Komodo – regional flavors of Southeast Asia in the heart of Miami’s Brickell neighorhood. 

We went to Komodo for a Girls Night Out. My friend picked Komodo, mainly because she loves Asian decor and food. It was Miami Spice month. This is similar to New York’s Restaurant Week. Participating establishments usually offer a meal of several courses with choices from categories ranging from appetizers to desserts, all for a fixed price. This year some of the more expensive restaurants offered additional higher priced dinner options, some of which came with wine of drink pairings.  

We arrived at 7:30 on a Thursday night. There was a line at the hostess stand and even after reaching the front of the line, we were instructed to wait a bit longer. The bar area was surprisingly crowded, but we managed to find a space where with enough elbow room to stand comfortably. We had to wait about 20 minutes. We joked with one of the hostesses about how would she know how to find our party and she admitted they wrote little descriptions next to the party name. In our case, a dress color. I thought to myself, “this could get interesting,” but in the end they did identify us correctly when our table was ready. 

We were finally called and taken to what we assumed was a nice section considering that  the owners were doing a birthday celebration just two tables away.) We ordered wine by the glass and some of the fun sounding signature cocktails. The drinks were expensive, but they were good. 

The  items offered on the special Spice Month menu sounded awesome. We all ordered the Chilean sea bass dim sum, except for our friend who is practicing a Keto diet who ordered the Thai beef jerky. I thought the jerky sounded rather unappealing,  but the beef was surprisingly tender with a nice Thai flair. Each order of dim sum came with 3 good sized pieces and the sea bass tasted like it might have been caught just minutes before being served. And I loved the dim sum dipping sauce. For the second course, there were five options. Two of us ordered Korean fried chicken and two ordered soy sake salmon. The salmon sat atop bok choy and had a crunchy, lightly grilled crust while remaining tender inside. The Korean chicken was very crunchy with a spiciness that came just short of going over the top.  After tasting the chicken, I almost regretted getting the salmon, though it was good. Fortunately,  my friend allowed me plenty of her chicken, and I was happy with a split decision in regards to which won out in the end.  

The desserts were phenomenal. We got 3 of the 4 options. Miso chocolate temptation with dulce mousse and oat ice cream, two mochis chef’s selection, and the matcha shortcake with yuzi (fruit with a citrusy zing), coconut meringue, and strawberry shiso (an herb that tastes like a cross between basil and mint.) 

We had good drinks, good food, and a good time. A+, and Miami Spice made this easy on our wallets. That being said, I have some cautionary tips based on other’s experiences.  I was confused as we walked out, as the bar was absolutely packed with a real nightclub vibe. I think the upper levels (there are 3 levels altogether) get some late night action with DJs and dancing . We left around ten, so I only saw the restaurant side of Komodo. If you want to check out Komodo because of all the hype and aren’t necessarily a foodie, then perhaps try out a night at the bar first. I also found the staff to be a bit aloof. I recommend dressing how you want to be treated here, erring on the classier side of the dressing scale. And be sure to look over the menu prices before you go. Take advantage of their lunch time special menu. Komodo is definitely a four dollar sign kind of restaurant, so be prepared for a bit of a shock when the bill arrives. It’s overly expensive. On purpose. If you are going just for the restaurant, perhaps go earlier to beat the even-with-reservations wait since it gets extra crowded as the night goes on. And since Komodo doesn’t get high marks for honoring reservations perhaps factor in a drink (or two) at the bar as part of your experience. Just plan on a bit of bar time  and be pleasantly surprised if you don’t have to wait.