Chris A.
Yelp
I've been hearing about Kai for years and years, basically the whole time I've lived in the Central Florida area, and I just hadn't gone yet. Well, I had to pick a place to have lunch with a bunch of old chums, so I was like, you know what, it's time to freaking go to Kai. So we went. And I'm so glad we did.
I get here right when it opens to claim seats for nine. Then we wait for everyone and start browsing the menu. I started off with a Thai Milk Tea (Freshly brewed, not from powder. Immensely refreshing). And oh my, it was indeed refreshing. I enjoyed it. Very smooth.
Then it was time to order food. We all kind of ordered a bunch of stuff and shared with each other, so I'll outline what I remember getting my hands on.
Chili Soy Wontons (Handmade pork and shrimp wontons with spicy chili soy). I actually tried both wontons. Very good! Steamed well, plump and full of filling. Very good use of the chili soy and the lemongrass aroma to accent flavor. Big fan of these.
I also got to try the Kai Ribs (Sous-vide pork ribs, thai flavor BBQ sauce, sesame seeds, scallions). These ribs. They get is exactly right, The perfect combination of fall off the bone tenderness, super crispiness on the outside, and the sauce, oh the sauce. This might be my favorite Asian rib in town now.
I, of course, had to get the Korean-Style Crispy Wings. I eat pretty much every wing I ever encounter on a menu. And these were superb. I don't think they are as good as a certain juggernaut in the Orlando area, you know, but they are at least within one standard deviation of them. Mega crispy, super juicy, well sauced. These are three star Michelin wings.
I got a noodle dish that I can't find on the menu anymore. That's ok, I love a constantly rotating menu. But it used those thick noodles that you see in Pad See Ew. It was a very generous helping of noodles, plenty of fresh veg for some fresh texture, and shrimps aplenty, all in a lovely sauce. I ate this whole dang thing, without even thinking about leftovers. It was so good.
The other main entrée that I had was a special they were running. So it's not on the online menu anymore. I do remember it was some sort of chicken katsu with a Japanese curry on the side and a cheesy potato rice dish also on the side. This was the obvious main event, and it was awesome. I don't see dishes like this very often, so I jumped on the opportunity, and I'm very glad I did.
Overall, this place doesn't appear to be good for large parties, it's very small and cozy. But, it absolutely was very good for my large party that day. I was very pleased with everything, the food, the service, and the ambiance. I will probably be back. Or, I should correct myself, I'll probably be frequenting the location at the food hall that opened up literally 150 yards from my front door.