BOK Kitchen in Fountain Valley

Vietnamese fusion is trending in Orange County, and this place executes it so well. We ordered a variety of savoury and sweet dishes including chicken & pandan waffles, fried chicken & pumpkin curry, and Ha Noi sampler platter. Everything was delicious, and theres nothing I wouldnt order again. Staff crushed it, and the interior aesthetic is lovely. This is the place Im recommending to all my friends when they ask for a brunch rec!

My friends and I decided to try this place for an experience! We got to try the brunch menu including the chicken & waffles and banh xeo! I was obsessed with the chicken but not really impressed with the sea bass!The service is very friendly to us because it wasnt crowded at the time we came in! I gotta say that the interior here is nice especially in the dark! But I say I would go here again for the dinner experience!

I am so glad I came here to try before it gone viral and hard to get a table. I had a great experience at BOK Kitchen, a new restaurant in Fountain Valley that serves modern Vietnamese cuisine. The owner, Chef Thanh Nguyen, came from Philadelphia to introduce her ways of cooking and to elevate the culture. She has a lot of passion and knowledge about food, which shows in her dishes.The food was very delicious and fresh. I ordered the beef carpaccio, which was thinly sliced red meat with a variety of toppings, such as chopped green herbs, pine nuts, and fried garlic. It was served on a light blue plate with a white rim, which made it look very elegant and appetizing. The meat was tender and flavorful, and the toppings added some crunch and aroma. It was a perfect starter for the meal.For the main course, I had the wok-fired tenderloin, which was cubed filet mignon with cracked black pepper, beets puree, lime dressed watercress, simple roasted asparagus, and jasmine rice. It was a hearty and satisfying dish, with the beef cooked to perfection and the vegetables adding some freshness and color. The beets puree was smooth and sweet, and the lime dressing gave a nice tang to the salad. The rice was fluffy and fragrant, and complemented the beef well.I also tried the short rib ragu, which was prime grade short rib with buttered polenta, stir-fried watercress, roasted tomatoes, and rustic potatoes. It was a rich and decadent dish, with the short rib falling apart in my mouth and the polenta creamy and buttery. The watercress added some bitterness and crunch, while the tomatoes added some acidity and sweetness. The potatoes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was a dish that made me feel cozy and happy.I also had the Hanoi sampler, which was a traditional Vietnamese dish with tofu, pork, pork pattie, vermicelli, Vietnamese herbs, kumquat, fermented shrimp sauce, and blood sausage (optional). It was a fun and interactive dish, where I could wrap the ingredients in lettuce leaves and dip them in the sauce. The tofu was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the pork was tender and juicy, the pork pattie was savory and aromatic, the vermicelli was light and springy, the herbs were fresh and fragrant, the kumquat was sour and sweet, the shrimp sauce was pungent and salty, and the blood sausage was rich and earthy. It was a dish that showcased the diversity and complexity of Vietnamese flavors.The interior of the restaurant was very nice and cozy. It had an open kitchen concept, so I could see the chef and her staff working hard to prepare the food. The decor was modern and chic, with some traditional Vietnamese elements. The service was friendly and attentive, and they made sure I had everything I needed.I would definitely recommend BOK Kitchen to anyone who loves Vietnamese food or wants to try something new and different. It is a gem in Fountain Valley that deserves more recognition and support. I cant wait to go back and try more dishes from their menu.

Drove an hour from LA to try this restaurant and Id say it worth the drive, so here are my suggestions and review!I started with their #coffee- $7 Pandan Latte (8.5/10): house pandan extract | condensed milk | ca phe froth.- $6 Lychee Blush (10/10): lychee | pink lemonade | condensed milk | cheese foam. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.For Cold Starters:- $16 Wagyu Tái Chanh (10/10): strip loin wagyu | pine nuts | onion | Thai basil | fried shallots | crumbled rice crackers | passionfruit fish sauce vinaigrette. MUST ORDER!- $16 Prawn & Mango Salad (7/10): cajun tiger prawn | mango | bell pepper | onion | cucumber | tomato | sprout leavesFor Hot Starters:- $26 Hà Nội Sampler (6.5/10): tofu | pork | pork pattie | vermicelli | Viet herbs | kumquat | fermented shrimp sauce | blood sausage (optional). It may be challenging to try for non-Vietnamese with our traditional fermented shrimp sauce because of the taste and smell.- $15 Skillet Escargot (10/10): lemongrass butter | salted duck egg yolk | Viet coriander. For people who love seafood & snails to try! I LOVE IT!- $18 Buttered Crabs (7.5/10): soft shells | home whipped corn butter | salted duck egg yolk | crisp, charred onion | bell pepper | fried garlicFor Chef’s Menu:- $38 Summer Sea Bass (8/10): mashed edamame | mango salad | scallion aioli | yuzu infused soy sauce- $34 Short Rib Ragu (9/10): prime grade | buttered polenta | stir-fried watercress | roasted tomatoes | rustic potatoes$25 Roasted Pork Hock (8/10): sea salt | five spice | chili | crispy skin | pickled cucumbersGeneral, authenticity is 7.5/10, but innovation is 8.5/10!🚗 Plenty of Free Parking

The restaurant is chic with an open kitchen concept so it was a cute spot to celebrate a birthday. Decor is stylish which I really enjoyed.I started off with a pandan latte while the birthday girl had a creme brulee latte. I asked for mine less sweet which was perfect for me. The creme brulee latte came as is which was too sweet. It was cool to watch them torch the creme brulee latte before delivering it to our table.They dont serve liquor here but we were able order a large body of soju for $22.For our dishes:- Buttered Crabs - 2 crabs cut into 4 so perfect for sharing. Tasty but a little fishy.- Jasmine Paella - no where near paella as it didnt take long to make at all when paella needs time. It was just fried rice. Still tasty but not what we were expecting.- Wok Fried Tenderloin - this really is just shaken beef also known as bo luc lac. The meat is tender but for the small portion, not worth the price at $28.There is also a $5 personal cake fee for the birthday cake we brought in.Service was attentive and they were helpful in taking our pictures. We were in a hurry to leave so I did not catch the Sapporo they charged us in error.I want to support this restaurant due to a female chef but the high prices cannot be justified for average food and small portions.

Excellent presentation and delicious food. The taste profile for the dishes we ordered were remarkable. Highly recommended.

Came in for dinner with family for Mothers day. The restaurant was not busy at all but cant seat us right the way for some reasons. I mean they have only like 3 small partying the restaurant. We had to wait to be at the exact time of the reservation to be seated.The food were pretty mediocre.Morning Glory has fermented shrimp paste dressing and it is really strong and salty.Softshell crabs supposed to have salted egg yolk, I couldnt taste it at all. It was pretty salty too.Ha noi sample was okay, nothing impressive.Chicken wings (tamarind fish sauce) was okay not that great, and not crunchy enough.Sea pot - vermicelli with seafood soup- it literature taste like a pot of boiling seafood with vermicelli thrown in and adding some lime juice in.Sea bass smells really fishy and salty too.For the dessert, fried banana with ice cream is pretty good. Not too sweet.For drinks, pickled apricot is good.Service is okay. To be honest, this restaurant gives me a lot of confusions, not high end and not low end, not Vietnamese authentic and not much fusion neither. I dont think I will come back. Sorry guys, nice try.

Had a lovely dinner with my family here. Everyone was very nice and attentive. Ambiance was nice and chic!Overview of what we tried:1. Shaken Beef (Bo luc lac) - beef was very tender and we had to order a 2nd because the portion was smaller than we thought but very delicious.2. Soft shell crab - this was the best soft shell crab I’ve had anywhere. It was perfectly battered and tasty. I’m still craving more of this dish!!!3. Roasted Pork hock - the slices of pork with the crispy skin was amazing and came with lightly dressed cucumbers which can be a dish of its own.4. Fried chicken w/tamarind sauce - nicely battered with hint of butter and perfect amount of tamarind. Chicken was nice and crispy as we like it!5. Lemongrass clams - very aromatic and tasty. Just wish the clams were larger!6. Lemongrass tofu - tasty but prefer the tofu be crispierDesserts:1. Nutella Panna cotta - I fell in love with panna cotta since my trip to Italy and suggest anyone to try this. My kids loved this so much I ordered them a 2nd.2. Baked Banana cake - I didn’t think I would like this because I don’t usually like eating bananas but it was pleasantly good. The coconut ice cream really complimented the cakeOverall the food was very delicious and nicely presented! We will definitely come back to try their other dishes!

Just had a wonderful meal at BOK!!The fried rice was my favorite before I added a little bit of chili paste and when that happened we were OFF TO JUPITER!!!Just wonderful food across the board with very cool vibes, looking forward to trying the whole menu!

Food was ok, staff were nice. clean store