Let’s cut to the chase: Koko Japanese Pub is an exquisite little restaurant, with some of the best internationally inspired food you will find in Florida. That’s Florida, not Brevard County. It is that good.
Koko is a small venue, and like many modern, Asian-style restaurants, refreshingly simple. It offers no white tablecloths, no brigade service, not even a lounge. A well-considered list of sakes is served.
You sit at small tables or a bar before the front window, all set with chopsticks on rests and good chinaware, watch the people who pass on Brevard Avenue and marvel at how many fine restaurants have come to be in a few short blocks of Cocoa Beach: Coa, Flavour, Heidi’s, Luna, Pompano Grill, Rebellion, the Tiny Turtle. That is satisfying in itself if you wish all good things for diners and restaurateurs on the Space Coast.
Or you sit, as we did, at the little bar behind which Chef Daniel Joseph Penovich works his magic; before him, an immaculate preparation area; behind him, dry-aging fish. The chef, formerly of Michelin-starred Kadence in Winter Park, is nearly as much an attraction as the food, knowledgeable, informative and engaging as he is. Others who work there are equally congenial and intelligent. If you work at Koko, you know the menu.
We enjoyed a flight of excellent sakes as each diner at the bar was served a portion of bluefin tuna, one of the fish that aged in the background, beautifully flame-seared. Neither my dining companion nor I usually order bluefish because of the possibility that it is old, strong and awful. These bright, tender, lime-tinged chunks changed our minds.
We started with crispy mushroom nuggets ($15), actually inspired by a French dish Penovich enjoyed, and in this case, it is comprised of local organic mushrooms that surround a sous vide egg yolk, with tosazu (seasoned vinegar) and a tarragon emulsion. It is exceptional: tender and earthy-flavored, though not too strong, within; crisp but not bready on the outside.
Next up was one of the wonders of local cuisine, a cheerfully bright tribute to Brevard’s own fare: Rock Shrimp Toast ($18), a combination of Hokkaido-style milk bread, scallop mousse, rock shrimp, gochujang mayo, basil, mint and cilantro: a study in satisfying distinctions. Sesame coating and quick frying rendered the surface crunchy, though inside it was softly sweet, the gochujang (which is Korean, by the way) added a touch of savory goodness and the herbs added scent and depth. It all was simply, beautifully plated.
Because my dining companion would gleefully eat sushi at every meal, every day, he ordered the Special Salmon Roll ($12), a revelation. Forget cute designs and saucy flourishes. Here, the art is in the food, eight pieces of dry-aged Ora king salmon rolled around smoked salmon pate with yuzu-marinated ikura (roe), cucumber, kaiware (radish) with a truffle emulsion as well as black winter truffle. The rice was perfect. The roe was clean tasting. The salmon was superb.
Substantial servings, delightful contrasts
Our other entrée was an Indonesian-style rice dish, Nasi Goreng ($30), which also featured rock shrimp and scallops, along with kimchi yuzu sauce, topped with onsen tamago (fried egg). Like most dishes at Koko, it was substantial — this is not your place for tweezer food — and big enough to share. Absolutely delicious.
Chef Penovich brought out two desserts, a bright green, full-of-flavor Matcha Tres Leches ($11) and what may be the restaurant’s signature, Yuzu Pie ($11).
Matcha Tres Leche probably is unlike anything you’ve ever had: vanilla olive oil cake with matcha milk, chocolate Kinkako crumble and cashew whipped cream. Again, contrasts were in abundance, and delightfully so.
Yuzu Pie is Koko’s version of lemon meringue or key lime pie, a tartly sweet combination, topped by absolutely flawless piped meringue. I am a self-professed fanatic for all things egg white, and this was extraordinary.
So many superlatives, so little time.
The only reason Koko was not given five stars is that the rule here is that five stars require five visits, and we will be back to this restaurant soon and afterward to be assured of its consistency and award that star. No, it is not five-star dining in the traditional sense, but it is all of that in the modern one.
See you at Koko Café.
Lyn Dowling is a freelance food and lifestyles writer based in Melbourne.
Koko Café
Four and a half stars
Address: 24 N. Orlando Ave., Cocoa Beach
Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; special Asogohan, 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday. Omakase as announced.
Call: Reservations are not accepted
Online: kokopub.com
Other: Wide range of sakes available
About our reviews
Restaurants are rated on a five-star system by FLORIDA TODAY’s reviewer. The reviews are the opinion of the reviewer and take into account quality of the restaurant’s food, ambiance and service. Ratings reflect the quality of what a diner can reasonably expect to find. To receive a rating of less than three stars, a restaurant must be tried twice and prove unimpressive on each visit. Each reviewer visit is unannounced and paid for by FLORIDA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: ‘So many superlatives’: We’re raving about Koko Japanese Pub in Cocoa Beach | Review
Reporting by Lyn Dowling / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
