It has been a while since I took a stab at Japanese food. While Chinese restaurants are present in pretty much every city, every region, every zip code, Japanese restaurants are a little tougher to come by. That being said, sushi is definitely making a stronger and stronger push nowadays. Some will claim that its because of it’s a healthier alternative to burgers and fries. My strong opinion is that sushi is helped by the Subways Effect: easy to build, easy to make, easy to maintain. Sushi is a type of food that doesn’t require a massive kitchen nor does it require a plethora of machinery to produce for the mainstream. So I predict a slew of Japanese food chains to start popping up in the mere future. In the meantime, the latest challenger comes from a small local joint in the bustling Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando.
Quietly building an audience of followers for the past several years, I visited this place because this is the sushi joint that finally converted my brother and my father into fans. They said the sushi and the chicken were incredible. I find the place and inside you can immediately tell it’s aiming for a much more laid-back and romantic setting. The place is dimly lit, the massive windows are tinted so barely any outdoor lights makes it way inside, and there aren’t even that many tables in the area overall. My theory of its attempted romanticness is enhanced by its list of wines.
The sushi menu was massive to the extreme, clearly with the most variety I’ve seen from any Japanese restaurant in the Central Florida area. Over 90 options of sushi, and some of them are cooked, and a small portion are actually even deep fried. Amongst the three Japanese restaurants in the Orlando area that I’ve visited, this menu is the best---in terms of sushi. As for the other items it’s a bit more limited, with Mizu hands-down taking the cake. You get your typical tempura, your typical appetizers, your usual soups, and of course the hibachi.
On my two visits here, this is what I ordered: side of chicken with “white sauce”, side of steamed rice, shu mai (shrimp dumpling), Jimmy Smith Roll (smoked salmon, cream cheese, krab, deep fried) and the Kimono Roll (shrimp tempura and cheese, topped with steamed shrimp and avocado). I must say though, there are a lot of nice-sounding sushis I did not get to attempt (Best examples: Alaska Roll—crab, shrimp, cheese, avocado, topped with salmon, Monster Roll—shrimp tempura, cheese, avocado, topped with krab tempura). The waiting for the food is usually minimal, and luckily it doesn’t cut back on the presentation either.
The chicken that my brother bragged about was cooked with a slight edge of teriyaki, and overall wasn’t that big of a deal. The white sauce (never found out what its made of) complimented it a little, but it doesn’t prevent this chicken with teriyaki to be just that---decent chicken…with a hint of teriyaki. The steamed rice both times I went was good, and although it lacks the pizzazz and calorie greatness of Hispanic rice, it still gets the job done. The shrimp dumpling I can definitely do without, as it was honestly no big deal. It was soft, mildly crunchy, but you didn’t get that kick of shrimp most of the time. It tasted like remnants of a soft eggroll. To this day I wonder what the krab Rangoon would have tasted like.
Shiso Sushi shines best not on the entrees, not on the appetizers, but on the sushi itself. While Mizu reigns supreme with the appetizers and entrees (and price range of both), it doesn’t hold a candle to the two sushi options I enjoyed in my visits here. The Jimmy Smith Roll is honestly not your average healthy sushi fare, but this is the kind that can entice a beginner in the sushi consumption department to be a little experimental. At Oishi, I had a similar sushi with salmon and cream cheese. The difference here is that the little bit of fried adds a nice crunchy texture to the outside while giving the rice a nice kick. The cream cheese blends with the krab and salmon quite well, and this roll is much more filling than the average sushi.
And then we have the two reasons why the quality stock towards this place went up. The Kimono Roll is legit awesomeness, as unlike the dumplings the shrimp flavor was in full blast, and the avocado doesn’t distract as it surprisingly blends with the other ingredients like flavorful butter. The two types of shrimp work perfectly with the solid but creamy cheese as this entire roll more than justifies its $9 price tag. You are literally paying for over a dozen shrimp with fresh ingredients at less than 10 bucks. The men behind the sushi also know how to present food as they crafted a nice presentation out of the roll by dazzling the top of the Kimono with a mix of sesame and soy sauce. It looks fantastic, and tastes fantastic.
Reason number two became a tasty surprise as I decided to try their fried cheesecake. Mizu had a similar treat, with an entire cheesecake surrounded by fried batter. It was a mix of hot and cold as the cheesecake was freezing, while the batter tasted warm. Shiso destroys Mizu by offering the cheesecake in a variety of fried chunks (as opposed to a whole cake) with ice cream in the middle and chocolate drizzle sprinkled all over the dish. The biggest difference here is that the cheesecake in Shiso comes out extremely warm, and it oozes creamy brilliance as it mixes with the fine tempura batter as you slice through the pieces. The ice cream only added to the mayhem as your taste buds for dessert get a mix of melted cheesecake, fried sugary goodness, and chilly ice cream. Without exaggeration this is one of the better desserts I’ve had since I started this blog.
Bottom Line: While Shiso Sushi may mildly deter in some aspects, its sushi and dessert more than make up for the shortcomings as it delivers quality food at quality prices in a nice atmosphere. If you are looking for a smaller-key, simpler Japanese lunch or dinner, then this is your place. If you are looking to dig in to some heavy meats or some heavy meals, then Mizu is more your choice. It all depends on what type of hunger you are bringing with you. Shiso has a nice romantic ambience, and better serves as a date-type of cuisine experience. This is no spot to pig out; it’s a nice place to visit for a small lunch or a small dinner. Or awesome sushi.
Verdict: Recommend
Shiso Sushi
13025 W. Orange Blossom Trail
Orlando, Fl
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