Koya

Koya, a small, 8-seat Michelin star experience in Tampa, offers an omakase experience that feels both intimate and adventurous. I had no idea what to expect, but had such an awesome time from the first bite all they way through the desserts. I opted for the drink pairings while my wife opted for the caviar add-on course.

The Courses

Amuse

The meal began with an amuse (I honestly didn't know that phrase until I ate here...), with 3 small single-bite dishes on the same plate. The first bite was WILD. I remember it so well -- it was the Tom Yum merengue bite. The chef said something along the lines of "I am so honored to see your reaction, that really makes me proud as a chef to see people enjoy it so much".

Tom Yum The Tom Yum featured tom yum meringue, tender kuruma ebi, Thai sausage, kaffir lime, nuoc cham, and pear. The combination was a clever play on the classic soup, with bright acidity and sweet undertones with a fun merengue texture. Spoiler alert -- this one bite inspired me to make some of my own savory merengues later with Dishcraft...

Canneloni The snow crab and mascarpone canneloni was delicate and rich, with vinegar powder adding an unexpected tang that elevated the dish.

Bafun Uni This course was also a standout: AAA tokujou bafun uni paired with milk bread, brown butter, Fuji apple, white soy, and aged balsamic. The crunchy milk bread had the perfect texture and I was thrilled to see it appear in a later dish.

Nigiri Selection

The nigiri series was by far the most authentic Japanese sushi experience I've had. The chef explained where they source their fish and the special rice they use. It was also my first time seeing real wasabi being prepared.

Maguro: Wild caught Japanese bluefin tuna with koshihikari rice, nikiri, and wasabi.

Shima Aji: Striped horse mackerel with toasted sesame and sesame nikiri.

Sake: Ora king salmon complemented by pickled maitake, yolk sauce, wasabi, and whisky nikiri.

Hotate: Hokkaido scallop with ponzu nikiri and yuzu salt.

Shun

The intermezzo caviar add-on was only $50 and a great value. It had a surprise—mezcal and vanilla mousse with bincho pineapple, finger lime, and a generous portion of Antonius Oscietra Caviar 6*.

The "Sando" featured my favorite milk bread, gamtae, 30-day dry-aged wagyu tenderloin, aged cheddar, and kimchi aioli, combining richness and spice beautifully. There was no truffle in this dish, but it had all of the earthiness of truffle, which was very fascinating.

Ika & Golden Chicken married aori ika udon with golden chicken and wagyu bresaola in a traditional style dish. The wagyu bresaola is like a large pepperoni that was sitting on top of the soup. For those unaware of what aori ika is...it's squid! So, the noodles were actually not traditional noodles -- they were strips of squid made to look like noodles, and they were not chewy.

Kamo, with dry-aged chuck, coffee roasted carrot, potato fondant, and black garlic gastrique. The coffee roasted carrot was the standout ingredient of this dish and we got to talk to the chef afterwards about how they get the coffee flavor in the carrot (of course it's a very long and tedious process)

Desserts

The Tom Kha dessert, with tom kha ganache, basil gel, and pistachio sable, was unexpected but the perfect palate cleanser. Loved the gel.

The macaron paired mala spice with yuzu and sansho balanced heat and citrus zest.

Finally, the salted banana caramel featured a chocolate waffle cone, banana crème pâtissière, miso caramel, and the same Antonius Oscietra Caviar 6* from the caviar course. It was fun having caviar on top and probably my favorite of the 3 desserts.

Inspiration

Honestly, my favorite part of this experience was the combination of flavors and textures that spanned the whole spectrum. The most complex bites were not over-done, even though they had multiple flavor profiles within. This combination of flavors and textures (with beautiful plating) is ultimately what inspired me to really get into learning how to make fine dining dishes at home and to create the Dishcraft app to help me with that journey.

What Home Cooks Can Learn

My personal takeaway was that you shouldn't be afraid to experiment with new flavor combinations. The coffee in the carrot puree...the Tom Yum inspired merengue...the use of vinegar powder. Even at home, experimenting with layering flavors and textures can transform a simple dish into something extraordinary. I often refer back to the menu for inspiration and to learn about ingredients that I wouldn't normally encounter at my normal grocery store. (I even ordered yuzu juice from Amazon after tasting it on the dessert macaron!).

Was it worth the money?

After taxes, 20% gratuities, and reservation fees, the total per person excluding drinks and caviar add-on was $377 per person. This was my second Michelin star experience (after a 2 star experience in NYC) and this was easily my favorite of the two. Between the experience, the flavors, and the fact that Tampa doesn't have too many Michelin starred or similar experiences like this, I would say it was worth the money for someone who is looking for this type of experience. Two of the girls in my group have been to multiple other Michelin star restaurants and agreed that this was one of the top experiences they've had in the US.

How long was the experience?

We were there for about 2.5 hours.

Would you go back?

It looks like the menu changes a few times per year. I would not go back for the same menu that I had, but I would definitely go back again when the menu changes.

Was there anything that could have been better?

It's a small space (8 seats), and the chefs explain each dish to your group. There were 4 of us in our group and sometimes it was hard to hear the chef talking about the dishes because he was quiet and the room had other noise (ie the other chefs explain dishes to other guests, sounds of dishes being prepared)

Were you full at the end?

Yes -- even though each dish individually was small, by the end of the experience I felt full. I was with 3 other girls who weren't able to finish everything, and I'm not gonna lie, I happily finished what they didn't.

Thanks for reading!