Salmon. THIS IS MY FAVORITE! I tried this thing just this weekend and I have to say this thing is DELICIOUS! I was so sad I didn't order it and I felt bad for Phong cause I kept eating it. (Whoops) Well anyways, just the plating is beautiful, and then you dig in and it's just as delicious as it looks! The smoked salmon is great, not too salty, and the oatmeal galette is SO FRICKEN DELICIOUS! Pair it with the perfectly poached eggs....HOLY CRAP, it's just a plate of deliciousness.
Mac N Cheese: So...this thing was alright. I thought it was a little too salty, but I like how it has sausages in it along with an egg on top. It's pretty good and not that cheesy. Definitely a new twist on the old favorite.
Overall, I think this place is definitely worth a try! -
Review from Patricia L.
Los Angeles, CA
3/27/2012 2 photos
4.5 STARS! (as of now)
My friend took me for brunch (she highly recommended this place) and we were lucky because it was not packed. Finally, I was able to try it out! :)
We ordered the following:
Chicken Stew: Lightly Curried with Carrots, Edamame, & Lemongrass Broth
Smoked Salmon: Coriander Cured with Oatmeal Galette, Herb Poached Egg, Fennel Seed-Tomato, & Preserved Kumquat
They were both good! I asked the server if I could have some rice on the side with my Chicken Stew. :) They were very gracious and didn't charge us for it.
Excellent customer service and nice ambiance! Will be looking forward to try out their other dishes. :) -
Review from Renee G.
Mission Viejo, CA
5/3/2012
Food was decent, but over priced. Not a traditional breakfast menu but good if your looking for something a little different
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Review from John Viet Triet N.
Fountain Valley, CA
5/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
I got to enjoy the "Green Eggs and Ham" aka Eggs Benedict. I tried my friend's "Smoked Salmon" entree and I highly recommend it! I love the decor and the space. They got their own stule with their mason jar mugs and charming vials used for sauce and ketchup. I need to try the "Skillet" entree next time. Stop by for a meal today! They close at 2pm!
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Review from wendy C.
Walnut, CA
It was a beautiful Sunday Morning; the type of sunday morning that calls for a nice brunch! And did Break of Dawn deliver!
I came here definitely in a eggs and sausage type of mood, but how could I ignore the rave yelp reviews on their creme brulee french toast?? So I went ahead and ignored my stomach and crossed my fingers and prayed to the all mighty food god that I had made the right choice in trusting my fellow yelpers.
My friends you have not failed me! Let me tell you, this french toast is the absolute best!!!! Now, I'm not big on french toast as I find it too plain when just served classic-style drizzled with maple syrup. The creme brulee french toast had so much dimension! Yes, it was a whole plate of sweet, but there was toasty sweet, and savory sweet, and decadent sweet, and creamy sweet.. all the things you might like about different desserts all rolled into one! This is a must try! -
Review from Fay Lynn M.
South Pasadena, CA
4/29/2012
After reading the positive reviews about Break Of Dawn my wife and I were excited about the chance to enjoy a really great breakfast.
Unfortunately our expectations of having a great meal were not met. My wife ordered the skillet which came out of the kitchen looking fabulous. As soon as my wife started to eat she realized that the potatoes lining the bottom of the skillet were all burned. She asked the waitress if the skillet breakfast was always burned on the bottom and the waitress said yes the potatoes always got burned.
My wife probably should have sent the skillet back and ordered something else but we were starving and didn't want to wait for another meal to be cooked.
I wasn't happy with the meatloaf. The portions seemed really small! I was expecting a much larger portion and even though the meatloaf tasted good I left still hungry.
So the bottom line is don't order the skillet if you hate the taste of burnt food. -
Review from Maggie H.
2/15/2012 1 Check-in Here
Brunch place with a TWIST~ I LOVE Brunch. i LOVE asian food. I LOVE trying new things. Break of Dawn has all three of my loves!
My friends wanted to do a celebratory brunch here over the weekend and I had no idea what this place was about. It was pretty crowded, so be prepared to wait!
They had a variety of traditional brunch dishes but with a twist. Theres a hint of asian (mostly vietnamese) fushion in there.
We all tried out different dishes and i was very very happy~
Green Eggs and Ham~ its basically an eggs benedict but instead of hollandaise sauce, they used a house blend pesto sauce. I am a sucker for pesto~ They did two perfectly poached, runny eggs on top of two slices of ham on top of a small potato bread. Theres also a plate of potatoes too, but those were just like every other potato. I honestly loved this dish, the traditional eggs benedict is amazing but a bit too creamy for me and their version is just right. I only wished the portion was a lil bit bigger.
Corn beef~ that's my favorite dish of the day. It has Corned Beef, Sweet Potato Hash, Poached Eggs, Tarragon Cabbage, and Mustard Sauce. It not a NORMAL corned beef though. It has this sweet and salty flavor to it that makes it sooooo amazing. The tarragon cabbage was amazing too. I love pickled veggies. There are so many different flavors in this dish and it goes so well together.
Veggie Casserole~ This was more like a heart warming veggie stew. It has Kaffir Lime-Tomato Braised Eggs, New Potato, Tofu, winter vegetable, and Swiss Cheese. It came in this cast iron pot and a side of rustic bread. It was yummy. honestly pretty yummy, but the flavors I've had before, so it didn't surprise me like the other dishes did.
Smoked Salmon~ Coriander Cured, Oatmeal Galette, Herb Poached Egg, Fennel Seed-Tomato, and Preserved Kumqua. I really enjoyed this dish. The oatmeal galette was seriously amazing. The smoked salmon was delicious too. I love smoked salmon.
And you know the BEST part about this place? they have VIETNAMESE COFFEE!!! i LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Vietnamese ice coffee! its sooo strong but soooo delicious at the same time. I prefer it over reg coffee. You HAVE to get that here!
overall i loved my experience here and definitely want to come back to try everything else on their menu!
recap:
1) Corn Beef
2) Green eggs and ham
3) Vietnamese coffee!!! -
Review from Dik W.
Irvine, CA
2/25/2012
Its because of places like this that I'm addicted to Yelp. After reading a review from one of my friends, Noah C, I felt compelled to come check it out. And I'm so glad I did.
As far as breakfast places go, this isn't cheap - but if you're looking for something a little different and slightly decadent like Crème Brulee French Toast (!!!), Break of Dawn is just the place.
I'll return to the French toast in a moment but I need to address my appetizer first - tempura fried eggs. Doesn't sound good? Try it - the consistency will blow your mind. Its a perfect combination of crispy and savory goodness - despite the deep-fry, they remain as delicate as if they were cooked over easy. I considered ordering more but I needed to save room...
Crème Brulee French Toast. Not healthy in any way. But so good. I must confess - I over indulged a bit toward the end. But I couldn't help it - I just couldn't let that last slice go to waste. The toast slices rest on a bed of what can only be described as Crème Brulee sauce - just begging you to mop up every last drop with the bread. It was so sooo good, I can't recommend it any higher.
Definitely worth the $$. -
Review from Kyle C.
Irvine, CA
2/26/2012
A+mazing
went at 12pm on a Saturday. lots of room inside and outside.
cute decor. nice place for a date.
small menu. meals 12 to 15. very creative mix of ingredients.
had the mac & cheese and creme brulee french toast. destroyed my diet. -
Review from Mel B.
2/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
602 reviews...do I need to add my 2 cents?
Sure, why not!
Searched yelp reviews and ordered the popular dishes. Here was our take...
None of the dishes are served in the traditional sense, and while that was refreshing with some dishes, for the Mac and cheese, it was not. It was more over done macaroni noodles, mixed with sausage and small amounts of short rib, mixed with a watery smoked gouda carbonara sauce. I was disappointed.
Sausage and rice: Delicious. While the mixture of flavors was a bit odd at first, I ended up loving the combination of the cool papaya slaw and the spicy scallion puree along with the tasty Portuguese sausage. I'd order that again.
French Toast Creme Brulee: I may drive from SD for this again. In love. Period.
Portions are on the smaller side, especially for the price, and don't let the huge plate fool you. Service was so so. Not rude, just not friendly. However, I'd still go back since the dishes were unique enough. -
Review from Sean R.
Foothill Ranch, CA
4/2/2012 2 Check-ins Here
My first experience here was a couple weeks ago. I ordered the Mac and Cheese which is Mac N Cheese, Sicilian Sausage, Short Rib, Bacon Fried Egg, and Parmasion Cream... the American cheese that covered the rectangular-shaped block of mac n cheese mixed with short rib and Sicillian sausage was the only part of the meal that was hot. The mac n cheese concoction was served lukewarm/cold as if it was heated in a microwave. It was the worst breakfast meal I have ordered anywhere in a very long time.
The second time visiting, my gf and I were forced to share a long table with four other customers that immediately began to complain amongst themselves that "they didn't realize "they" had to share a table with "other people" while glaring at us! Geez! As if it was our idea in the first place! The host never asked if it was okay if we shared a table with another group! Terrible policy! Anyway, I ordered the Creme Brule French Toast. It was WAY too sweet for a breakfast item, even if they served it as a dessert, it was still way too sweet! The slices of bread were tiny compared to most places that serve French Toast equaling about 4-5 small slices of pre-cut bread (1 1/2" x 3") which were extremely thin for French Toast. As far as the "creme brule" part, it was merely custard with chocolate sauce drizzled on top. There wasn't any caramelized sugar that was either torched or baked on top of the custard which would have made it creme brule. There was also a very small hint of coconut taste and a few raisins thrown in the mix. I can't believe they charge $14 for this! It is basically a $14 dessert! If I'm going to pay $14 for a dessert, I better have an ocean view and a private table, not one that we were forced to share with other customers!
We are not returning to this restaurant. It is WAY too expensive for a strip mall joint. Also, being so close to Seizure World, the parking is kinda scary with the extra number of senior drivers buzzing around the parking lot... it kinda reminded me of that one South Park episode... SCARY! LOL -
Review from Michelle R.
Fullerton, CA
2/27/2012 1 Check-in Here
I went with my sister, bil and friend for the pop up Friday. The food was amazing.
We ordered the entire menu, as they encouraged us to share. The reason for a 4 intstead of 5 starts is some of the dishes were not shareable. Some were 3 portions not 4, so one of us were left out, or got just a taste. If we had known it was an odd combo, I would have doubled the order.
Otherwise, great food. I'm hoping to go to another Friday dinner. -
Review from Darren T.
Dear Chef @ Break of Dawn,
While I raved about this place to my friends, we went for another brunch. Some of my dining partners got the typical mac and cheese. I decided to brave out on the tail and tongue.
Bad, freakin', choice.
Rustic. Yes. Hearty, sorta. Good? Absolutely not.
I usually would give this at least a two star review, but this was absolutely bad. How can something so bad be on their menu? I can't understand that. It was universal at our table -- my dish is very comparable to a can of Campbell's soup... well, at least the Campbell's soup would've been seasoned!
My Tongue and Tail was a bowl of beef and bean stew. The broth tasted like it was just flavored with beans. For some reason, even though they were using oxtail, the broth lacked that unctuous quality you get when you braise a gelatinous meat like oxtail. It seriously tasted like bean soup. Oxtail was hard to eat and it was actually kinda dry. Maybe they braised in too high of heat or something, I've never had oxtail that seemed to turn so powdery after chewing it. Well, I did, that was at UCI's Pippen Dining Commons. I was just so disappointed, angry actually.
I was never checked on to see how our food was. Most cafes are good about that -- even Norms and Denny's would've done so. But nope, the servers seemed much more attentive to the older umm... wealthier crowds than our table of guys in the 20s. Oh well, they tip better right? Pfff, I usually throw down a 20-25% tip. We pretty much had to chase our server down to add in something to our order, don't even get me started on how I was thirsty because my water cup was empty before we even got our meal. Or how we had reservations but had to wait half an hour. Even watching another wealthier looking individual and his friends enjoy a table (same sized party and came in 15 minutes after us) get seated pretty much right away. Or don't get me started on how they offered us the menu to look over what we wanted, when I found out that (while the server was impatiently waiting for us to order) the front of house gave us an older menu! So what I initially wanted was not available. (keep that in mind guys!)
Bad food, biased service and just a disappointing day. (Hey, it was my birthday brunch too!)
The only positive of the day was that there was an In N Out down the street.
And no, that did not disappoint me.
Sincerely,
The once happy customer who no longer is,
Darren T.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/29/2010
Freaking hell, I wish I lived closer to Laguna Hills. This place was BOMB! I'll upload some pics… Read more »
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Review from Charlie P.
Mission Viejo, CA
Updated - 2/11/2012 3 Check-ins Here
Had a great dinner here last Friday. Lamb, cabernet, and rice pudding for desert.
It was much more fancy and delicious than my description for sure. The owner/chef, Dee Nguyen, host one dinner nite per month. A great time, very special.1 Previous Review:
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12/8/2011
Dee's Corned Beef, with sweet potato, cabbage, and poached eggs rocks!
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Review from Larry G.
Brea, CA
4/5/2012
Food was only ok, and very expensive for mainly potatoes. Our server really had a bad attitude which I dont need when paying for something. No tip and will not return.
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Review from Javier M.
Mission Viejo, CA
3/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Food was really good. Service was very very slow.
I would come back but my expectations of service will be low. -
Review from Angela D.
Updated - 1/30/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Came here again and service was even worse! :(
Their skillet was pretty good though and very filling.
The food is good but seriously they need to make sure to service their customers so they will want to come back!Listed in: Brunch
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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7/19/2011
I came here thinking this was a regular brunch place but it actually has an Asian twist.
Ordered the… Read more »
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