Cork & Fork American Grill is a new restaurant led by Executive Chef Simon Bond in Orlando’s Belle Isle / Conway Road community committed to providing fresh (local whenever possible), modern American cuisine and beverages to their community of guests.
“My background in cooking comes from starting out in the dish machine,” Chef Simon told us recently “Watching chefs and wanting to become a leader of a team, I started at the bottom and worked my way up. My favorite memory growing up in the UK was watching my mother cook for the family and wanting to take that responsibility into my own as I do now with my children and patrons. My guilty pleasure is definitely Coconut Curry with Cashews and Basmati.”
“Cork & Fork began with Owner Orhan and I sharing the same philosophies on cuisine and business which manifested into Cork & Fork.”
“The Brick Chicken is one of the new standout menu items that I think will be very popular. It has a nice Thyme butter just with our seasonal veggie of the day.”
“Our current popular items are definitely the burgers, Fish and Chips, Drunken Scallops and Cauliflower Steak. ”
We recentlyjoined Cork & Fork American Grill for a media preview – filled with gluten free and vegetarian options before they introduce their new menu.
We began with the
Appetizers
Togarashi Salmon Bites – salmon bites in a 7-spice chili pepper dust with a cucumber-garlic-dill sauce. Although the chef had a slightly heavy hand with salt, the salmon is delicious and the cucumber adds a nice refreshing note to your palate.
Togarashi Beef Bites – Beef bites in a 7-spice chili pepper dust with a Sriracha-teriyaki-scallion sauce. The beef was a bit too dry on this occasion. Try it with the sauces on the side!
Deviled Bacon & Eggs – delicious deviled eggs with bacon, served on house bacon jam. The bacon jam added the perfect amount of sweetness and the slice of tomato added a lightness to the dense center of the egg. The flavors are on point and to die for.
Bistro Steak – sliced shoulder tenderloin, sautéed onions, mushrooms and warm bleu cheese sauce. The buns are delicious and sweet. The steak is very tender and made just how we like it – medium! The bleu cheese is wonderful and melts in your mouth. The burger is served with French fries, house-made ketchup (regular or hot).
Drunken Scallops – diver scallops, bacon micro-brew cream reduction, scallions, garlic mashed potatoes and a toasted baguette. The scallops were very salty and the reduction is very unique. The mashed potatoes work well with the reduction.
Cauliflower Steak – pan-seared cauliflower steak in browned butter, garlic, thyme, sautéed spinach and shallots, served with veg of the day. This was the best item on our table. The cauliflower is buttery and delicious; we wish we had seconds! However, the spinach was a bit salty.
Moscow Mule – if you’re not fond of ginger in your drink but you’d like to try a Moscow Mule, this one is the one for you. I am not a fan of Moscow Mules, but this is brilliant.
Vanilla Bread Pudding with Hennessy cream sauce – This dish would go great with vanilla ice cream, but otherwise was rather bland in flavor.
Pecan Pie served with vanilla ice cream – a delicious taste of Southern living. It is not a light dessert, but it is wonderful.
Mango Pie with a shortbread crust – this is a pie perfect to welcome the Spring season.
For more information, visit
Cork & Fork American Grill
5180 S Conway Rd, Orlando, FL 32812
Phone:(407) 250-6763
