Uchi, mmh, no thank you!

Here we go again, I will be the one who complain and criticize one of Austin’s so called gem!

For my wife’s birthday I had decided to invite her to Uchi knowing her passion for Japanese and good food. We arrived at the restaurant expecting a wonderful evening and amazing food. Well, the evening didn’t last long, cost us a lot of money and we ended up finishing diner (actually eating) in another restaurant!

As an introduction, please understand that for me, a restaurant as renowned as Uchi must perform without a flaw in absolutely all aspects of the experience including:

- Design

- Quality of the furniture

- Cleanliness

- Ambiance

- Music

- Plates and silverware

…

As an apero, I ordered Sake, it was served in a wooden bowl filled with ice to keep it cool. We drank outside waiting for our table. Despite the restaurant’s reputation, the terrace is absolutely banal and badly furnished. No Japanes feel whatsoever, nobody paid any attention to the exterior atmosphere. Fair enough, I though well, nobody eats outside they certainly have put priority on the interior design. Not really, the restaurant has no atmosphere of it’s own apart form the standard Sushi bar that you find in any Japanes restaurant these days, there was nothing creating a peaceful, relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere. We were seated at a table in the middle of the dining room with alley on both sides. The “traffic” was dense preventing us from enjoying the food or even some time together.

Seriously, the building is old, the paint dirty, the furniture cheap and guess what? they provide you with throw-able chopsticks that any take away carries!!! I was starting to feel uncomfortable, annoyed … really pissed!

Well, we decide to order food to share, needless to say that the portions are tiny and that sharing often means eating 1 bite which will cost you an average of 8 dollars. Count on spending 250$ for a meal for two without pushing on the wine.

1st course: maguro sashimi and goat cheese. Japanes cuisine focuses on respecting the taste of ingredient, serving fishes and vegetables in their purest states. Well, chef Cole on his website rightly describes Japanes cuisine using a simple sentence which I like: “The essence of Japanese cuisine is the ingredients”. The 1st course in question was a Tuna sashimi served with fresh goat cheese crumbled on top. Let me tell you, the fish was fresh but no fresher than what I get at Mikado or central market, the goat cheese was a commercial, bad fresh goat cheese on the sweet side that would be used for kid’s lunch sandwiches in France. On top of the ingredient not being amazing, goat cheese has a strong flavor, citrus and herbs which totally overcomes the fresh and raw fish. In a Japanese tradition, the fish would have been served with ingredient enhancing its flavor not overpowering it. Sad!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not promoting pure Japanes cuisine, I guess that the word fusion (Cole does not use this word but describe his work in the same way) is a seller so OK, fusion ingredients, cultures and food traditions but do it smartly.

2nd course: Uchi shot: I’m a huge sea urchin fan and couldn’t believe my luck when I saw this item on the menu. The shot is a quail egg and a sea urchin served in a white bubbly.

Sea urchin is one of the most delicate seafood that can be consumed (taste and texture are extremely delicate, soft and subtle). Failure again! The bubbly was certainly not a Dom Perignon which is understandable but why on earth would you drown your sea urchin in a liquid that will completely cover its taste, transform it into a tasteless sponge????? I was disappointed, not a good tasting paring.

At that point we started being very impatient, we saw our bill increase very fast, our stomachs still empty and our palate frustrated.

Finally we ordered a warm course composed of baked avocado and seafood: avo bake. This was good! Good as in super creamy, rich baked goodness. But to be frank, nothing refined, Japanese, unique or incredible. It was filling which was good as at that point we were still starving.

To add to our frustration, the traffic around us and the noise level just made us leave. After 3 courses we told our stunned waitress that we needed the check and would depart shortly. We were happy to enjoy some simpler, cheaper and somewhat better food (in its own category).

Despite the above review which is certainly not flattering, I have to praise chef Cole for his ingenuity. He succeeded in creating a “hype” and trendy place which attracts customers who do not necessarily care about gastronomy. He is not the one to criticize, I strongly believe that 85% of his clients do not understand what gastronomy means, have palates as refined as a brick but want to make sure to be seen where “beautiful” people should be seen in Austin.

Hey, great news, chef Cole is opening a new location in north Lamar. Bravo!

Address:

801 S Lamar Blvd

Austin, TX 78704

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