Saturday, November 22, 2014

Yuki Hana Fusion Sushi - Oviedo, FL

Yuki Hana Fusion Sushi is located on Aloma at the Intersection of Tuskawilla very close to the 417.

They opened about 2 years ago.  Chef Eddie has over 15 years experience as a Sushi chef and trained with several Japanese Master Chefs at a fine Japanese restaurant in Long Island, New York.

Not just a traditional Sushi restaurant, Yuki Hana has all kinds of different dishes from various Asian locales. Some unique standouts from the menu are the Wagyu Beef,  Korean Seafood Pancake, Scallops with Uni cream risotto and the Oxtail tacos.

A special for the holidays, which is offered from now until the end of the year. They are serving a rare treat, whole fish. The whole fish dinner is offered Fri-Sun by reservation only. The fish is a steamed striped bass with ginger scallion shoyu sauce.  It is served with a soup course & family style sides, such as sautéed chinese broccoli, mapo tofu, dumplings and a dessert course. The whole fish dinner is available for 2-8 people.

They also have some good happy hour specials. Monday Night from 5:00 – 10:00 pm and Tuesday – Thursday from 5:00 – 6:30 pm they have 2 for 1 drinks on with a purchase from the happy hour food menu.

On a recent visit I tried a vast array of the menu items, see pics below:

Dining Room

Lemongrass Hot & Sour Seafood Soup $7
Shrimp, scallop, calamari, mussel and assorted vegetables

Ahi Poke $ 13
Ahi tuna seared with shichimi pepper and tossed with hot sesame oil, Sriracha, scallions, and masago. Served on crispy wonton chips and avocado

Kanpachi Crudo $15
Hawaii yellowtail, black garlic, basil oil, tobiko, cucumber, lava salt, lemon confit, and togarashi
The Kanpachi Crudo was very light and fresh tasting with a tangy sauce

Crown Royal Roll $ 16
Lobster tempura and avocado inside and topped with seared Angus marble beef, bacon jam, radish spouts and spicy mayo

Fire Cracker Roll $14
Assorted fish, krab, asparagus, and cream cheese rolled inside, crispy fried. On top is tempura scallops mixed with tobiko, chives, sweet chili sauce, and eel sauce, served with fire on the plate
Such a dramatic presentation, Fire on the plate!

Live UNI with raw quail egg, ikura.
Live Uni

This dish had a very elaborate presentation served in the sea urchin shell, it was a special, Live Uni flew in that day from Santa Barbara. Served with a raw quail egg and Ikura(Salmon eggs).



Fuji Mountain Roll $13
Shrimp, krab, mixed with tobiko, bacon, melted mozzarella cheese, tempura flakes on top, inside asparagus, avocado, drizzled with eel sauce, and spicy mayo
This was my favorite dish, lots of good flavors and a nice little crunch here and there


Vietnamese Sashimi Roll $13
Tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and shichimi pepper rolled together with spring mix cucumber and caramelized shallots in clear rice paper. Served in hot sesame vinaigrette, mango sauce and crushed peanuts
One of the few sushi rolls made without rice, lots of peanuts, good sauces

Uni Sampler

Chocolate Lava Cake with Ice Cream
Overall everything was very good, the atmosphere, service and food were all great. I'll be making regular stops here to eat and try all the unique menu items.


Menu pics:







HAPPY HOUR MENU:





Yuki Hana Japanese Fusion on Urbanspoon

Obliv-o-Brunch PJ Party Sunday, December 21 at 11:00am - 2:00pm



at 11:00am - 2:00pm

RSVP on Facebook and invite your friends
https://www.facebook.com/events/373059422859768/

from their Facebook:
"We will be having a Pajama Party for our Holiday Themed Brunch! So roll out of bed and head on over for some holiday cheer and of course beer!

Drink Specials-
*Spiked Eggnog
*Warm Mulled Wine
*Warm Spiced Mead
*Founders Breakfast Stout
*Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch

Non-Alcoholic-
*Eggnog (house made)
*Hot Cocoa w/ Marshmallows (house made)
*Coffee (holiday blend or regular)


here are some pics from past Oblivion Brunches



Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Southern Meets Asian Fusion At SOCO

Set on a busy corner in Thornton Park, SOCO is an exciting new addition to the neighborhood.  Texas-born Executive Chef Greg Richie trained with Emeril Lagasse and Roy Yamaguchi, picking up some Asian fusion inspiration.  Soco brings together his Southern roots with the exotic influences that he mastered while working in Hawaii. I had the pleasure of tasting several cocktails and small bites at a recent media mixer.

The Slow-Roasted Barbecue-Glazed Pork Belly Biscuits with Jalapeño Jelly are delicious, though I find the pork belly too fatty.  The flaky, buttery biscuit is perfectly made, which bodes well for SOCO’s new Sunday Brunch offering.

One of Soco’s most famous dishes is Chicken and Dumplings, which is really more of a ravioli.  It combines Chicken Breast, Lobster Dumplings, Local Mushrooms and Edamame. The Soy Butter sauce is way better than it sounds, complex and creamy, bringing all of the flavors together in perfect harmony.

Oyster lovers will enjoy SOCO’s Cornmeal Crisped version, served with Pickled Green Tomato Relish on housemade Chicharrones, and topped with Herb Cream.

Craft Cocktails set the mood perfectly when dining on the expansive outdoor patio.  The Royal Palm is a very strong and flavorful drink, made with Palm Ridge Reserve, House Orange Marmalade, Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters, and Agave. My favorite drink was The Sparkler: Sparkling Wine, Bernheim Wheat Whiskey, Aperol, Lemon, Agave. So refreshing and delicious!


The House Made “Moon Pie” is WAY better than the original. A nice crunchy graham cracker crust is filled with dense, truffle-like chocolate, and topped with toasted marshmallow swirls. An RC Cola reduction provides exciting contrast.  

Everything I tasted at SOCO offered excellent flavor and exciting interpretations, there’s nothing basic about this place.  I look forward to trying more of their offerings very soon, especially the Sunday Brunch!




Soco Thornton Park on Urbanspoon