Morimoto Asia

A few years ago when I heard that Masaharu Morimoto opened another one of his restaurants right here in Disney Springs I was filled with curiosity. I've seen him cook plenty of times on Iron Chef but could never judge or have an opinion on the taste of his food, I mean I know the man's got mad skills from watching him do his thing on TV, but I cant judge a book from its cover right?
The restaurant layout and decor was superb with this contemporary / industrial look that gave off the feeling that I was attending a photographer's showcase. The dining area was quite spacious with many seatings possible so it was good to see that it can take in high traffic of walk-ins and reservations. An upper level was seen, assuming as most fine dining restaurants that I've been to, must've been the area for VIP's and wine storage. But when it comes to fine dining, the service wasn't at par as what fine dining service should be. Not saying the service was unsatisfactory, it was just very casual and relaxed. Hence that the restaurant is in a very high crowded tourist area, Disney Springs.

With the assumption that the dishes would be close to a fine dining dish, the food was alright. The sushi was okay, as I ordered one of their assorted sushi platters. The fish wasnt as cold as I expected which I automatically could tell the platter has been sitting out for a bit, whether it's the fault of server not bringing it out right away, or the sushi chef and not serving it up quickly. For over a $100, I definitely could get better sushi. Especially since they served the most basic kinds of fish and nothing more exotic.

The Ramen that I had was a bit subpar as well. But I can give credit to the broth. Most other Ramen places I've been to, their broth was always too salty and heavy. The broth here was light, refreshing, flavorful and definitely not salty. The noodle wasnt as thick and boiled just right. It wasn't mushy or dogged, but unfortunately not enough noodles was served in the bowl. There wasnt much variety of toppings which made the Ramen very incomplete.

Their steak on the other hand was superb and tender. Grilled just right before filleting them to be served on top of a piping hot skillet in result of it not being overcooked. Probably the best dish I had out of all that we ordered.

In addition my baby cousins were with us and I can add that they do have a kids menu and does have kid friendly meals, so no stopping there when it comes to kids and there was no fuss from them as they chomped down on their ice cream dessert.

Overall the experience was fun, but for the price that we paid and the food being just "alright" really questions a return visit there. Honestly I was expecting a Japanese cuisine experience here at Morimoto, but instead an Asian fusion experience. I'm not a big fan to fusion, but if you are then this is a place for you. For a date night there I would say "ain't a bad place to go" but as a fine dining experience "definitely not."

Overall Rating: C+

Taste Factor: Good
Cleanliness: Great
Service: Average

Price: Poor
Return Factor: Maybe

Grading: TERRIBLE / POOR / AVERAGE / GOOD / GREAT