Recently EMC Seafood and Raw Bar opened in Irvine, CA in the Ralph’s shopping center (near Bruxie). I heard this place was pretty good in K-town, but I never had the chance to check them out until now. Here is a quick EMC Seafood and Raw Bar review for their Irvine location. Since they are a seafood and raw bar, the first thing I had to try was their fresh oysters. Since I use to chuck oysters and serve them, I can confidently tell you that their Oysters are some of the best that I’ve seen and eaten. They have a great variety of oysters and they are extremely fresh!
Although zucchini fries aren’t considered seafood or raw, I had to try them out because I am a huge fan of zucchini fries. I was pleasantly surprised that they were actually really good. Most zucchini fries are served either too thick or too thin, but their zucchini fries were just right.
If you want some carbs with your seafood I highly recommend their garlic noodles. If you are like my wife and I, noodles just take up valuable room for raw seafood. We mainly got them because our daughter (1.5 years old) loves carbs so we wanted her to enjoy these while we ate all the seafood.
EMC’s Premium Sashimi Platter is probably the hardest dish to grade in my EMC Seafood and Raw Bar review. The reason I say that is because I loved it and hated it at the same time. I loved the quality and taste of the fish, every bite was amazing. My problem with this dish was the price compared to the quantity of fish that they served. This platter is $23 and you only get 8 small pieces of fish (~$3 per tiny bite). I am use to paying $23 for a Premium Sashimi Platter but I expected more fish for that price.
Another dish that I recommend is their crispy calamari. Pro-tip, don’t order this if you already ordered the zucchini fries, one deep fried dish per meal is plenty. They are both grate dishes, so it really depends on whether you feel like zucchini or calamari. I really like their crispy calamari because the batter is light, crisp and flavorful. The calamari itself could have been a little more tender, but it wasn’t chewy either.
Seafood and Raw Bar Review Final Thoughts
One final suggestion in my EMC Seafood and Raw Bar review is only go during their happy hour (Monday – Friday 3PM – 6:30PM and 10PM until closing). EMC’s quality of fish is outstanding, but their prices are high. If you aren’t trying to break the bank, order off the happy hour menu and add on one entree that isn’t on the happy hour menu. If you feel like splurging then I would recommend trying their seafood tower $118.
Derrick Chan
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