Restaurant review: Little Sister, Irvine

Even with new generations of Vietnamese restaurants flourishing in Westminster, the Irvine branch of chef Tin Vuong’s Little Sister may be the county’s grandest Vietnamese restaurant yet.

Born in the South Bay, Little Sister has always had a specific vision: modern styling accented with street art and old-school hip-hop. LSXO, Vuong’s other O.C. project, which is secreted away inside Huntington Beach’s Bluegold, shares some of the same DNA. The Irvine restaurant is striking, with soaring ceilings and soft, moody lighting that attracts all manner of families, couples, and friends chatting over a plate of crispy cha gio.

The dinner menu shares many of the same dishes. Sticky lemongrass chicken wings strike just the right balance of sweet and spicy. The tom rang thit ba chi is a stunner: blackened prawns and tender, caramelized pork spareribs cooked with sweet-tart tamarind in a clay pot. Those willing to get their hands dirty can dig into the luxe salt-and-pepper lobster with curried seafood rice.

A menu this large is bound to miss some marks, but the restaurant is still impressively satisfying. The meal is made all the more memorable by finishing with a tart of lemon curd, candied ginger, and gilded blue meringue.

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