Natsu Omakase — Restaurant in Orlando

The restaurant's location is not obvious from the road. It is unassuming and is more like an office than a restaurant. There is a small sign by the front door, which can also be overlooked. This made the restaurant a secluded venue for intended patrons only. The operating hours are by reservation, and they are punctual. Once entered, we were greeted by a hostess and were seated immediately. Another host welcomed us to the table. The seating arrangement is very much the traditional omakase, with seating at the front center where the chefs prepare the meal. There is a fixed number of chairs providing a clear view to the chef's preparation area. The menu is predefined, so don't bother to ask for change. The service throughout the evening is impeccable, attentive but not overwhelmed. This is truly an intimate evening outing for a special occasion (or not). It's not a family place, unless everyone is an adult. The atmosphere is respectful, not loud. Interestingly, the music is pop culture in a Japanese restaurant setting, like East meets West. Oh, you will get a nice, hot, fresh towel the moment to you sit down —more on that below. Business casual is recommended; we went there totally underdressed because the restaurant didn't post any dress code.

Two chefs with slightly different styles carefully prepare the food in front of the customers. Although the exact menu is offered, it is fascinating to watch how each prepares sushi. The ingredients are absolutely fresh and of high quality. There is a great deal of attention being paid to the presentation of the dishes and the cooking techniques. Each course was presented in succession, one at a time, and in small bites. I found a relaxed pace of serving, allowing time to savor the flavors between courses. A total of 16 courses were offered, starting with appetizers and ending with a dessert ice cream. Each course has a unique flavor, and none has crossed over into the others in terms of ingredients or taste. My favorite was the Mehikari (green-eyed fish), while my wife liked the truffle Kampachi, which apparently is their signature dish. The sushi, of course, was super fresh, delicately prepared to the ultimate texture and flavor. I wish I could eat more. Here, they don't use a dipping soy sauce tray. Instead, a dab of it was applied to the sushi upon serving to preserve its proper taste. And the traditional way to eat sushi is with your hand and a single bite. I opted in for their sake pairing offer, and that proved to be a wise decision. I get to sample multiple sakes from various regions and makers. Interestingly, I like the one brewed by a Japanese sake brewer here in New York the best; the flavor is traditional sake, yet it has a light, bright bouquet. The meal ended with a sherbet-like ice cream with a hint of shiso flavor —an interesting way to use the herb commonly used in sushi decoration.

With all that, the price tag is high, although well justifiable. It is an experience to be had. The restaurant charged the full amount of the meal to our credit card upon confirming our reservation. An extra charge for anything outside the menu is expected. While the tip has been included in the cost, we opted to add a tip for the experience.

I hope this review is helpful to you. Go out and...

I chose to come here for my birthday, because I like eating at Michelin Starred places for my birthday. I also like omakases. There seems to be more and more places all offering their own omakases, so they all start to run together, makes it hard to differentiate them. So instead of detailing every aspect of Natsu, I wanna just highlight what makes them different from everyone else.

Ambiance is so beautiful, peaceful, stoic. You enter this space, and you're in instant tranquility. A simple countertop with no view of the kitchen. Very comfortable high-top bar stools welcomed my behind. And a very nice card personally wishing me a happy birthday also welcomed me. A very nice touch. Super classy.

The service was also stellar. It wasn't the well-choreographed show that you see at two or three star places. But each person had their dedicated duties, and they did a really good job of making comfortable small talk with us. Very friendly folks.

Now for the food. The very good food. It was a very familiar setup. The light bites, the palate cleanser, the nigiri, and then the dessert. This place doesn't have any of the big meat dishes like a seared duck or an A5 Wagyu, so if you're needing that, this place won't have that. I didn't need it, so I just sat back and enjoyed this mainly seafood inspired menu.

The light bite portion was nice. I got introduced to a small fish that I'd never eaten before. There was of course a dish that was the obligatory showered-in-truffles dish, but this one wasn't an upcharge, which was very appreciated. In fact, there were no upcharge opportunities at all that evening. Very appreciated.

As for the nigiri portion of the meal, I was actually very surprised that the literal slice of fish that was on the rice was a larger portion than other sushi places. I'm not kidding. The portion size was tangibly larger, which had it's advantages. A thicker slice gives you more of an appreciation for the texture of the seafood. I was actually blown away by this pleasant surprise.

We ended the meal with a special birthday candle in my dessert. So nice.

Overall, I couldn't have been more pleased with my birthday evening here. They set the mood, they treated me really nice, but not in a snooty way, and the food was varied, fresh, and delicious. I can't see myself not coming back. I...

By far the best omakase place in North Florida. Found out after dinner that they only opened last December and I think they are better their Soseki which I went a few times , another 1-star Michelin place in Orlando. While their plating is not as “fancy” as Soseki, I really like their fish selection.

Never thought I could have Ayu (small river fish) and akamutsu (white fish) outside of HK and Tokyo. The Hokkaido uni tasted fresh and sweet, and the seaweed that wrapped the rice was no ordinary seaweed. The seaweed was crisp and the flavor of seafood was “intense”. The toro (fatty tuna) literally melted in my month. I am normally not a fan of salmon sushi their their marinated “King” salmon was out of ordinary. Of all the pieces tonight, I enjoyed ishidai (rare seasonal fish) the most; meat was firm and sweet.

Sake selection is okay. I went with Dassai 39; safe bet when I am not familiar with the sake offering on the menu.

Ambience is on the plain side. Tableware as well. On balance, I don’t mind because the quality of fish was exceptional by Florida standard.

Service was attentive and not intrusive.

Will go back again and again for sure 🤤

Parking - no street parking and the attached retail parking was full. I parked in the garage across the street. Give yourself 15 mins to...