Jack and Grace Lamb recently transformed their East Village chef’s counter restaurant Degustation into a new chef’s counter restaurant called Restaurant Ukiyo at 239 East Fifth St., near Second Avenue. The Lambs run Jewel Bako, the Michelin-starred sushi omakase next door.
They brought on chef Marco Prins from the Netherlands to helm an à la carte and tasting menus of French cuisine with Japanese and other international influences. Dishes like toast with smoked eel, creme fraiche, and avocado cream, as well as a “parfait of foie gras” with crispy rice make up the menu. More substantial fare like lamb with morels, black garlic, ramps, and peas and a halibut with dashi hollandaise rounds things out. Prins is no stranger to the chef’s counter setting: He previously worked at ultra-luxe Brooklyn Fare for four years.
A five-course menu at Restaurant Ukiyo costs $75, and an eight course menu costs $125. The $12 Japanese tea service comes with Genmaicha tea, chocolate mousse, crispy caramel, and a lemon madeleine.
Jewel Bako is one of the city’s top sushi restaurants, maintaining a Michelin star for the last 13 years. A small walkway connects Ukiyo, which has 18 counter seats in its intimate setting, to its sister sushi restaurant.
Ukiyo opens for dinner Tuesday through Saturday at 6 p.m., staying open until 11 p.m. during the week and until 11:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.