Mike L.
Yelp
Maybe it's just because SF has never had (and still doesn't have) all that many Taiwanese restaurants to offer, but growing up, I had never had Taiwanese breakfast (insert joke about it just being called "breakfast" in Taiwan). Even as a kid, I was super curious about the dan bing and and fan tuan, in particular, that I would see friends eat. As an adult, I have less of an excuse for not trying it sooner, though, it doesn't help that I ended up finding a lot of the Chinese equivalents. However, finding myself in Irvine, I knew that I had to take the opportunity to FINALLY try a legit Taiwanese breakfast joint!
With four locations spread throughout SoCal (Hacienda Heights, Arcadia, and San Gabriel being the others), it's pretty obvious that Four Sea has a good thing going. Inside, the restaurant looks very simple, but don't let their unassuming appearance fool you - the food they put out is impressive! The menu is rather straightforward, offering pretty much all of the typical staples you'd expect to find in several varieties, including soy milk, crullers (you tiao), dan bing, porridge, buns, baos, dumplings, shao bing sandwiches, and, of course, fan tuan! In short, absolutely no shortage of enticing and appealing options to choose from!
-- HOT SWEET SOY MILK...$3.45
Maybe it's just because it's been so long since I had some legit soy milk, but this was really. Part of me worried about how sweet it would be (I usually get this plain and sweeten it myself), but the sweetness was pretty light (didn't need to add anything) and the bowl for this was so big!
-- PEANUT RICE MILK WITH SOY...$3.90
This was terrific! Essentially, it combined the best of the Peanut Rice Milk and the Hot Sweet Soy Milk - a nice, peanut(ty) flavor that was mellowed out by the slightly sweet soy milk. The bowl of this was already generously sized, but I still wish there was more!
-- PEANUT RICE MILK...$4
Pretty good, though I probably would've like it more if I hadn't tried the Peanut Rice Milk with Soy first. That's not to say this was bad, though - it had a strong peanut flavor that wasn't too sweet, it's just that, between the other, the other one was better.
-- EGG CREPE WITH CRULLER...$9.80
Kind of basic, for better or worse. The cruller wasn't too shabby (decently crispy, not oily) and I liked that neither the eggs nor the crepe were that thick, but the flavors were underwhelming. Some pork sung would've helped, though it then wouldn't be as vegetarian-friendly.
-- MARINATED SOY PUDDING...$6.90
I'd never tried this dish before coming here (only had sweet versions), but this made quite the intro! The tofu was silky soft and I loved how there was a good amount of pork, wood ear mushrooms, and green onions. Plus, this wasn't nearly as salty as I feared it would be, given its coloring. SO GOOD!
-- PICKLED VEGETABLE WITH PRESERVED EGG RICE ROLL...$8.30
I was super excited to try this and, thankfully, it didn't disappoint! The pickled vegetables and preserved egg complemented each other so well and the pork sung was such a delicious surprise! Ironically, a bit more rice would've been good (it was so packed), but either way, i could've eaten three of these!
-- PORK & PRESERVED EGG PORRIDGE...$5.75
Not the best I've had, but still super comforting. While I do wish this had more of the preserved egg in it, the porridge itself had such a nice consistency. Also, as much as I appreciate that this came with a few pieces of their cruller, they were so hard, we couldn't eat it until we softened them in the porridge.
-- GAO BAO - Pork Belly Buns...$6
Honestly, I have mixed feelings about this one. The cut of pork was nice and thick and I liked how there was a good (but not overwhelming) amount of veggies in this. However, while the pork was flavorful, there were portions of it that felt a bit dried out.
As much as I enjoyed most of what I tried, the thing about Four Sea that I'm far less fond of is when it comes to getting a table. Presumably, the more efficient process would be to grab a table after you've ordered so that the folks ahead of you can sit, eat, and clear out by the time for you to get seated (when it's busy, it takes longer to order than it does for the food to come out). However, given their popularity and how this place can fill up during peak hours, especially on weekends, a lot of people will try to snag a table immediately. Understandable, particularly if you have a large group, but it doesn't cause any less anxiety if you've already ordered and are trying to get a table before your food comes out.
Even with the potential struggle of finding a table (it's actually super easy when it's not busy), the food here is well worth the effort and there's always the option to order your food to-go (they do a lot of takeout). Either way, Four Sea is a great spot for some delicious Taiwanese breakfast!