But more about that in a moment. First, some education around the name. Uokin (pronounced as U-Or-Kin) translates from Japanese to mean 'fish' and 'gold', or collectively, 'best fish'. Founders David Su, Jack Kwan and Angelito 'Angel' Bautista have long had a passion for Japanese cuisine, and a vision of bringing high-end sushi, at takeaway prices, into customers' homes. Head Chef Angel Bautista brings strong credibility to the kitchen, with prior experience in such well known establishments as Koko, Nobu and Ichi Ni Nana. He was Head Sushi Chef at Chocolate Buddha immediately before commencing with Sushi Uokin.
Sushi Uokin has quite a narrow frontage onto busy Glenferrie Road. Walking in, my eyes were drawn to the display fridges of delicious looking sushi available to select and take away. There is a bench at the front window, with just a couple of seats. So, while you are welcome to eat your purchased sushi at these seats, the reality is, the majority of customers take away their food.
When I arrived, my pre-ordered platter was a few minutes away from being ready, with Chef Angel working away in the kitchen to complete it. When they say 'fresh', they mean it! But that's what you want in good sushi, right?
The sushi platter was truly a thing of beauty. Every piece on that platter had been placed with precision. And forget your crude slices of lemon and a dollop of wasabi as garnishes - there was a beautifully carved lemon, a portion of wasabi fashioned into the shape of a leaf, and edible pansies adorning this platter. It was presented wrapped in a light furoshiki (traditional Japanese wrapping cloth), along with a container of beautifully crisp lotus root chips. Chopsticks were tucked into the top-knot of the furoshiki. Top marks for presentation; it felt like I was receiving a special birthday gift as I was handed the impressive package.
At home, I shared the platter with my partner, David. He had been feeling off colour that day, and hadn't really had an appetite. The lost appetite soon re-emerged when David lay eyes on the platter! It was a visual as well as culinary feast.
This was the Uokin Mix Small Platter - and at $60, I felt it was excellent value for money. There are also medium and large platters available for $100 and $150 respectively. There is no doubt we will be back for an encore!
If you want a smaller meal, there's even a 'mini platter' for $22.99, or you can order individual items from the a la carte menu. There are also numerous vegetarian and vegan options available.
Recommendations from the platter we had include the Uokin Signature Roll with fresh salmon, cooked prawns and asparagus - a beautifully balanced dish in terms of flavours and textures. Also included (my first time tasting it) was O-Toro (tuna belly) sashimi. Well, it's unusual for me to have a deeply visceral experience from food, but the O-Toro provided that. Imagine a piece of fish that is so soft and succulent that it literally melts in your mouth like butter, while retaining a subtle tuna texture and flavour. David described it as "amongst the best mouthfuls I've had in my life, the best of the best". High praise indeed!
Having a platter from Sushi Uokin was like having a sushi chef in our home kitchen. I rate Sushi Uokin as ten out of ten for quality, presentation and value for money. So, grab a bottle of sake, break out your best chopsticks and get ordering!
Also keep Sushi Uokin in mind for catering as we approach the festive season.
Sushi Uokin is located at 639 Glenferri Road, Hawthorn.
It is open 11am - 9pm Tuesday - Saturday and 11am - 7pm on Sundays.
You can view the menu here and order online here.
For more information, go to Sushi Uokin's website, or call them on 0404 822 050.
