REVIEW: Hanami Debuts Sushi-Inspired Shrimp and Crab and Amazing Pork Shank at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Alicia

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REVIEW: Hanami Debuts Sushi-Inspired Shrimp and Crab and Amazing Pork Shank at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Available from March 3rd to July 5th is Hanami, the special food booth found in the Japan pavilion during the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival. Hanami continues to impress us year after year with creative and yummy dishes, so let’s hope 2021 brings us the same luck.

Hanami at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

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Menu for Hanami at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

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Food:

  • Frushi: Strawberry, Pineapple and Cantaloupe wrapped in Sweet Rice and Pink Soy Wrap served with Whipped Cream, Drizzled Berry Sauce and Toasted Coconut – $6.00
  • 🆕 Shrimp and Crab with Spicy Mayonnaise and Cucumber Slices Finished with Creamy Avocado and Violet Sauce – $6.50
  • 🆕 Soy-glazed Pork Shank with Truffle Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Lotus Flower, Garlic Chips and Green Onion – $7.00

Beverages:

*Price per bottle is an average price of the spirit at your local liquor store.

  • 🆕 Sakura Zen Ale (5.0% ABV) – $5.00/$9.00
  • 🆕 Pineapple Sake – $7.00
  • 🆕 Blood Orange Sour with Fresh Mint – $7.50

Photos of Menu Items from Hanami at the Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

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Frushi: Strawberry, Pineapple and Cantaloupe wrapped in Sweet Rice and Pink Soy Wrap served with Whipped Cream, Drizzled Berry Sauce and Toasted Coconut – $6.00

Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival Hanami

The popular Frushi returns with a dish that’s just as pleasant as previous years. Not only does Frushi taste great, but it looks good too. The sweet rice wrapped around the different fruit made for a crisp and refreshing snack.

*NEW* Shrimp and Crab with Spicy Mayonnaise and Cucumber Slices Finished with Creamy Avocado and Violet Sauce – $6.50

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This tasted decent for Orlando sushi, but the consistency was a little too wet (didn’t stay together and was hard to eat) and could’ve used the standard compliment of rice beneath, or should’ve just been rolled in rice.

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It also tasted slightly too fishy for our liking, muddling the other flavors. If you must have some sushi in your life and like spicy mayo, this just might be your kind of dish.

*NEW* Soy-glazed Pork Shank with Truffle Mashed Potatoes, Crispy Lotus Flower, Garlic Chips and Green Onion – $7.00

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This turned out to be one of our favorite items at this year’s festival! The pork shank was a great size and full of flavor. It was served over truffle mashed potatoes, which were fine for what they were, but nothing overly special.

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Even still, the pork is the star of the show, and it was seriously impressive. This is a hearty Japanese dish worth tasting for yourself. Give it a try while you’re still hungry!

*NEW* Sakura Zen Ale (5.0% ABV) – $5.00/$9.00

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Sakura Zen Ale is actually produced at Crooked Can Brewing Company in Winter Garden, Florida, roughly a half hour north of EPCOT. According to Untappd, this is a “golden ale brewed with cherry blossom tea.” This was fresh and had a slight cherry blossom taste up front. The finish had more of that golden ale taste, which was pleasant. Overall, this is a good choice if you’re looking for beer. Our advice is drink it quickly while it’s cold to get an optimal flavor.

*NEW* Pineapple Sake – $7.00

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This drink was exactly how it reads. Take sake, add pineapple, and boom, you get PINEAPPLE SAKE. Sadly, the simplicity doesn’t help here. It’s on the sweeter side and has an aftertaste of artificial pineapple. This is one to pass on.

*NEW* Blood Orange Sour with Fresh Mint – $7.50

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This was extremely sweet, with an overwhelming taste of blood orange syrup and sweetener. Even though the name touts the fresh mint, we couldn’t taste any of it. This was a pure sugar bomb.

Location of Hanami at the 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival

Hanami is located adjacent to the Japan Pavilion on the World Showcase Promenade. You can find it at number 15 on the map below.

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Which was your favorite dish from the booth? Sound off in the comments below!