By KATIE EDWARDS
From dishes like Panang Curry Beef ($14) in a curry peanut sauce or Crispy Orange Chicken ($13) in a mandarin sweet orange sauce, one’s taste buds can be satisfied at Twist Asian Fusion Hibachi and Bar.
This newly opened restaurant is a nice addition to the growing and developing SODO plaza on Orange Avenue.
Twist is a hibachi-style restaurant where the food is displayed while the chef cooks it on a hot stove top; it’s similar to Kobe’s Steakhouse or Wasabi in Winter Park. One may choose between regular dining or hibachi-style. It costs between $20 and $40 a person for the hibachi-style dining depending on whether one gets a hibachi meal with one meat or a surf and turf combo. The hibachi dinner is served with Miso soup, ginger salad, vegetables, fried rice and noodles.
The Satay of Chicken appetizer with a peanut sauce ($7) comes with four generous size chicken skewers with a cup of the peanut sauce on the side. The Imperial Vegetable Spring Roll or Egg Roll ($4)comes with two spring rolls or egg rolls stuffed with vegetables and a side of sweet and sour sauce.
The atmosphere is contemporary and upscale. Twist has simple, yet stylish decor. It could serve as a place for a romantic date with low lighting or, on the flip side, a nice family gathering. The dining area is spacious and is able to accommodate large groups.
With Twist having an array of Japanese, Thai and Chinese dishes, it creates a well balanced menu. One of Twist’s highlighed salads is the Twist House Salad ($4) with fresh iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and sliced avocado topped with a ginger dressing.
There is also a variety of rice and noodle dishes and a sushi bar with a choice of 20 different sushi rolls, including the Spicy roll with choice of tuna, salmon, yellowtail or kanis stick.
The service was friendly. Customers were never left without a full glass of water. It is understandable that they want to treat their guests with the upmost quality, but it reached a point where it was overkill.
The wait is no more than 20 minutes for food. At the time of the Hi-Lights staff’s visit, there were only two other diners, so maybe that is why our group received such personal attention.
Another one of the restaurant’s signature dishes is their Singapore Rice Noodles ($10) with shrimp and chicken and vermicelli in a curry sauce.
While it had the curry flavor, this noodle dish lacked the spice advertised that one expects when eating curry, especially since the guest requested it to be seasoned “hot”. The average price is around $15 per person in the regular dining area.
Twist Asian Fusion is new and just making its mark in the community. The food is pleasing, the service was friendly and the atmosphere sets the mood for a nice but casual meal with family and friends or a significant other.