Tchoup Chop (pronounced chop-chop) is Emeril’s newest restaurant, located at Universal Orlando’s Royal Pacific Resort, and features Asian and Polynesian cuisine complemented by Emeril’s signature bold flavors. Emeril’s Tchoup Chop takes its name from Tchoupitoulas Street, where Emeril’s original restaurant is located, and the word, “chop,” a bold culinary term. Tchoup Chop is Emeril’s second restaurant in Orlando. Emeril’s Restaurant Orlando, opened at Universal Orlando’s CityWalk in February 1999.

The menu at Tchoup Chop focuses on the islands of the Pacific. The Pacific Islands borrow flavors from Asia and Europe, but are unique unto themselves. Chef Emeril’s innovative menu includes main dishes such as the Kona Coffee Glazed Duck Breast served with Duck & Vegetable Chow Mein, and the Kalua Pork (Slow Roasted) and Noodle Saute with Tchoup Chop Spices and Seasonal Vegetables. Tchoup Chop also features a Specialty Drink Menu and a Tea Menu.

Designed by the Rockwell Group, of New York City, the restaurant is an extension of a South-Pacific inspired paradise, with the soft colors of natural woods accented by bright colors of tropical flowers. The restaurant is designed as a space within a space, surrounded by a terrarium of lush plants, waterfalls and sculpted gardens. Polished granite wraps the floor and forms a zero-edge pool at the center of the space. The restaurant features an expo kitchen that utilizes woks and a wood-burning grill, allowing guests to catch a glimpse inside the kitchen. Batik fabrics and canopies, carved wood grilles, pierced metal light fixtures and cast-glass chandeliers are a few of the other features guests see as they dine.

One of North America’s most exotic hotels, the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando immerses guests in the tropical enchantment of the South Pacific. The 1,000-room hotel, which opened in summer 2002, is adjacent to Universal Orlando’s two theme parks and entertainment complex. Featuring a lush tropical environment filled with hundreds of brilliantly colored orchids, exotically shaped palm trees, hand-carved stone statues and original hand-carved, hand painted wood and canvas panels from remote South Pacific island villages, the Royal Pacific offers the exotic enchantment of a world halfway around the world.

 

Reviews

"Our reservation was for a prime-time 6PM on Saturday night (June 7th), and we were seated immediately. Dining was my husband and myself and our 6 year old daughter, Alexa. If your child is not a monster (gulp), don't be afraid to take them. Screaming infants probably won't go over well, but it's a pretty noisy restaurant and you won't need to 'shush' your child continually. We enjoyed our meal together, but if having your kids with you will ruin your relaxing time don't forget there are kids clubs at the on-site hotels!
Let me say firstly that this restaurant is stunningly beautiful. We had a booth by the long rectangular pond in the center of the restaurant – very nice. The bathrooms are gorgeous too, with a Philippe Starck – inspired sink with wall-mounted faucet and a gorgeous mirror which I have never seen the likes of anywhere. Anyhow, back to the restaurant. Service is very efficient and it appears that teams of 3 servers are assigned to you. My husband and daughter were very original and ordered Cokes and I tried the Pago Pago (described as Tropical Mint flavored Rum combined with Lime Juice and Mint Leaves for an Oh-So-Cool experience $8.00). I wish I had ordered a Coke too. I couldn’t taste any lime in it, just overpowering mint, not balanced with any tartness. For $8 though, I drank every drop.
We were brought a complimentary starter (no bread-baskets folks!) of deep-fried shrimp chips (the kind you get at Chinese restaurants with Crispy Chicken) and peanut dipping sauce. A very nice change from bread and very tasty with the dipping sauce. Also ingenious on the restaurants part, in that the chips are dirt-cheap and easy to make. They don’t fill you up like bread, so they don’t risk you skipping the appetizer! We devoured the chips and asked for more. Not a problem.
Appetizers:
My husband ordered something off their daily specials sheet which was a green-tea noodle and barbecue duck dish. He thought it was fine, but we both agreed it was nothing special and would not want to order it again. As recommended by others on the boards, I ordered the "Tchoup Chop's Crunchy Shrimp served with Butter Lettuce Leaves and Hot & Sour Chili Glaze $8.00" . The recommended method to eat these was to wrap the crunchy shrimp in the butter lettuce leaves and dip it in the sauce. Maybe you would want to do this to keep your fingers clean, but I wouldn’t do it for tastes-sake. The butter lettuce leaves were limp and tasteless (not adding anything) but the crunchy shrimp were wonderful. The sauce was a nice balance of hot and sweet. I really wonder what they coat these in – it looks somewhat like shredded wheat! Anyhow, these were so great I wish I would have ordered 2 more plates instead of my entrée.
Entrees:
Alexa ordered the Chicken Spring Rolls with Barbecue Dipping Sauce and she loved them. When we were back home, she was enthusiastically telling her Grandma about going to Emeril’s and what she ate. Uh-oh, I think my daughter is going to be very expensive (like her mom).
My husband ordered the "Macadamia Nut Crusted Atlantic Salmon served with Ginger Soy Butter Sauce, Steamed Rice and Stir Fried Vegetables $20.00". He enjoyed it, but part way through his salmon he found that it was undercooked (think sushi-in the middle). He brought it to the waiters’ attention, who basically said that it was okay for salmon to be cooked rare to medium without health concerns but that if he wanted it cooked more he would take it back. My husband kept it (he likes sushi anyhow!) and finished his meal.
I ordered something off the specials sheet (If I recall correctly) which was a shrimp-stuffed pork loin with blue-cheese crusted roast nugget potatoes. The presentation was nice, the pork done nicely but I couldn’t even find a trace amount of blue-cheese on the potatoes. This is the reason I ordered the dish. A fantastic side can make or break a meal, no? Anyhow, I asked the waiter about it, to confirm that there was supposed to be blue-cheese on them (and that I didn’t get muddled when reading the menu) and he came back and said there was some on there (although we could not see or taste it) but it must have cooked off. He brought a dish of blue cheese with him so I could "add" some to it. I politely refused, as I didn’t want to mix blue cheese in with my potatoes (the whole point would be to have it warm and saucy and the right balance of taste which would be in the hands of the capable chef).
At a later point in the evening the Manager (or person in charge that evening) asked how our meal was and I said that most things were wonderful but mentioned the potatoes had no trace of blue-cheese although the waiter did attempt to remedy it by bringing me a dish of cheese. He offered to have the potatoes redone, but I declined as my entrée was already finished and I was about to move on to dessert. He offered to buy my dessert, so what could I do but ACCEPT!
Dessert:
I chose the "Praline Parfait with Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Praline Caramel Sauce $6.50" It was tasty, but was small with a very small amount of Praline. The desserts are definitely not made for sharing.
So I tell you the long-winded blue-cheese incident not to bore you to death, but to encourage you to speak up if something is not right. I was taught to be polite and not say anything and eat everything on my plate. Believe it or not, you can still be polite and say when something is not to your liking. Customer service is their business (not just cooking) and they can’t hope to improve unless we give them honest feedback. I am not talking about sending back fries at McDonalds that are too salty -- we’re paying serious money (that we worked hard for) when we eat at the finer restaurants and should expect a fine meal with ingredients as described. A good restaurant will work to remedy anything that is not satisfactory and to keep you as a customer. And they have. I would definitely go back in a heart-beat (and order 3 plates of crispy shrimp)! Professional service, beautiful décor and some wonderful (but at times uneven) food." (6/03) Michelle Chan

 

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