Like the name sounds...Uchu Sushi & Fried Chicken is very Portland. Located on Mississippi Ave it's a mish mash of two seemingly different types of food....but based on it's popularity the combo must work.
We went in for a Friday afternoon lunch and saw people ordering both the sushi and the chicken...but we went with the sushi. The decor was modern and industrial. Giant fish tanks lined the walls, one with tropical fish and the other with koi.We split our starters of seaweed salad and edamame. Both were well
received and a great way to kick off the meal.
His Take:
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| Dynamite Roll -- A chef's choice of fish with tempura and tempura flake. I really enjoyed the roll. It had a great combination of flavor and texture. The termpura gave it a good crunch and it was warm enough that it balanced out the other cold fish roll and nigiri that I ordered. I'd get this again for sure. |
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| I had the Saba (Mackerel) Nigiri... A nice piece of fish to look at but overall it left me fairly underwhelmed. I don't regularly get mackerel so I'm no expert but it tasted less fresh -- more fishy. In the future I'd go for tuna nigiri. |
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| Last but not least I had a Philly Roll. This is such a classic roll and one of my go-to's when trying a new sushi joint. It tasted fresh, had just the right amount of salmon flavor without being overwhelming. |
Grade: B
Overall I'd say that the restaurant was pretty solid. A bit on the high priced side but that's pretty common with sushi joints. The service while not inspired was serviceable...about what I've come to expect in a city where most waiters and waitresses aren't in in for the long haul. I'd like to try some of their other more exotic rolls but for a first time experience it was enjoyable enough that I'd give it another shot.
Her Take:
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| The Garden Spider roll - filled with grilled asparagus, avocado, yamagobo, and kaiware. This was my favorite of the two rolls I ordered. The grilled asparagus lent a nice smokey flavor that was nicely balanced by the creaminess of the avocado. Overall a good balance of flavors. |
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| I wanted to branch out from my usual cucumber roll and the Enoki roll seemed intriguing. I especially enjoy mushrooms and enoki mushrooms are gosh darn cute. Besides the tiny fungus, this roll included kampyo, yamagobo, cucumber and were topped with a special sauce. I didn't check to see if the sauce was gluten-free or not, but it was used sparingly so I wan't too concerned. For me this roll was on the sweet side. Both the sauce and the kampyo created a sugary taste to the dish that I wasn't used to. I probably wouldn't order this roll again. |
Grade: B
For a Friday lunch stop, UCHU was a nice choice. They had clearly labeled vegan choices, which I always appreciate. The service was adequate. The seaweed salad was very good and had me craving more that evening. The venue would be gorgeous at night with the large aquariums blue glow. They had Tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) for me to dip my rolls in, which is a bonus. My gluten-free beer options were the Widmer Omission pale ale or lager, and I went with the pale ale this time. Many of their rolls had tempura battered veggies or tofu, so it cuts down my options. Portland has many sushi restaurants, but if you ever find yourself on Mississippi craving some seaweed salad and vegan rolls, it's not a bad spot to know about.
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