Raising the Bar with Sushi | Bar ATX
Sushi | Bar ATX melds traditional and contemporary into every morsel.
Words by Jessi Devenyns Photos by Baptiste Despois
Although traditional sushi is prized for quality ingredients and subtle shifts in flavor, Ambrely Ouimette, who runs Sushi | Bar ATX, favors a bolder approach accented with understated details. She spends her time dreaming in flavor combinations that push the boundaries of preparation and presentation.
Scallops are sliced to form a pearl necklace atop rice. Fois gras leaps across culinary traditions and is repurposed as a nigiri bite topped with berries and breadcrumbs, giving a nod to the PB&J sandwiches of childhood. Mackerel is beautified by fermented blueberry coulis, ginger powder, and dotted with fresh wasabi root, an ingredient for which one must wait three years until it blossoms into maturity.
Patience is at the heart of every gesture, every recipe, and every conversation that transpires at Sushi | Bar. Without it, the intimate theater that dominates each of the three nightly seatings would fail to unspool at a rhythm that allows diners to develop into friends as they sip and nibble.
For Ambrely, the intimacy is what makes Sushi | Bar such a novel challenge. “There’s no escape. You’re not serving anybody else,” she explains. Even as she works to master the art of presenting her culinary creations in a manner that elicits conversation and curiosity, she also aims to perfect the sushi bites themselves. Many of her current menu items have taken over a year to reach their current iteration. Similarly, a number of the well-planned ingredients require time to reach their full potential. Fatty fish, a star ingredient at the restaurant, is one of those additions that takes time. “Age brings out the oil in the Otoro,” she explains. So, instead of fish, “It’s creamy. It’s chestnut. It’s fat on fat.”
Each of the seventeen bites enjoyed at a seating at this ten-top sushi bar is a concrete poem. The form and texture of the ingredients are the scaffolding over which the flavors spill onto the tongue.
Diners would be forgiven for being mesmerized by the range of flavors that are evoked throughout the course of the meal. However, one would be remiss not to listen attentively and appreciate the explanations she offers about her ingredient sourcing, her reason for using fire as the only form of heat in her kitchen — it’s her secret weapon — and her eye for detail.
Daring flavors are contrasted with understated nods to established Japanese cuisine, creating an elegant play between tradition and imagination that makes both Ambrely and those who dine at her counter feel alive.
Pro Tip:
Depending on what time you snag a seat, diners may get lucky and find themselves with a few extra surprise bites at the end of their dinner experience.
Contact:
2600 E Cesar Chavez St.
sushibaratx.com
@sushibaratx
