Unkh’s Japanese Restaurant--Holland, MI
The Unkh’s Japanese Restaurant
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NOTE: Unkh's is drastically changing their menu as of 1/08, so the below review is no longer applicable. I'll post an update when possible.
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322 E Lakewood Blvd., Holland, MI
Just West of the US 31 ramp, past the entrance to WalMart
Lunch M-F 11-2
Dinner M-S 5:00-9
Closed Sundays
616-394-0024
www.unkhs.com
On Unkh’s website there’s a saying: “Gather in UNKH’S small place, eat good fresh earthly food and have a happy long life.” The husband and wife team who run this place make every effort to live up to this goal with every meal they serve.
Across from the WalMart entrance on the way to Ottawa Beach, Unkh’s is tucked between a battery outlet and tanning salon. This is no ordinary strip mall restaurant—this is a serene, airy, immaculate (and smoke-free, cell phone-free!) eatery. Unkh’s offers three seating areas: a sushi bar, regular tables and “traditional” seating, which looks like Japanese low tables, except there’s room under the table to put your legs, so there’s no knee pain involved.
We heard rave reviews from a sushi expert that Unkh’s fish is the freshest he’d had since Japan, but that really didn’t impress us vegans/vegetarians. But their veggie sushi did: the Green Roll (cucumber and avocado wrapped in rice and seaweed) and Tamago Sushi (a large chunk of cooked egg tied on top of a rice pad) were fresh and flavorful. You can also choose from Pickled Daikon Radish and Shiitake Mushroom rolls. The sushi comes with wasabi (which can be blended with soy sauce to create a killer spicy dip) and pickled ginger.
From what I’ve read, it’s ok to eat sushi with either fingers or chopsticks and you eat each piece in one or two bites before it falls apart. You could spend a lifetime trying to figure out Japanese etiquette, but the staff at Unkh’s is a tolerant bunch. They happily answered our questions but were also fine with letting us do our thing, even if that thing was probably an assault on their sensibilities. (They'll happily provide forks if chopsticks aren't your idea of fun.)
Unkh’s has four vegetarian udon soups, meal-sized bowls of thick noodles with broth and toppings. (All of Unkh’s udon and miso soups are made WITHOUT any fish products, unlike at many Japanese restaurants.) I’ve had the Kitsune-Udon, filled with shiitake mushrooms and tofu pockets but always return to my fav, Yasai-udon (topped w/ perfectly cooked veggies). My beloved loved the Tsukimi-udon with poached egg and scallions, though he couldn’t finish it after all the sushi and salad.
We were pleasantly surprised to find vegetarian versions of Gyoza (pan fried steamed dumplings) and Korokke (mashed potato croquettes with corn and carrots) since they often contain pork. Like most menu items, they’re served with interesting dipping sauces. Other vegetarian options are Vegetable Tempura, Hiyayakko (hilled organic tofu with scallions) and Edamame. And every meal is better with the mixed green salad—it comes topped with Unkh’s awesome house-made sesame dressing.
Unkh’s does a lot of carryout, catering and offers sushi and cooking classes.
Just West of the US 31 ramp, past the entrance to WalMart
Lunch M-F 11-2
Dinner M-S 5:00-9
Closed Sundays
616-394-0024
www.unkhs.com
On Unkh’s website there’s a saying: “Gather in UNKH’S small place, eat good fresh earthly food and have a happy long life.” The husband and wife team who run this place make every effort to live up to this goal with every meal they serve.
Across from the WalMart entrance on the way to Ottawa Beach, Unkh’s is tucked between a battery outlet and tanning salon. This is no ordinary strip mall restaurant—this is a serene, airy, immaculate (and smoke-free, cell phone-free!) eatery. Unkh’s offers three seating areas: a sushi bar, regular tables and “traditional” seating, which looks like Japanese low tables, except there’s room under the table to put your legs, so there’s no knee pain involved.
We heard rave reviews from a sushi expert that Unkh’s fish is the freshest he’d had since Japan, but that really didn’t impress us vegans/vegetarians. But their veggie sushi did: the Green Roll (cucumber and avocado wrapped in rice and seaweed) and Tamago Sushi (a large chunk of cooked egg tied on top of a rice pad) were fresh and flavorful. You can also choose from Pickled Daikon Radish and Shiitake Mushroom rolls. The sushi comes with wasabi (which can be blended with soy sauce to create a killer spicy dip) and pickled ginger.
From what I’ve read, it’s ok to eat sushi with either fingers or chopsticks and you eat each piece in one or two bites before it falls apart. You could spend a lifetime trying to figure out Japanese etiquette, but the staff at Unkh’s is a tolerant bunch. They happily answered our questions but were also fine with letting us do our thing, even if that thing was probably an assault on their sensibilities. (They'll happily provide forks if chopsticks aren't your idea of fun.)
Unkh’s has four vegetarian udon soups, meal-sized bowls of thick noodles with broth and toppings. (All of Unkh’s udon and miso soups are made WITHOUT any fish products, unlike at many Japanese restaurants.) I’ve had the Kitsune-Udon, filled with shiitake mushrooms and tofu pockets but always return to my fav, Yasai-udon (topped w/ perfectly cooked veggies). My beloved loved the Tsukimi-udon with poached egg and scallions, though he couldn’t finish it after all the sushi and salad.
We were pleasantly surprised to find vegetarian versions of Gyoza (pan fried steamed dumplings) and Korokke (mashed potato croquettes with corn and carrots) since they often contain pork. Like most menu items, they’re served with interesting dipping sauces. Other vegetarian options are Vegetable Tempura, Hiyayakko (hilled organic tofu with scallions) and Edamame. And every meal is better with the mixed green salad—it comes topped with Unkh’s awesome house-made sesame dressing.
Unkh’s does a lot of carryout, catering and offers sushi and cooking classes.
posted by Elizabeth at 9:37 AM
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