Morimoto at Disney Springs Review
After a couple years of wanting to try Morimoto at Disney Springs, we finally got the chance to go. We decided this would be the perfect restaurant to visit for Magical Dining Month. Every year, over 100 Orlando restaurants participate in this month long event by offering unique $35 prix fixe menus. This years there are multiple Disney Springs restaurants participating, including Paddlefish, Wine Bar George and STK. This event takes place through September and there are so many great restaurants all over the city participating. Magical Dining Month is an awesome opportunity to get a full experience at the more expensive restaurants for a cheaper price!
Getting to Morimoto
We debated going to STK or Morimoto but then realized that STK was not open for lunch, which is when we were going. Morimoto on the other hand is open from 11:30 am to Midnight most days. We made it over to a Disney Springs after a productive morning of outlet shopping. I always go to the Orlando outlets early in that day because they get crazy busy!
When we arrived at Disney Springs, the sky was looking bright with looming dark clouds. This is basically what most late summer Florida afternoons look like. We parked in the lime garage, which is the closest one to Morimoto and made our way right to the restaurant.
The Atmosphere
Inside, you are greeted by an elegant two story dining room with countless, sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. This is definitely the place for a romantic meal. We had made a reservation beforehand, which I strongly recommend for all Disney Springs dining. Unlike some restaurants here, we were seated immediately, which was fortunate since we worked up quite an appetite shopping!
The Menu at Morimoto
Since this was a date “afternoon”, we ordered some drinks with our meal. They offer a variety of cocktails, sake, beer and wine. The signature cocktails are mainly made up of either sake or Japanese whiskey, although they have a full bar so you can order anything. I just cannot get into sake so I decided to stick with beer. I got the Crooked Can Golden Wheat on tap, which was a light refreshing beer to go with this meal. Andrew got a Singpore Tiger Lager, which was a rice based beer and also very light. They actually have a larger beer selection in bottles than on draft, but we both opted for draft today.
For food, we had went in planning on doing the Magical Dining Month, but hesitated once we saw the regular menu. Our main issue with prix fixe menus is that we don’t usually eat dessert immediately after dinner, especially at a place like Disney Springs that has some excellent pastry shops. Morimoto also features some amazing sounded dishes on their regular menu for under $30 so we were tempted to just do that and split an appetizer.
The Angry Chicken and the Beef Lo Mein both sounded particularly good. However, Pork Belly was calling Andrew’s name from the Magical Dining Menu, and I was intrigued by the Shanghai Noodles so we ended up sticking with our plan. Keep in mind, your party can do either or, so you don’t have to both do Magical Dining if one person gets it. We debated doing this so we would have one appetizer and dessert instead of two.
The Appetizers
After ordering, our first appetizer was brought out shortly after. I am not sure if they planned to bring our appetizers out ten minutes apart, but we were sharing both so it wasn’t an issue. A lot of the appetizers here are made for sharing, so you may want to mention to your waiter if you want things brought out at the same time.
We got the Soft Shell Crab Tempura which comes with a bean sprout salad and a zesty sauce. I have not had Soft Shell Crab before but it was love at first bite for me. This crab was perfectly fried with a light tempura coating. The sauce added the slightest amount of spice and made this an extremely enjoyable appetizer. I found it to be a pretty good size as the two crab pieces were decently large and there was a flavorful bean sprout salad as well. We could have eaten probably 10 more tempura crabs, but we were still happy with this appetizer.
Our second appetizer was a little more basic as it was simply a King Pao Chicken Dumpling. There was also some peanuts and Szechuan pepper in the dumplings. This came with four dumplings that were probably the highest quality dumplings I have ever had. We were both pleased with flavors and the execution of this classic dish.
The Entrees
For entrees, we went on opposite ends of the spectrum. I got the vegetarian Crispy Shanghai Noodles and Andrew got the Pork Belly and Grilled Pineapple. My noodles were served in a gigantic bowl loaded up with thick pieces of tofu and at least seven kinds of veggies. I am not vegetarian, but I have been trying to eat healthier, despite my love of carbs. I figured this would be a good middle ground as I could get some noodles and try the delicious sounding black bean sauce, but also get a good amount of veggies.
Despite this, I think I would have preferred the Seafood Crispy Shanghai Noodles for $30 on the regular menu. I keep trying to get into tofu, but so far I have only enjoyed it in crumbled form and still wasn’t a fan of this sliced tofu. The veggies and the noodles were both very tasty, although that savory black bean sauce didn’t as much flavor as I liked. I ended up adding some sriracha and was still happy with the dish, but not amazed. I think most vegetarians will enjoy this offering though.
Compared to my giant noodle bowl, Andrews pork belly plate was a bit of a letdown. I have heard Magical Dining Month restaurants often do smaller portions and this pork belly definitely was on the small side. In defense of Morimoto, pork belly is very fatty and filling so you do not need a large amount. However, I think they should have at least put this over rice to add a little more. Andrew ordered a $2 side of rice once he saw the portion and thought that pulled the meal together. He was very satisfied with the flavors, especially the combination of pork belly and pineapple. I am not sure about the portions of the other two Magical Dining Month entrees, but we found it comical how much ours varied.
The Dessert
Also amusing was that the part of the meal we were least excited for ended up being the best! The dessert selection for the Magical Dining Month sounded pretty bland to me. Here are the three options listed on the menu:
Spiced Valrohna Chocolate Tarte
Lychee and Mango Cheesecake
Coconut Sticky Rice Pudding
I was not excited about any of them and just planned to get the cheesecake. However, when we went to order, our waitress told us that those desserts weren’t ready yet, so we could order for the regular dessert menu. I don’t know what that means by them not being ready or when they will be available, but I was very excited to get to order a different dessert! We went on September 2, so I am not sure how long this will be the case for, but I am thinking we just got lucky. The desserts we ordered off the regular menu go for over $10, which made this an excellent deal.
We decided to share the Chocolate Cream and Crunch and the Churro Fondue. As someone who prefers savory to sweet, I could not believe how much I loved these desserts! They were both seriously amazing. The Chocolate Cream and Crunch is a masterpiece that is described as:
Oreo tempura, mandarin orange jelly, dark chocolate gelato, hazelnut chocolate crunchies
The dessert comes with a bowl of the gelato/jelly/crunchies and then a tempura Oreo on the side. I have had fried Oreos in the past and liked them, but this was ten times better. Tempura is just such a superior frying method. The gelato mixture was heavenly in every way. I believe the jelly was layered in it, which gave the gelato a delicious texture. The crunchies were kind of like little clusters of crunch bar and added even more texture and chocolatey goodness. If you have a sweet tooth, you have to order this at Morimoto! It is a dessert that I will be talking about for years!
The churro fondue was simply three large churros served with a side of vanilla cream and a tube of Nutella. It was literally a toothpaste like tube that you squeezed Nutella out of. I have to give them points for creativity here with that! These churros were a step above the quality you would find in the parks, as they were thicker and more chewier. Having the cream to dip them in and the Nutella was a nice touch, but I’m not sure I would call it fondue. Everything was delicious and I am a sucker for a churro, so I’m can’t complain. Just don’t expect a fondue pot if you order it!
Overall, we had a great meal here and found it to be a very unique dining experience. The only other “upscale” pan-Asian restaurant I have been to is P.F. Chang’s and this is worlds above that. We definitely don’t have any restaurant like Morimoto on the Space Coast, but I wish we did! I still want to try their sushi here as well because I hear that even though the rolls are pretty basic, they are extremely high quality.
It would be hard not to spend over $30 per person here so the Magical Dining Month menu is a good deal if you are visiting in September and like getting three courses. It is perfect for a date night, although I think families would like it here too. You can get a few dishes to share and there is a very Americanized kids menu for picky eaters. They also have a street food counter service window if you want to try some similar dishes for under $15. Keep this in mind if you arrive at Disney Springs without a reservation!
It keeps getting harder and harder for me to decide where to eat at Disney Springs! There are just so many good restaurants there! Have you been to Morimoto? Let me know how you think it compares if you have! For more tips on where to eat at Disney Springs, check out my best restaurants guide here!