I was dining at Morimoto Asia when I heard that it had received the American Institute of Architects “Design Built Award of Merit” for Orlando. As I looked around It was hard to imagine the space around me about had been, just a year ago, the spinning dance floor of Mannequins. Not it is a space so beautiful and well designed for a restaurant that you would never know its true past.
Of course at Disney Springs everything has an imagined past and Morimoto Asia does fit in that story perfectly. Formerly the home of the Springs Bottling Company you can see how the industrial elements creep through and the glass bottles formerly used to hold water, now make up the amazing chandelier at the foyer and above the Forbidden Lounge Bar on the second level.
Morimoto Asia is part of the Patina Restaurant Group and was designed by Studio V Architecture, they combined forces with Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto to make the pan-Asian masterpiece. Morimoto Asia’s complex design pays homage to the Imagineer added industrial history of the pre-existing space, rebuilt with a strong contemporary twist. The delicacy and vibrancy of traditional Asian motifs juxtaposes a theatrical backdrop for a fine-dining experience. The ambiance complements the cuisine aiming to inspire and excite through an innovative experience.
“We are so proud to accept this prestigious award as Morimoto Asia is a true work of art,” said Robert Consla, Vice President, Project Development at Patina Restaurant Group as he accepted the award. “The restaurant embodies a fantastic mixture of industrial, contemporary and Asian elements making it an experience like no other. We are so honored to be among the best architectural designs in Central Florida within the restaurant’s first year of opening.”
“We are honored to receive the Design Built Award of Merit from the AIA and would like to extend our thanks to the entire project team for making our designs a reality and creating the amazing spaces in Morimoto Asia which inspire and excite through different sensory experiences,” said Jay Valgora, Founder and Principal of Studio V Architecture.
The dramatic space includes a multi-level bar, upper mezzanine and two levels of outdoor terraces. The industrial “bottling factory” façade is reimagined by a triple-height wall of windows and conveyor belts of illuminated glass bottles, spiraling into a chandelier. The restaurant’s dramatic winding sculptural bar at over 270 feet in length is one of the largest in the world, as it leaps and snakes through the soaring 36-foot tall space to connect the grand dining room on the ground floor with the upper level, wrapping around the grand stairway.
Morimoto Asia is open Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m.; Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 12 a.m.; Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m. The restaurant’s second floor Forbidden Lounge late-night menu is served daily from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. For more information on Morimoto Asia visit www.morimotoasia.com or call (407) 939-MOTO.
It’s a cool place, and the food is really excellent, but I wonder if the architecture will seem really dated in about 10 years. It just strikes me as being very trendy.
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