Dinner -- 6/27/08

Roy's Hawaiian Fusion Cuisine
321 West Katella Ave.
Suite #105
Anaheim CA 92802

(714) 776-7697

http://www.roysrestaurant.com/

6:55 -- 8:45 PM

Ramona: Hawaiian Colada, Maui "wowie" shrimp salad, Shellfish combo (Endame truffle butter Alaskan king crab legs, unagi stuffed soft shell crab, California crab hand roll, Au bon "Roy's" Santa Barbara chardonnay, 2006.

Jim: Grey Goose Pear vodka martini, crunchy golden lobster pot stickers, sweet blue crab barramundi with sun-dried tomato with mushroom anisette cream sauce, Au bon "Roy's" Santa Barbara chardonnay, 2006.

Shared: Endame (soy bean pods with sugar, salt, and togarashi (Japanese) spices), pineapple upside down cake with coconut ice cream, raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries, and raspberry coulis

This elegant, pleasant restaurant promised a spectacular meal, but, sadly we were disappointed almost all the way through.

First, the wine list. Nothing but ordinary, undistinguished California wines dominated the list, and although they were reasonably priced, there was nothing that convinced us to buy a whole bottle. Even the imports were boring. I do not recall more than one or two wines older than 2006. We ordered a glass each, but it was almost undrinkable, and I could not finish mine. I guess wine is an unimportant aspect of Hawaiian cuisine.

The Maui wowie shrimp salad was not so much wowie. It was a little bit of lettuce, carrots a couple of slices of tomatoes, and one or two shrimp chopped up into small pieces. We shared this dish, and I could not taste any dressing on my half. It had very little taste. The shrimp were not crisp, and felt as if they were water-logged.

The crunchy golden lobster pot stickers were good, but there was only a few drops of sauce, and not near enough for dipping.

Ramona's combo was over spiced, and ruined the king crab legs. The poor Unagi stuffed soft shell crab was fried to death. It also had no taste.

The best part of the meal was my barramundi. It was wonderfully presented, with a sweet clear taste. One of the best fish dishes I have ever had. The sauces were delicate and complimented the fish well.

The dessert was also good. The only glitch here was that we intended to share this dish, and the menu description didn't mention the coconut ice cream. I am allergic to coconut, so I had to carefully eat only the parts that did not come into contact with the ice cream.

A large, large bill, with a small degree of satisfaction. I doubt we would ever try Roy's again. We'll be curious to know if Ramona's son, who lives in Tampa FL, has tried the Roy's there. This one had only been open a couple of months so they may still be getting the kinks out.

Another minor point was our table location, which was right across from the entrance to the restrooms and adjacent to the servers' computer stand. Both factors became a bit of a distraction. Jim reported that there were no towels (paper or otherwise) in the men's room.

Two stars out of five

-Jim