RESTAURANT REVIEW - Uchi, Austin, TX

Uchi
801 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704-1509
(512) 916-4808
Sun-Thurs: 5pm-10pm
Fri-Sat: 5pm-11pm

The place was very full when we went on Tuesday night, and we waited about 45 minutes for our table. The interior is dark with a lot of red, cream, and dark wood, and there are regular tables as well as extended bar seating so one might talk to the sushi chefs directly. Being full, the restaurant was also fairly loud, and we had to raise our voices slightly to be heard.

When I ran the fact that I was vegan in front of our server, she confirmed that the Bond and Kappa sushi rolls were vegan, and said that the kitchen could make other vegan rolls for me. She also said she'd check on what other offerings I might be able to eat.



I started out with the Tomato Katsu (panko-fried green tomatoes), and the waitress said that she would also bring out a vegan sauce for me, since the regular sauce contains roe. She was really polite and helpful, and suggested that I go ahead and get the Bond roll (avocado, sundried tomato, and white soybean paper), and that the kitchen would send out a couple of surprise dishes. I told her that as long as it was vegan and not ridiculously spicy that I was game for anything. The tomatoes were really tasty, and the vegan sauce was thick and reminded me a bit of barbeque sauce. My dining companions and I also shared Japanese eggplant tempura, which was fresh and savory. The Bond roll was 8 small pieces and had a mild, smooth flavor. I didn't notice the sundried tomato until the very last piece, but it provided a lovely contrast to the creamy avocado.



The "vegan surprise" was three artfully-stacked small piles of vegetable matter drizzled with a bicolor sauce. The waitress told me what was in the dish, but I didn't catch it. There were definitely potatoes, and they were topped with some green leafy things that reminded me a bit of green onions. The whole dish was a wonderful fusion of savory and light flavors, and the sauce complimented it perfectly. The waitress brought out another roll with grilled asparagus, avocado, cucumber, and black and white sesame seeds. The combination of crispy, creamy, and chewy was really outstanding.

I finished up with Ocha Zuke soup (white rice, roasted seaweed and sesame, immersed in hot green tea). It was flavorful and very mild. In honor of it being the birthday of one of my dining companions, we were served cracked black pepper sorbet with fresh strawberries (which was vegan as well). The spicy pepper was complimented and balanced by the fresh strawberries.

Overall, I was very impressed by the flexibility of the kitchen staff and the helpful friendliness of the waitress. The food was delicious and inventive.