Irvine｜Who’s the True Brunch King? 👑

A sister restaurant of one of my favorites, NEP Cafe—definitely shares a similar vibe. 🍣 Salmon Crudo – Five slices of salmon topped with pickles and chili oil. Taste = salmon + pickles + chili oil. Mystery ingredient: clear pearl-like beads underneath (never figured out what they were). 🥓 Persimmon & Prosciutto – Persimmon, ham, cheese, and pistachios. Taste = exactly those four things combined. Not bad, but no wow factor. 🍝 Two pastas tried: • Spicy Miso Carbonara – Served with udon. Flavor was okay but a bit salty. • Seafood Mafaldine – Standard seafood pasta—nothing special. 🍹 Yuzu Cocktail – Actually quite good! Overall impression? Nothing was bad, but nothing really surprised me either. Fine for a one-time visit, but it didn’t deliver the “wow” I felt during my first NEP Cafe experience. 🏠 INI Ristorante #LAFood #LALife #Irvine #IrvineEats #BrunchGoals 🥂🍽️