Celebrate Umi’s 5th Year with a Seasonal Omakase Experience by New Chef Makoto Harada
Taking the reigns at UMI’s traditional and intimate sushi bar, is Kumamoto native Makoto Harada. Together with Executive Sushi Chef Yukio Kimijima, he helms the team at Umi to bring his 30 years of Japanese culinary experience, dedicated appreciation, traditional approach and exclusively sourced catches to the 10-seater sushi den. As he takes on the role of head chef, he is also preparing a celebration as Umi hits the 5-year milestone mark.
This occasion is a special one for Umi as an omakase restaurant in Hong Kong with such consistent quality and esteemed reputation is rare. Overcoming the difficult times the F&B industry has experienced in the last couple of years, Umi resumes to its original glory with a lunch and dinner omakase menu in celebration of the restaurant’s resilience and birthday.
The menu at Umi has always been seafood focused, as the name in Japanese translates to “ocean”. Selecting only the finest ingredients, some of which are only rarely available for a short fleeting season, the chefs then creatively decide on the most appropriate preparation and cooking method for showcase the scarce fruits of the sea.
To begin, guests are presented with a range of appetisers beginning with the Trumpet shell conch from Mie Prefecture which is sweetest and most abundant from June to October. This is prepared with jelly fish and myoga ginger to bring out the umami flavour and contrasting textures. Also in season is the Fukuokan filefish which is light and delicate compared to the fattier winter catches, which is paired with a smoked liver sauce and spiced daikon to add depth and mouthfeel to the dish. Continuing on with a richer dish from the appetisers is the Miyazaki A4 wagyu with vegetables, featuring Miyazaki sirloin marinated with sake, garlic and soy sauce which is first grilled before torched tableside. The Steamed abalone from Hokkaido is slow cooked in the most minimalist way to retain its intrinsic sweetness and is presented with a rich dipping sauce made of its own liver to experience it in its entirety. To
end the appetisers, fresh Horse mackerel from Nagasaki is rolled in thin tamago egg and wrapped with seaweed.
The highlight of any sushi omakase is the quality of the nigiri. At Umi, the heart of the restaurant lies in the exceptional quality of the fish varieties. Each visit is different from the last, with a focus on the prime season of the fish and its subtle nuances to enhance the natural aromas and flavours of the catch.
This season, Umi has secured some of the most sought-after seafood from Japan. Starting with the lightest in flavour, the sushi course begins with Spear squid from Fukuoka, which is expertly sliced paper thin and double layered over fresh seaweed and topped with a drop of house soy sauce to add umami. The Goma Saba summer blue mackerel from Nagasaki is presented with pickled kombu; the Hokkaido scallop with a light brushing of fragrant soy; The marble sole flounder from Oita with yuzu kosho is refreshing yet rich; while the Blackthroat seaperch rock fish is succulent and flaky. Other seafood highlights available in June include the tiger prawn from Kumamoto; the Sea eel from Nagasaki which is slightly torched for a light char flavour and texture; Kisu whiting fish with pickled wasabi from the shores of Fukuoka; and Prime lean, semi-fatty and fatty tuna from southern Japan. The sushi course comes to a close with a handroll of chef’s choice depending on what is the freshest ingredient of the day.
To end the meal, a rich miso soup is served to bookend the savoury section of the meal before sweets are served. The special Umi dessert of the season will be the Warabi Mochi sweet dumpling with a chewy exterior and of course, the signature green tea chocolate that every customer can’t leave Umi without.
The Umi anniversary omakase menu is available from June 22nd to early August. A variation of the complete dinner menu is available for lunch. Dinner is available at HK$2,088 per person, long lunch menu at HK$1,488 per person, and short lunch menu at HK$988.