If you’re a foodie like me, and ever find yourself roaming International Drive in Orlando, Florida, then I have a recommendation for a restaurant that should be at the top of your list of places to dine! Kobe Japanese Steakhouse is far from your standard Japanese restaurant you may visit every few weeks. It is somewhere you just have to visit, and should be somewhere on your bucket list. It’s a restaurant that can either be reserved for anniversaries or birthdays, or one that you can dine at for a casual mid-week meal, or a relaxed weekend out. Bringing together a mix of fruity, ice cold cocktails, and fresh ingredients for classic Japanese food with a twist, is the selling point of Kobe. And the visitor experience they deliver, is one that will certainly make your holiday. That, together with the ambiance of a hip and chilled restaurant, there’s nothing better than visiting Kobe after a long hot day in the Orlando sun, sipping on a cold drink. If you love Japanese food, or are looking to try something new and don’t want to be disappointed, you won’t need to look any further than Kobe.
Admittedly, Ankit and I were not even aware of Kobe until it was recommended to us by one of the reception staff at the hotel we were staying in. His words pretty much echoed mine describing the restaurant as a must-do experience for our holiday. Now to me, I was a bit confused as to what he meant by “must do experience”. A restaurant is exactly that, somewhere you go out to eat, and maybe try new dishes. Though he was not letting on by what he meant. Intrigued, we decided to head straight to Kobe Japanese Steakhouse, assuming it would just be a normal restaurant with amazing food quality. Boy, were we mistaken, in a good way of course!
As soon as you walk into Kobe’s the visuals are spectacular! There is a ginormous fish-tank in a neon aqua colour to set the feeling, and next to it is a live fish tank with Koi fish swimming around. Kobe also give customers the option to feed the Koi fish whilst they wait. Words can’t do the look of this restaurant justice, and I hope it shows through the photos I have taken. The only downside about the restaurant is the exterior of the restaurant – it isn’t the easiest to find, and it doesn’t follow through the theme of the interior.
There are two options for dining at Kobe’s, and Ankit and I actually went for both on two separate occasions. The first, is standard dining, which is just ordering items from the menu and allocated booths. The good thing about Kobe’s is you aren’t restricted to just tables of two if there are just two of you, you can request to sit at booths. This is what we did and there no waiting time for this whatsoever, even though we went on a Saturday night. Alternatively, you can go for the hibachi/teppanyaki dining experience which involves your table being allocated a skilled chef who will entertain and prepare your food right in front of you. With this option you will be put on a table with other guests, but honestly, you are entertained individually and as a group by the chef that you don’t even notice it! The wait on the weekends can get pretty busy for the teppanyaki dining experience, as expected, and on the first night we tried to go for this the wait was 1 hour! Though, this was a weekend. When we went the second time around, on a weekday, it was a 5 minute wait.
For the teppanyaki dining experience there are about 6 set menus, each of which incorporate different starters, such as crab cakes, and different types of meat and fish into the main – like scallops, shrimp, steak etc. Everything is cooked to your preference, and additionally you get egg fried rice, salad, soup, vegetables and noodles! So if you are planning to go, make sure you go on an empty stomach, because you will leave absolutely full! With the entertainment, the chefs seemed to have their own persona’s and own tricks. The one we had was able to catch steel bowls in his hat! I did peek over to the other tables and one chef was catching actual eggs in his. So it’s a different experience each time you go. As a recommendation I would reserve the teppanyaki dining experience for when you have anniversaries or birthdays, as it’s something special. The standard price for the experience is about $110 which includes a cocktail each, this isn’t including tip.
If you’re looking for a more casual dining experience, go for the standard seating, which is just perfect against the in door open fish tank and the ambianced led lights. Here you will find standard Japanese dishes, such as Gyoza Dumplings, or specialties by Kobe such as Sea Scallops with sizzling mushrooms. Anyone who knows me will know that I like a good cocktail, and there was no disappointment when it came to the cocktails served here. You can either order a cocktail as part of your meal, or sit at the bar and watch the cocktail guys whip them up.
Apart from the exterior of the restaurant, Kobe cannot be faulted. Their staff are attentive and pleasant, and the food tastes so fresh.
Have you ever dined teppanyaki style? Or have you been to International Drive in Orlando, if so, what are your recommendations?
