Orlando Spotlight: Foreigner Restaurant

The Foreigner Restaurant, located in Orlando’s trendy Audubon Park neighborhood, offers a highly unique and intimate fine-dining experience centered around the vision of Chef Bruno Fonseca.¹

What Makes It Unique

The core of The Foreigner’s uniqueness lies in its “Menu-Confiance” style dinner, which translates roughly to “trust us.”²

• Chef’s Table Experience: The restaurant features a small, intimate setting, often with only 10 to 12 seats along a counter that faces the open kitchen.³ This setup provides guests with an unparalleled, immersive view of the culinary team at work, allowing them to witness the artistry and precision behind each dish.⁴

   

• The Element of Surprise (Omakase-style): The multi-course meal (often 10 or 11 courses) is a tasting menu with no fixed menu card given to the diners until the end of the experience.⁵ Guests place their trust entirely in Chef Fonseca’s daily creations, which change frequently.⁶

   

• A “Foreigner’s” Perspective: The cuisine is described as Nouveau American or Modern American seen through the eyes of a foreigner.⁷ Chef Fonseca, who is Brazilian-born with Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian roots, weaves his rich heritage and global culinary experiences into his seasonal dishes, resulting in a harmonious blend of international flavors and techniques.⁸ The octopus logo symbolizes this journey—representing creativity, expansion, and braving the unknown.⁹

   

History

The concept originated in 2019 as The Foreigner Experience, a series of popular pop-up dinners that mirrored Chef Bruno Fonseca’s culinary journey and upbringing.¹⁰ The success of these intimate, small-scale dinners quickly gained popularity, leading to a partnership with Johnny and Jimmy Tung and the opening of the permanent restaurant in the Audubon Park location.¹¹ The restaurant is the culmination of years of work, including Fonseca’s time honing his craft in renowned kitchens like Norman’s and Bern’s Steak House, operating a food truck, and teaching at Le Cordon Bleu.¹²

Customer Feedback and Menu Highlights

Customer feedback is overwhelmingly positive, often using words like “exceptional,” “amazing,” “sublime,” and “world-class” to describe the experience.¹³ Reviewers appreciate the blend of elegance with a comfortable, non-pretentious atmosphere, as well as the attentive and knowledgeable staff (including a certified sommelier).¹⁴

Key menu features and frequently mentioned dishes (which are constantly evolving) include:

• The Black Egg: A static dish that often starts the meal, featuring a poached oyster, pot turnip mousse, Ossetra caviar, warm lemon, and brown butter crumble.¹⁵

   

• Wagyu Beef: Known for its richness and melt-in-your-mouth quality, often served with inventive accompaniments.¹⁶

   

• Foie Gras Ice Cream Sandwich: An imaginative dessert showcasing the chef’s creative flair.¹⁷

   

• Black Sourdough Bread served with a Black-Truffle, Black-Garlic Butter.¹⁸

   

• Seasonal Creations: Dishes are heavily influenced by local farm partners, ensuring the freshest ingredients, with five of the courses changing monthly to reflect seasonality.¹⁹

   

• Optional Wine Pairings: Expertly curated to complement and elevate the multi-course meal, often including rare vintages and unique labels.²⁰

   

Significant Events

While the restaurant itself is built on the significant event of transitioning from a pop-up series to a permanent location, specific large-scale public events are less frequent due to its intimate, reservations-only format. The “significant events” are the consistently changing menus and the curated Group Dining and Private Events they host, which transform a typical dinner into a bespoke culinary masterpiece.²¹

Information Summary