Alright, so even though I’m still not ready to write about it, I figured it was about time that I recount my ahmazing dinner at Uchi. Yes, I said ahmazing which means it was way better than amazing!
I was invited by my awesome friend to eat there for my birthday. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first because I am not the biggest fan of seafood. And by not the biggest, I mean that I will not put it in my mouth or, least of all, on my plate. Yuck! Ok, back to the story…I checked out the menu online, which is what I always do and I saw a few selections that looked not to seafoody (my spell-check is telling me this isn’t a word, but I don’t care). So I gave the green light to Uchi.
When I found out the only time we could get reservations was on a Sunday at 6 pm I figured this was due to the fact that Uchi just opened and people were scrambling to try it. When I arrived on Sunday, the place was a madhouse! BTW it is located in the old building that used to be Felix’s in case anyone remembers that place. For those of you who do remember, the place has been transformed into a Zen/natural/chill restaurant.
Thank goodness my friend had made reservations because we would have been waiting for hours, literally, to eat. The minute we sat down at our table, our adventure began. Our waiter was definitely into the food and describing it, in detail, to our table which only added to the overall experience. He gave us a few pointers and then added that we could either order for ourselves or “trust him” and he would bring us out whatever dishes he felt like. Guess which option we chose? Surprise, we ordered for ourselves. This was after he brought out some kind of raw fish with oranges so he could feel our palette. Well, 3 out of the 4 palettes weren’t feeling it so we played it safe.
Like any sushi place, Uchi has rolls and sashimi but they also have hot & cold tastings which are about 4 or 5 bites or pieces. The whole thing is like a Japanese Tapas place. I think I like that style better because then I can try A LOT more food without having to steal bites off of my dining companions’ plates. I mean, I’m all for subterfuge & thievery but most other people aren’t.
On to the food!!! We placed our order which included about 10 or so different things and then we sat back & waited for the smorgasbord to begin. I wish that I could remember what order everything came in but I seem to think that no one really cares. So, I won’t think to hard about it. I’m just gonna go in order as I see things listed on the menu.
First up: Sasami Yaki, which is a grilled chicken breast with lemongrass & cilantro. This was probably the most boring dish of the night but in no way does that mean it wasn’t yummy! In fact, this was hands down the moistest chicken I have ever had. I believe the waiter told us they marinate the chicken for about 48 hours before they cook it. The flavors were subtle but I appreciated the combo of lemongrass & cilantro.
Second: Dew Bee Chicken, which is a very peculiar dish. It comes out & it looks like a sushi roll, but it definitely isn’t. I have to admit that I’m still not sure where the chicken was in the dish but I definitely tasted the caramelized pork belly they placed on top. It had a sweet taste to it which wasn’t overpowering.
Third: Tomato Katsu. This was by far the least favorite dish of the night. Being a southern girl, I love myself some fried green tomatoes so I jumped at the chance to try these yummies. Well, either it’s not green tomato season or the Japanese aren’t familiar with how to season them but, either way, they were far from being ripe and the seasoning was nowhere to be found. I was disappointed because even the aioli dip that came on the side was underwhelming (& I am a sucker for anything with mayo in it).
Fourth: Brie Ringo. I can’t decide if this was my favorite but it is definitely up there. The sweet potato chips are sliced so thin they can barely hold the tempura fried brie that sits on top of them. But that doesn’t worry me because the distance from the plate to my mouth isn’t far. On top of the brie is a compote of sorts made with apples. Ok, when I saw this dish I was torn because I am not a fan of cooked fruit but my love of cheese won out & we ordered it. I am so glad we did because I could have eaten 2 plates!
Fifth: I ordered a bite of the Nasu which is a piece of Chinese eggplant on top of rice. I wasn’t sure how it would look when it came out but I almost didn’t care. The “bite” was almost too big for me but I managed it & I loved it. Of course, one bite costs about 2 bucks so I only ordered one piece. Now, I must add that my dining companion ordered the Boquerones and something that had fish roe in it. I did not partake in these dishes but she loved them. This is a good sign for everyone that likes that fishy stuff.
Sixth: Bacon Tataki. Pork belly seems to be all the rage in the US and Uchi is no exception. They have this lovely staple all over their menu & I’m not gonna argue with them. The pork belly in this dish melts in your mouth. It was a top dish of the night. I was nervous about the espresso fish caramel it says comes on the dish because I couldn’t figure out how you would caramelize a fish but I learned it was caramelized fish sauce with some espresso in it. My fear abated, I dug into the dish with fervor. My companions & I couldn’t get enough. This was one dish where it seemed there was more than enough food to go around. It took us a while to finish it off but that may have been because we were savoring every delicious morsel.
Seventh: the Shag. Ok, this was the scariest dish that I tried. I do not like seafood & this one was loaded with it. It has salmon, avocado & sun-dried tomato and is topped with fish roe. Yuck! But the bites are so small I figured I might not even be able to taste it so I tried one. Now, while overall I didn’t like it there were some flavors that stood out. The spicy aioli on top was yummy as well as the weird black sauce they give you for dipping. I wouldn’t order this for myself.
Eighth: the Pitchfork. I was excited about this roll that has Wagyu beef along with avocado and comes topped with a crazy amount of thinly fried leeks. I really liked this one because I like myself some red meat. Also, the crispy leeks were a hit with the whole table even if they seemed to have trouble making it into our mouths. Oh, this would be a good time to tell you that Uchi only gives you chopsticks to eat with. Some people were eating with forks but it doesn’t seem like the waiters are very eager to give them out.
Ninth: the Bond. This was my pick because I needed to make sure that something without seafood made it to the table. This roll comes with avocado, sun-dried tomato & gobo (whatever that is). There is an option to add salmon but I denied that! Anyways, this was really yummy even though there is almost nothing on it. I think that’s what surprised me about Uchi. The dishes were all so simple but there was so much though put into every single ingredient that went on the plate. I can appreciate that at a time when it seems that every single restaurant is trying to add all these crazy weird ingredients to a dish that already has 20 other ingredients.
Tenth: the Ham and Eggs. Ok, I love myself some pork belly & I also love myself some fried egg which means I loved myself some of this roll! Shredded pork belly is fried then rolled up in rice and served with egg yolk dipping sauce. Umm…could it get any better than that? I don’t think so. This was also a fave of the night & I don’t think it needs any explanation.
For dessert we ordered the lemon gelato, peanut butter semifreddo and the fried milk. I had a bit of the lemon gelato and I was surprised how calm it was. There was no overpowering tart/sour lemon flavor. It was very smooth. The peanut butter semifreddo was awesome except for the weird apple ice cream thing they serve on top. It was not necessary to serve that at all. It also came with pulverized peanut brittle which was awesome & peanut butter powder which was even more awesome. The powder turns into peanut butter when it hits your mouth! How cool is that? But, my favorite dessert was the fried milk. They don’t actually fry liquid milk. Instead they fry pastry cream which has been coated in corn flakes and tempura fried. When you bite into it, the cream spills out & it’s warm and ahmazing!
All in all, I would go back to Uchi again, if you couldn’t already guess. The attention to detail on every plate was appreciated and didn’t make the place feel like an uppity restaurant even though they could have gone that rout it they chose to. It feels like a place you can hang out with your friends at the bar after work or even a date. I’m so happy I had the opportunity to try this place out.
I was invited by my awesome friend to eat there for my birthday. I have to admit that I was skeptical at first because I am not the biggest fan of seafood. And by not the biggest, I mean that I will not put it in my mouth or, least of all, on my plate. Yuck! Ok, back to the story…I checked out the menu online, which is what I always do and I saw a few selections that looked not to seafoody (my spell-check is telling me this isn’t a word, but I don’t care). So I gave the green light to Uchi.
When I found out the only time we could get reservations was on a Sunday at 6 pm I figured this was due to the fact that Uchi just opened and people were scrambling to try it. When I arrived on Sunday, the place was a madhouse! BTW it is located in the old building that used to be Felix’s in case anyone remembers that place. For those of you who do remember, the place has been transformed into a Zen/natural/chill restaurant.
Thank goodness my friend had made reservations because we would have been waiting for hours, literally, to eat. The minute we sat down at our table, our adventure began. Our waiter was definitely into the food and describing it, in detail, to our table which only added to the overall experience. He gave us a few pointers and then added that we could either order for ourselves or “trust him” and he would bring us out whatever dishes he felt like. Guess which option we chose? Surprise, we ordered for ourselves. This was after he brought out some kind of raw fish with oranges so he could feel our palette. Well, 3 out of the 4 palettes weren’t feeling it so we played it safe.
Like any sushi place, Uchi has rolls and sashimi but they also have hot & cold tastings which are about 4 or 5 bites or pieces. The whole thing is like a Japanese Tapas place. I think I like that style better because then I can try A LOT more food without having to steal bites off of my dining companions’ plates. I mean, I’m all for subterfuge & thievery but most other people aren’t.
On to the food!!! We placed our order which included about 10 or so different things and then we sat back & waited for the smorgasbord to begin. I wish that I could remember what order everything came in but I seem to think that no one really cares. So, I won’t think to hard about it. I’m just gonna go in order as I see things listed on the menu.
First up: Sasami Yaki, which is a grilled chicken breast with lemongrass & cilantro. This was probably the most boring dish of the night but in no way does that mean it wasn’t yummy! In fact, this was hands down the moistest chicken I have ever had. I believe the waiter told us they marinate the chicken for about 48 hours before they cook it. The flavors were subtle but I appreciated the combo of lemongrass & cilantro.
Second: Dew Bee Chicken, which is a very peculiar dish. It comes out & it looks like a sushi roll, but it definitely isn’t. I have to admit that I’m still not sure where the chicken was in the dish but I definitely tasted the caramelized pork belly they placed on top. It had a sweet taste to it which wasn’t overpowering.
Third: Tomato Katsu. This was by far the least favorite dish of the night. Being a southern girl, I love myself some fried green tomatoes so I jumped at the chance to try these yummies. Well, either it’s not green tomato season or the Japanese aren’t familiar with how to season them but, either way, they were far from being ripe and the seasoning was nowhere to be found. I was disappointed because even the aioli dip that came on the side was underwhelming (& I am a sucker for anything with mayo in it).
Fourth: Brie Ringo. I can’t decide if this was my favorite but it is definitely up there. The sweet potato chips are sliced so thin they can barely hold the tempura fried brie that sits on top of them. But that doesn’t worry me because the distance from the plate to my mouth isn’t far. On top of the brie is a compote of sorts made with apples. Ok, when I saw this dish I was torn because I am not a fan of cooked fruit but my love of cheese won out & we ordered it. I am so glad we did because I could have eaten 2 plates!
Fifth: I ordered a bite of the Nasu which is a piece of Chinese eggplant on top of rice. I wasn’t sure how it would look when it came out but I almost didn’t care. The “bite” was almost too big for me but I managed it & I loved it. Of course, one bite costs about 2 bucks so I only ordered one piece. Now, I must add that my dining companion ordered the Boquerones and something that had fish roe in it. I did not partake in these dishes but she loved them. This is a good sign for everyone that likes that fishy stuff.
Sixth: Bacon Tataki. Pork belly seems to be all the rage in the US and Uchi is no exception. They have this lovely staple all over their menu & I’m not gonna argue with them. The pork belly in this dish melts in your mouth. It was a top dish of the night. I was nervous about the espresso fish caramel it says comes on the dish because I couldn’t figure out how you would caramelize a fish but I learned it was caramelized fish sauce with some espresso in it. My fear abated, I dug into the dish with fervor. My companions & I couldn’t get enough. This was one dish where it seemed there was more than enough food to go around. It took us a while to finish it off but that may have been because we were savoring every delicious morsel.
Seventh: the Shag. Ok, this was the scariest dish that I tried. I do not like seafood & this one was loaded with it. It has salmon, avocado & sun-dried tomato and is topped with fish roe. Yuck! But the bites are so small I figured I might not even be able to taste it so I tried one. Now, while overall I didn’t like it there were some flavors that stood out. The spicy aioli on top was yummy as well as the weird black sauce they give you for dipping. I wouldn’t order this for myself.
Eighth: the Pitchfork. I was excited about this roll that has Wagyu beef along with avocado and comes topped with a crazy amount of thinly fried leeks. I really liked this one because I like myself some red meat. Also, the crispy leeks were a hit with the whole table even if they seemed to have trouble making it into our mouths. Oh, this would be a good time to tell you that Uchi only gives you chopsticks to eat with. Some people were eating with forks but it doesn’t seem like the waiters are very eager to give them out.
Ninth: the Bond. This was my pick because I needed to make sure that something without seafood made it to the table. This roll comes with avocado, sun-dried tomato & gobo (whatever that is). There is an option to add salmon but I denied that! Anyways, this was really yummy even though there is almost nothing on it. I think that’s what surprised me about Uchi. The dishes were all so simple but there was so much though put into every single ingredient that went on the plate. I can appreciate that at a time when it seems that every single restaurant is trying to add all these crazy weird ingredients to a dish that already has 20 other ingredients.
Tenth: the Ham and Eggs. Ok, I love myself some pork belly & I also love myself some fried egg which means I loved myself some of this roll! Shredded pork belly is fried then rolled up in rice and served with egg yolk dipping sauce. Umm…could it get any better than that? I don’t think so. This was also a fave of the night & I don’t think it needs any explanation.
For dessert we ordered the lemon gelato, peanut butter semifreddo and the fried milk. I had a bit of the lemon gelato and I was surprised how calm it was. There was no overpowering tart/sour lemon flavor. It was very smooth. The peanut butter semifreddo was awesome except for the weird apple ice cream thing they serve on top. It was not necessary to serve that at all. It also came with pulverized peanut brittle which was awesome & peanut butter powder which was even more awesome. The powder turns into peanut butter when it hits your mouth! How cool is that? But, my favorite dessert was the fried milk. They don’t actually fry liquid milk. Instead they fry pastry cream which has been coated in corn flakes and tempura fried. When you bite into it, the cream spills out & it’s warm and ahmazing!
All in all, I would go back to Uchi again, if you couldn’t already guess. The attention to detail on every plate was appreciated and didn’t make the place feel like an uppity restaurant even though they could have gone that rout it they chose to. It feels like a place you can hang out with your friends at the bar after work or even a date. I’m so happy I had the opportunity to try this place out.
