Uchiko in Austin TX

I expected Texas to influence Japanese cuisine or Japan to influence Texas cuisine (BBQ, beer and all that) but at Uchiko we had a very Japanese menu with influences being more from modern gastronomy and farm to table sourcing. Uchiko is the second Japanese restaurant from Tyson Cole, 2011 James Beard Award winning Chef Southwest for Uchi. His Executive Chef, Paul Qui won the same award for 2012 with Uchiko, a larger space in what they describe as a Japanese farmhouse setting.

You enter one long room to dine with traditional tables set in the middle and booths along the sides for 2/3rds of the room. This section has a wood ceiling and a long wall sculpture of what looks like colored slices of tree rings but are actually fabricated. We sat in one of the booths. Further down the room is a traditional sushi/sashimi bar on one wall and open tables under bright lights in the design of giant, incandescent bulbs. At the end of the room is a private dining area behind glass.

The menu was presented with traditional selections, tempura, sushi etc, mostly in small plates. There was a “specials of the day” menu as well. We selected the 10 course (for two) Chef’s tasting menu. We did this to let the chef guide us but also because our depth of knowledge concerning Japanese cooking is limited. I first visited Japan at the age of 24 on business and Joan came with me a few years later on a vacation and we had eaten at many kinds of authentic Japanese restaurants in Japan and in the US. However, aside from sashimi, I didn’t feel knowledgable enough to order wisely.

Likewise, I am reluctant to rate and analyze the 10 dishes with the scrutiny we gave the other meals, so enjoy looking at the pictures and here are a few comments to help you imagine what each tasted like:

Oysters with Marigold Petal

1. Oysters with sorbet and a marigold petal flavored with cilantro. This was served cool and, at the risk of sounding like the Proust of the Pecos, tasting my two servings brought me right back to Cape Cod in summer. This was an outstanding flavored dish.

Mackeral Sashimi

2. Aji Mackeral sashimi, we each got 6 slices and it was very good. This fish, and several others, were promoted to us as coming from a small town in southern Japan. Later we wonderd if this was as much as to tell us it was not from the radioactive areas in the north as to show careful selection for best sources.

Yokai Berry Salmon with Kale

3. Yokai Berry Atlantic salmon with dinosaur kale, Asian peas and yuzu with a lime aioli. Very tasty, Joan loved the lime, and we both thought the kale was fantastic. It was fried and crispy with a lot of flavor.

Broccoli Deconstructed

4. Broccoli stems and florets with the stems cooked sous vide with oil and salt to give a full flavor and tender texture. The florets were dried and didn’t do much for us. Other ingredients included fried anchovies, sea urchin powder and micro chives.

Mackeral with Texas Plums

5. Blue Mackeral, we had a lot of Mackeral, with Texas plums, skyr yogurt and macadamia nuts.  Joan liked this a lot more than I did.

Triple Threat

6.  This was an “off the menu dish” so we can’t say much about ingredients. It was served with slices of fish over white rice. I normally do not go for sushi because the rice is pickled but this rice just had its own, subtle flavor and the fish were very delicious. A winner.

Bacon Tataki

7. Bacon Tataki. Sous vide cooked  pork belly with fennel, black lime, espresso fish Carmel, coriander and citrus. This was great and tasty, maybe because of all the fat not present in the other dishes. More like an entree than a small plate.

Wild Salmon

8. Wild salmon with pickled fruit, tamarind, tomato and cilantro.. Being the bigger salmon fan, Joan ate the majority of this dish while I picked around the edges.

Wagyu Short Rib

9. Wagyu Shortrib. This beef was cooked sous vide for 3 days at 131 fahrenheit and included ramps, mistake mushrooms and gaga beans. As full as we were at this point, we ate the whole thing. The meat was extremely tender, as you would expect, but the flavor was less than I expected. I think it could have used some more seasoning.

Hennepin Beer Sorbet

10. Hennepin beer sorbet with Texas peach curd, yeast, Meyer lemon and coriander. Not real sweet, more of a savory dessert. Can’t believe we were done.

The meal was complemented by three wines – a Fisher Unity rose’ from Napa Valley, a Pinot Blanc from the Alsace region of France and finally a Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley La Craie Vouvray 2009. Joan says the Chenin Blanc was so good she must find it in a store and buy a few bottles.