My family celebrated Valentine's Day at Seito Sushi on Sandlake.
Prior to actually visiting, I thought Seito was more of a fast food sushi place until I started looking up where to eat on Valentine's Day via Open Table. I was seriously incorrect about Seito and became very excited about eating as I normally do but more so since we are big fans of sushi.
Seito sits on the corner interior plaza where Whole Foods is at the corner of Sandlake and Turkey Lake Road. We went on a slightly rainy evening but most of the side walk was covered.
It has a very modern Asian theme with natural elements throughout the restaurant. It is much fancier than I imagined it would be which was a pleasant surprise.
Since we made a reservation, it didn't take us long to get seated. Once we were seated, the lovely server asked a question I'm often surprised about when I'm dining out. She asked if there were any allergies😳. I immediately thought about my experience at Wing Lei in Las Vegas, where this question was also asked and it delights me that someone would be so considerate as to ensure the safety of the food that we were about to partake in. However, I did not make it easy. In my own ignorance and embarrassment, I did not divulge the exhaustive list of allergens for myself and my son. For me, it's pretty easy. For my youngest, it is extensive.
Phantom wanted to eat sushi. He was allergic to shellfish and only recently did that fall off but we don't take chances. He's also allergic to milk, eggs, and slew of other foods. We typically get an imitation krab roll for him with no cream cheese and he loves it.
That wasn't an option here as the imitation krab roles come premixed with other products in it that he's allergic to. I tell you this now easily but I made it so difficult for our server because I didn't say it all at once and when she brought out a dish, she had to bring it back.
If I were here, I would have been very annoyed and frustrated but she did not lead me to believe she was feeling either of those emotions which made her even more incredible. All she wanted to do was bring my son something he could eat and I was entirely grateful for her patience.
Let's talk about food now.
We ordered the calamari to start. It was absolutely delicious! So much so that we ordered a second serving at the end of our meal.
Phyre order their sobo noodles but instead of steak or chicken, she got seafood with a side of tempura shrimp and veggies. She was giddy with happiness because the egg was nearly cooked on the inside which made the egg yolk runny which she loved! She slurped up every ounce of liquid and noodle in that bowl and left the fried stuff to her brothers.
Phoenix ordered the Beauty and the Beast roll which was quickly devoured with little remanence of what it once was.
Phantom mostly ate the calamari having gone through many different options that he couldn't eat but in the end, they were able to make him a plain tuna roll that he was satisfied with.
Jimmy had the steak yakisoba but instead of noodles he opted for fries.
And lastly I had the spicy tuna crispy rice small plate. The only thing I can describe because it was the only thing I ate that night.
I was thrilled to see this on their menu having had a similar dish in Las Vegas's Tao Restaurant. You can read that review here. I really loved Tao's version of the tuna on crispy rice that I was secretly hoping I'd find somewhere in Orlando that served it. And here we are - happenstance at Seito.
The crispy rice was tough to eat. It balanced on undercooked and stale. My memory of the crispy rice ball at Tao's was light and fluffy and I was really hoping for this same experience so it was underwhelming for me and also very heavy.
The rice piece is also much larger than Tao's so the bite size morsel of memory was actually two bites worth making this plate a full meal.
The tuna tasted like tuna. I wasn't expecting to feel full from this but it actually makes you feel very full due to the hardiness of the rice. I would have loved each piece to be smaller, with airy balls of rice topped with their avocado and tuna.
Nonetheless, I have to give my experience here 4.7 stars on the 5 points scale. The service alone deserves a 5 star rating. The best I've had in Orlando by far.
I'd love to go back and try something new and maybe not with the kids this time. I love them dearly but I clearly can't think straight when I have to worry about what everyone is eating.😂
If you haven't tried Seito Sushi for yourself, definitely stop by. Ask for Cholata (probably didn't spell her name correctly). She was our server and the most accommodating person I've seen in the business.