Asian influence helps restaurant stand out in beach dining choices
The sign out front says Big Fish, but when you ask Leck Lilayuva to describe the food served at the Orange Beach restaurant he owns with his wife Jana, and he uses the word “fresh” three times in under 30 seconds, you wonder if maybe Fresh Fish would do the spot more justice.
Then again, “Big” makes good sense if you add “selection;” some days, the menu features as many as 10 different fresh fish species. But coastal residents and tourists in the know don’t waste time pondering Big Fish’s name. They simply show up and hope they don’t have to wait too long for a table.
But if there is a wait, most don’t hesitate to put their name on the list, and Lilayuva believes including some Asian influences helps Big Fish stand out in Orange Beach’s ocean of seafood-centric-spots. “My dad was from Thailand, so when Jana and I created the menu, we were a little unsure about adding those touches that point back to my heritage, but people love it, and I think that’s because it’s different,” he says.
And again, he stresses the food’s freshness. “The focus here is super-fresh quality fish, nothing frozen,” he says. Big Fish’s sushi bar benefits from this mantra too. Ask residents and those who frequent Orange beach where to get the best sushi, and Big Fish is usually among the answers.
The positive response to Big Fish’s food philosophy was never guaranteed but fueled the vision as Lilayuva and Jana dreamt up their own spot. Lilayuva grew up on Alabama’s coast, working alongside his dad on his fishing boat and at his restaurant, Niki’s Seafood. While a modeling career took him away from Alabama and all over the globe for eight years, when he returned home, he rejoined his dad.
But not long after, Hurricane Ivan hit, and his dad sold Niki’s to Lilayuva’s cousin. Lilayuva did some construction work before landing back in the restaurant business, working at Tacky Jack’s, where he met Jana. The two moved on to work at another area restaurant, and while there, began thinking about opening Big Fish.
“We wanted a place we could do things our way, and in January 2010, we welcomed our first diners,” Lilayuva says.
A few months later, the oil spill caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon washed up on Alabama’s beaches, keeping visitors home and scaring many people away from eating seafood. “I thought that was the worst thing, and then 10 years later, the pandemic happened,” Lilayuva says. “But we made it through both hardships, and that’s because of our reputation for super fresh seafood and fish.”
That reputation still packs the restaurant and is evident in plump blue crab claws sauteed in a garlic and white wine-butter sauce, the ginger-glazed shrimp and the day’s fresh catches served Big Fish style — sauteed and topped with scallions and ginger over wilted spinach and fluffy jasmine rice, all swimming in a sherry and soy sauce broth. On the sushi bar, it shines in the best-seller: chili-garlic sashimi. “People who don’t think they like sushi love it, and it opens the door for them to try other sushi selections,” Lilayuva says.
Folks who don’t enjoy seafood find plenty of options, too. Big Fish’s beef tataki — pieces of filet sliced thin and seared (but still rare) brightened with a citrus-soy sauce reduction and jalapenos — is Lilayuva’s favorite dish. “I’m actually a steak guy,” he says.
And while a drive down the main beach road sends one restaurant after another buzzing by your car window, Big Fish sits tucked in a strip mall on Canal Road, a less noticeable spot, especially for tourists. And yet, first-time beachgoers continue to find their way there. And they come back, joining the seasoned visitors
and locals.
Lilayuva explains why. “I know I keep saying it, but it’s the freshness, and also the consistency,” he says. “If you get a dish today, and then you get the dish a week or a month from now, it will taste the same. I’m proud of that.”
He’s equally proud of achieving Big Fish’s success with his wife and his team. “Jana is still involved behind the scenes, and I love that we’ve done this together,” Lilayuva says. “And I love our staff; they’ve become
like family.”
Big Fish
25814 Canal Rd, Orange Beach, AL 36561
251-981-5516
bigfishrestaurantbar.com
Hours: 3 p.m. – 9 p.m. Monday-Saturday
