OPENINGS & CLOSINGS:
El Coqui Ninja Restaurant has opened in the old Black Rooster Taqueria space at 3097 Curry Ford Road, presenting a Puerto Rican/pan-Asian mashup of eats, from corned beef eggrolls with sweet plantain to kung pao chicken mofongo … Chez Les Copains, the new French brasserie by chefs Michael Collantes (Soseki, Bar Kada, Sushi Saint) and DJ Tangalin (Danilo’s Pasta Bar) has soft-opened on the second floor of the City Food Hall at 1460 Alden Road in Ivanhoe Village … Look for Haraz Coffee House, a Yemeni café, to pour Eastern- and Western-style coffee beverages at 1737 N. Alafaya Trail. Haraz joins similar coffeehouses in Orlando Mariam Coffee Shop, on North Rosalind Avenue, and Jabal Coffee House, slated to open next month at 8335 S. John Young Parkway … Shokupan Bakehouse, from the folks behind Chiffon Culture Bakery Cafe, will open in the old Hangry Dobo space at 12140 Collegiate Way near Alafaya Trail. They’ll offer hot sandwiches and hot meals crafted with shokupan milk toast, as well as a variety of house-made croissants and baked goods … Cloudhop Bakeshop has opened a second area location, this one in Waterford Lakes next to Sephora. Like the SoDo operation, the bakeshop specializes in boffo cupcakes and cookies … “Eatertainment” venue Crush Yard has opened at Formosa Gardens Village at 7836 W. Irlo Bronson Highway in Kissimmee. The 48,000-square-foot space includes 10 indoor pickleball courts, a full cocktail bar and lounge, full food menu, an arcade, outdoor games and more … Talay, offering seafood-leaning Thai fare, from the folks behind Isan Zaap, has soft-opened in NoDo … The Aardvark, at 2610 S. Ferncreek Ave., has shuttered for good. On social media, the owners blamed their lawyers for the closure.
NEWS & EVENTS:
Chef William Shen of Sorekara and UniGirl will launch a pop-up concept called Okonomi, which refers to ordering sushi à la carte as opposed to an omakase. Okonomi will pop up regularly at UniGirl inside Mills Market … And speaking of, both Sorekara and UniGirl, along with Ômo by Jônt and Coro, are now listed in the Michelin Guide … Kaya chef Lo Lalicon and Kristine Young of regional Chinese pop-up Little Giant will collaborate on a multicourse dinner Wednesday, Jan. 29, fusing Chinese and Filipino flavors in celebration of the Year of the Snake. Seatings for the Lunar New Year “chinoy” meal start at 5 p.m. and cost is, appropriately, $129 per person.
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This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2025.
