A couple of years ago I tried MatsuYama for sushi and was not impressed--I don't recall specifics, but at the time I remember making a mental note to avoid going back. Fast forward a year, and I moved just a block from MastuYama...but still avoided it no matter how strong a sushi craving came. Months later, MatsuYama closed. More months later (late 2010 now) and the space is once again a sushi spot, this time under a new name: Ukai. After driving by it daily for months & reading several good reviews, I ventured in last week to see if this new restaurant could fill the need for a lazy-close (read: walk to it despite single-digit temps) sushi spot.
The Space
Dark toned wood & walls with warm red accents. Nice reeds break up the room a bit. Plenty of candles to make up for low lights. Decent sized sushi bar to seat 8. Warm, clean, with a good vibe & pleasantly simple Asian decor.
The Food
We started with the Tuna Tataki app. Tuna was good, yuzu air was a great touch, and assembly with the dried seaweed salad made for plenty of flavor in each bite. The Sox roll was our first roll. Tuna-based roll with interesting play of flavors. Avoid if you are spice-averse but I thought it was very good; actually had some complexity to it. Then was the Ukai Dynamite, a scallop-based roll. This was also good. Not nearly as spicy as the Sox roll, but also had a touch of warmth. All plates were presented well, delivering to the eyes as well as the taste buds.
The Wine
I grabbed a Riesling when walking out the door. This didn't work out so well; either the Riesling was too dry or the rolls we ordered were too spicy, but the pairing just wasn't great. Next time I'll stick with either bubbly (Extra Dry Cava from Aria would probably work for $10) or beer (Goose Island's Sofie would be perfect). As always with sushi, bubbles help clean the palate of the rice's stickiness & any spice. An Italian Prosecco, which often has some sweetness, could also be worth grabbing. Find something with bubbles, and if it's wine, be sure it has a little residual sugar (especially important if you're into spicy rolls).
The Whole
I was impressed. The place & plates looked great, the sushi was certainly above average, BYOB without corkage, and the bill came in low ($15 each after tax & tip). Living within a 5 minute walk of this place puts it into "dangerous" territory for me. It's nice enough to take a date to before a show, but affordable enough (and with a large enough menu) that I won't hesitate to head back repeatedly, whenever the sushi craving hits.
