Populaire Modern Bistro

My first time @ Populaire. The grilled octopus cooked to perfection. The Moroccan sauce added an extra flavor to the already well-seasoned squid. The pasta is an off-the-menu dish for those with a limited palette. The French toast with fresh strawberries was a hit—the chocolate dessert - créme fraiche topped with chocolate cake and chocolate moose layer. The rice pudding was terrific; it was so creamy with a hint of cinnamon. We will undoubtedly be back. 😊

3 companions and I dined at Populaire Modern Bistro in South Coast Plaza on 2/21/24 and I ordered the prix fixe menu. We bought a bottle of wine separately. The PF menu was $65 per person and well worth it. Everything was spectacular. The blending of flavors with the heirloom carrots was unique. I'm not normally a huge fan of tartare normally, but it was really flavorful. The beef cheek was melt-in-your-mouth tender and even the rice pudding - which I can normally take or leave - had some wonderful, unexpected flavors. Don't be fooled by the "bistro" label. This was definitely a cut above the normal bistro fare of steak and frites or Croque Monsieur.
Our server was warm and efficient. She was friendly enough to stop and talk but took her cue from us, which was much appreciated. The location used to be part of the Corner Bakery chain. It was remodeled in part, but it's in South Coast Plaza mall so not a ton of atmosphere. Once you taste the food, you won't care!

Came here for a nice dinner for myself. Food was great. The servers were attentive and friendly. I sat outside enjoying my food. It felt like being in Paris.

Yeasssss OMG!!! I have been wanting to come here but I don’t get a Fashion Island that often and usually when I do I’m always in a hurry but today I got here early and I could take my time and had the prefix menu and let me tell you that was an amazing choice on my part💥💥💥 BC it was fantastic 😘

Also, for the amount of food that you get and for how great it is, I feel like the Prix- Fixe 55.00 is a bargain - I wish I wasn’t driving so I could enjoy the 30.00 wine pairing, I can’t
Imagine how much the food would’ve come alive paired with the exact perfect wine. #nexttime

Stone Fruit with ricotta
Yummmm I could eat a large plate of this! All of the flavors are so wonderful and the actual fruit itself was very tasty. You know sometimes fruit that you’re getting restaurants is rather bland, but I loved all the accompaniments on this dish.

Prime Steak Tar Tar
This dish was not my favorite however, I appreciate it all of the ingredients in complexities. There was something in it that I was not a fan of but very well done.

Brown Butter Shrimp Broth
Yes 🙌 more of this! All of the flavors 🤩🤩

Duroc Pork
Another Home Run! I am a pretty hearty eater, but I could barely eat half of this dish if I wanted to eat any of my dessert and I definitely wanted to eat my dessert so I took most of this dish to go. But it was very very tender, and the peaches and lentils were a great combination.

Chocolate Crmeuex Devil Cake
Outstanding Delightful ❤️❤️❤️

I love this new French bistro located inside South Coast plaza. The atmosphere is casual and approachable. Chef Nick prepared deceptively simple but delicious dishes. We all loved Ladies Who Lunch salad. The ratatouille paired well with the charred house potato bread. The gnudi with brown butter and the grilled octopus were sublime. The duck breast and steak were soft and flavorful. The chocolat and Paris Brest desserts were delightful and not too sweet.
The service is very attentive. The chef chatted with us at the end of our meal while his wife made sure we had a wonderful dinner. I can’t wait to come back!