(From January 2011) Restaurateur Andy Kin has introduced a tasteful Japanese steakhouse to the Southside. Sit at the popular sushi bar, get up close and personal with the flashing knives and soaring flames at a hibachi table, or settle into the more conventional (and quieter) dining room. Spicy miso soup was followed by a crisp house salad with a delicate sesame dressing. The hit among our entrées was the featured bento box, each compartment holding its own little treasure, the tempura shrimp and grilled shrimp shumai (dumplings) being especially noteworthy. From the hibachi we enjoyed cooked-as-ordered tenderloin steak, vegetables (zucchini, carrots, and mushrooms), and excellent fried rice (a meal in itself). Bar.

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(From June 2011)

We decided, across the board, to try new dishes, and what an adventure it was! Shishito peppers, quite pleasant except for the fiery orange ones, and popcorn crab, to-tally edible soft-shell babies, made for two mind-expanding appetizers. Japanese snapper carpaccio sprinkled with tomatoes and Asian greens was piquant, while marinated tuna with avocado and cashews pleased with its crunch and layers of flavor. The only item that disappointed was the washu beef and potato croquette; the small bits of beef were mixed into a mushy mix of potato, and the panko crust had an oddly sweet taste. Walking through the Japanese garden to the front door is a lovely touch for this wildly popular East Dallas eatery. Bar.

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(From February 2011) A remarkably friendly staff greets you at this North Austin Japanese haunt, outfitted with sleek black booths and banquettes, where the offerings range from soba noodles to sashimi. We started with the fried calamari, too heavily breaded, to our dismay. The delicate shrimp and pork gyoza, however, compensated. A plate of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail sashimi was fresh but bland. We actually preferred it, however, to the (jump to the next sentence if you’re easily embarrassed) Screaming Orgasm, tuna tataki smothered in a creamy, slightly spicy ponzu sauce. Tomo ought to focus less on catchy menu names and let the fish—and its flavor—speak for itself. Beer & wine.

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(From March 2012)

We let our server do the talking on a recent cozy evening inside this tiny red-walled cottage. And as we sipped on a lovely albariño, taking in the animated tables around us, artfully arranged plates of delicious sushi and sashimi appeared: striped snapper; baby yellowtail with ponzu and Thai chile; oak-grilled escolar with candied citrus, yuzupon, and myoga (amazing); bigeye tuna with pumpkin seed oil and Fuji apple, and silky Japanese sea bream with the perfect pop of sea salt and mint. Chef Tyson Cole’s vision impressed once again. Next visit we’ll resume our spots at the bar; we missed watching the sushi chefs and learning about flavor pairings and combinations. Bar.

Friday, September 19th, 2008, 1:50 pm
sushi lover says:
This is the best restaurant in Austin, period. AMAZING food! And where else do you see guys in cowboys hats eating sushi.

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(From May 2012)

A meal at Uchiko raises lots of hard questions. You wonder which of the intriguing dishes to order. You ask yourself how the kitchen can maintain such high standards night after night, keeping diners on their toes with an ever-shifting combination of esoteric ingredients. It occurs to you to ponder how you’re gonna pay for it all. But so exquisite are the myriad tastes and textures that ultimately you have no choice but to surrender to the culinary carnival, one that includes the likes of Shigoku oysters iced with a blood orange sorbet and adorned with a tiny marigold leaf; luscious Kurobuta pork belly sprinkled with black-lime powder and swiped with an espresso-laced caramelized fish sauce; thinly sliced buri (Japanese amberjack) with pickled Hakurei turnips and miso crème fraîche. Even the bar snacks, like shishito peppers lightly blistered on the grill and sprinkled with flaky sea salt, are ridiculously good. Is it any wonder executive chef Paul Qui just won Top Chef: Texas? Beer, wine, & sake.

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(From May 2011) This spare, Zen-like space may be tiny, but it delivers the goods. We usually start with the emerald-green seaweed salad sprinkled with sesame seeds, but on this visit we ordered spicy (believe it) tuna gyoza with water chesnuts and a sashimi salad of fresh greens decorated wagon-wheel-style with shrimp, snapper, salmon, and tuna. And Yutaka’s black cod with blond miso is always a winner. Try the green tea ice cream balls coated with white choco-late for dessert. Beer, wine, & sake.

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