custom yakitori

...this dr.pepper is toast.

So we had a dilemma:  A much larger Japanese yakitori was going to be necessary for Uchiko and all of the menu items we have planned for it including daily grilled seasonal bass. Off the shelf varieties from Japan are seriously expensive and there’s a little trepidation to in ordering something for that much money that you’ve never seen or touched. We started to brainstorm and explore other options and ended up talking to the company that is also making our sign for Uchiko: Ion Art. They were readily accepting of the challenge and after giving them all of the various dimensions and specifics they went to work. Ion Art has incredible facilities and talented people here in Austin: highly recommended.

The yakitori grill is very close to completion. It gives us the ability to use more surface area or less,depending on the amount of Japanese “binchotan” compressed oak charcoal we need per night. The adjustable vents on the bottom control air flow and heat levels. Custom ceramic tiles will be placed on the inside interior to control heat as well. I can’t wait to get this thing in the space and cooking!

First round of interviews for Uchiko starting next week. Things are ramping up quick and opening day will be here before we know it. Exciting!

pecan tiles for the back wall

burning wood for a wall in our "eat-in" bar

built-in bay type window in the front of Uchiko; sexy!

light boxes

Uchiko taking shape right in front of my eyes. A year of planning and design all coming together over the last few months, it’s pretty cool to see 3 dimensional pieces that were just drawings not that long ago. Michael Hsu’s vision for Uchiko, along with our direction of a “modern Japanese farmhouse” seems to be everything we had been shooting for: comfortable, crafted, accessible, and functional. Our goal is too be as cozy as Uchi, with a few noticeable tweeks and changes. Anything but fancy; we want another restaurant who’s design focus is one thing: Austin.

Also, and this is quite a bonus, most of the wood we’re using is reclaimed/found local wood and pieces which makes a lot of Uchiko “green” too. Like it!

The cedar “tiles” will be mounted on the back wall and will all age and temper over time on the wall; it will be stunning.

The “burnt” wood will be the front wall of the bar; a nice contrast to the rest of the wood and the floor of the space.

Coming over the next few weeks: a few glimpse interior shots and finishes, and information on our hiring process and search for the people to carry the torch into the future.

Uchiko makimono

This is a pic of ingredients for a new roll at Uchiko called the “tora”. It’s a seared wagyu beef roll with green apple,cilantro,lemongrass,thai chili and crispy rice; & spicy fish sauce for dipping.

We’re going to start out  simple with Uchiko’s initial roll menu with a limited selection of just 8 different rolls. This will help assure consistent quality and the best possible ticket times, and an easier process of training a brand new staff on how to make them all too.

Someone told me one sushi restaurant here  has over 100 different types of rolls on their menu!  How do they even remember what’s in them?!

Less is more. Keep it simple.

Execute consistently = happy customers!