Sorekara — Restaurant in Orlando

Had the privilege to dine here roughly a month ago. I generally don’t write reviews but with the general lack of information about this restaurant & its recent inclusion on the Michelin guide, I hope the review below can help future diners:

For a start, there’s no sushi at all. The whole experience took me around 3-4 hours, in a good way. To me, this was an elevated Kaiseki experience, filled with a fusion of French cooking techniques (in a good way - a lot of restaurants go French and loses its core identity, this is not the case). Front of House Ms Tracy told me that Chef William was the ex sous chef for Jean-George (2 star French restaurant in NYC - which I’ve been, and in my opinion this was better than the experience I’ve had at Jean George) and you could see the influence it has on his cooking from molecular gastronomy to the overall fusion between Haute and Kaiseki cuisine. Though I would compare my experience at Sorekara closer to Chefs Table at Brooklyn Fare vs Jean George in terms of the ingredients and general style of cooking.

There’s no point in me name dropping dishes as their menu rotates often reflective of the 72 micro seasons in Japan. This was a technically clinical experience but conveyed with emotion and storytelling. A highlight for me was the squab dish conveying the importance of preservation in Japan’s culture (reminded me of the opening dish I had at DiverXO in Madrid). You can only do that when the food itself is good, fortunately this was the case. That said, a few courses I had lacked the complexity and balance of flavor (particularly a few with various white fishes, which has very delicate flavors - the dressing was overall a little overpowering, to my palate); other than a few small misses, everything else were sensational. The balance between French and Japanese cuisine was interpreted extremely well by Chef William for what he is trying to portray in his cooking.

The service was also the best I’ve experienced in Orlando. Attentive but never intrusive.

Long story short, to my palate after trying more than 40 Michelin star restaurants and 6 of 7 in Orlando, this restaurant deserves a Michelin star, a little fine tuning would easily grant them two. If I had to bet my money on the first restaurant in Orlando to earn two stars, it’ll be Sorekara. All the hardware is there: talented chef, amazing service, arguably the most beautiful ambiance in any restaurant in central Florida; I’m sure a little more experience (they’ve only been opened for around a little under a year if I’m not mistaken) and tweaking will lead them to the heights they deserve.

Special shoutout to the Pastry Chef and his desserts, on par with what I had at the dining room but with his own flair.

I also had the non alcoholic drink pairing. One of the best I’ve had and paired well with the food served. Although the drinks on its own were excellent, I would say a few tea-based drinks were a little overpowering (a little too sweet, a little too sour) and was a little hard to taste the underlying tea notes (maybe the pairing will suit the palate of the general American palate better - but then what’s the point of putting Asian tea in drinks).

Very happy to have a restaurant of such caliber in Orlando, a blessing! Definitely go!

update: they did end up...

Came here recently and was promised an amazing evening of wonder. Sorekara delivered on that promise. If you've never been to a two or three Michelin star restaurant, then you probably haven't ever experienced anything like this.

The ambiance on the outside is an unsuspecting, desolate corner of the strip mall with no branding of any kind on the outside. But once you get inside, you are instantly enveloped into a guided experience through several different rooms that were very reminiscent of my time in Japan last year.

Paper walls, stone-lined floors, an obvious affinity for beautiful, ancient trees. Ambiance is unparalleled. The best decor in any restaurant in Orlando.

Service is also out of this world. These fancy restaurants usually like to have their service choreographed and in sync. Sorekara was no different. It was awesome. Intentional in every move, but they also made it looks so effortless. You felt taken care of like you were royalty, but it wasn't pompous or anything. Especially with them all wearing white Nike kicks. Smart casual, as they say on their reservation reminders.

Food. Astronomical. I can confidently say that the only meal that I've ever had that even comes close was Alinea in Chicago. IYKYK. I won't go into detail. They wouldn't like that, and even if I did, they change their menu 72 times a year, so my description would be null and void by the time you got there.

But there are levels in the courses. Each one very extraordinary. You start off with magic trick snack courses, wondering, am I supposed to eat this? Is this edible? Yes, you are, and it is.

You then move into bites of food layered with so many strong, but natural flavors from all over Japan and all over the local farmers' markets. Every bite was memorable, unique, and interesting. Especially with the stories they weave for you with every course. You feel like a member of Chef's family by the end of the night.

You are then whisked away into the dessert room for the final few courses. More magic tricks. Yes, you are supposed to eat that, and they will be the best desserts you've ever had. Add on a nice, toasted green tea, and you'll wind down, wondering how you've actually been there for four hours! What a whirlwind.

A note. Their non-alcoholic pairing is on another level. First of all, I feel like places like this just started offering NA drink pairings. And I feel like this another example of the evolution and elevation of the NA game. No longer do we have to suffer through pretending different juices mixed together are good enough.

Sorekara used fermented teas, de-alcoholed champagne, and pickled fruit juices to deliver some mind-blowing sips that paired very well with the courses they were paired with. A truly unique experience that allows those to abstain to taste and pair and talk about drinks during dinner with everyone else they are dining with. Amazing.

Overall, some people would never ever eat at a place like this. But everyone should. The journey is so long and wonderful and unique, the message they are trying to impart upon you really hits home by the end of the evening. And these moments in time we experience are the only time we'll get to experience them, and we should enjoy and savor them as...

If you are reading this; hesitant, intrigued, curious, or even on the fence in regards to experiencing this resturant, hear me out for a minute!

Our lives are constantly in a flux of good days, bad days, busy days, or just plain exhausting days. Time keeps spinning around us, but one constant can always be there to make you a bit happier through it all.... Food! Food can be something that can bring us all together and have a great time enjoying it! This is where Sorekara comes in...

Sorekara is hands down, without question, to this date, one of the best eating 'Experiences' I have ever had. Time litteraly slows, your senses are highetened, and before the night is over you will litteraly question how long you have actually been there or even if it was the same day you visited. Now... To the point.

Sorekara is a chefs table tasting experience. The ingredients are the best of the best, nothing artificial. All of which get weaved into unique tasting offerings than span 20 courses (in our selection). The range of flavors and how everything was arranged in the order they came out in was truly a artform in itself. If you have read any of my reviews I typically ALWAYS have numerous pictures of everything I eat. However, because of the wishes from the chef, and staff, which I do agree with, I have not done that here. The reason for this is because your journey here will be at its best if you just go in blind.

The staff and service here are truly a huge part of why this resturant shines. Observant, reactive, and most definitely adaptive. Every team member knew not only their role, but everyone else's role. On top of this, the communication between each other guarenteed your night went well.

To summarize, I have left this review vary vague on purpose. The time you took to read this I hope proves fruitful because Sorekara is a experience you do NOT want to miss. Yes, it can be pricey for some, but I will say you will also NOT regret the experience in the least.

I can safely say this Resturant deserves it's current Two Star Michelin rating and applaud the chefs, owner, and team. We hope to...