Last week I joined some of the Global Traveler team in Miami, Florida, to celebrate the winners of our 14th annual Leisure Lifestyle Awards. While there, I met up with two lovely ladies from Dana Agency (shout out to Sophia and Olivia!) for a late lunch at Uchi.

This restaurant, founded in Texas, has since expanded to many major U.S. cities, thanks to its popularity. Serving elevated Japanese cuisine, Uchi was a place I had always heard about but had not yet had the chance to try.

Mood lighting and warm woods were the backdrop to our fantastic lunch. While the restaurant also serves dinner (with larger portions at higher prices, of course), I was pleasantly surprised to see they also had a lunch menu with lighter versions of some of the more popular dishes, as well as lunch versions of some amazing cocktails.

I opted for the salmon belly for an appetizer, complete with ginger, lychee and passionfruit zu. Light, fruity and fresh, the fish practically melted in my mouth. For my main, I finally landed on (after much deliberation amongst the three of us because of the many good options) the chicken karage with crispy rice and pickled cucumbers and carrots. It was savory and with the right amount of crunch, and I was so glad I chose this.

We shared each other’s appetizers to fully enjoy each dish, and one of my favorites was the Brussels sprouts with sweet chili and lemon. Everything was fantastic, in fact, including the yellowtail with ponzu, Thai chili and orange supreme.

I also tasted the walu walu, a fish I had never had before and yet found myself going back for seconds due to its flaky and slightly sweet taste. I also nabbed a bit of the burger with a kimchi topping, which surprised me greatly.

We rounded out the meal (even though I was already stuffed) with lemon coconut sorbet over toasted coconut shavings.

Of course, I couldn’t say no to a cocktail or two, and Uchi offers scaled-down versions of its most popular concoctions for lunch, so you’re not consuming as much or spending as much. I did indulge in the Uchi gin and tonic with yuzu cordial, as well as the lychee martini with nigori sake, lychee and yuzu.

— Aoife O’Riordan, associate editor