First off let me say that I had very high expectations before going to Roy's. As someone who is of the same background as Roy, I was very excited that he has become a celebrity chef feeling like island cuisine has finally received some recognition in the culinary world. My wife and I decided to dine at the Newport Beach location during the tail end of our weekend dining tour of Orange County which included Michael Mina's Stone Hill Tavern and the Fairmont's brunch buffet (both of which I highly recommend). Given these facts, I admit my taste buds were very critical by the time we got to Roy's.
We started off with the waitress-recommended lobster potstickers. It was just a notch above disgusting. Tasted and had the texture as if it was frozen and then microwaved. Very greasy ( and tasted like it was fried in old oil), which over powered everything else. I can see how this dish would taste great if prepared right but our particular dish was very disappointing. Along with the potstickers we had the Maui Onion Ring Cesar Salad. It was just o.k.; nothing special. For our main dishes my wife had the fried whole sea bass and I had the Butter Fish/Ahi/Salmon Trio. The fried whole sea bass was great.... minus the overly salty sauce and the sea of grease with rice (literally) that they try to pass as fried rice. My Trio of Fish dish was nothing special. Their miso butter fish was good (a tad too much sauce... my plate was over flowing); the Ahi and Salmon were ok but overpowered by the miso in the butter fish. Overall I was disappointed because I feel Roy missed the mark in his attempt of creating a restaurant blending Hawaiian grinds with fusion flare. I guess if you consider TGI Fridays a great dining experience, you'll love Roy's. Also a note to Roy... how can you call yourself a Hawaiian Fusion Restaurant and not offer local grinds like laulau or kalua pig? That's a crime!
Pros: great service, nice decor
Cons: subpar food
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