The Finest Blend of Taste & Technology » Uchi

Uchiko – What would it feel like to win the US Open, the College World Series, or the World Cup?

KeeperTeam — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:53:29 +0000

If there was a tournament for new restaurants today, UCHIKO would know how winning would feel, as this restaurant deserves a trophy. Chef Tyson Cole unleashed his creative Executive Chef, Paul Qui, to create the menu for their “Japanese farmhouse”. The food spoke of the huge talent Chef Qui possesses. Just like Uchi, Uchiko is aiming for perfection. As we sat down and were greeted by Chef Cole, he told us that we were in for a night to remember. And WOW, we are still remembering!

Uchiko was designed by Michael Hsu, aiming to provide an interior that is said to be of “aesthetic, crafted materials and warm finishes to round out the dining experience”. We really like the feel of the restaurant, starting with the backdrop at the entry, to the openness of the kitchen at the sushi bar, and continuing to the glass-front private dining room.

The comfortable feel of the elements of wood, leather, glass, and perfect lighting just added to the culinary experience.

Now, for the food. Along with a Drinks list overseen by Wine Director, June Rodil, the menu is divided into 7 sections – TASTINGS (a selection of delicate hot and cool items); GREENS; GRILL;

SUSHI & SASHIMI; MAKIMONO (sushi rolls);

AGEMONO (a category of deep-fried dishes in Japanese cuisine); and DESSERTS, created by who other than Uchi/UCHIKO’s talented Executive Pastry Chef, Chef Phillip Speer.

UH, oh – on our first dish, we will have to describe the dish only, because the Keeper Team Member in charge of photography went in full force before taking the picture. It WAS Kai Jiru, which is Atlantic mussels, in heirloom tomato water, along with basil blossom and celery. Great starter and so refreshing in the summer – this was a nice balance of salt and acidity. (Note: We have insider scoop that the Alcoholian Blog may have a great picture of this dish, so watch out for their blog about UCHIKO.)

Kai Jiru - Atlantic mussels, heirloom tomato water, basil blossom, celery

After reining our photographer back down to Earth, we were WOWed with a dish called Koviche, composed of fresh day boat scallop over tomatillos, kalamata olive powder, black lime salt, and a corn flake tuille. The scallops were perfect, and they had a sweetness that paired well with the tomatillos, which were tart but not bitter. Our server suggested that we use the tuille as a chip under the layers of scallop and tomatillo, and yes that was a hit!

Koviche, fresh day boat scallops, tomatillos, kalamata olive powder, black lime salt, corn flake tuille

Our next surprise was Avocado Sushi Pieces with Yuzu kosho and tamari. The Yuzu Kosho is something special, and we think can be used in many ways, especially with fresh fish sashimi. Wish we could get the recipe for Yuzu kosho – hint hint, UCHIKO!

Avocado Sushi Pieces with Yuzu kosho and tamari

Our next two dishes were sashimi. The first was amberjack and the second was mackerel. The Shime saba (mackerel) is so incredible and a NOT TO MISS dish, so we must focus our writing on this one. The Norwegian mackerel was salt cured and topped with heirloom yellow cherry tomatoes, a slice of fresh truffle, and basil microgreens. We did not want this dish to end. The mackerel was not oily or strong in flavor, but rather, melted in your mouth. Even though we dream of truffles dancing in our heads, we had no idea that truffle would take mackerel to this level – thank you UCHIKO.

Hiramasa Yaki - seared yellow tail amberjack, fennel, fuji apple

Shime Saba -cured Norwegian mackerel, tomato, truffle, basil

Surprise from Chef COLE – Grapefruit sorbet with a fine dice of avocado and asian pear, candied fennel chip – YUMMY

Grapefruit Sorbet with a fine dice of avocado and asian pear, candied fennel chip

AND NOW – to maybe, the dish of the night – Usagi yaki, a mold of rabbit confit that was made crispy and topped with fresh sweet pea, along with two sides- a lightly poached egg over pea puree and a pear, mustard seed sauce. The second picture shows the dish after the egg is broken and combined with the sweet pea puree – WOW WOW!

Usagi Yaki - crispy rabbit terrine, quail egg, pear mostarda, sweet pea

Two sushi pieces were next, one eggplant – one beef tongue.

Nasu Japanese Eggplant, sumiso (on left); Gyutan Grilled Beef Tongue, fish caramel, maldon salt (on right)

Just when we wondered what else could be coming, we were presented with a dish from the Agemono section of the menu. Chef Qui created UCHIKO’s version of a great, fried chicken dish with a twist. Cornish game hen is dipped in a batter, fried, and topped with shaved onion and a medley of fresh greens. The dipping sauce is such an interesting combination using primarily sansho pepper and lemon. We are sure that some secret ingredients are lurking in there too.

Chicken Karaage - Fried half cornish game hen, sansho pepper, lemon

We were then presented the Oyster Mushroom Nabe – a hot bowl with rice, egg, oyster mushroom, parsley, and bonito flakes. If you want a great, filling vegetarian dish, this is the dish for you. The dish has great layers of flavor and is good comfort food too.

Oyster Mushroom Nabe – oyster mushroom, rice, egg, bonito flakes, parsley

Many think “bacon fat rules”! Appropriately, we were brought the Bacon Sen, pairing pork belly with two completely different apple sides. The apple kimchi was our favorite of the two.

Bacon Sen - Berkshire pork belly, fried green apple puree, fugi apple kimchee

For a taste of the ocean, try Uchiko’s Uni sushi – Uni lovers will not be disappointed.

Uni Sushi

Of course, not one, but two desserts from Chef Speer appeared! These desserts were both very creative and unique. We are always amazed at Chef Speer’s desserts.

Sweet Corn Sorbet, Polenta Custard, Caramel Salt, Lemon

Chevre Fondant Tomato Sorbet, sicilian pistachio croquant

At this dinner, UCHICKO knocked it out of the ballpark, only had birdies and eagles, and won with a hat trick. Chef Qui worked intently throughout the night overseeing the taste and presentation of his creations along with the rest of the crew.

Chef Paul Qui & Crew

We counted 17 chefs/sous chefs in the kitchen, along with 9 chefs manning the sushi bar – quite impressive. The service had Uchi written all over it – upbeat, caring, customer-oriented focus. We can’t wait to go back to UCHIKO and often.

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Pairing Perfection!

KeeperTeam — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:16:51 +0000

To go along with a stellar meal at Uchi, (see previous post Austin City Limits Festival and Uchi-Both World Class Acts) pairing the most exquisite wine selections is a MUST. During our most recent experience at Uchi, we did just that! Our friend Ian McCaffery visited the Keeper Team in Austin and treated us to a meal at Uchi. Ian is not only a great guy, but an especially good friend to have if you’re into wine – he is a Martin Wine Cellar retailer. His wealth of knowledge about wine and his enthusiasm and love of good food (and fun) was the perfect resource for this pairing exercise. Ian suggested that we start off with a 3 year vertical of Comtes Lafon Meursault – 2003, 2004, and 2005. At first, we saw this as an interesting choice because the 2003 vintage in Meursault didn’t receive the best press from some wine writers. A glorious surprise, the Comtes Lafon 2003 was fabulous and drinking beautifully!

3 Year Vertical of Comtes Lafon Meursault-2003, 2004, 2005

We were so glad that Ian had brought the 2003 from his cellar—it was a lovely wine that went fabulously with Uchi’s sushi and sashimi creations. The 2004 and 2005 vintages were also lovely, with the 2004 drinking well now, and the 2005 showing that it can be cellared for several more years before drinking. Apparently what we had learned at “Burgundy Boot Camp” rings true- always think Producer, Producer, Producer! Thank you Dominique Lafon for your fabulous creations!

Ian challenged our knowledge by providing us with another producer of Meursault. Knowing that we love Comtes Lafon and rarely consume Coche-Dury, Ian provided a decadent comparison by opening a 2004 from Coche.

Coche-Dury 2004

The styles of these two Meursault producers are completely different; however, this wine was also a good match for the Uchi creations.

Of course, a good wine pairing test should include both white and red, or maybe, the Keeper Team just enjoys having an excuse to try both! No matter, reds were next, and our first was a 1999 Comtes Lafon Volnay-Santenots-du-Milieu.

1999 Comtes Lafon Volnay-Santenots-du-Milieu 1999

Lafon came through to again provide a very pleasurable red wine that complemented our rockin’ UCHI dinner after this year’s ACL experience.

Experimenting with only one red did not seem right, so we thought it only fair to select a wine from the Keeper Team cellar from an another area and producer in Burgundy. We thought Ian would like to try the 1995 Grivot Nuits St Georges Les Boudots.

Grivot Nuits St Georges Les Boudots 1995

This red proved to be a really (really) great selection with our food! We were happy to entertain our out-of-town guest – Ian, come back soon!

Great wine paired with great food – The Keeper Team continues to enjoy and share our culinary and viticulture experiences.

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Plate & Vine Interactive Cookbook Lets You Cook Uchi at Home!

KeeperTeam — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:56:55 +0000

Uchi, a well-known Japanese restaurant, staple of Austin, and a good friend of the Wine & Food Foundation has given us some new and exciting recipes to share with you! The Uchi family of chefs, including Executive Chef Tyson Cole, Chef de Cuisine Paul Qui, and Pastry Chef Philip Speer, have shared some of their personal favorites with the Plate & Vine Interactive Cookbook for you to recreate in your own home. With signature plates from their menu and their top selling dessert, you can’t go wrong. Also, to keep you up to date on the progress of the highly anticipated Uchiko (Uchi Restaurant the sequel), follow Chef Tyson Cole at www.uchikoaustin.blogspot.com.

Uchiviche is a seafood dish with refreshing texture and flavor and a top seller at Uchi.

Uchiviche

Kai Mushi, which is sake steamed mussels in a Miso Kaffir Lime Broth, is a delicious and creative example of how Uchi chefs play with flavors.

Peanut Butter Semifreddo is a dessert that plays on your favorite childhood tastes, easy to make, and is their most popular dessert on the menu.

Peanut Butter Semifreddo

So if you are craving a sushi fix or have an aching sweet tooth, one of these recipes is sure to do the trick without even having to leave home! But of course for those of us who have the good fortune to be able to pop in to Uchi whenever we want, we know the real thing is too good to resist!

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