Uchi Denver's Garden Series
Last week, Chef Tyson Cole kicked off the return of Uchi Denver's Garden Series - & what a return it was! Fifty of us were seated in Uchi's backyard garden and brought through an immersive ten-course culinary experience. This dinner was nothing short of a gastronomic adventure and a meal we will NEVER forget!
The Garden Series will be taking place once a month through September. The remaining Garden Series schedule will be: July 8, August 5, and September 2. Make sure to subscribe for Uchi Denver notifications to stay updated on Garden Series tickets and events. Tickets for July’s garden series will go up for sale on Eventbrite towards the end of June.
Not only was the food unrivaled, but you can’t beat dining in a lit, lush Colorado garden where you're surrounded by fresh ingredients used in your meal! & Chef Tyson Cole himself was in attendance!
We began our ten-course meal with an Amuse Bouche - a radish dipped in white miso butter and seasoned with salt and honey.
I had never eaten a radish solo and this Amuse Bouche made me a radish believer! This seasonal spring vegetable had a big-time pretty factor and was crisp and zesty. The salty miso butter was delicious (miso + butter = magic!) and the honey and salt on the greenery of the radish was spot on.
There were specialty Uchi cocktails and drink pairings served throughout the ten-course meal. The drinks are included in the Garden Series ticket price.
Our first course was Grilled Lettuce with green mustard wasabi dressing and asparagus. We were privy to the lettuce and asparagus being grilled up right in the garden!
The grilled lettuce was lovely in taste and in presentation & this salad was packed with fresh spring garden produce.
Our second course was Scallop Crudo served atop rhubarb, celery, verjus and shiso.
The fresh raw scallops were thinly sliced and placed atop sticks of rhubarb. The scallops were fantastic and had a great sweet essence to them that was complemented by a tartness of the rhubarb and aromatic notes of the celery. The shiso (Japanese herb) added a captivating flavor to this course with its brightness in taste and smell of a mountain meadow.
Our third course was Wagyu Beef Tongue made with grilled snap pea, daikon and spiced fish caramel dipping.
YUM. This is a prime example of why I love set course menus so much. I would have never ordered the Wagyu Beef Tongue spring rolls on my own but they were one of my favorites of the entire meal! The wagyu beef had delicate notes of mouth-watering umami flavor, was buttery and subtly sweet. The spiced fish caramel dipping was intensely fragrant and flavorful and added a beautiful saltiness to the spring rolls. The fish caramel also had a kick of spice which really brought out the crisp brightness of the snap pea and daikon in the spring rolls.
Our fourth course was Madai (Japanese Sea Bream) and Masu (Tasmanian Ocean Trout) Nigiri.
LORD HAVE MERCY - this is some of the best nigiri we have ever had. The madai (known as "true seabream") melted in our mouths and is a testament to madai being the best eating of all the bream varieties. The madai was meaty with unmatched savoriness. The masu was orange in color (similar to salmon) and had a tender and buttery taste. The masu was amazing and also melted in our mouths. Uchi (hands-down) has the best nigiri in town.
Our fifth course was Garden Tempura made with Garlic scape and chive ranch for dipping.
These pretty tempura'd garlic scape stems had a great crunch to them and had a mild garlic flavor and aroma; paired with the chive ranch *chef's kiss!
& just look at this whimsical garden setting once the sun went down.
Our sixth course was Tuna Belly served with xo sauce, cherry and nasturtium.
The Tuna Belly had a meaty, creamy texture and was in rich flavor. The meatiness of the Tuna Belly really woke up the other flavors in this course: including the xo sauce which had a traditional flavor profile of barbecue sauce and the fleshy, woody rose-like taste of the red cherry. We picked this course up like a taco (the nasturtium leaf being the shell and the flower adorning the top) - the nasturtium had a mildly peppery flavor and a mustard aroma.
Our seventh course was Salmon Crudo made with seaweed, watermelon, and mint.
The cubes of raw salmon were delicious & fresh. The seaweed looked like pretty translucent red-purple lettuce and had a ocean-like: minerally and salty flavor that paired well with the savory salmon. The watermelon and mint brought a coolness to this course.
Our eighth course was Akamutsu (Rosy Sea Perch) and Mizudako (Japanese Octopus) Nigiri.
YES YES YES. Seriously, Uchi's nigiri sends me over the moon! The Akamutsu was of the upmost quality with a white surface and faintly pink inside. The Akamutsu had a lovely, sweet flavor and had a fatty and oily texture. Absolutely magnificent! The Mizudako had a high water content that made the octopus meat tender, delicate and soft. This was the best octopus I have ever had. Two thumbs way up!
Our ninth course was Duck served with yuba, egg, grapefruit and tare.
HELLO savory goodness - this course was the epitome of beautiful succulent umami flavor! The duck was a juicy medium-rare and the grapefruit went wonderfully with the duck. I also loved the texture contrast between the slightly crunchy yuba noodles and the meaty tenderness of the duck.
Our tenth course was Strawberry Kakigori made with mochi, vanilla and green tomato.
WOW - what a dessert! The Strawberry Kakigori tasted like beautiful, fruity strawberry snow covering a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The soft pillows of mochi were sprinkled throughout this dessert accompanied by a light dusting of matcha.
WHAT. A. MEAL.
HUGE THANKS to Uchi Denver and team for hosting us and we can't wait for the rest of the Garden Series! Once again, the Garden Series will be taking place once a month through September.
See you at Uchi Denver babes and let them know that denv.her. sent you! xx denv.her.
Uchi Denver
Service options: Dine-in · Curbside pickup · Delivery
Address: 2500 Lawrence St, Denver, CO 80205
Menu: uchidenver.com
Phone: (303) 444-1922
Reservations: uchidenver.com, opentable.com
Order: uchidenver.com, postmates.com, ubereats.com