Metromix Orlando Restaurants

The Down Low: This restaurant's name could not be more straightforward — it really is a little Viet joint that has a sushi bar. (If more people were this honest, we'd have kids named Fatty and dogs named Barker.) It's also a true family affair with a husband and wife wait staff running the dining room and their vegetarian aunt who heads the kitchen.

The Digs: It is located in Winter Garden off of West Colonial near Dillard St. The dining room is cozy with burgandy curtains, red woods, and warm colors hint of a Vietnamese/French decor influence. The sushi bar on the right is adorned with Asian paper lanterns. There are two sushi display cases. One is not used and the other had small blocks of fish covered with wrinkled Saran wrap. All the Saran wrap is a neccessary to keep from spoiling overnight, but during business hours, you should at least cover the fish with clear unwrinkled wrap so that it is visible through it. Their sushi case just did not have an appetizing look.

The Delivery: My guests and I went for lunch and were greeted by the servers. Both were hospitable and both had a friendly, welcoming attitude. Our orders were taken promptly and both showed good menu knowledge. One minor negative was my silverware came dirty with complimentary pieces of dried food stuck to it, which was replaced immediately when mentioned. 

The Dish: First the drinks. For those of you who are used to the slow-drip, high-octane Vietnamese iced coffee at all the downtown Orlando joints, the iced coffee ($3) here is just too plain. This also goes for their boba cafe version ($3), the little tapioca balls were rock hard in the middle like mini jawbreakers.

For an appetizer, I had the baked conch ($9.75). Slices of baked conch were sprinkled with salt, pepper, chili powder, and served with limes. It's a nice combination; the chewy texture of the conch goes well with the spices and lime juice.

My entree was the grilled pork chop ($11) served with rice and salad. After just one bite, my nose and my common sense were telling me the pork had gone bad, but our other server, while admitting she smelled the same odor, insisted it was due to their wine marinade. Regardless if it was bad pork or bad marinade, it was not edible. In their defense, they immediately took it away, and we were not billed for it.

Much better was the grilled shrimp and spring roll over rice vermicelli ($7.95). The shrimp were large and fresh plus the slight burn marks and the grilled aftertaste really hit the spot. Sushi is advertised on the window, on their menu, and promoted by the server (he was also the sushi chef) so we gave it a go. The tuna sushi ($4.25) was fresh and pink. Next up was the Vietnamese Roll ($10.75), which was wrapped in soft 'summer roll' skin had a mix of fish and cream cheese filling. The cream cheese appeared curdled and runny. Although it didn't smell like it went bad, once again it just was not a good look. The wasabi had no kick to it, which usually hints that it wasn't made fresh. 

Our final item was the Pho Beef Noodle Soup ($6.95). This was their best item of the lunch. The broth was steaming hot and hearty plus the noodles had a delicious slippery texture. They pride themselves in not using MSG and my lack of thirst showed it.

The Damage: Their lunch specials run from $7.95 to $8.95. Dinner specials start at $14.95. The sushi rolls range from $5 to $9 with their special rolls being over $10.

The Deduction: It's a shame. The staff was so nice that it is hard to be negative, and the Pho Noodle Soup did tempt me for a return visit. But if my experience is a typical lunch or dinner here, then they are not ready for primetime. From the bad taste of the marinated pork to the quality of the sushi rolls, there is plenty of room for tweaking and improvement.