After setting the standard for fusion cuisine at Tabu Grill, Nancy Wilhelm reached a little further south for her second dining spot. Starfish, her Asian fusion concept, opened Saturday, June 11th, with a benefit and tasting that raised money for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center and if the excited crowd’s buzz were any indication of Starfish’s future, you’d better make your reservation quick.

The evening gave locals a taste for the restaurant with tray-passed appetizers and signature cocktails. Inside the restaurant, the dark and sleek bar played against the teal and wooden accents of the dining room. Inspired by Shanghai and the Art Deco movement, the fusion of East and West was evident in the restaurants environs as well as the menu.

Starfish’s Asian fusion menu focuses on the cuisines of Korea, China and Thailand with items like lemongrass filet, Burmese-style vegetables and green curry chicken. We’d say it’s the perfect place to take fans of Asian fare as well as beginners that are a little more timid. The restaurant’s open patio will surely fill up for the summer, but make no mistake, the food is what’ll make you come back again and again.

The event raised over $8,000 for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, which works to rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine mammals stranded along the Orange County coastline.

Starfish is located at 30832 South Coast Hwy., in Laguna Beach. For more information, visit www.starfishlaguna.com.

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