In my never-ending quest to find sushi–really good sushi–I stumbled upon a small hole-in-the wall place on Dr. Phillips Blvd. Bonsai Sushi may not reel you in (<-1st intentional [bad] pun…) with bright marquees or “happy hour” specials, (in fact if you don’t know about it you may simply drive right by), but it’s definitely quite the catch! (<-[annoying]Pun AGAAAAIN) With barely ten tables (including the sushi bar), the chefs here know many of their regulars by name. It is quite common to see them greet people as they pass through the door for their take out, or sit down for a nice meal in. As the locals will tell you, once you find this little- hidden- gem, they will keep you hooked (<-PUNS everywhere.) with their friendly service, unique menu, and Sushi that pleases the palate, boggles the mind, and can only be summed up in one word: DIVINE!

When a recent “girls-night” was in order, my friends Bianca, Christine, Alyssa, and I took the opportunity to indulge. On this unusually slow Saturday night we had the place to ourselves, and we took full advantage. Starting with an appetizer that spiced up the night–Literally. These jalapeño popper dumplings combined jalapeño and cream cheese into a dumpling that was then deep fried and capped off with- you guessed it- more jalapeño. Knowing that I would burn my taste buds and ruin the rest of the meal, I preferred to let the rest of the table enjoy (As regulars of my blog may have noticed by now: Bianca loves spice!) When I asked how it was I was answered by silence- the greatest compliment of all as they were all intensely enjoying the flavors. I am told it was a perfect mix of spicy and creamy, and “not so spicy, just got a kick.”

Next we were promptly served our “first course”. Always a must have for me at any Japanese Restaurant, I ordered a “house salad,” a beautiful iceberg lettuce salad topped with grape tomatoes and, my favorite, house made Ginger Dressing! (A small addiction of mine- I could drink the stuff!)

Both Alyssa and Christine ordered the Miso Soup, which adheres to its traditional flavor profile. (Good for the soul)

Reading Bonsai’s massive sushi menu and actually choosing what to order takes a little time, and since everything is made with such TLC (and we were not in a hurry), we had some quality time between courses. We passed the time by playing “two truths and a lie” and deciding that our Soy sauce holder was really R-2-Soy-2 😉

When our sushi came out it was well worth the wait. I-being a sushi “purist”- ordered an Tokyo Garden Roll (kanpyo, avocado, asparagus, cucumber –minus the mushrooms of course). Alongside I also enjoyed an inside out tuna roll, which has yet to let me down. And at Bonsai their tuna is like butter- it just melts in your mouth and tastes so incredibly fresh you’ll wonder if they are raising them outback.

The third and final roll on my plate is a Kanpyo roll. Kanpyo is a sweet goard that is tricky to find here in the states so I order it whenever I see a resturant that features it somewhere on the menu. A special request must be made to order a kanpyo roll by itself. For me it’s dessert: it tastes as if someone stuffed a sushi roll with jelly. I really enjoy it.

Alyssa ordered the Shrimp Tempura. This heaping portion, served atop tempura vegetable and with a side of jasmine rice, was more then enough to feed two!

Bianca ordered masago susimi (her favorite) in addition to one of the many rolls on the menu. While I think she may have just closed her eyes and pointed to one that “sounded good” I heard no compaints on her end of the table.

Christine ordered the two specials of the day… always an excellent decision at Bonsai since they really know how to combine flavors. In fact, I believe Christine even remarked on how perfect each bite was.

Bonsai Sushi is located at 5174 Doctor Phillips Blvd in Orlando, FL. You can dine in or call them at(407) 292-0333 for delicious take out. But don’t just take my word for it.

Check them out on YELP: http://www.yelp.com/biz/bonsai-sushi-orlando

OR URBANSPOON: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/26/300420/restaurant/I-Drive-Universal/Bonsai-Sushi-Orlando