Uroko — Restaurant in Austin

So... I eat a lot of sushi and have eaten at now 5 places in Austin in the past 2 weeks.

First the good, the fish was excellent, the fillings and flavor combinations were also excellent. I particularly enjoyed the crawfish roll and the beef tataki roll since they are very unique.

The bad... and I mean real BAD! The rice was the worst that I have had in a long time. I don't know if it was inexperienced staff for lunch on a Wednesday or what.

Rice is the heart and soul of sushi so you need to get it right and they got it wrong in nearly every way possible. Most of the rice was overcooked and mushy with broken grains and almost a paste consistency sticking them together. There was also many undercooked, hard grains that would also break part. The rice was not properly seasoned and tasted plain. A good sushi rice has been seasoned with a vinegar mix which makes each grain of rice glisten and have a nice sweet, salty, umami flavor. It was clear that they did not cook it properly, likely on a stove rather than in a rice cooker, or a very bad rice cooker. It was likely not washed or not washed properly. Afterward it was probably not properly cooled and mixed. Good sushi rice is cooked to a perfect al dente were each grain is separate and sticks together with the vinegar mix and residual starch. Not a single rice grain is over or under cooked and not a single one is broken. Where was the quality control? Do they just not know what good sushi rice is supposed to taste like, IDK?

The nori was not very good, it was chewy and bland. Partly it could be due to the wet rice which makes the nori soggy but a temaki roll can not hide bad nori and bad rice. The color of the nori was pale, it was on the thin side, bland, rough textured and chewy. Proper nori is flavorful and aromatic with a crisp texture and almost melts when it hits your tongue. It is dark almost black in color, and thick with the outside that is smooth and shiny and the inside rough. The best nori is gold label and is slightly roasted the day of to bring out the flavors and give that perfect texture.

I hope that the restaurant reads this and takes it as constructive criticism. But I have to write the review based on what I was served. The fillings and flavor combos would be so much better with good sushi...

This is not necessarily the best Sushi that you can get in Austin. When you're coming here, you're booking for the 45-minute omakase experience. Mind you it is definitely an experience and that does come with a price tag. The place is very cozy and you are sitting at a bar like structure with a sushi chef at the center and a drinks/sake guide.

We immediately went in and started to get our nigiri pieces of fish. Each time the chef put a new nigiri on our plate, he explained every single detail that went into making that particular piece of the nigiri. I would definitely say that the additions to the fish really was thought out on all of the flavors to compliment that particular fish.

This is definitely an experience because instead of just getting a piece of fish you're getting something very creative. In fact, I would say perhaps something you might not be able to get at other sushi places. We started out and the sushi was pretty good, but as we continued through the courses each piece got better and better. The A5 wagyu Sushi piece was mind-blowing and also the uni was so buttery and did not taste bitter which I give all of the compliments to the sushi chef. As the sauce and pairing of what was in the sushi must have really brought out the flavor.

My favorite pieces were the A5 Wagyu, the Ebi, toro, and Uni.

I got the sake flight and it was a very good pairing with all of the different sushi pieces. I do wish that I had maybe three to four more pieces of sushi, but maybe that is just wishful thinking because everything was so good. If you haven't been to Omakase in Austin, I would definitely give this a try.

I did happen to go the place next door that served hand rolls and got a spicy tuna and salmon. I'm definitely going to try to hit this place up for lunch one day and gorge myself in hand rolls. You can definitely tell that the...

Voted one of the best new Austin restaurants in 2019 and I can see why!!

Okay if you are looking for a sushi connoisseur review please keep going. My knowledge is limited and I don't really know the difference between many of the types of sushi at a high end place. If you are looking for a novice view.. keep reading.

Went in for the Omakase, which is a chef selected menu. You show up and sit back and listen, watch, and eat. The seatings are well timed at 45 min each. You come in, get your drink, eat, and get out. Nice if you are looking for good food but not a full evening of dining.

Pros: Everything! Food was amazing and I tried things I would never have thought of ordering. High quality pieces, flavorfully dressed with a wide variety of ingredients, well prepared and presented by an expert sushi chef who knew his stuff and loved sharing his knowledge. Sake selection, while small, was well balanced (according to the sake snobs eating with us). My friends ordered a bottle and we thoroughly enjoyed! I had wanted to pre pay the dinner so no fighting over the bill. With a quick email that was taken care of.

Cons: If I had to point out a few minor things.. due to the 45 min seatings, there is no sitting around after to finish your drinks. We could have taken then outside the restaurant and into the courtyard but it was not very appealing. Come and eat and go elsewhere! A bit expensive, but the others dining with us said reasonable compared to other places.

They do the Omakase seating on Friday and Saturday for parties of 2, 4, or 6. They have recently added Monday and will do single party seatings as well. They are adding a 5p seating, so that increases options as they are booked up pretty far in advance so they are trying to get some options opening.

Check them out. Experience something cool. ...