Roy's Restaurant — Restaurant in Anaheim

We read about so many lives lost to drunk or DUI drivers that my wife and I decided this year to just have a quiet, early dinner for NYE. I wanted to go to West Hollywood or DTLA but she wanted to stay close to home. So we compromised with Roys in Anaheim at the Garden Walk. Parking, on this evening was busy with a queue about 12 cars deep just to get into the parking garage. Luckily, they had EV chargers open, so we got a good spot and charged at the same time!

The wait was fairly short, but they were taking walk-in's. We were disappointed that so many people were dressed casually while my wife and I took the time to look nice (at least for each other, but heck, that's what it's all about anyway, right?) especially on NYE. You'll get a mix of people here from tourists visiting Disneyland from all over the world, to locals, like ourselves, looking for a nice night out, to business people trying to seal the deal (I kid you not, there were some guys next to us talking about real estate (on NYE!)).

The service was impeccable as was the food. We were disappointed that the chocolate souffle was not offered on the NYE prix fixe menu. However, what was on the menu was stunning. The lobster bisque, which I order at other restaurants when I get a chance, was absolutely amazing. It was velvety with good pieces of lobster, not just an essence. My wife's tuna poke was likewise superb and, to date, is her favorite, bar none. Unlike a traditional poke served over rice, this was molded with avocado and served next to won ton chips. It truly was delicious.

For the next course, I ordered the filet mignon, medium, with lump crab cake and added a lobster tail (the dish comes only with the crab cake and filet) and my wife had the Chilean Sea bass (one of her go-to dishes when it's available). My steak was cooked perfectly, with just the right amount of pink in the center with a good char on the outside. The lobster tail was juicy and not overcooked (unlike Hell's kitchen... SMH). The lump crab cake was free of shell pieces and not overly salty nor overly breaded. The Yukon mashed potatoes, like the bisque, was velvety smooth, with a hint of butter and natural potato flavors. The asparagus was excellent as well as the truffle onion and misoyaki demi-glace.

The sea bass was delightful (I'm running out of superlatives and descriptives here...). It, too, wasn't overcooked and was moist and flavorful. My wife's eyes just about popped out of her head with the first bite. She loves fish, but really, really loved this. The garlic noodles under the fish gave just enough contrast in flavors and textures to enhance the bass without being distracting. The Nishime vegetables and Thai lime emulsion, likewise, were a perfect compliment.

As our meal also included dessert, we opted for the guava panna cotta. I'm not a fan of guava, but my wife is. All I can say is that I'm a fan now. At least if it's prepared like Roy's. It was a white chocolate mousse with strawberry champagne sauce and pink peppercorns. There was also an edible flower garnish. I never eat the flower garnish, regardless of restaurant, but tonight I decided to give it a try. It was delicious. Also, whoever thought of mixing peppercorns with a sweet dessert should be knighted! Amazing juxtaposition of flavors.

We ended the evening with a toast and some champagne and beat the erratic and inebriated drivers and were able to kiss our kids, all four of them, goodnight as we waited for 2024 to roll in.

While not as pompous and spectacular as our other NYE's, this one was delicious and meaningful. A wonderful dinnner and night with my wife, and a warm homecoming to my kids. If 2024 is anything like this night, we'll need another reservation at Roy's... make that several reservations and a...

Friday night get together with some friends at Roy's Restaurant Anaheim

I had a $25 dining credit summer promotion for being a Roy's email club member. Made reservations in advance for dinner and we were seated right away. Menus with a personalized page for the celebrant awaited browsing for everyone dining.

Tonights selections were-

Roy's trio (misoyaki butterfish, roasted macadamia nut crusted mahi mahi & grilled Atlantic salmon)- Ah yes, the famed butterfish. Melt in your mouth good. I can see what the fuss is all about. Cut it with a fork tender. The mahi mahi was good, albeit a bit dry and the salmon was okay. Came accompanied with garlic rice.

Seared sea scallops- Ginormous scallops served on top of pork belly, fennel, apple, Yukon puree with a coriander glaze. The scallops were sweet with a pleasing texture. Pork belly provided that unctuous pork fat flavor

Sweet corn & blue crab crusted barramundi- The barramundi was flaky, clean tasting with sweet blue crab meat crusted around it. My first time having barramundi. I'm a fan!

Teppanyaki shrimp- Shrimp, sambal, tomato, garlic, Thai basil, asparagus served over housemade Togarashi noodles. The shrimp were large and cooked to perfection. Didn't care to much for the Togarashi noodles, but that 's more of me not being a pasta fan.

For dessert-

Chocolate souffle- Piping hot, served with vanilla bean ice cream. A very nice dessert treat that can be shared quite nicely with others. It takes 20 mins to prepare, so make sure to order with your entrees unless you want to wait for awhile.

Complimentary birthday treat- Happy birthday to me! Okay, early birthday. I believe this is an egg custard topped with strawberries, blueberries and raspberries. This was a delight. The custard was creamy & sweet, the shell was crumbly and the fruit were a great complement to an already amazing dessert. I blew out the candle without making a fire hazard ;p

Service was good. I was warmly greeted when I arrived a half hour before our scheduled reservation time, in which I was recommended dishes to try. Once seated, our server gave us a run down of the menu and told us the chef's recommendations of how our dishes should be cooked. which happened to be medium. Our finished plates were cleared quickly and waters were filled frequently.

Inside, the dining area is clean with soft lighting creating the perfect ambiance for an evening out. The men's restroom was clean and well-appointed.

Overall, I had a fabulous time with friends at Roy's Restaurant. A bit pricey, to be sure, but when offset by the $25 dining credit, I think it's definitely worth it. The misoyaki butterfish is the real deal and worth the hype. Next time, I plan to indulge in Roy's specialty sushi rolls. I almost pulled the trigger on those for tonight, but they will have to wait till the next outing.

Thanks to all who showed tonight. I had a great time, spending 3 hours enjoying each other's company and chatting up random things such as ghost stories and flower deliveries to a local jail. You had to have been here to understand what that was about ;p

Highly...

After a week of eating what was supposed to be the best food Disneyland offers and receiving the most terrible service in our life with mediocre meals, we decided to look outside the park. I am so thankful we did!

Starting with my phone call to ask if we could wear our vacation clothes to dinner I was met with the kindest voice on the other end reassuring me that it was okay to wear a Disneyland Sweatshirt since we had not planned to leave the resort property.

When we arrived 20 minutes early to our reservation we sat for less than 5 minutes before we were seated at our table and from the very first second we arrived the entire staff was unbelievable and I do not think words can fully describe how attentive the staff was to us.

They provided a allergy menu that had so many options which was a treat for me because I am used to having only one or two options and often those consist of just salad and fruit, but not noodles, such a rare occasion.

We tried an appetizer of Brussel Sprouts which if not prepared correctly can be very bitter. My husband and I looked at each other after the first bite with amazement, we'd never had brussel sprouts come even close to being as delicious as these were. I told my husband not only were these the best brussel sprouts I have had im my life but possibly thing I have ever tasted.

My entire family, including my picky 8 year old was blown away by the food and service here and our server (a beautiful, petite, blonde who could pass for a disney princess) was the sweetest and most attentive we have had at our stay in L.A. or anywhere else.

The entire staff was amazing and my husband was really impressed with the attentiveness and manners of the commis waiter. At some of the places we have been to this past week, we were left in a mess which made it difficult to enjoy after dinner conversation but not here due to their diligence of keeping things tidy for us.

We were asked if we wanted dessert and I always say no because of my gluten allergy but then she said that they had a flourless souffle and we were sold! The dinner finished with our family each grabbing a spoon and enjoying this sweet treat which I will remember fondly.

We were so impressed and are already talking about how we will ALWAYS stop here on our visits to LA.

Just amazing treatment from everyone. Thank you all so much!

EDIT: We ended up coming back again a month later for our wedding anniversary just the two of us and once again received amazing service which made our special day even more special. Since the entire family loved this place (my 8-year-old calls it the place where she had the fancy chicken nuggets) we hope to be back for another vacation or special celebration in the...