BACÁN — Restaurant in Orlando

This was a very delicious dinner. We have previously gone to the Asian restaurant in the same hotel called Nami and loved it. It was not open when michelin came through florida so it did not get a star but I expect they will next time. Bacan on the other hand did.

The food was all very good. The timing of the plates was great and well timed and everything was good.

As a start you get a little pallete start of cucumber in some sort of marinade with a coconut froth... I dont like cucumber at all and ate it in its entirety Next we got the lobster tostadas. Assumed we would only get one as they were like $20 and its a high end michelin restaurant but to our surprise we got 2. This is where you really start to see how they earned their star. The gastronomy and flavors they used like a passion fruit sauce which would normally be too tart but was settled by the roasted nuts included in the tostada. They were delicious and every bite felt full

Next we got the al pastor pork bell. They used gastronomy to create some sort of balls on top of the pork. The flavor was amazing however for nearly the same price as the lobster it was one small piece of pork belly and felt lacking in vlaue. Great flavor but if I go back I would double up on the tostada.

3rd appetizer was some sherry mushrooms.. they were cremimini which my brain confused for more of a chanterelle type mushroom not a button mushroom. None the less the flavor was amazing and great pairing for the entrees. At $15 they also felt a little high value wise but nothing crazy

For dinner I elected for the snapper. The most expensive and popular item on the menu and it did not disappoint. It was cooked to perfection, breaded perfectly not too light not too heavy and had a nice pairing of greens for some crunch. Served with a coconut type curry sauce which I'm not usually a fan of this was easily our favorite dish.

My wife elected for the birria short rib. It was as expected. The rib cooked perfectly on the bone with pear slicing on top it was delicious. I will say it was a bit sweet for birria and lacking the cilantro onion cheese portions but still delicious once again in comparison to the snapper value wise felt off but not terrible

For dessert we elected for what I can only describe as a deconstructed cheesecake with expresso caviar balls and dulce de Leche balls and crisps through out. They even included a anniversary chocolate and 2 glasses of champagne

In regards to service our waitress was great but I did not get the vibe of a michelin restaurant. Bull and bear, naming, and other michelin restaurants you can't keep a finished plate on the table more than 15 seconds.. here was more laid back. The service was good and attentive and everyone who spoke to us congratulated us on our anniversary which was nice just felt like it could have been a little more michilen style

Atmosphere was cozy and pretty and very nice.

Bill was just over 200 dollars with a drink so despite some value concerns it was cheap for a michelin dinner

We will definitely be back back tbh nami just felt more cohesive and attentive and I will be back there...

The allure of a Michelin review is the current draw, but the hype doesn't mean this is a 5 star joint. Yes, the hotel is stunning - modern, eclectic, and lit well. This is undoubtedly a reason to visit but maybe not to stay for a meal.

Bacán's interior is what one might find in a fine dining restaurant in NYC or Paris, but that is where my attraction to this place stops. While the space is gorgeous, it lacks much-needed sound dampening to cut down on environmental noise and crosstalk. As the night progressed, it was slightly hard to hear the others at the table.

The service was also lacking standards. A fellow diner noticed that some red wines (on other tables) were decanted, some had wine coasters, and some didn't. She joked it must be related to the price of the bottle. BnB plates were dropped on the table, and our server, while busy, was attentive but lacked a smile for much of the service. When food was presented, it was auctioned off instead of depending on seating numbers. The manager made an appearance at the start of our meal and promised to return to check in after, but never did.

These, of course, are all small, but when coupled with the food, I think you could do better elsewhere in Lake Nona.

We started with the Ceviche-Style Hamachi, which was shared - the presentation was nice, but the fish was overly fishy, more so than is typical for this type of fish. When we mentioned this to the server, he bristled and noted that all the fish was fresh - clearly not this dish.

My entree selection was Branzino A La Plancha - the fish was enjoyable, lacking a bit of flavor, but suitable. The garnish of peas and mint had a slight metal taste which detracted a bit from the overall meal.

We shared both the crispy potatoes and the root vegetables - both were good with one person at the table, noting the strong pickled taste of some of the vegetables.

We finished the evening with the Esfera De Chocolate and the Banana Cream Tart - both were generous but, again, not much of a draw.

I'm glad that Orlando had gained cred with Michelin, but that shouldn't be the only reason that leads you to a local dining establishment, and it shouldn't be something that restaurants place all their weight on. A Michelin review, I guess, can cut both ways and equates to higher pressure that the restaurateur needs to live up to...

Wow! Bacan is absolutely amazing, from the elegant decor of the restaurant, to the beautiful open kitchen, and let’s not forget about the killer bathroom lighting 🥵. The food is of course to die for. We came for our anniversary, they gave us a card and wished us a happy anniversary open arrival which we loved! For food, we started out with smoked pork belly. The presentation was amazing, my Fiance liked it more than myself but we anticipated that because smoked anything gives me heartburn so it was more for him anyway, but it was still yummy. Next was the scallops, they were cooked to perfection, only complaint was the dish was $28 and came with only 2 scallops, now don’t get me wrong, we know what we’re getting into when we go out to eat, but come on, give us three and let us fight over the last one. Next was the Papa rellena, which we were told was a new menu item, I would rate it a 6.5, a little underwhelming for me, my Cuban Fiance loves Papa rellena so he ate most of it. For entrees we got the skirt steak, which was pretty tough, and I got it medium rare, we usually get outside skirt, maybe this was inside and that why it was tougher and chewier, definitely should’ve gotten the ribeye, but the flavor was still good. My Fiance for the short ribs which came with an arepa and when I tell you this was the most tender short rib we had ever had, the bone almost fell out while I out my fork in it. It was amazing!!! For sides we got truffle potatoes which were whole potatoes, I was hoping for mashed so was a little bummed but my own fault, maybe I misread, broccoli which had a miso sauce on the bottom, one of my favorite dishes of the night to be honest, lastly were their “famous” mint peas. I’m gunna be honest these were so lackluster, mint is not a seasoning, it’s an herb, they tasted like a can of peas that someone opened next to the mint, we added salt which helped, but like still mint peas, and I love peas. They gave us a dessert for our anniversary, not totally sure what it was, I’m not a huge chocolate fan so I didn’t eat much of it, but the presentation and thought was so sweet! We have been to Bacan and will absolutely be back, if you’re looking for a great upscale date night this is a...