I’ve been on a restaurant tour I have no business being on. Just know, by the time you read this and the upcoming posts, I have banned myself from eating out. I needs to save some dough. But not before indulging too much. I have an all-or-nothing personality after all. I’d seen Kappo Tsan had opened not too long ago, created by the same folks behind Norigami.
The Parking: One of the newer shopping plazas with plenty of parking. I’ve been here before, when I tried K-Bob (yes, I realize I haven’t posted about it… I am scatterbrained). The main roads close by can be a little confusing because there’s been so much construction. Hopefully, that will be completed soon enough. The parking lot itself, though, is no problem.
The Atmosphere: This definitely feels more elevated than Norigami. Saying an omakase isn’t elevated feels wrong, but being in the Plant Street Market is a more lax setting. Kappo Tsan is a small, intimate space. Some seating up at the open kitchen and a few seating options on the floor. Even though more elevated, it was still very approachable.
The Food: Kappo Tsan is both a Japanese and a Taiwanese-inspired restaurant. I was so excited and fully ready to have a lil omakase. When I looked up the menu, there was an omakase on the happy hour menu for just $55. On par with the Norigami pricing. I had just missed it. Not the happy hour… The menu item. A couple who sat next to me were surprised that it was no longer on the menu. They had just been in a few days earlier and had it. I wasn’t the only one hoping to order sushi, because a few people asked, and I heard the servers say that the sushi counter was just half of the open kitchen counter. I found this a bit confusing because there was no explanation or choice of where I was sitting. I don’t know if the omakase was available on that side of the counter. Just did a quick search, and I no longer see it on the menu. It felt like they wanted people to order off the non-sushi menu.
Anyways, since the omakase wasn’t an option, I was torn between trying one of the tasting menu options or a few things off the happy hour menu. I first did the sensible thing and went for the ladder. And then my non-sensical side kicked in, and I ordered the Kappo Tasting 5-course. I did keep the happy hour wine and Yan Su Ji – the Taiwanese fried chicken. I woulda left the chicken out, but I felt like it was almost ready. Ya know, open kitchen and all. The chicken was good. Fresh with good seasoning, I could always use more flavor, but that may be a personal preference.
The 5-course tasting menu came with Chawanmushi, Crudo, Nigiri or Sashimi 5 pcs, Tempura, & A5 wagyu. Chawanmushi is the savory Japanese steamed egg custard. On the menu, it said it has shrimp, chicken, and fish cake. There was a bite of something that wasn’t my favorite, but only a couple of pieces of it. I don’t know what it was because shrimp, chicken, and fish cake are all things I enjoy. Otherwise, a cozy dish.
Next up was the crudo: shiromi, onion miso jam, grilled pear vinaigrette. Crudo is a great starter dish in my opinion. The flavors of this one fell a bit flat for me. I was hoping there was at least a hint of brightness. I was looking for the salt and acid. Samin Nosrat taught me that. But it was more of a creamy flavor profile. Not bad, just not memorable.
Onto my favorite course, the nigiri/sashimi. All five pieces were yum. Solid pieces of good-quality fish. Pretty on par for the Norigami sushi. Things took a bit of a turn after this.
My servers were great. Super attentive, friendly, and helpful. It is a newer restaurant, and I’m sure everyone is still figuring out the groove of things. I didn’t have the menu anymore, so I wasn’t sure what my next tasting menu item was going to be. One of the servers came and gave me a little side dish, and then a bit later, dropped by with a soup dish. I feel like I knew something was off because it was a large portion. When it was dropped off, the server asked if I wanted some topping, and I said sure, but he didn’t come back. After I took a few photos, I gave it a try. And then I realized there was some commotion.
The downside of the open kitchen was that I could hear most of it. It was super awkward. The chef kept asking who served the soup. Then I heard the chef tell my server to talk to me. I felt like I was in trouble. Again, my server was great. He apologized and handled things super well. I was annoyed with the chef for calling out his servers like that, not loud and angry, but still unnecessary. He himself never said anything to me. That definitely put a damper on my experience.
My server packed up the soup so I could continue with my tasting. The actual next course was the Tempura Yasai. I liked the variety of vegetables. A tempura sweet potato is genius. The asparagus is fun too. It came with some soy sauce to dip in, which really helped. Otherwise, it was salty and a tad greasy.
Finally, the last course. Boy, was I full by this point. The ever-so fancy A5 Wagyu. It came with a couple of sides that I wasn’t a fan of. I’m not sure what either was. One was possibly a spring onion salad – like a potato salad kind of salad. That was better than the potato-looking non-potato. Waygu is a delicious cut of meat. But I just had such bad luck with this meal. The charred edge got caught in my throat. Unfortunately, that overshadowed everything.
In terms of the menu, I wasn’t wowed by anything. There were some bites I enjoyed more than others, but none that I’d come back for. If that omakase ever comes back on the happy hour, I would go back. For now, I’ll stick to Norigami for that.
Alright, this was a bit of a rough review. I understand my experience is probably not the norm. This restaurant is just getting started, and I’m sure things will continue to improve. As I mentioned at the top, I sat next to a couple who came back within the same week. So clearly, they are doing things well.
Rating: 7.1/10
Address: 11815 Glass House Ln #110, Orlando, FL 32836
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