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The last place you'd expect a post-modern Asian restaurant with minimal New York-inspired design would be downtown Huntington Beach. But this is why Red Pearl Kitchen stands out so brilliantly. Located just steps away from Main Street, this quaint little 1940s-Chinese-themed restaurant mixes all the bold strokes of a hipster's New York studio apartment with the quirkiness of a Asian thrift store. In addition to eccentric Chinese antiques, and strategic mood lighting, there's an expensive high-definition flat-screen television that loops campy Godzilla films all day long. It's this contrast of the serious against the somewhat silly that makes this place appealing and sets the tone for the pan Asian menu.

With a menu emphasizing dishes to be shared, the hot chili-crusted calamari makes for a great starter, as do the crunchy Vietnamese egg rolls filled with pork. These leave you with just enough room for the traditional pad Thai or plate of pork belly (a mix of crispy skinned pork and mustard greens doused with caramel chili.) But you don't have to like Asian cuisine to eat here -- the five-spice spare rib combo is a great choice for the uninitiated, as is the barbequed salmon with pineapple chunks.