Plus: A waffle restaurant set for St. Pete
| | Thursday, June 22, 2023 | | Forward this to a friend Subscribe to more newsletters | | [Courtesy of Sunda New Asian] | New Midtown Tampa restaurant opens soon | Next week brings yet another new restaurant concept to Tampa Bay, part of a busy year of restaurant openings so far. Sunda New Asian is coming to Midtown Tampa, one of a couple of new large developments in the area. It's currently home to Ponte Modern American, a Whole Foods, a coffee shop and othe restaurants like Bella Brava and True Food Kitchen. It's a fun, contained place to spend a few hours. And the best part is there's plenty of accessible parking. My colleague Maggie Duffy spent a day at Sunda and got some more information. On a recent afternoon at Sunda New Asian, staff gathered at the sushi bar to learn how to make a signature dish, Unagi Foie, which combines tempura unagi with rich foie gras and gets seared with a blowtorch. The restaurant was abuzz with new hires learning the ropes before it opens on June 26 at Midtown Tampa. The restaurant’s concept is inspired by owner Billy Dec’s travels through Southeast Asia. Born in Chicago, Dec is half Filipino and traveled to the Philippines to find his mother’s family and learn the culture. He found that the cuisine was heavily influenced by a variety of cultures and implements those in the menu. Read more about the new restaurant here. | | | | | | WHAT I'M EATING RIGHT NOW | | Lunch and coffee at Bandit in St. Pete | On a recent trip to Bandit Coffee Co. in St. Pete, I was hungry but wanted to branch out from my standard orders: egg, bacon and cheese breakfast sandwich (so, so good), breakfast burrito (a classic!) and a pastry from the assortment of goodies that are baked daily. So I opted for a salad. The food menu at Bandit rotates often, and I was new to this particular item: a refreshing summery salad with watermelon cubes, fresh corn, cheese, a light yet creamy dressing and a perfectly seasoned fried green tomato nestled at the bottom of the bowl. You can opt to add a crispy chicken thigh to your plate, too, which I would recommend if you’re extra hungry. | | My dining companion opted for the house-made biscuit with fried chicken (pictured below), which came slathered in a sweet-spicy sauce. To top it all off, we split a chocolate chunk cookie, finished lightly with flaky salt, and my preferred coffee drink for these sweltering summer months: an iced Americano with a splash of cream. 2662 Central Ave., St. Petersburg. banditcoffee.co. | | | | | |
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