Morimoto Asia is the newest of the many celebrity led restaurants that are scheduled to open at Disney Springs. The celebrity here is Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame. It’s not his only restaurant, and he’s basically just licensing his name here, so don’t visit expecting to see the Iron Chef, I don’t know, ironing? in the kitchen.
The menu here is pan Asian and pulls from many countries. My guests and I started with appetizers of Rock Shrimp Tempura, Tuna Pizza and Hamachi Tacos (apparently Italy and Mexico are some of the countries that were sourced.)
The rock shrimp were a table favorite. The chewy little nuggets were deftly deep fried and coated in a spicy Korean sauce.
From the sushi bar, we ordered a Spider Roll, which was one of the few food disappointments of the evening. The tempura fried soft shell crab was very good, but the roll itself was too loose and the coins too large. Not the quality you’d expect from a restaurant whose heritage is rich in sushi lore.
The restaurant’s signature Peking Duck was a definite hit. The wonderful fattiness of the duck meat and the brittle skin was perfect.
Another guest chose the Sweet and Sour Crispy Branzino, an impressive presentation of a whole fish, every bit of bone removed, served on the plate as though it was captured in mid swim (which it probably was, now that I think of it). The flesh was light and delicate, and the sweet and sour glaze was nicely balanced.
I selected the Duck Ramen, an even tempered broth with bits of torn duck meat and scallions with half of a boiled egg. The egg noodles were fat and cooked perfectly and fun to slurp up with the chopsticks.
The restaurant is gorgeous. It is also quite large, with soaring ceilings and various dining and drinking spaces on multiple levels.
Service was a disappointment. The staff is large but basic menu and wine knowledge was lacking.
With a little more effort in service, this could be one of the jewels of Central Florida dining.