• 5th September 2012 at 8:58 pm
• General
• 3 comments

As someone who grew up in a region characterized by bold and zesty cuisine imparted by its Cajun, Southwestern, and Southern cultural underpinnings, I am drawn to complicated dishes that pack the punch with complex spice combinations, intricate sauces, and tongue-singeing heat.  While living in New England has certainly honed my appreciation for allowing the natural flavors of ingredients to shine, I still find my palate piqued by the robust flavors of my youth.

Uni’s food does something amazing by marrying these divergent philosophies through inventive ingredient combinations.  Intriguing and unfamiliar flavors play across the tongue with each bite, while also elevating the natural flavor of the fish and allowing it to sing.

Uni needs no introduction.

370 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
617-536-7200

Uni Sashimi Bar

The Atmosphere

Uni is located in the Eliot Hotel, connected to Ken Oringer’s acclaimed venture, Clio. I’ve been to Clio for drinks, but it was my first experience stepping down into Uni.  The area was much smaller than I had originally thought – I think there were only five tables and a bar bordering the very small preparation area.  We opted to sit at the bar and watch the action, something I’d highly recommend to first-time visitors or anyone who wants to watch the meal preparation.  Watching the care taken and attention paid to every piece of fish and every minuscule detail made the meal that much more special.

(Source.)

It was quiet, but it was clear that the people in that small space were there to sample the well-reputed delicacies.  Diners were examining every plate intently and taking the time to taste each component, action rarely seen collectively among patrons.  We were certainly no exception.

The Food

I’m OBSESSED (obsessed) with Clio’s cocktails, meticulously perfected by the ingenious mixologist, Todd Maul.  If I knew someone who only had three hours to spend in Boston, I would tell them that sipping a cocktail at Clio should be a priority.  In fact, Clio’s Bull’s Eye Gin & Tonic was recently named on of Boston’s top 15 most iconic drinks.

(It’s worth the hype.  But that’s another story for another time.)

Part of Uni’s appeal is that you can enjoy the impeccably fresh sashimi while sipping a cocktail from the 24-page menu at Clio.  Tonight, I opted for the Mary’s Liquor Cabinet, a mixture of Tanqueray, Cocchi Americano, Grand Classico, Wormwood Bitters, and Lillet Paint, all deconstructed/evaporated in a rotovap and brought back together to create something magical.

NERD ALERT: While the concept of a rotovap is a little beyond the comprehension of my liberal arts education and lack of scientific understanding, the best comparison I can fathom will only make sense to other Harry Potter lovers.  You know how, in The Half Blood Prince, Slughorn kicks off a potions lesson with the task of separating the components of a poison to find its antidote?  If I comprehend correctly, it’s kind of like that.  The purpose is to concentrate the flavors of the various components before mixing them back together, and the effect is mind-boggling.

(If I’m wrong about/grossly misunderstood this, please feel free to correct me in the comments!)

With each sip of this cocktail, new hints of flavor sparkled across my tongue.  It started out sweet and floral with accents of caramel, slowly melded into the slightly bitter, slightly citrusy flavor of caramelized lemon peel, and ended with a mellow oaky-ness.  The sensation lasted for several seconds after each sip.  It was a delightful and surprising way to enjoy a cocktail.

For dinner, we wanted to supplement the Restaurant Week menu with something from the regular menu, so we chose to be adventurous and try something new – the restaurant’s namesake, Uni, or sea urchin.

I’m not going to lie.  My experience with uni made me consider dismantling my blog altogether.  Ryan and I had a long discussion on our walk home about whether or not I should even mention trying it in the write-up, but ultimately decided in the interest of authenticity it would be ridiculous to pretend it never happened.

I didn’t like it.

With everything you read and see about this and that professional food critic absolutely RAVING about uni, I’m actually terrified that any respectable food enthusiast will see this and assume I’m some bumpkin who has no business blogging (if they haven’t already), but I’m just putting it out there.  Texturally it was lovely, a cross between a custard and a foam that actually dissolves upon hitting your tongue.  The color was a vibrant orange, and I don’t doubt for a second that it was impossibly fresh.  The accompaniments brought out the briny sea flavor in a lovely way.  However, the underlying flavor was a mouth-puckering bitterness that I just couldn’t get past.  While I would definitely give it another shot, it’s not something I’m eager to eat again.

This isn’t a knock on Uni at all, but a reflection of my palate.  Perhaps, for me, uni is an acquired taste.  If this makes me a simpleton, I guess I’ll have to deal.  I’m really disappointed in myself for not loving it, but I just…didn’t.  I feel like there’s something wrong with me.

Now that I’ve ripped that bandaid off, we’ll move to the rest of the meal, which was absolutely stellar.  One of the best I’ve had in a long time, and definitely in the top five ever.

We both started with the sake sashimi, which was thinly sliced Scottish salmon lightly dressed in a cucumber jalepeno vinaigrette and garnished with minced grilled pineapple and Japanese puffed rice.  As a general rule, KnightlyBoyfriend and I try to order different things, but the appeal of spicy jalepeno was too much for either of us to pass up so we both ordered it.  And we were so glad we did.

(This picture would have been so much better on a real camera.)

Salmon is usually not my first choice due to the underlying fishiness that often runs through the flesh.  This salmon had none of that.  Thinly sliced and impossibly tender, it was only slightly sturdier than the uni that dissolved in our mouths.  It tasted like fish butter – bright, fresh, and meaty, offering little resistance to the tooth.  You would assume that the bold flavors accompanying it – the spicy jalepeno, sweet pineapple, and toasted rice – would overpower the delicate flavor of so fine a fish, but they only served to enhance the natural flavor of the fish itself.  I couldn’t eat it with my eyes open – I had to focus all my energies on making that glorious taste last as long as possible.  This is a dish I’ll remember for many years, and has completely altered my perceptions about what is possible with salmon.

For our main course, we both ordered the Chirashi, a bowl of seasoned black and white rice topped with the chef’s choice of sashimi and pickled cabbage.  When placing our orders, we asked if we would each receive a different selection of fish to sample, and we were delighted that the chefs obliged.

I had bigeye tuna topped with wasabi mustard and fried shallots, hamachi (yellowtail amberjack) topped with sea salt and minced Japanese peppers, and local striper ceviche (did they read my mind? how did they know I’m a ceviche enthusiast!?).

The texture of the bigeye tuna was similar to the salmon – a delicate block of meaty tuna that offered no resistance to my bite.  The bright, fresh flavor was enhanced by the acid from the mustard, and the paper-thin fried shallots provided a nice textural contrast.

After gushing to the waiter about how much I loved the salmon, he relayed my message to the chefs.  They specifically chose hamachi for me because it’s another fish that has a reputation for being temperamental and, at times, fishy.  It obviously was not in this circumstance.  While meatier and sturdier than the buttery salmon, it had a light, delicate flavor.  Its inherent sweetness was highlighted by the Japanese peppers.

The local striper ceviche was my favorite.  Thinly sliced and very lightly seasoned with an acidic component (I believe it was lemon, but I can’t remember for sure), it was light and flavorful but also sturdy in texture.

Ryan’s plate contained the same bigeye tuna, sea bass from Italy topped with goji berries, and striped jack from Japan dotted with wasibi.

We both agreed that, while we enjoyed trying less familiar fish varieties, the bigeye tuna was a superb version of a favorite.  I said that in light of everything else the tuna was like a comfort food, and Ryan took a bite and said thoughtfully, “Yeah.  When I eat it, it’s like ‘hey, I know you.’” and then he smiled as if recalling a good memory.  That’s just the type of reaction it evoked.  No, it’s nothing exotic or unusual, but it was a classic done better than ever, and for us, that made a stronger statement than anything else.

The sweet and slightly acidic notes of the goji berries intensified the subtle sea flavor of the Italian sea bass, which had a slightly more gelatinous texture than the other fish varieties.  The striped jack was very mild and almost fruity in flavor, with the same sturdy texture as the hamachi.  All were phenomenal.

The rice served with each plate was a mixture of black and white rice lightly seasoned in a way that nicely complemented the fish.  It did not compete with the flavors in the fish and enhanced the sweetness, and also provided a palate-cleanser between bites.

For dessert I had the green cardamom flan, served with sweet corn ice cream, dehydrated blueberries, and coconut powder.

The flan was more custard-like than gelatinous as I expect with flan, and I loved it.  It was creamy and contained the perfect balance of sweet cream and cardamom.  I kind of gave the idea of sweet corn ice cream the side-eye, but was delighted by the combination of sweet custard and the hint of nuttiness from the corn.

KnightlyBoyfriend ordered the blackberry cocoa cremeux.

There were two small dots of the cocoa cremeux, but it was so packed with rich chocolate flavor it was enough.  It had an underlying saltiness that satisfied sweet/salty cravings, and the presence of tart blackberry sauce pulled out the complexities of the cocoa.  Delicious.

The Bill

Our total (before tip) was roughly $101, and included:

• Two Restaurant Week meals ($33.12 each)
• Uni Sashimi ($16)
• Mary’s Liquor Cabinet cocktail ($13)
• Tax

A Note About Uni and Cost

If you’re anything like me and burdened with offensive student loan payments that will likely last until you’re 5,000 years old (or, you know, living in the real world where resources are scarce and recreational activities have to be triaged), you might find it difficult to justify the expense of places like Uni during non-Restaurant Week periods.  Even so, I urge you to try Uni.  The care they take with each individual ingredient is inspiring, and it really allows you to taste the natural flavors of the fish through inventive pairing and preparation.  It’s also a great opportunity to try the cocktails at Clio, which CANNOT be missed.

Even if the tasting menu is out of our price range, Uni offers some really great deals to diners looking for a bargain.  They end each week with Sake Bomb Sundays, where diners can enjoy a 4-course prix fixe menu that includes a Sapporo and sake (a better deal than Restaurant Week!).  They also offer late-night Ramen on Fridays and Saturdays after 11pm.  If you go to either of these you can supplement with one or two items from the regular menu and have a well-rounded experience.

So…what are you doing next Sunday?

Summary of this Knight at the Restaurant

• To put it simply, Uni is amazing.  Go.  It’s not like you’d expect anything but perfection at a Ken Oringer establishment, but still…go and experience it for yourself.
• The waitstaff is very knowledgeable and passionate about the food and cocktails.  We had two waiters and they were both able to describe each ingredient – from the fish to the obscure garnish – in detail, down to its geographical origin.  Oh and there’s a refreshing absence of snobbery, so even the most timid of diners can feel free asking questions.
• Each component has its place on the plate – nothing is there “just cuz.”  The flavors all combine to enhance the main attraction, and the result is a bite with beautifully balanced flavors that play on the tongue long after the bite is gone.
• I know Uni isn’t cheap, but they offer some really great alternatives to diners on a budget.  I highly recommend taking advantage, but supplement it with an item from the regular menu so you can experience the dishes that have contributed to Uni’s stellar reputation.

FINAL RATING: 4.7/5.0

KNIGHTED

• 27th August 2012 at 6:15 pm
• Boston Reviews
• 2 comments