CLOSED: Sora brings tasty cuisine, fusion of flavors to Provo
The Asian lamb rack sits on display Friday, May 25, 2012, at Sora Asian Dining in Provo, Utah. Sora opened its doors in January of this year. JORDAN STEAD / Daily Herald
Lemon fish sits on display Friday, May 25, 2012, at Sora Asian Dining in Provo, Utah. Sora opened its doors in January of this year. JORDAN STEAD / Daily Herald
The strawberry roll sits on display Friday, May 25, 2012, at Sora Asian Dining in Provo, Utah. Sora opened its doors in January of this year. JORDAN STEAD / Daily Herald
When it comes to Asian cuisine, one might say that the sky’s the limit for Sora Asian Dining.
The fairly new restaurant, located at 68 W. Center St. in downtown Provo, is certainly stylish. We were immediately impressed with the main dining room’s sleek and stylish feel upon entering.
We were quickly seated on our recent Thursday evening visit, which saw most of the just over 40 seats in the main dining area unused at the moment. Several other parties entered the restaurant during our visit — one that stayed to dine in, one that appeared to pick up takeout and a few that came in and waited for a couple minutes to be seated but then left before being greeted.
Our server was extremely friendly and took the time to explain the dishes and answer any questions we had. His description of the Cheese Basil Tonkatsu was so enticing, in fact, that we could not resist ordering it. That proved to be a good decision as it was our favorite item of the evening.
We enjoyed the simplicity of the menu, which was clean and extremely easy to read. And all the prices came in even dollar amounts, which helped maintain a simple, uncluttered appearance.
We sampled Tempura Shrimp as an appetizer, and received four long, skinny, slightly battered shrimp, accompanied with lemon and a sauce. It was delicious.
The house salad featured a spring mix of lettuce, one sliced cherry tomato and came with a balsamic dressing. It was good, but we wished for more add-ons in the salad.
The three main courses we sampled were all quite tasty, even as they arrived at different times. We especially loved the presentation of the BBQ Chicken Rice Bowl. The plate came with a mound of rice covered with various separated sections of shredded lettuce, shredded cucumber, BBQ chicken, matchstick carrots and zucchini, and some chopped peanuts on top. We loved not only the visual nature of this serving, but also the interesting fusion of tastes it provided. My wife was especially pleased that none of the vegetables were cooked — as she prefers them fresh.
The Teriyaki Chicken was much simpler in nature, but still full of flavor. It came with a side of rice and bits of zucchini.
As previously mentioned, the star of the evening was the Cheese Basil Tonkatsu. It features a thin slice of pork, with light cheese and basil rolled up like sushi and deep fried. It came with two dipping sauces that were both excellent: a tonkatsu sauce and a carrot, tomato and beer vinegar.
Despite being completely full from dinner, we could not pass up ordering Bananas Foster for dessert. It featured ice cream and whipped cream in the middle of the plate, surrounded by warm bananas and walnuts. It was also accompanied by two strawberries. A perfect end to our meal.
We found Sora Asian Dining to be a peaceful and enjoyable dining experience and wold love to go back to try other items on the menu.
Sora Asian Dining
Where: 68 W. Center St., Provo
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:30-9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5-30-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
Prices: $3-$25
Info: (801) 377-8808, www.facebook.com/SoraAD