When one reads about the concept and sees the images of UN Restaurante, nothing but the best can be expected - the location is absolutely spot on, its a very well designed, high ceilings, low lights, clean space - the looks of it are just right and when I read that the chef Tadashi Shiraishi had worked in NOBU, I really thought that it would be wonderful - expectations were high but then when it comes to food and beverages and service - UN Restaurante needs to improve radically.
I went there on a Monday night, there was no need to make any reservations (one has the option) but there were several empty tables so I had the pick of it all. The decor, as I have said above, is beautiful - ambient lighting is dim but there is enough light focussed on the tables to be able to clearly see the food etc. To start with, I ordered the Salmon tartar and made the tragic mistake of getting a drink - a Blackberry Bramble. The tartar was decent but the bramble was sweet and with excessive crushed ice on top, making it more like a beach ice-cream rather than a cocktail. Also the menu has like 4-5 cocktails, and as they did not have the ingredients for a ice negroni, I tried a bramble - word of recommendation - avoid the cocktails and stick to water.
On the menu, I saw 'toro' availability - my attendant told me that they did have it and would cose R$ 27,00 for 4 slices of sashimi or 2 sushis - toro is rare so I went ahead and ordered it, after 10 minutes, she comes to me and tells me that they are out of toro - I found it quite weird that a restaurante of this caliber, on a slow Monday night, was already out of toro and without ingredients to make an ice negroni. I then tried their 'New Style Salmon Sashimi' which was very fresh and well made and a signature Nobu dish - 'Salmon Tatami with karashi' which wasn't bad either.
Some of the reasons for my 3-star review for this place :
a. Lack of ingredients on a Monday night
b. The menu is not descriptive, so you have to keep asking for the attendant to help you out with most of the dishes
c. Terrible bar/cockatils - even the sake caipirinha with strawberries wa less sweeter than my Bramble
d. Much better japanese (maybe not as fancy) options in the city.
Some of the pros :
a. Prices are in the 'normal' japanese a-la-carte line
b. Amazing decor
c. Attentive service.
I don't think I will be returning to UN - its a place that has so much potential yet it's already stumbling... read more