Whether you’re visiting Orlando or you’re a long-time local like us, finding that perfect date night spot that offers not only tasty food and drinks, but a nice atmosphere and excellent service to match. Universal Orlando recently invited us to check out the newly-renovated Islands Dining Room, and after our dinner experience, we think it should be your next Universal date night spot.
Editor’s Note: TheTimTracker was invited to this complimentary experience by Universal Orlando Resort.
Relaxing Island Atmosphere
Once you walk in, you immediately find yourself in a relaxing, airy dining room with light-colored woods and pastel greens, plus views outside to a small seating area and the pool. This venue recently completed a five-month-long renovation to bring a relaxing, island atmosphere to the space and completely update the menu.
There’s a variety of seating available depending on the size of your party, from cozy and close tables and chairs to more open booths; we were able to sit at one of the smaller tables for four. The music played here is also pleasant, from island-inspired tunes to soft, acoustic covers of songs you might recognize from the radio.
It’s certainly not the dark, moody kind of restaurant if that’s more your speed for date night, but if you prefer an open, bright atmosphere, this is a great option.
Excellent and Warm Service
Though we attended a tasting event, the staff at Islands Dining Room were incredibly attentive, as though we were enjoying their usual dinner service. Our server had plenty of recommendations to share across the menu, particularly with beverages.
Through their advice and suggestions, we learned that alongside the signature cocktails on the menu, Islands also offers Japanese sake and beers, as well as a Fuji apple cider that came highly recommended.
Our server checked on us the perfect amount, both checking in to see how each tasting course was and to get drink refills as needed. We enjoyed getting to talk with him about his favorite dishes, recommendations, and even learn a bit about his time at Universal. It was also very cool to hear from the culinary team as we dined, sharing more insight about the dishes (and poking fun at us trying to eat Sticky Ribs without making a mess).
The energy with the entire team at Islands is very warm and welcoming, with the kind of hospitality you’d expect from Universal.
A Delicious Culinary Adventure
We were able to enjoy tastings of the dinner menu, which offers a contemporary spin on South Pacific flavors.The menu covers a variety of countries, with Chinese and Japanese food, of course, but also Vietnamese, Korean, Filipino, and Malaysian flavors.
We kicked things off with a sampler plate of three starters: Crab Rangoon, with lump crab, kani, cream cheese, wonton wrapper, and sweet & sour sauce; Vegetable Spring Roll, with cabbage, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, glass noodles, and dragon sauce; and Chicken & Sweet Potato Lumpia with nước chấm sauce.
The lumpia was sweet and savory, with a nice crunch from the wrapping. The sauce on the side was light, almost like an oil, and perfectly complemented the starter. The spring roll is exactly what you’d expect, and we appreciated the unique presentation. Our favorite starter by far was the Crab Rangoon. It was far more savory than we expected, with the perfect amount and combination of cream cheese and crab.
Our first drinks were the Polynesian Pop (Koloa Coconut Rum, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, Alchemist Orgeat, and guava nectar) and the Coco Crowd Pleaser (Grey Goose, pineapple juice, coconut water, fresh lemon, Alchemist coconut syrup). The Polynesian Pop tastes like a perfect beachy cocktail, with a hint of coconut that brings sunscreen to mind (in a good way!). There is a slight alcohol burn, so if you’re not a fan of that sensation, you might want to skip. As for the Coco Crowd Pleaser, it was a delicious, refreshing and smooth cocktail. The pineapple juice and coconut come through the most, with a slight floral hit on the back end.
Our next course was the soup, which was the Siu Yuk Pork Belly Ramen, with egg noodles, shoyu soft-cooked egg, baby bok choy, bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and carrots. Our server let us know that one unique aspect of the preparation for the ramen, is that the culinary team sears the pork belly before serving it in the soup. The egg noodles were a nice touch, but the highlight is very much the pork belly. It falls apart in your mouth the second you bite, and tastes delicious when soaked in the ramen broth. You barely have to chew it. We also love a good, jammy egg.
Next up was a sampling of the “From the Fire” menu, the Singapore Florida Red Snapper, with papaya slaw, jasmine rice, and hot bean soy sauce; the Tokyo-Style Meats by Linz Ribeye, with lo mein stir-fry, beech mushrooms, and yum yum sauce.
The ribeye is soft, tender, and super juicy. One bite and you get an explosion of flavor. The mushrooms were also a lovely inclusion and very savory, and paired well with the lo mein. The Singapore Florida Red Snapper is an excellent fish dish, but the highlight is the hot bean soy sauce. It has a pleasant, spicy kick to it that lingers.
We also tried two of the Zero-Proof drink options, Ramune Japanese Soda and the Coconut Lychee. Several flavors are available for the Ramune, but we opted for the lychee. If you’ve had Ramune before, then you know what to expect here. If you haven’t, think of a soda water with a slight hint of flavor and a fun opening experience thanks to the marble top. The Coconut Lychee tastes very close to the Coco Crowd Pleaser, but if you don’t like the flavor of lychee or coconut, we’d recommend you skip it.
We were also able to try “The Wok Experience,” where you choose your stir-fry vegetables, protein, base, and sauce, to create your own dish — and the chefs make it right in front of you!
Tracker Tip: While the food was tasty, we think that this is an option you choose for the unique and customizable experience. If you’re after unique flavors, we’d suggest sticking with the plated options available at the table.
Also at the buffet section are pickled vegetables, a salad bar, various ready-made rice and noodles, teas, breads, and house-made desserts.
Tracker Tip: Definitely try the Hawaiian Rolls and Furikake Flatbreads from the buffet area, and don’t forget the butter nearby. Both are delicious, and the butter is sweet and creamy, almost like a honey butter in flavor.
Another wok offering we tried was the Tofu & Black Bean Dragon Sauce, with baby bok choy, straw mushrooms, red onions, and jasmine rice; served alongside the Sticky Ribs, with hoisin glaze, stir-fried vegetables, and jasmine rice.
The tofu was covered in a delicious black bean dragon sauce, and served seared rather than fried (so be prepared for a softer texture). We were delighted by the straw mushrooms, which we’d never tried before; they were perfectly savory and earthy in flavor. The mushrooms and tofu compliment each other well when tried together. The Sticky Ribs were fall-off-the-bone delicious, and we particularly enjoyed the hoisin glaze (despite the messy fingers it left us!).
The last beverage we tried was the Passion Fruit Margarita, which includes Don Julio Grand Mariner, passion fruit syrup, fresh lemon juice, and passion fruit nectar. This is very, very alcohol-forward, so if you’re not a fan of that, we’d suggest trying some of the lighter beverages on the menu. If you love passion fruit and margaritas, though, this will be a hit for you.
After all that delicious food, we were lucky enough to try the full dessert spread, which included:
- Fuji Apple Upside Down Cake, with vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce
- Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, with raspberry coulis
- Coconut Ube Flan, with coconut cream cheese flan and toasted coconut
- Pumpkin Dolce Creme Brulee, with roasted Asian pear
- Dubai Chocolate Cake Slice, with old-fashioned chocolate cake, pistachio kataifi, strawberry cheesecake, and fudge ganache
All of the desserts were delicious, but the highlights for us had to be the Coconut Ube Flan and the Dubai Chocolate Cake. Both offer unique textures and flavors that make the overall experience at Islands feel complete. The Dubai Chocolate Cake in particular was the best iteration of the trendy dessert we’ve ever had!
The other desserts are also delicious, with a particular highlight being the Vegan Dark Chocolate Mousse Cake, but the flavors taste a bit more traditional. If that’s what you enjoy, then we’d recommend trying any of them, or opting for the flan or Dubai Chocolate Cake if you’re feeling adventurous.
Tracker Tip: All of the desserts on the menu are gluten-free, and several are vegetarian or vegan!
We had a lovely time at Islands Dining Room at Loews Royal Pacific Resort, and think it would make a great stop on your next date night dinner rotation, or a night out with friends for some delicious food. Let us know if you stop by to check it out now that its renovations are complete, and if you enjoyed any of the dishes we tried by reaching out on social media!
Thank you to Universal Orlando Resort for inviting us out!
