LSXO — Restaurant in Huntington Beach

Terrible Experience. Negatives: Food took forever to arrive (I went there early and there only a couple occupied tables) so I was hoping it would be good because they were taking their time... disappointed. Ordered a non-alcoholic cocktail (I think) and it tasted worse than those artificial carbonated drinks you get at the store or fast food place. Literally watered down with terrible glass design. Staff spilled the cilantro when she brought over the salad and didn't even clean it so I just scooped it over to the empty plate. Salad was overly sour and the octopus was overly salty Vegetables that came with the pho was just mainly filled with chill peppers underneath and A LOT of cilantro. Good amount of onion (why red), thai basil, and bean sprouts but lacking a lot of traditional herbs. Had 3 different beef cuts for the pho but there were maybe 4 slices of the raw dipping one... for that price, yikes. Pho broth was so bland I poured the whole hoisin sauce bowl in and still tasted like hoisin water. Even the rice noodles were still sticking to each other like it wasn't stirred/cooked properly. Was seated at the bar because I didn't have a reservation, which is fine BUT the stool was super uncomfortable (my bottom was hurting and I was sliding the whole time) and the counter/table so not spacious at all. Barely enough space for all of my food and only because nobody was beside me. No where to keep my belongings so had to leave it on the stool nearby, again, only because nobody was there. Positives: Nice interior design. It has a luxury cozy vibe because of the small size and with a nice view of the beach. Staff wasn't rude. Helped when asked. Not overly attentive but not bad either, except for spilling the food and not cleaning it up. Bathroom looked clean. Summary: For the price and it being a nice restaurant, it was not even a decent experience. Would not come back...

It is no exaggeration when I say this is now my favorite restaurant.

The whole ambiance of LSXO is a cozy intimate vibe with unobstructed views of the ocean. A perfect spot to fully enjoy sunset with an old school hip hop soundtrack.

Now on to the best part, the food! Not a single morsel passed my lips that was not utter perfection.

For drinks we has The Butterfly Effect and Hattori Hanzo. Both perfectly made.

For appetizers we ordered Steak Tartare and dumplings. The dumplings were so delicious I forgot to take a picture until we were nearly done. The beef tartare was a complete surprise to me. I really was not expecting to like it given the texture but the flavor was so good I couldn’t resist.

(Not pictured) We ordered the Lamb Satay which was just incredible. The noodles and lamb had what I consider a sweet curry sauce. We had to force ourselves to stop eating it and leave room for the steak.

Now the 40oz Tamahawk steak is one imposing piece of meat. This was literally the reason we came to LSXO. Pictures do not do this steak justice. Please note it takes about 45 minutes to prepare so do not wait to put in your order. I guarantee you it is worth it! Every inch of this steak is tender and delicious. The menu says it feeds 2-3 people, but depending on how many appetizers or sides you order, it could feed a couple more.

We finished off with the Tiramisu, an iced Vietnamese Coffee and a cappuccino. The Tiramisu was hands down the best I have had anywhere. It was so perfectly silky and not overly sweet/rich.

Top all this off with a kind attentive staff and this is now my...

Yum! LSXO is a fun smaller restaurant of Little Sister with a gorgeous view, that Little Sister-esque food and a cool vibe. Definitely worth checking out.

First, getting to LSXO is fun. Ask the host/hostess at the front of Bluegold and be guided to a normal-looking door with some butterflies/dragonflies going towards it painted on the ceiling. (Park in the mall underground parking and bring your ticket with you to get validation for 2 hour by the way).

Get seated in sofas/huge chairs with a view of Huntington Beach in the wide windows while the rest of the little restaurant has a swanky interior with its own bar and restroom. Service was super nice and prompt.

Drinks-wise, I got the hattori hanzo (a Japanese whiskey cocktail that was just sweet enough and excellent) along with an amber ale beer bottle.

Food-wise, we got a ton of dishes and probably one too many for a group of three in all honesty. We got the +shaky shaky beef (this was the dish we were too full to really try but the one piece of beef I ate was super tender although the rice was okay - perhaps because it was also left a bit cold as we were eating the other dishes - eat it hot!) +vermicelli soup with pork belly (pretty good - not our favorite dish but definitely flavorful - pork belly is super tender and came in a pretty healthy amount of soup) +red and black rice (our favorite dish - an Asian paella filled with big prawns and little pork belly pieces - super yummy) +toffee pudding (super simple but the taste was excellent. Not overly sweet but full of that toffee flavor)

Super...