Review: Aiueno
Little over a year ago, Kenji Ueno, chef and owner of popular Japanese izakaya tavern, Can Kenji, opened the doors of his newest project, Aiueno. A bit more subdued and decidedly more refined, this new venture sits just across the street from the Kyoto-born chef’s flagship establishment.
Having quickly gained a loyal following of his weekday, fixed-price lunch menu, and his slightly more elaborate five-course lunchtime tasting menu, Ueno also offers a seven-course dinner tasting menu for the unbeatable price of €28 (this varies slightly depending on the season and doesn’t include alcohol). Aiueno has an extensive à la carte menu, too; a quick scan of which left me feeling that just one visit was surely not going to be enough to sample all the mouth-watering dishes.
In this narrow dining room, suited up in smooth blond wood, traditional paper screen dividers and subtle, hanging light fixtures, the seating is basic—one four-person table, four seats at a bar by the entrance, 10 seats along the sushi bar, and a large communal table with room for about 12 more diners.
Chef Ueno warmly greets guests from behind the bar as they enter, in typical Japanese fashion, and the service was friendly and efficient. The tasting began with a little blue ceramic dish holding a gelatine mould of chilled sōmen broth encompassing a tangle of noodles, julienne vegetables and poached prawns. The flavour of the gelatin itself was a delicate pathway to begin the meal, but the fresh, herbaceous burst that came from the shiso leaf garnish, and the kick of tiny wasabi pearls surrounding it, aroused my palate for the succession of diverse plates to follow.
Next came one of my favorite dishes of the evening, the sunomono platter. Roughly translating to "vinegary things," sunomono is a Japanese staple and comes in myriad forms. While the most common is the cucumber or seaweed versions, at Aiueno there is a little more creativity at play. Placed delicately in a row along a slender black tray sat a pristine Normandy oyster garnished with ponzu jelly and chives; a fried-then-chilled sardine in an escabeche of rice vinegar, soy and sugar; a crunchy heap of sweet and salty seaweed with fried baby fish; a spicy mound of tuna with sesame; tender, marinated seabass; and sliced mackerel with ginger.
Quickly following this eclectic, tangy assortment came a bowl of still-crunchy steamed vegetables, dressed in a creamy ponzu tartar sauce and topped with a rich, flaky fillet of seared hake, its skin crispy and gleaming. I made quick work of this dish, swilling the obligatory glass of Sapporo beer as I watched the small, speedy kitchen team work with focus and dexterity.
After the hake came a tangled tempura nest of white asparagus and rocket. The white asparagus (delectably in season) was shaved thin and fried with a handful of rocket leaves, served on a plate with a little pile of garlic salt meant to be sprinkled to taste. Ueno explained that they slowly toast slivers of garlic in the oven, then grind it with salt to a fine powder. The tempura was fantastic and light, but hard to eat with chopsticks—I quickly gave in and took the whole thing in hand, chomping down and sending brittle green shards flying everywhere.
The fifth course provides diners with an option of yakiniku (grilled beef rib) or miso-baked salmon, both served with a silky potato purée and vegetable garnish. I enjoyed tasting both, though of all the courses, this one seemed the least exciting. Flavor and technique had been steadily building throughout the evening, and these dishes seemed to pump the brakes. No matter. After a few bites these modest portions were gone, leaving clean plates that were quickly whisked away to make room for the decadent ‘sushi superior’ platter.
Choosing the superior option adds €4 to your meal and buys you a tasty selection of prawn, toro tuna belly, seabass, red mullet, sea urchin and glazed eel sushi, plus one piece each of a salmon and tuna roll. All of the fish was expertly sliced and sublimely fresh.
The meal ended with a bit of a culinary tangent in the form of a lemon poppy seed cake with thyme ice cream. The dessert is homemade, just like the rest of the food at Aiueno, though unexpected after all the distinctly Japanese dishes of the night.
Overall, I was content with everything I tasted, and Ueno’s friendly nature and obvious comfort in the kitchen was a pleasure to behold. I need to give the lunch menu a try; and another evening meal (be it a tasting or a capricious à la carte selection) is most definitely on the cards.