My friend L and I walk by the Theatre Junction quite often, and I always notice UBU’s huge menu plastered on the wall. Since tomorrow is my Birthday, I decided to use that as an excuse to treat myself here. I say “treat” because I thought the menu prices seem high, but I had no idea what the portion sizes are like.
We had reservations for 11:30am as L had to run back to a meeting at 1pm, so naturally we were the first ones there. It’s a big, spacious place with trendy decorations. The lighting is very dark (the table behind us – one guy had to stand up to hold his menu against the hanging lights to read the menu – poor fella). I was really hungry and *thought* I might’ve ordered too much. L is saving for an upcoming big trip so she only got the lunch combo.
Here’s what we ordered today:
Miso Soup – part of L’s lunch combo.
This was a delicious soup with plenty of miso flavor and its said to have four different types of mushrooms.
Salad with Miso Dressing – part of my lunch combo
The star here had to be the miso dressing. It was a tad salty as salty miso should be, but very flavorful. I wish it was a bigger portion.
Sashimi: Butterfish – $7; Hamachi – $8; Toro – $7
This was my order. When I asked the waitress how many slices of fish was per order, she said it’s 3-6 slices, approximately 2 ounces. Each fish here had 5-6 very small slices. They were all very fresh, buttery and smooth – absolutely delicious. However, the cut is extremely thin. I can almost say that for the amount of fish in one order, it makes up to about two regular size pieces or less elsewhere. So for $22 in total, I did not feel it was good value.
Teriyaki Chicken Lunch,with choice of half roll: spicy tuna – $18
This was L’s order. The first thing she said to me was, I think I need to get a second lunch after. Yes, the portion was extremely small. I did not try her plate.
Wasabi Steak Lunch,with choice of half roll: spicy salmon – $18
Even with the starter salad and the sashimi order I consumed, I could tell this would not be enough food. The wasabi steak was cooked to a medium rare – very tender, but I could not taste any wasabi flavors in it. The small portion of rice was a perfect size if you’re on a low carb diet. I can say that my growing, 25lb toddler eats more rice than what was on this plate, so how can it be enough for an adult like me… I really don’t know. Even though I am trying to cut back on carbs, I rely on veggies to fill myself, and here… the portion was about an ice cream scoop’s worth. These portions are more like for a tasting menu. At $18, this was not good value at all, especially when the two of us had to go buy more food afterwards.
I was very disappointed with my lunch. Even though the food was tasty, spending $42 (just me) and being barely full is just unacceptable. I want to vote “not like” based on the cost and portion but since I did like the taste, and service was actually great, I will not cast a vote. However, I do not see myself return here – and L feels the same way.
ETA: I was chatting with my coworker U about UBU and he thought the lunch special was a rip-off. He said he would never eat there again as well.
That’s disappointing… I can think of a number of restaurants that offer better value than that for lunch! Also, happy birthday! Next time I’ll see you, I’ll have a sweet treat for you!
Thanks so much C! It was a pleasure meeting with you and L last night – I can’t wait for the next outing!
Me too. Enjoy your bday dinner at Wa’s. I heart their chirashi. Soooo good!