QUA Contemporary Chinese Cuisine sits in a shopping center at Brookhurst and Edinger in Fountain Valley, and it is serving some of the most personal Chinese food in Orange County. Chef founder Viet Nguyen built the menu from his family’s roots in Chợ Lớn, Saigon’s historic Chinatown. I went, I ate, and I photographed the room and the dishes myself. Here is what to know before you go.
The Story
The first thing you see at QUA is a photograph. It shows a woman on a bicycle, two large woven baskets balanced on either side, smiling straight at the camera. That is Viet Nguyen’s grandmother, and her portrait hangs large at the entrance, recreated from the cover of the menu itself.
The menu explains the idea plainly. QUA draws from Chợ Lớn, Saigon’s historic Chinatown, and from the chef’s family background. In the menu’s own words, “It’s Chinese cooking, shaped by a Vietnamese backdrop, with dishes that feel both familiar and personal.”
In his founder’s message, Nguyen traces the food to what he grew up around. Dishes eaten at friends’ houses. The energy of the food carts in Chợ Lớn. Recipes passed down by his Grandma Vu. “QUA is a very personal project for me,” he writes, and the cooking backs that up. This is Chinese food that crossed a border generations ago and picked up Vietnamese habits along the way.
That history explains the menu’s range. A dish can read purely Cantonese on paper and arrive with a Vietnamese accent: a handful of fresh herbs, a brighter sauce, heat that builds instead of shouting. Familiar and personal, exactly as the menu promises.
The pedigree is serious. Nguyen was a James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef: California. QUA is part of Kei Concepts, the group behind Vox Kitchen, Kin Craft Ramen, Nep Cafe and Sup Noodle Bar. This is their biggest and most ambitious room yet.
The Room
QUA is a beautiful space to photograph, and I do not say that lightly. The restaurant runs roughly 9,000 to 10,000 square feet and seats about 200 people. Ceilings rise 15 feet. Arched windows line one wall. Patterned tile runs under the tables, warm and graphic at the same time.
The centerpiece is the bar. It seats 32, sits in the middle of the room, and is crowned by a sculptural backlit ceiling that glows above it like a wave frozen mid roll. Everything else flows around it. Banquettes hug the window wall, the kitchen energy hums at the back, and the whole place feels polished without feeling stiff. Business casual fits. A date fits. A big family dinner fits best of all, because that is clearly what this food is for.
From a photographer’s seat, the light is half the story. The ceiling installation throws a soft, even glow over the bar. The tile gives the floor graphic structure. The arched windows wrap one wall in texture without stealing focus. I photograph everything I cover, and some rooms make that job easy. This is one of them.
What to Order
The menu runs more than 50 savory items, from dim sum to noodles to a deep bench of house specialties. The smart way to eat here is family style. Pick a soup, pick a specialty, add something rich for the center of the table, and share all of it. The kitchen clearly portions with that in mind. These three dishes landed on my table, and all three earned their place.
Steamed cod with black bean sauce. The fish arrives whole and glistening in a dark soy based sauce, buried under fresh cilantro, julienned scallion and ginger, and bright rings of red chili. The black bean brings the salt and depth, the aromatics bring the lift. It comes with jasmine rice, and it is the dish I would point to first if you want to understand this kitchen. Order it in the $32 size for a small table, or the $59 size when the whole fillet can make the rounds.
Garlic prawns with glass noodles. A house specialty, and you can see why. Butterflied prawns fan out over a bed of glass noodles, loaded with scallion, cilantro and garlic, with soy and chili working underneath. The noodles soak up everything the prawns give off. Nothing on the plate is wasted.
The shredded chicken salad. A cold starter to open the meal. Pulled chicken piled over celery and greens, with a generous snowfall of crispy fried shallots on top. Cool, crunchy, savory, and smart pacing before the heavier dishes arrive.
Beyond my table, four more dishes are worth the drive on their own:
- Roast duck ($49). Half a duck with duck bone soup and mooshu pancakes for wrapping. Dinner only.
- Crab roe ($26). Another house specialty. Crab roe and lump crab with pickled cabbage and marinated wood ear, served over your choice of rice or wheat noodles.
- Wood smoked black char siu ($21). Pork belly with a sweet glaze and salted peanut. Dinner only, and the gentlest price on the mains page.
- Braised beef noodle soup ($19). Beef shank and tendon with pickled mustard greens, bok choy and chili oil. Spicy, and flagged as a chef recommendation.
Dim sum fans should also scan the small plates. The pork and shrimp siu mai, shrimp har gow and XO abalone all show up, and the Portuguese egg tart trio closes the loop between the Chinese and colonial influences that run through this kitchen.
The Menu at a Glance
Prices at QUA stay reasonable for cooking at this level. Most of the menu sits at $30 and under. Here is the chart I would want before booking.
| Dish | What It Is | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Braised Beef Noodle Soup | Beef shank, tendon, pickled mustard greens, bok choy, chili oil | $19 |
| Shrimp Wonton Soup | Shrimp wontons in chicken broth with baby bok choy and cilantro | $16 |
| Wonton Noodle Soup | Shrimp wonton, egg noodle, baby bok choy, cilantro | $18 |
| Steamed Cod with Black Bean Sauce | Scallion, ginger, chili, soy, jasmine rice | $32 / $59 |
| Roast Duck* | Half duck, duck bone soup, mooshu pancake | $49 |
| Boneless Ribeye* | Shacha sauce, broccolini, bell pepper | $58 |
| Wood-Smoked Black Char Siu* | Pork belly, sweet glaze, salted peanut | $21 |
| “Dong Po” Braised Pork Belly* | Thick red braised pork belly, bok choy, jasmine rice | $28 |
| Crab Roe | Crab roe, lump crab, pickled cabbage, wood ear, over rice or wheat noodles | $26 |
| Garlic Prawns with Glass Noodles | Steamed prawns, scallion garlic sauce, soy, chili, cilantro | $27 |
*Dinner only.
Good to Know
- Happy hour runs Monday to Friday, 2 PM to 5 PM, with menu cocktails at $10 and dishes from $8 to $12. It is the cheapest way to sample the kitchen.
- Dinner only items are marked with an asterisk in the chart above. Lunch is still a full meal here, but the duck, ribeye, char siu and pork belly wait for evening.
- Cards only. QUA does not take cash. Amex, Visa, Mastercard and Discover are all accepted.
- Reservations are on OpenTable, where the restaurant holds a 4.7 rating. Book ahead for weekends.
- Parking is easy. The restaurant sits in a shopping center at Brookhurst and Edinger, so you are parking in a lot, not circling a block.
- Dress is business casual, and the room rewards it. You can walk in straight from the office and look right at home.
- Come hungry and share. Portions and formats are built for the table, not the individual plate.
The Verdict
QUA is the rare big restaurant with a small restaurant’s heart. The room is grand, the cooking is personal, and the prices stay grounded. Go if you love Chinese food, go if you want to taste what happens when Saigon gets a say in it, and bring people you like. This food was made to be passed around.
QUA Contemporary Chinese Cuisine
- Address: 16121 Brookhurst St, Fountain Valley, CA 92708
- Phone: (657) 300-8391
- Hours: Monday to Friday 11 AM to 10 PM, Saturday and Sunday 10 AM to 10 PM
- Website: quadining.com
