Review: Morimoto Asia

Open only a couple weeks, this restaurant in Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney) was already operating like a well-oiled machine. Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto crafted an interesting menu touching on several Asian cuisines including Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai and I'm not sure what else!  The restaurant itself is just stunning and the waitstaff friendly, efficient and knowledgeable. The 2-story long strands of crystal beads, create a striking effect in a seemingly open environment. On the second floor they have a sushi bar, more seating and an outdoor patio, which I'm sure is lovely in warm weather.

I'm not a huge sushi lover, mostly because I don't like the nori wrappers, so we ordered nigiri - just the fish on a small molded bed of rice. I found the pieces of fish to be rather non-descript with no dipping sauces, but I probably didn't appreciate it enough. We also tried the Pho Ga (Vietnamese style chicken soup with rice noodles, thai basil and cilantro), which was very good but, again, not remarkable. The real winners for us were the Morimoto spare ribs and the Peking duck. The ribs were meaty, tender and succulent with a flavorful hoisin sweet chili glaze that wasn't spicy - which was perfect for me! The Peking duck comes sliced with it's crispy skin and served with steamed flour pancakes, apricot sweet chili and hoisin miso sauces, along with finely julienned cucumber and green onion...so delicious, but so rich we couldn't finish it. If you're ordering other things, this could be shared between more than 2 people. I also had the house signature cocktail, the White Lily, which is a mix of Sudachi Shochu, Calico, and yuzu creating a not too sweet, not too tart, slightly creamy concoction that I wish I knew how to make!

I hope I'll have a chance to make another trip to this fantastic restaurant.  There are so many other things I'd like to try...but then there's the Peking duck and ribs...!
Bravo, Chef Morimoto!