South Coast Plaza-VIP Style
I’m guilty and I have no problem admitting it. Although I make the trek from LA to the OC every now and then, I hadn’t been to South Coast Plaza in a very long time. But after my most recent SCP outing, I’m pretty sure that’s set to change. I mean how can you not love Orange County? There’s gorgeous weather, gorgeous people, and good food. Seriously, everyone is dressed to the nines!
One of the highlights of my mini day trip was getting to stop by the Exclusive Access Lounge at South Coast Plaza. It was like I was back at Club 33 at Disneyland again. Just like Club 33, you would miss the entrance door if you didn’t know to look for it.
*Cue the I wanna be a Billionaire song* Here's a panoramic view of the room. 
The Access Lounge is a VIP Hospitality Suite for the shopping center's big spenders. It’s located on the second level, near Saks 5th Ave. Access to the lounge comes with complimentary refreshments, snacks, and bag check.
There’s plenty of sitting room as well as big screen TVs, conference rooms, tables to eat at, a nice business center equipped with a computer, and nice private bathrooms.
The best part aside from the snacks and drinks was the fact that the lounge is a perfect place to drop off your bags and continue shopping or even drop off your boyfriends/husbands so they can stop whining about your shopping! You can’t put a price on that!
After visiting the Access Lounge, I had a quick bite to eat at AnQi. You may recognize it as the sister restaurant of Crustacean in Beverly Hills.
You can enter Anqi from Bloomingdale's.
The restaurant was very chic and upscale. I love how the section in the center with the panels that can be converted to a runway. Service was great and the food came out relatively fast. Now if you’re a long time reader of this blog, then you probably know I’m pretty weary of going to restaurants that do Asian-fusion food. It’s one thing to make an Asian meal that is fused with other culture’s culinary influences, but then there’s completely Americanizing a dish and amping up the sweet and sour sauce to point where a dish is unrecognizable and drowning your taste buds.
I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised. The Ahi Tuna Tataki with chili shoyu was a great appetizer. The sashimi was thinly sliced and the flavors melted with each bite. 
I also tried a shumai (pork dumpling) with wasabi Dijon sauce. When eating traditional shumai, I always use the Chinese mustard dipping sauce, which tastes like a light wasabi. The Anqi wasabi Dijon sauce was essentially a twist on that, albeit a more subdued, but equally tasty version.
My order of Kurobuta Pork Belly Lettuce Wrap came with Fuji Apple, scallion salad, and ssamjang. This dish was such a stand out. The pork was marinated extremely well.
I would most definitely come back to the Anqi for a Girl’s Night Out or even take my mom out for a nice brunch here. I may have to make the OC my new hangout destination. Speaking of OC, The OC Night Market is this weekend and of course I'll be there to show my support. Hope to meet ya'll there!
Have you guys been to Exclusive Access Lounge or Anqi before?
