Uni Sashimi Bar at the Clio restaurant

We have always wanted to try out this Japanese sashimi bar at the Eliot Hotel in Boston. Uni Sashimi Bar is located at the lower level of the Clio Restaurant. Since it’s a “sashimi bar”, seats are very limited with only a few seats at the bar and four to five individual tables. Right off the bat, we ordered a Lychee Martini. It is extremely refreshing in this 90+ degrees summer day. We began our journey with the first course for the evening, which is the Uni Spoon (Main Sea Urchin with a quail egg yolk, osetra caviar and chives). The Maine sea urchin is very creamy by itself. When it is combined with a quail egg, the creaminess triples and is very moist! The saltiness of the caviar truly enhanced the overall taste of this “one bite dish”.

Our second course is Uni & Hamachi with aji amarillo and pickled radishes. Uni matches very well with hamachi. Uni is bold and creamy, while hamachi is mild and smooth which neutralizes the strong taste of uni. The aji Amarillo gives it an extra spicy kick, while the pickled radish gives it a sweet after-taste.

Next, we ordered the Chef’s Choice Innovative Interpretation of Sashimi Platter. This combination plate includes three pieces each of the sweet botan shrimp, salmon, octopus, striped bass, hamachi, and tuna sashimi. The botan shrimp is fresh and has a sweet taste to it. It also has a small amount of truffle on top. The salmon is matched with a black bean sauce, which feels like a Chinese twist. The octopus is a little too chewy for our taste. The striped bass does not match with the kimchi on top of it. The hamachi is the best of the bunch, and it is smooth and fresh. The bean sprouts on top of the tuna is quite strange. Overall, the fish is of high quality but the sauce for the mix-and-match is a little out of place. Given the bite size and small quantity, the sashimi platter is way overpriced.

After eating all the fish, we decided to have the Steak Teriyaki of Kobe Beef. There are eight thin pieces of “kobe” beef which is served with sweet kabayaki glaze and a side of red wine sauce. The sauce has a rich taste to it and has a little mushroom aroma. We expected the beef to be much fattier and smoother, since they call it “kobe” beef. However, it is not the same grade as the kobe beef that we had in Japan.

Last but not least, our last dish at Uni Sashimi Bar is the Lacquered Foie Gras and Barbequed Eel. This is an innovative dish with four layers to it, one layer of eel topped with one layer of foie gras topped with another layer of eel and topped with yet another layer of foie gras. The richness and creaminess of the foie gras has a nice balance with the barbequed taste of the eel. The sweetness of the kabayaki glaze is just right. There are also a few finely chopped slices of green apple on top. The layering works very well in this dish. It is one of the best dishes of the night. It certainly gives a solid ending to the meal.

Overall, it was a very satisfactory meal. The fish is of high quality. The service was good and the waiter was very friendly. The innovation is not as impressive as O Ya. However, the dishes were very small and coming to this restaurant requires a deep pocket.

HOKAT Rating:
89/100

Address:
370 Commonwealth AvenueBoston, MA 02215
(617) 536-7200
http://www.unisashimibar.com/