Dragonfly Doral – Japanese Cuisine and Izakaya Fish Market
Dragonfly Doral joins two other existing Florida locations as a concept restaurant that is inspired by izakayas, which are modern-day interpretations of Japanese mom-and-pop taverns.
The menu of the newly opened Dragonfly Doral, boasting more than 6,000 square feet, is heavily inspired by co-owner Hiro Leung’s dedication to preserving the distant memories of visiting the fish market and street vendors back home with his father before preparing family meals.
The brand’s flagship location in Gainesville focuses on sushi, while the Orlando location concentrates on the robatayaki, or robata grill.
We were graciously invited to try out Dragonfly Doral’s menu. We started with Cauliflower Goma Miso – Roasted tri-color cauliflower heads tossed with golden raisins and pine nuts. The trio of crunchy purple, white and green cauliflower were drizzled in a nutty sesame-miso sauce that was sweetened with brown sugar.
Next, from the Japanese Robata grill, Loch Duart Miso Salmon – two skewered morsels of Loch Duart fresh water salmon that were slow-grilled over hot charcoal, glazed with miso, and served with grated daikon, -a Japanese radish with a sweet and crisp taste.
The highlight of a sushi experience is from the quality and variety of the neta, or sushi topping. Dragonfly Doral features freshly caught seasonal fish, so it is best to order chef’s selection, or Omakase Nigiri. This allows the sushi chef to serve what he considers to be the best neta for maximum enjoyment.
Our fresh-caught four-piece Omakase Nigiri consisted of O-Toro (Tuna Belly) topped with Jalapeno, Hotate (Scallop) topped with Cilantro Garlic Aioli, Kinme-Dai (Goldeneye Snapper) topped with pickled cucumber, and Kanpachi (Amberjack) topped with roasted avocado; all served on a fresh bamboo leaf.
It’s perfectly polite to use your hands to eat sushi, which had its origins as a street food. Pinch the nigiri with your thumb and middle finger, while keeping the neta in place with your index finger. Then turn it upside down and dip the neta lightly in the soy sauce, turn it upright again and place the entire piece in your mouth.
No need for wasabi either as a dab is already placed on the rice, plus, Dragonfly Doral serves low-sodium soy sauce seasoned with bonito flakes, -dried, smoked fish, that tastes a little like bacon.
My personal preference is for specialty rolls, and our Kuro (Black Dragon) Makisushi Roll – Soft shell crab tempura, snow crab delight, marscapone, cucumber, scallion topped with avocado, smoked eel, eel sauce and spicy mayo, was outstanding. The creamy Italian cheese, marscapone, is naturally sweet, but very light; and a creative alternative to cream cheese.
To finish we had two desserts. The Yuzu Tart was meringue topped and filled with a creamy, sweet and tangy custard that tastes like sour tangerine. The Green Tea Tiramisu, with green tea sponge cake, instead of lady fingers, had the moist texture of Tres Leches, and, was also topped with meringue.
Dragonfly Doral is located at 5241 NW 87th Avenue, Doral, FL 33178. The adjacent Izakaya fish market is due to open soon. For reservations or more information, visit: dragonflyrestaurants.com/doral-florida