UBA Shoreditch: Pan-Asian flavours with good vibes and food

UBA in Shoreditch is described as a “pan-Asian paradise” which takes you on a gastronomic journey through bustling streets and aromatic alleys of Asia’s most vibrant cities, from Hong Kong and Hanoi, to Kyoto, Singapore and Bangkok.

I can confirm that this description is right, and the array of flavours, cuisines and dishes makes it the newest, hottest place to be.

From sashimi and sushi to tacos, dim sum and ramen, you’ll find yourself struggling to resist a bit of everything as your mouth waters and your taste buds tingle.

Set in the most gorgeous setting, with high tables, bar tables, and booth tables, the red, gold and bold interiors give UBA the ultimate luxe feel, and the perfect birthday, date or friends’ outing dining spot.

The opulent interiors are inspired by cultures and mythology across Asia – and include a statement marble bar, red velvet banquette seating, lava stone tabletops with antique mirrors and decorative lighting.

There’s also a private dining room seating 12 – for that intimate, extra special time with loved ones.

The bar menu includes must-tries from Head Bartender Alex Cernatu such as Jasmine Pearl with Roku gin, lemongrass and ginger cordial, jasmine pearl and peach soda – described as geared to “whisk guests to the lush forests of Thailand.”

I went to UBA with my friend on a Sunday for lunch. We had planned a girls’ day out and fancied some really good food and a good natter before hitting the shops for some retail therapy.

Slightly hungover (oops) from our Saturday night plans, we went for a sober lunch but needed something tasty to bring us back to life.

While we looked at the menu, we started by sharing the sesame yuzu salt edamame which had a roasted-style sesame seed on and was really tasty but not too overpowering.

Salmon ceviche, tuna hand roll, prawn dim sum, shrimp tempura (Image: Immy Share, Newsquest)

Although good for sharing, we have quite different taste buds and I usually go for salmon or tunas while she goes for prawn and shrimp dishes, so we ended up with quite an array.

Our friendly waitress recommended we get three to four dishes each – so our empty stomachs chose four!

Seared salmon belly maki with prawn (Image: UBA Shoreditch)

We ordered the miso caramel glazed aubergine, tuna hand roll, rock shrimp style tempura, seared salmon belly maki with prawn, prawn dim sum, salmon ceviche tacos and a miso cod large robata teppanyaki dish each.

Highlights for me include the miso glazed aubergine which was genuinely the prettiest aubergine I’ve ever seen – sounds strange calling an aubergine pretty, but trust me…

I loved the salmon ceviche taco which even gave me a hint of Mexico, and my all time favourite dish miso black cod lived up to its standard.

It was decadent, melt-in-the-mouth and oozing with flavour and taste.

Dessert was another star of the show, and we went for the Japanese chocolate forest, which was basically just chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate, and I absolutely loved it.

Not for those without a sweet tooth, but perfect for my fellow chocoholics.

We also shared the lychee and raspberry crème brulee which wasn’t like anything I’ve had before.

The flavours worked perfectly and it felt really authentically Asian which I loved.

I’ll definitely be back to UBA for an evening of drinks, food and vibes.