“These days, in a lot of places in Orlando, an omakase is taking longer for people to sit and eat, and there is a very high price on all the food and service,” says Lewis Lin, whose own Juju does a spendy, if sumptuous, kappo-style offering.
With Hayashi Tarō, his newest concept, set to open before month’s end at 714 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando, they’re simplifying.
“You can even pick up or pre-order a box, go home and enjoy the same ingredients, the same technique from our sushi chefs.”
Lin, a formidable talent, is one of those chefs. The other is David Tsan, whose Norigami was critically acclaimed and Michelin-recognized within figurative minutes of opening.
Tsan is now working with Lin, whom he’s known more or less since his high school days, and is about to give the city a taste of something new: the Japanese art of orizume, the practice of composing a seasonal meal within a delicately folded wooden box called an ori-bako.
It’s a little different from a standard bento: highly curated, a little special.
Hayashi Tarō will offer distinct elements: an omakase ori-bento meal and a matcha and tea ceremony with artisanal ceramics to complete the experience. (Courtesy Hayashi Tarō )
“The idea is that it’s more than just the food,” Lin explains, noting that the box ingredients will include fish imported from Tokyo’s Tosoyu market and beautifully prepped vegetables sourced from local farms. “It will be a spot for gathering.”
Guests in the intimate space, with just 17 seats to start, will be able to watch not only the chefs here but also the ceremonial prep of hand-harvested matcha. The restaurant, says Lewis, will present its experience threefold: the omakase ori-bento (ranging on average from $25 to $75 with items from striking, geometric seafood rice bowls to traditional nigiri), the matcha and tea ceremony along with beautiful artisanal ceramics by artists both Japanese and Orlando-local, much of it available for purchase.
Both Lin and Tsan’s personalities reflect what Lin says is one of the new venue’s main goals: “We wanted to make high-level omakase and Japanese cultural experiences far more approachable and unpretentious — offering a refined meal that guests can easily share and enjoy.”
Sign up on the Hayashi Tarō website, hayashitarofl.com, to get on the list for early notification about reservations, as well as for a space at their Oct. 25 matcha presentations by certified instructors from the Morikami Museum and the Japanese Gardens Seishin-an Tea House in Boca Raton.
Follow Hayashi Tarō on Instagram (instagram.com/popular/hayashi-taro) for details on the soft opening as it approaches.
Find me on Facebook, TikTok, Twitter or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com, For more foodie fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group.