10/07/07

Great Malaysian Food

by gellybear

I went there for my birthday last year and really liked it. Yes, the restaurant was empty and the waiters weren't the in-your-face type, but I felt that it was nice and relaxing and I felt no rush to sit there and enjoy my meal.

I think the food was excellent -- might also helped that I actually ordered Malaysian food at Malaysian restaurant and not Thai food as mrlucasbrice did.

If you like Malaysian food, I definitely recommend this place. I would go back more often if the location was either nearer to my house or my office or other places I normally go to.

• Pros: Good Food
• Cons: Empty

05/06/07

Not Recommended

by mrlucasbrice

My wife and I went to this restaurant on a Saturday night because we saw the glowing review here and saw there was a good review in the L.A. Times. We were also looking for an Asian restaurant that had a full bar.

The place was a total disappointment. After reading those reviews, it's clear that either we stumbled into the wrong restaurant, or at one time the Tropika had a great chef who has sinced moved on.

Although it was a Saturday night, the place was nearly empty, a bad sign for any restaurant.

We started our meal with the eggrolls, which were kind of heavy and mushy inside. We shared two other dishes, the Pad Thai, and Mango Shrimp.

For some reason, the Pad Thai was pink. It was bland and uninspiring. The vegetables seemed like they were frozen and the mushrooms were unmistakably from a can.

The shrimp in the Mango Shrimp were large and they were cooked properly. But this was offset by the sauce, which was heavy and gloppy. They didn't bring any rice with this dish and we had to ask for some.

My wife ordered a Cosmpopolitan, which she said tasted "weird." It was a pale pink color instead of cranberry colored.

The waiter wasn't particularly attentive or friendly.

We won't be going back to this restaurant given the fact that there are good Thai, Chinese, and Indian restaurants in the area.

• Pros: Nothing comes to mind.
• Cons: No ambiance, food uninspired.

08/25/06

Totally addicted!

by silverfoot

Okay. I admit it. I eat at this restaurant practically every day. I love Malaysian food, and this is the only place in OC to get it. If you are looking for a healthy yet delicious dining option, a great place to bring a date, a quick lunch before heading back to the office, or a place to bring your family on a gastronomical trip to an exotic land for a few bucks, this is the place to go.

Tropika is located in Enderle Center next to the famous Zovs Bakery. Lunch ranges from $7-$8 and dinner is mostly $9-$15, with a gigantic portion of barbecued sea bass wrapped in banana leaves and topped with a delicious chili sauce at $22. Other favorites include satay, tender grilled pieces of meat dipped in peanut sauce; lamb rendang, delicate lamb simmered in lemongrass, tumeric, tamarind, onion, chili, coconut milk, galangal, cinnamon, and star anise; Hainanese chicken, tender boiled pieces of chicken served with fragrant chicken rice and a ginger chili dipping sauce; roti prata, a crispy Indian-style flatbread dipped in curry sauce; and belachan kang kung, Chinese water grass stir-fried in shrimp chili paste. Tropika also serves exotic shaved ice dessertsthe same you would purchase at the famous hawker stalls of Asia. Ice is shaved to the consistency of snow, and then topped with ingredients such as palm sugar, coconut milk, colored jellies, and exotic flavored syrups.

Tropika also has a beautiful dark wood sports bar with a giant flat-screened TV for those of you who have to watch that game. Its decor is elegant yet simple, with bamboo benches and light music playing in the background. Its capacity is 120, so if you want to impress your friends with your knowledge of exotic cuisine, it would be a great place to throw a party!

• Pros: Delicious, exotic food at a good price; ambience
• Cons: none