Sunda New Asian — Restaurant in Tampa

Restaurant: Sunda New Asian – Tampa, FL As you approach the door of this fusion-style Asian restaurant, the anticipation of its energy and vibe is palpable. The contagious energy is immediately evident through the Asian-themed design, artistic lighting, stunning wall and ceiling art, and 3D walls, all contributing to the restaurant's dynamic atmosphere. Allow us to take you on a culinary journey… Michael Glinter, having traveled to 68 countries and 36 states, has experienced a wide array of extraordinary cuisines. His review philosophy is straightforward—Taste, Presentation, and Service. He believes in providing readers with an unbiased perspective, highlighting both the positive and negative aspects of a restaurant. STEAMED BUNS Korean Fried Chicken - Scallion bao buns filled with crispy chicken thighs and Asian slaw. These bao buns are soft, light, and fluffy, made from a slightly sweet white dough filled with savory, crisp fried chicken dressed in a Korean-style barbecue sauce and Asian slaw. The combination of sweet and tangy flavors, along with the crispy texture of the chicken, creates a delightful burst of flavors that leaves you craving more. SIGNATURE CRISPY RICE Spicy Tuna - Pan-seared sushi rice with ghee and tamari, topped with masago, chives, sriracha, chili oil, and serrano. Each bite offers a delectable blend of perfectly seasoned, crispy rice topped with a zesty, spicy tuna mix. The contrast of textures and the explosion of flavors in every bite is truly remarkable. SIGNATURE CRISPY RICE Wagyu - Pan-seared sushi rice with ghee and tamari, topped with sambal, chives, red chili, and Asian pesto. The crispy rice is browned to perfection. The wagyu, cooked to a perfect medium, melts in your mouth, offering a savory experience that is hard to achieve with such a small cut. The one-inch piece provides a rich, melt-in-your-mouth sensation with minimal chewing required. LEMONGRASS BEEF LOLLIPOPS - Sliced New York strip steak with lemongrass, chilis, and ginger soy glaze. Cooked to perfection, the beef effortlessly slides off the bone, delivering a savory mix of flavors with hints of sweetness, tanginess, and a slight heat. UNAGI FOIE - Tempura unagi with seared foie gras and citrus marmalade. This Japanese freshwater eel, rich and bold in flavor, is deliciously smoked and pan-fried. The combination of the citrus sweetness with the natural flavors of the eel creates a delightful culinary experience. BULGOGI ROTI TACOS - Sliced sesame soy-marinated ribeye with roti prata and red cabbage slaw. Unfortunately, this dish did not meet expectations. The excessive amount of red cabbage slaw overpowered the quality of the ribeye. After removing most of the slaw, the dish improved significantly, allowing the ribeye to shine. COCONUT CHEESECAKE - A luscious coconut mousse atop a graham cracker crust, drizzled with coconut caramel, and garnished with fresh berries. This rich and creamy dessert is a true tropical delight, offering a harmonious blend of tangy, fruity, and sweet flavors that perfectly conclude the evening on a high note. One minor complaint: We were a party of five, which is admittedly an odd number. However, seating us at a four-top table with an additional chair at the end was not ideal. Despite many empty tables upon our arrival and throughout our meal, it would have been more comfortable if they had combined two tables to provide more space, especially for a tapas-style dining experience. In a city where exceptional restaurants are continually emerging, Sunda sets a high standard for the future of dining...

Sunda quick summary: food was good overall (though some menu items are very overpriced and still not the best Asian fusion food in Tampa) but service is REALLY bad here. Very expensive and perhaps overhyped.

We just recently came here after finally being in the area…we had been wanting to try this restaurant for over a year. We were VERY excited, and unfortunately our meal did not live up to expectations. We know Southeast Asian fusion food well; we’ve traveled all over the world and been to Asian countries for months at a time, and we have had numerous meals better and more reasonably-priced than Sunda. We sat down and immediately felt the bad service - it took 15 minutes before our waiter came to the table. We ordered our food and it came out, and then we were waiting on our two final dishes for like 30+ minutes! Our waiter never came to the table and when we finally could waive him down and ask if our food was forgotten about, it STILL took another 20+ minutes to receive our final two dishes! Keep in mind everything else came out almost instantly. It made no sense. A manager came over to offer the last two food items on the house because of the wait, and after the 30+ minute wait (again) to flag our waiter down to get the bill, the last 2 items were on our bill and not taken off. It took another crazy amount of time for him to adjust it for us, another 30-ish minutes for dessert, and he had the audacity to tell us at our table to “CashApp or Venmo him the tip directly, it would really help a lot” and then he started complaining about management…like really?! This is what you get paying $200 at a restaurant?! Crazy!!

Regarding the food, I do have to say overall it was pretty good. Our favorite dishes were the bulgogi roti tacos and the wagyu and spicy tuna crispy rice dishes (however the tuna was quite a bit overpriced for what you got). The Sunda sundae (their take on halo-halo) would’ve been excellent but unfortunately the shaved ice was mostly frozen solid due to the long wait it took for us to receive it. We couldn’t really enjoy it fully because of this - we could only get to the toppings on the sundae as the rest of it was one giant ice cube.

The sushi is absurdly expensive - the rainbow roll was nothing special compared to any other generic sushi restaurant and for $29 it was $10+ more than it should have been. The baked snow crab hand roll was also pretty disappointing too. The tiger shrimp tempura was good, nothing inherently wrong with it, but it didn’t “wow” us like we were hoping a restaurant as esteemed as Sunda would do. Moral of the story: skip the sushi because it is not worth it and there are many other excellent sushi restaurants in Tampa that are much more reasonable and worth the money.

All in all, this might be a pretty harsh review for Sunda, but for a restaurant that is “award-winning” and has prices far exceeding other top restaurants in the area, I feel people should know our real experience before they drop a huge amount of money at this restaurant. We would come again, but we would set our expectations lower, and despite them being house recommendations, we would certainly order different food items from what we got...

My wife and I dined with 9 other friends at Sunda this past Saturday night.

The Atmosphere gave a "Saturday night busy bustling new restaurant" kind of feel, where the Bar as the center of the room, with table around it, inside and outside.

My wife and I ordered "Steamed Bun" as an appetizer. These were described in the menu as "scallion bao buns filled with" your chocie of pork belly, korean fried chicken or "Crispy Eggplant," i.e., panko-crusted eggplant with asian slaw. My wife and I opted for the Crispy Eggplant.

I have eaten at 5 separate "big-city" Chinatowns in North America (NYC, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver and Chicago) and have never had Bao Buns that were not one piece. Sunda's "Buns," however, were actually bun "sandwiches," with the eggplant and slaw between the two bun pieces. The lower half of the buns stuck to the surface beneath, making it difficult to eat without a fork. Still, the filling tasted great!

I ordered the Miso Bronzed Black Cod, which sat on eggplant strips. The flavor of the Black Cod was wonderful, though the serving was on the small size.

My wife enjoyed the Chicken Inasal which was well-presented and very moist and tasty. (The serving size was good, which allowed my wife to let me partake of this fine dish.)

My friend ordered from the Special Menu, and had the Pan Seared Rainbow Trout. He permitted me a taste and it did not disappoint.

Our 4 friends, (who were family to each other), ordered the "Kamayan Feast." Our friends and my wife are Filipinas, so are very familiar with Adobo Pork Belly, Crispy Pata, Chicken Inasal and Lumpia. This Feast also had Garlic Shrimp, Green Beans and Jasmine Rice, along with dipping sauces. At $180, this feast may seem steeply-priced, but at $45 per person, it was in line (and less costly) than other dishes on the menu. The good flavor compleented the size of this feast.

As it was my wife's birthday, a little cake with a candle was brought out after our main meals were finished.

The service was excellent, with immediate assistance on hand when needed but without undue intrusion. (The prices are reflected in the photographed menus attached hereto.)

Two of our party ordered, as Sushi, the Red Dragon, the Panda and the Rainbow. They enjoyed it very much.

If you seek a quality Filipino Feast and/or Seafood, Sunda is well worth it. If you are seeking quality Sushi, Sunda delivers, though you will pay more for ambience and for the "Midtown" restaurant area than you would pay at other quality sushi restaurants...