By CALEY BROCK
From entertaining hibachi to satisfying soup, Ginza Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar offers a variety of reasonably priced alternatives to the many typical Asian restaurants in Orlando.
Ginza is located near the corner of Colonial Drive and Mills Avenue in Little Vietnam. The street front and parking are visually the opposite of the more classy interior and make a poor first impression when driving by. Parking is in the back, and while there are multiple lots, they are disorganized packed, even in the middle of the afternoon. Carpooling is necessary.
A koi pond and fountain greet customers at the front entrance. The space is vast, and on a Wednesday afternoon, completely empty. It was warmly decorated with classy Asian inspirations, but opening the door is like letting light in a cave as it is dark, even during the day.
There is a bar for drinks, a sushi bar, regular dining area and large hibachi area that holds up to 18 people at each table. Large groups can easily be accommodated at hibachi tables so members may have the option of hibachi menu items.
Most meals come with an appetizer, which can include a house salad with an addicting and creamy ginger dressing and a soup that consists of simple broth. Both of these come with the lunch hibachi.
Although dinner meals offer more food, lunch specials are affordable and filling. The hibachi lunch special ($8.95), for example, would be $10.95 – $36.95 at dinner.
While the menu is extensive and signs from the street advertise steak and sushi, the real star at Ginza is the hibachi. The chef entertains as he cooks, creating fire-spewing volcanoes of onions and performing egg-cracking tricks.
Lunch hibachi meals ($6.95-$12.25) include soup, salad, rice, vegetables and a choice of meat. Dinner meals ($10.95-$36.95) also include a shrimp appetizer and noodles.
The rice, vegetables and meat are cooked separately in front of customers and are fresh and flavorful. However, those dining in large groups should note the individual components will get slightly cold if one waits for all items of the meal to arrive before eating.
Sauces are an important element to Ginza meals. Although extra white sauce orders are typical because of the popularity among diners, the ginger sauce has a tang to it, and asking for both offers a variety to one’s taste buds.
Soups, like the beef udon noodle soup ($8.95), are flavorful and come in large portions.
Sushi is fair, but Ginza would not be considered a destination sushi spot. The spicy tuna roll, an option in the sushi lunch special ($8.95), did not live up to its name and could use more flavor.
The service, however, was friendly and attentive, especially the chef, and getting separate tabs was not a problem. Drink glasses were constantly refilled.
The entertaining hibachi and friendly prices make Ginza a lunch spot for students and adults alike, but with the parking problems and average tasting menu items, Ginza is not anything spectacular.