12/10/24
with Caleb Hicks and Mohan Selvamoorthy
with our Guest Star...
Nicole Cozze
Hello foodies and welcome back to Food Conversations. It’s been a little while since I last posted, but we’ve been meeting to eat all the same. Life gets in the way sometimes, but I hope you will continue to follow along in our journey as we get back up to speed!
Tonight we visited Flame Sushi, Japanese Grill & Ramen.
Caleb and I got here a bit early this time, and we waited for Nicole to arrive. Mohan would eventually make it at the time we initially set to meet.
First Impressions
The outside of the restaurant has a pleasant appearance. The building appeared clean and the lighting was all functioning correctly. The sign had a large flame centered between two titles, to the left the name and the right, a summation of the offering. There were window clings that covered the outside windows to display the various menu options available, and these prevented passerby to see inside. A basic led open sign is perched above the door.
The building was a strip mall setting and so shared a design with every other business in the strip. Molded plaster above and stone veneer below with regular columns to strengthen the overhang and break up the visual.
The Establishment
There was anime playing on the screen inside, One Piece, Mohan’s favorite.
The music was a selection of pop and pop rap tunes.
Lots of napkins at the table which is a big plus for me. I always end up using too many!
There was a full bar with liquor. The walls were adorned with large images that were framed like paintings. Anime was playing on a screen over the bar. The restaurant was a bit slow this evening, being a Tuesday.
Busy with takeout despite the slower interior. The was a prominent array of red lanterns in the doorway and the ceilings were adorned with a glowing LED light strip that changed colors. It gave the whole location a faster, more modern look.
While we waited Nicole brought up a sake place she would go to, and I indulged on how I greatly enjoy it. I prefer it cold, but like both, and Nicole thinks the same.
the restrooms were well kept. The women’s room needed some new fresh paint, rusty hand rails but was otherwise clean and tidy without any offensive odors. Men’s room was very clean, I enjoyed the large white tiles and black ceilings. I liked that it was a single room that was very open. Privacy seemed to be king in this restaurant and I greatly enjoyed that quality.
The Menu
Laminated, color paper menu with a minimal selection of pictures that provided a little insight to the specifics. The pictures The menu items were well organized and the Japanese items used simple English to describe. There was a funny joke to be had about the “off menu” items that were listed on the wall, effectively making them their own menu. The waitress we had gave us great opinions on various menu choices and I felt that the prices were quite fair, especially for the market they were trying to reach.
First Course - Appetizers
The waitress brought us our water and lemon with extra lemon without being asked. Lots of napkins available.
Nicole wanted to get familiar with the Food Conversations. She was very cordial and her interest in what we were doing
Mohan told us about his thanksgiving goings on in Orlando and how he spent it with family.
Nicole told us about some good restaurant ideas, and had an idea for us long term for Food Conversations
We got the dancing scallops, Malaysian Roti, Fried Shumai, and the calamari. Orange slices were served with each plate, a single slice on the corners. Which helped the color and presentation and gave a little something more to chew on between bites.
Mohan told me how Roti was a North Indian staple like rice was a south Indian staple. The roti was thin but interesting on the palate and the curry sauce was brought out beautifully.
The calamari was delightful the waitress was correct in how buttery and smooth ti was. Very strong crunch from the shell.. Not chewy at all and i was quite surprised. These were long cut and fried which was very different from the rings I had endured elsewhere.
The dancing scallop had delightful presentation and was covered with krab and a tasty powder. These were large chunks of oyster with a good fried shell. These were amazing, and easily the best food from the appetizers. however we only got 5 instead of 6 which was a bummer because they were so good. Slight coconut flavor to the fried batter.
The Shumai were small rolls that were about a quarter size. They had tiny pieces of shredded shrimp in a tight ball that had a very meaty consistency. A bit sweet and fishier than the scallops.
Nicole told us about her work, how she would be on call. So she had to run to take a call from her work for a short bit. She also works as a fire warden at times which additionally keeps her on call. Mohan’s girlfriend works at the same company as her, albeit in a different role and capacity.
The appetizers got eaten so quickly we didn't get enough pictures of the food!
Second Course - Entrees
The ramen menu was a bit odd in that it was presented as a selection of meats with broth options which made the selection smaller than other places typically look when they offer meats as the option for a series of broth and ingredient dishes. Additionally, all the ramen dishes came with the same ingredients.
The waitress was very helpful and friendly, offering great suggestions and customer feedback to the various menu items. Her suggestions were very helpful in making a choice.
Mohan told me about how he got convinced to get involved with a bi-athelon. Running and biking. This was a 5k run split in 2 and a 20k bike venture in the middle. I was interested and may go as well, but I don’t have a bike! We talked a bit about various places, such as pawn shops.
Caleb inquired when Mohan would bring his girlfriend, Lauren. She is a bit of a homebody and we never see her. She’s been busy with work so we understood.
Mohan discovered that tonkatsu means pork cutlet. We had a fun discussion when an erroneous translation initially made it out to mean pork shnitzel which was awkwardly German for such context.
Nicole had a couple of interesting friends that she recommended to us as guest stars! We always love recommendations and friends of friends to come along with us on the conversation.
Grilled Chicken Ramen with Miso – Nicole
without fishcake and extra egg
Side of egg fried rice.
Liked the texture of the noodles. Really liked the flavors. The egg was quite good, and the combination of flavors worked well together. The noodles were not too soft or too hard, the chicken was a little tough though.
The side of fried rice was good albeit basic. Made for a filling addition to the meal. A nice end even distribution of egg and brown coloration to the rice.
Grilleed steak ramen with Shiyo no spice – Caleb
Good favor in the broth, very dark in color. Felt the same about the noodles as Nicole. The white has a certain degree of firmness due to the marination. The white was thoroughly cooked yet the center was soft-boiled and smooth. The meat was a medium cooked. Generous portions, crisp, crunchy vegetables.
Chicken YakiUdon – Mohan
The chicken was dark colored white meat. Sesame seeds and a soy sauce was prevalent on this meat. Lots of vegetables covered the udon, so much so that it took a while to get to the noodles. Nice and chewy in a good way with the noodles.
Chashu with Tonkatsu – Michael
The chashu was seared and this brought up the texture and flavor a good deal. The dish was very aromatic, strong notes of scallions, onions and seaweed. Almost overpowered the dish itself. The chashu was not very fatty and fella part on the palate well. I enjoyed this very much. I liked how the corn was sliced in large sections rather than individual kernels. This made it much easier to eat. The egg has a strong flavor with a bit of a rice wine overtone.
Third Course - Desserts
Fried oreos –
These were crunchy and soft on the inside. The flavor blended together and was very sweet. The chocolate sauce drizzled on top provided a pop of sugary chocolate flavor.
Fried tempura Strawberry topped cheesecake –
Very prominent cheesy flavor. The shell was tough to cut but it created a lovely texture and allowed for the cream cheese to really congeal and bring out the best of both. The strawberry drizzle give it just enough sweet fruity flavor.
Nicole – not too rich, perfect on the texture with the outside. Good combination of tempura and cheesecake.
This was Caleb’s favorite
Cookie butter banana pie –
the waitress brought us a new one
Oddly enough, this was a layer of ice cream on top. Then was banana pie on the bottom.
Very strong banana flavor and the cookie butter wafers blended very well.
This was Mohan’s favorite and he had a large portion to boot. The cookie layer in particular was very creamy and smooth.
Final Thoughts
Nicole reminded me about what I liked so much about the Food Conversations. It’s just a great way to connect with people and learn more about the community, friends, and family.
