Durian Durian is one of what undoubtedly will be many new restaurants that will crop up to serve the burgeoning medical city rising in Lake Nona. The food is good but not extraordinary. The service is extraordinarily poor. It is not recommended at this time.

An Asian market with a corner set aside for a vegetarian cafe. Yes, everything is vegetarian. As a sign next to the menu says, “Deal with it.”

This is a second try for this Tex-Mex eatery. The first, in Waterford Lakes, didn’t go so well and is now closed. They apparently learned some lessons from that one and now are serving solid Tex-Mex fare in a fun atmosphere.

There are other locations of this popular breakfast and lunch spot in the area, but this one is unique in that it has a bar. Not a fully stocked bar, mind you, but a careful selection of appropriate cocktails. The food is good, too, with an emphasis on fresh cooking

Modest Indian restaurant on Semoran Boulevard.

A small storefront location for what is a Jamaican franchise out of New York. Very friendly staff serving hearty Islands food. The oxtail stew is a specialty.

I’m glad I stumbled upon Hong Kong Alley’s Kitchen. I almost took a different route that day and I might never have noticed it. I’m glad I took the right fork in the road.

This is undoubtedly the largest sushi restaurant I’ve ever seen. Izziban Sushi & BBQ occupies a warehouse sized building on the shore of Lake Barton, which lies between Semoran Boulevard and Orlando Executive Airport. There have been a few failed businesses here, including a gay bar.

There is an immense indoor dining area and a couple of very large sushi bars, including one that is shaped like the bow of a big boat. There is also a large covered patio, screened in but with nice views of the lake and planes taking off from the airport. Its rusticity is more suitable for the type of fried foods you’d find at fish camps, but it isn’t inappropriate for sushi to be associated with a waterfront locale.

And sushi isn’t all that is done here. The kitchen food menu is also rather sizable, and if you so choose, your table can be the kitchen, as most of them have built-in griddles and devices that can be used for grilling meats or hot-pot cooking. The cuisines range from Japanese to Korean.

The sauce was the best part of the pizza I sampled here. It was pulpy and had a good tomatoey flavor, but wasn’t domineering. The crust was a perfect thickness, not too thick and not cracker thin. But it was a bit too soft and doughy. I attribute the slight sogginess to the moisture buildup in the take-out box. I wouldn’t call the toppings ample but neither were they skimpy. I had sausage, pepperoni, onions and mushrooms. I would have liked a little more sausage than what landed on top.

The original Korea House, in Longwood, was the area’s first all Korean restaurant (and is still its oldest). With this new location, Korea House brings its well done cuisine closer to downtown Orlando. Tabletop cooking is a big draw here.