The important thing is, I'm meeting new people

mediterranean sea bass sashimi, texas grapefruit, avocado, fennel vinegar

crispy brussels sprouts, lemon, chili

wagyu spring rolls, cucumber, thai chili vinegar

pork jowl, brussels sprout kimchee, preserved lemon crème fraiche, asian pear

sweet corn sorbet, polenta custard, caramel salt, lemon

Birthday dinner at Uchiko. So I guess the exec chef won Top Chef or something =)

We did the five-course tasting menu, and I highly recommend it. Although pretty much everything but the spring rolls were on the regular menu, there’s probably no way I would have ordered the pork jowl or the sweet corn sorbet, and they were absolutely astounding. The pork jowl was cooked sous vide for three days, and was pretty indescribable. The sweet corn sorbet was the perfect not-too-sweet dessert, with a perfect mix of textures - super creamy polenta custard, contrasted with cornbread and popcorn crumbles. SO fucking good.

It was also a steal - the menu is tapas style, and they recommend 3 plates per person - at that rate, this meal would have run ~$70 per person, and the total bill for us both was just over that amount. Since we regularly spend that amount on two mediocre meals, I would gladly force myself to cook at home more and do this somewhat regularly.

Next time, I would totally do the tasting again - either 5 plates, or ideally 10. If 5, I would probably order an extra sashimi course. I will also probably get the brussels sprouts every time - better than La Condesa’s, which were my previous standard.