Norman's Restaurant

Chef Norman Van Aken was one of the pioneers of fusion cooking who combined ingridents and flavors from latin america into fine dining ever since the 70's. In the 90's, he was one of the first generation of celebrity chefs along with Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, and Mario Batali. Although his fame has been fading away in the new millennium, any discussion of the Orlando's most elite restaurants wouldn't be complete without his namesake restaurant "Norman's" at The Ritz-Carlton Orlando. The octagonal dining room of Norman's was spacious, with high ceilings, enormous windows and marble floors. The tables were covered in linen and lit by oil lamp, and most of them were facing the gorgeous golf course and lakes outside.Appetizer 1: Yuca Stuffed Crispy Shrimp with Sour Orange Mojo, Torn Greens and Habanero Tartar Salsa

The dish was spicy and crispy.

Creamy Cracked Conch Chowder

The dish consisted of much crunchy vegetable and a cream soup with sweet spices. The portion can be smaller.

GRILLED PORK HAVANA Smokey Plantain Crema "21st Century" mole Black Bean-Sweet Corn Salsa Golden Haitian Grits

Despite its pink color, the pork wasn't very juicy. Some fat was definitely needed for the dish.

Pan Cooked Fillet of Key West Yellowtail
Garlicky Mashed Potatoes ~ Asparagus Spears ~ Citrus Butter

The fish was flaky and the side dishes were good, but it lacked charm.

CHEF NORMAN'S SPICE CREAMS™ Cinnamon-Aji Amarillo Chinese Five Spice Cream Ancho Chile-Chocolate on Salted Peanuts

I personally did not like the texture of the creams, they tasted like room temperature ice cream. The spices were nice experimentations, but did not work for me.

Overall, the dinner wasn't on par with that of Victoria & Albert's. The food was seasoned with strong spicy flavors, but lacked in depth and delicacy.