Tis Me Michelle

At this point, you all must know I’m a sucker for a prix-fix menu or an omakase. A foodie experience? I’m totally in. I was targeted by my Insta-feed, because I am indeed the target audience. Asin is a curated dining experience from the owners of Taglish, which is part of the City Food Hall, right next door. I’ll have to try that out sometime as well!

The Parking/Atmosphere: Please refer to the ARDEN post (it was the same day/experience).

The Menu: This prix-fix menu comes with 8 courses. We’ll go through each course!

PULUTAN – hors d’oeuvres & canapé: kicked off with three small but flavorful bites. An oyster topped with many flavors, this one was okay. Kind of my fault, I didn’t loosen the oyster enough, so I got all the flavors added and the oyster didn’t come off… The next hors d’oeuvres was a fun take on a classic devilled egg. The devilled egg was situated in a little mini tart shell and topped with Filipino breakfast sausage. Another good bite, the tart shell was interesting. It added a sweetness I wasn’t expecting, but otherwise it was a solid, elevated devilled egg. And finally, a chicken skewer, which was probably my favorite. The chicken thigh was cooked well, and it was paired with some charred green onions, which added a nice crunch and flavor. Overall, some solid starters.

The kilawin, panimula, and tinapay all come out together.

KILAWIN – traditional curing process: This was probably one of my favorite items of the day, as I haven’t had this flavor combo before, and I really enjoyed it. Essentially a ceviche-style dish with complex flavors. The fish was grouper, which was made in coconut vinegar and coconut milk, along with red and spring onion, and garlic chips. It was accompanied by saltine crackers. To have a dish that’s both bright and acidic, and creamy and comforting is interesting. Most of the time I have coconut-based things, it’s more lucious and heavy. But because of this curing process and the vinegar, it’s light and refreshing. The onions and garlic chips added a nice bite and crunch along with the crackers. If this were an appetizer on a menu, I’d totally get it.

PANIMULA – starters: The starter was a hefty piece of glazed pork belly, laid on pureed carrot, and topped with crispy lechon. The pork was slow-roasted and marinated well. The flavor was fantastic. The cut was very fatty and meaty. So once I had this, my limit was approaching. I believe the chef mentioned there was some addition of Madagascar vanilla, which added to the sweetness. The carrot puree was good. I don’t know if I loved the pairing of the carrot with the pork.

TINAPAY – bread service: An ube roll with ube butter. I coulda had a dozen of these. An elevated dinner roll, leaning dessert. It was sweet and as fluffy as a cloud. I really enjoyed this. I’d buy this over and over again.

SABAW – broth: Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this dish. This was a tamarind broth with daikon, bok choy, and tomatoes. I actually like tamarind, but I’ve usually had it in more sweet and tangy options; this broth was more sour. I love bok choy, but the pieces I had here were super bitter. Daikon, I believe, is one of those things that soaks up the flavor of what it’s in, so this dish just wasn’t for me. It wasn’t a large portion, but I could have done without this one.

The next two courses came out together, but were actually three plates.

PANCIT – noodles for long life: I’ve had pancit before, but many moons ago. So I don’t actually recall the flavor. I do remember enjoying it. I was rather disappointed in this one. I was excited that it was on the menu, and when the chef came out, he mentioned they added some gochujang, which I also love. I ended up finding that this dish was rather bland. I’m not well-versed in Filipino food, but from the times I’ve had it, there are a lot of acidic flavors. Acid doesn’t bode well for my body anymore. This dish had an acidic flavor, but not much else. I believe the pancit I had before had meat, and this was a completely veg dish. I’m not sure if it would have been more flavorful with some addition of meat. It would have been very heavy with the main though. This one just missed the mark for me.

KANIN AT ULAM – mains: The main dish was both a dish of fried rice and a plate of pork and cabbage made in coconut milk. By the time I had this and tasted the pancit, I was so full. I knew I wasn’t going to have much, but I had to taste it fresh. The beef and egg fried rice was fantastic. It was fragrant, and garnished with layers of texture, including fresh spring onions and crunchy coconut flakes. The pork and cabbage with coconut milk reminded me of the kilawin / ceviche-esque dish earlier. This one leaned more toward coconut milk versus vinegar in comparison. And I’ve never had pork in this type of sauce or curry, but it worked very well. I am now curious to learn how to cook and braise with this type of coconut milk/vinegar combination. I was very happy with the mains here, and happier to have them as leftovers.

PANGHIMAGAS – sweet treats: Just when I thought I couldn’t eat anymore… There’s always room for dessert. What I didn’t expect was a whole spread of desserts. There were three mini desserts, along with two normal-sized portions. The small bites included a little pastry cake with pistachio and sakura cream, strawberry shortcake, and a brownie with some salty, savory caramel topping. The brownie was the winner for me, I enjoyed the sweet with a dash of savory. It was decadent, and I saved some to go. Then there was a (pandan?) mochi rice cake topped with cream cheese icing and slivers of apricot. I really enjoyed this, a little bit more cake than mochi, but I loved the texture. I am a sucker for cream cheese frosting. It was basic but lovely, and the apricots were a nice touch. I enjoyed this thoroughly. And finally, a nice slice of ube tiramisu. Creamy, sweet, and delicious. I tasted it and packed the rest to go. I wanted to savor that dessert for later.

Overall: This prix-fix was $65, and honestly, in comparison to a lot of the ones I’ve been doing, this is worth the value. I was truly stuffed by the end of the night. The chef came out for each course, explaining the dishes. It was a very well-curated menu and experience. There were definitely some dishes I didn’t love, but not everything is for everyone. I enjoyed the majority of the items I got and thought it was a great way to sample and try new dishes. I am not sure how long this experience will last, or if it is a permanent fixture. I also do not know if the menu rotates. I would probably try their Taglish restaurant, and I would try Arden on its own. I enjoyed this experience, but I also think this is an experience you could do once.

Rating: 8.6/10

Address: 1420 Alden Rd, Orlando, FL 32803