Back with another sushi review because that’s been pretty much all I eat when we have a date night it seems. With the temporary closure of Natsu Omakase, which is my go to spot for an omakase experience, we decided to retry Sushi Izuki again now that it’s been over half a year since their…
A lot of my recent reviews have been centered around sushi, but in my defense, when I go out to eat I gravitate towards things I cannot make at home. Sushi tops the list of something I frequently crave but also something I cannot do well at home. Hell, you cannot even get half the…
I care about small businesses in this city, especially the chefs and restaurant owners trying to make it work. So I need to talk about what’s happening at City Food Hall in Ivanhoe Village. And I’m not going to be polite about it. Food halls were supposed to be the great democratizer: a low-risk environment…
The idea of elevating temaki to become a legitimate restaurant concept was birthed in America. Originally, hand rolls were meant to be easy DIY sushi made in the Japanese household for gatherings. But in America, the concept of the humble handroll has evolved to be an upscale restaurant concept. With crisp high quality seaweed, great…
The Miami dining model is creeping into Orlando, and it’s making counter-service feel like a hidden fee hassle. I’m sitting alone at Mosonori on a quiet Tuesday afternoon. I poured my own water, checked off what I wanted on a paper menu, handed it to the staff, and waited. The chef passed me handrolls directly…
The highly anticipated Kappo Tsan has just recently underwent their soft opening phase, so as a local sushi fanatic I was keeping a close eye on my email inbox for the reservation link. Sure enough, I was able to snag a spot. I guess this is the time to admit my blog is heavily focused…
I’m not immune to social media hype. Actually, I eat that stuff up like Joey Chestnut eats hotdogs. So if I see a lot of people hyping up a place or a certain thing, I’ll have to try even though most of the time I end up disappointed. Which leads me to Gnarly Cuban. The…
If you had read my previous guide where I ranked all of Orlando’s Michelin stars, then you know I hold Natsu and Chef Stone in high regard. After the disappointing experience at Koya in Tampa, we had to have a do-over so we could get our sushi fix. Natsu is the perfect place for someone…
I know this website is called Orlando Bites, but I guess this will be the rare exception where I venture outside of my domain to visit a restaurant in our rival city of Tampa. The Michelin Star scene in Tampa is not as abundant as Orlando, but they still have a good selection of establishments….
After our weekly trip to the Chinese grocery store, we stopped by this newly opened noodle shop to grab some dinner because everybody knows after loading a trunk full of groceries, the best thing to eat afterwards is not home cooking but eating out. First off, I want to say I do not like the…
