Uchi
Pomegranate Tea
Beet Sorbet with Candied Lemon
Ume Jiso Roll – Cucumber and Japanese Plum
Tempura Kabocha
Bacon Steakie – Pork Belly, Watermelon, Radish, Citrus, Thai Basil
Mustang Makimono – Freshwater Eel, Yellowtail, Tobiko, Avocado
Machi Cure – Smoked Baby Yellowtail, Yucca Crisp, Asian Pear, Marcona Almond, Garlic Brittle
Ankimo
Tempura Anago
Brie Ringo – Tempura Fried Brie, Apple Chutney, Sweet Potato Crisp
Foie Nigiri – Quinoa
Jizake Crème Caramel – Brown Butter Sorbet, Ginger
Feeling a bit flat on Austin ‘fusion’ after my trip to Sway and the Paul Qui experiment it was with guarded optimism that I pulled up to the counter at Uchi hoping to reverse a trend – the Beard Award winning cuisine of Chef Tyson Cole proving to be every bit as elegant as I’d hoped, his young team executing at a very high level on nearly a dozen plates spanning the globe in influence and the palate in innovation. Ever the ‘hot’ space, a reservation on Friday a necessity even at 5:00pm for the sushi counter, it was at a corner seat with full vantage of the room that I was treated and with the chef before me acting as server and adviser as Cole circulated the kitchen and instructed not a single item ordered was anything less than that of quality ingredients prepared by skilled hands with insight to unlikely combinations that would astound. Beginning with a palate cleansing sorbet and house-brew tea it was to the flavors of a few items from the happy hour menu that things commenced, the simple plum roll with tender rice and crisp cucumber and lightly breaded squash a pleasant vegetal volley leading to the signature ‘steakie’ and texturally masterful “mustang” with briny roe balancing supple fish and avocado – the most impressive roll I’ve had in years and an absolute must for first timers and regulars alike. Allowing the chef to send out plates as he felt fit, complexity peaked in the smoky sweet Machi cure before stepping back for the rich 1-2 combination of soft monkfish liver and fatty fried eel – the latter rousing memories of my grandmother’s fried yellow perch…a moment I’ll not forget. At this point sated and smiling, a ‘cheese course’ of creamy fried brie transitioned to the sublime sapor of creamy caramelized foie gras before finishing in true caramel, the light sake-laced take on a traditional French custard renewing my faith in ‘fusion’ once more.
