Umu

My favourite restaurant

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday as he knows I love any type of asian restaurant, this however was something else. We got out of the cab in Mayfair Square, he walked me down this dark back street. I asked if he was sure he had the right street as nothing appeared to be at the end. Then he pressed a little button on the wall that said Umu and it was like the gateway to the East opened up. I loved the theatre of it. The service was spectacular from start to finish, we were treated impeccably, food arrived promptly along with wine.
Now I have to admit the prices are astronomical, hence the reason we cannot return every Saturday, but (even if I had been paying myself) it was completely worth it for the amazing culinary experience. We enjoyed some beautifully delicate sushi picked from the menu and also asked the chef to surprise us with a couple of creations. I cannot remember the name of what he gave us but I do remember that it was the best sushi I have ever eaten. The waggu beef served to cook at the table on hot stones was superb, the black cod and lobster I can only describe as indescribable.
I normally dont expect much in terms of desserts at asian restaurants but I was wowed with a refreshing green tea cake with sorbet.
I cannot wait to go back… after saving up a bit

Umu was a very pleasant atmosphere with dim lighting and reflective surfaces and mirrors everywhere. Service was excellent on a saturday evening. I found the food to be good overall. If i were to return, I would order the following: tuna tartare salad at £20, smallest steak £40 and a piece or two of the toro sushi.

On this first trip to Umu, we ordered a variety of dishes including grilled eel (honestly not great 5/10 in taste), sashimi platter which was good compared to other restaurants – tuna, salmon and mackeral were the best of the lot) and a couple of other dishes including excellent wagyu steak and grilled lobster in a sauce – £40 for most main dishes.

Wagyu steak and toro sushi were worth the trip to this restaurant!! Two people dinner + 1 bottle of wine £45 came to £300 including 1 starter, 1 vegetable, smaller sashimi platter, 3 mains, 2 pieces of toro sushi and 1 dessert. All dishes are pretty small in size.

Simply fabulous!

I had diner again at Umu, and it confirmed my opinion: very average. Nice setup, extensive sake list, but sushis are so so. The traditional ones are ok, but not fantastic. The modern ones are disappointing. In particular, never order fois gras sushis or aburis, they arrive cold on your dish (even if at sushi bar). Starters are fine, but nothing fantastic. Main courses vary in quality.

When I mentioned to the manager that I thought the diner tonight was so so, he asked whether it was because I had to pay the bill !! Poor guy… I have been to places in Japan where the bill was a multiple of Umu's, and the food was much better. I also have been to places in London for a fraction of Umu's, and the food was also much better. Honestly, I think Kiku next door is less posh, but a much better food quality.

Umu is a great restaurant – whether you sit in the main restaurant or at the sushi counter. We sat at the counter and it's always fascinating to see the sushi chefs at work. We had a selection of traditional and ‘modern’ pieces and they were all delicious. The service matches the excellent food.

I really don't mind spending good money on top restaurants. I don't even mind the meal taking hours, but here the bill was stratospherically high and the pace at which the food arrived was more dead slug than live snail.

When it did arrive, the food was gorgeous; the Kaseiki menu offers lots of small, beautifully prepared, beautifully presentated and subtle tasting morsels. The trouble is, you need a hamburger between each course to stave off the hunger pangs, and could easily have time to go and get one from the nearest Burger King, which is, I am reliably informed, in Barnes. Matching with wine too was a mistake – it seemed like such a good idea at the time; lots of different wines and sake to go with the different flavours to which they are perfectly suited. The trouble is, the wine for the next course came immediately after the previous course had been cleared away, so you either sat there thirsty as well as hungry, or drank it in the interminable wait and then had nothing to complement the food.

Yes, we could have come on an off night, but at these prices you cannot afford to have an off few minutes, let alone a whole night.

Unlike some places where the whole experience puts you off, the food was just so good (and the Calpis Martini so unlike it sounds as though it should be), I would go back. this time, I'd sit at the sushi counter though and order as I went along. That way I could make a swift exit if the food was not so swift in arriving.

£500 for 3 people with reasonable wine?!! For that money we should have gone to Nobu. And what Japanese restaturants doesnt serve Maki? I will never return or recommend this place.

Went there myself some time ago, the food was delicious and presented in a most beautiful way. The waiteress was exquisitely nice and polite, and took the time to properly explained every dish served. Sake is fantastic, best in London.

After that, a group of my colleagues went for private dining there on three different occasions, and after each one have nothing but brilliant feedback. The restaurant actually make an effort to remember loyal clients, and they took care to offer them different food each time ("oh, we do remember that last time you liked this – try this one now" etc). One of the colleagues is highly allergic to seafood and fish – they made awesome vegetarian sushi for her, with no fish/seafood/seaweed which were absolutely divine.

Overall, highly recommended!

UMU is authentic in it's Kyoto-style Kaseiki dining in the middle of London. Many small portioned dishes are seasonally selected and beautifully presented for the patron (me) to sample various raw fish varieties and rare japanese specialties (like Zuma this restaurant offers fresh grated wasabi) some of which are imported directly from Japan. I had the delicious experience of eating my way through the Kaseiki Menu, complimented by sake and my favourites were the hamachi, o-toro, the lobster and the waguy beef dish. It is expensive, but the price is justified as this is the only authentic Japanese high end restaurant in London (probably in Europe) that does not get seduced by fusion fashion. For adventurous diners as the menu is very raw.