Exclusive: Go inside the soon-to-open Uchiba. What to expect and how to make reservations.
Austin’s best known fine dining restaurant is getting into the bar business. Kind of.
Uchiba may translate to “Uchi bar,” but the new concept from Hai Hospitality is undeniably a restaurant once you see the menu and take a look at the handsome space with its seating alcoves, sushi bar and lounge.
First things first, the bar: Unlike Uchi and Uchiko, Uchiba will serve liquor, including a roster of Japanese whiskeys and a menu of unique cocktails. Those cocktails should go well with comforting bar food and hot dishes, while the bar's sake and wine lists should complement the sushi offerings.
The team of architects and designers created Uchiba to be a warm, lived-in space blending vintage and modern touches that create an intimacy the operators hope stands in relief to the shiny new downtown glass tower in which it sits.
We toured the space, got our eyes on some menu items and talked to principals about what diners (and drinkers) can expect when Uchiba opens to the public in early October.
Where is the new restaurant?
Uchiba is on the ground floor of the new Google Tower at 601 W. Second St.
When does it open?
The restaurant opens for dinner on October 6.
Who is the chef?
Uchi owners have made a point of promoting from within since first expanding with Uchiko in 2013. Chefs often rise through the ranks at one of the Uchi properties, preparing them to take over a kitchen of their own. Such is the case with Lithuania native Vaidas Imsha, who will serve as Uchiba's chef de cuisine.
The chef has been serving as executive sous chef at Uchi for several years. Executive pastry chef Ariana Quant, who oversees the pastry program of all Uchi and Uchiko restaurants, says that Imsha is uniquely qualified to work with the kind of food Uchiba creates: Uchi-level precision but comforting like bar food.
“The way his brain works with food is really fitting with this place. It’s not traditional in any sense and he always has some crazy ideas that always lend itself well to this type of food,” Quant told the American-Statesman.
One example of such culinary thinking: Imsha has crafted a dish of rutabaga noodles with chicken skin relish and gruyère foam that the Uchiba culinary team says eats both like chicken wings with blue cheese and pad Thai.
What makes Uchiba different from Uchi and Uchiko?
If the rutabaga dish wasn’t enough of a diversion for you, Quant points to the “fun delivery systems” of many of Uchiba’s dishes as a main point of differentiation. Diners will find an array of buns, bao, dumplings and yakitori dishes. An example of these types of dishes: chicken dumplings filled with chawanmushi foam, green onion sauce and charred shallot. The biggest difference between Uchiba and its two sister restaurants in Austin is the introduction of liquor.
Liquor, you say?
Yes, Uchiba pulls some of its design and menu cues from Japanese whiskey bars. There will be more than 20 Japanese whiskeys on offer, and the bar, led by beverage director Jason Kosmas, is also teaming with the kitchen to create Perfect Pairs, combinations of bites with cocktails. Those pairings include a grilled Spam rice ball with a tepache (fermented pineapple) topped with pineapple amaro.
“A lot of what the menu is about is bringing experiences,” Kosmas said. “My favorite pairing is oysters and martinis. So, we’re going to take our house martini and serve it in miniature size with naked oyster and the martini has a mignonette-pickled onion, so the whole thing just goes together.”
How is Uchiba similar to Uchi and Uchiko?
Nigiri sushi, including selections for Toyosu Market, rolls, cold tastings and hot tastings, all familiar to those who have dined at Uchi and Uchiko, will be on the menu. And, yes, the hama chili and Zero Sen roll are on there.
How do I make a reservation?
Reservations are live at uchiba.uchirestaurants.com.
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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Uchiba restaurant to open soon in Austin. Get a first look inside.
