Coming off a three month fiasco of lying in bed with a broken leg, I thought it was only right to head out to the States to get over months of a sedentary lifestyle and to go "live it up," for lack of a better term. After a month and a half in Seattle, Washington, I believe its only fair to pay tribute to my favorite Seattle restaurant, Umi's Sake House. The name of this restaurant is a tad misleading since people might interpret this establishment to be appealing due to its Sake, which is great and all, but once you taste their food you might give up the alcohol to save room for all the great stuff that they offer to eat!
Every time I landed up at Umi's, I was starving and ready to devour practically half their menu. They start you off with succulent, perfectly salted Edamame that vanishes from the table within seconds. That might be because just reading their menu can make a rational, calm person act like a starved lion. Umi's offers a wide range of Sake (which can easily be turned into a less classy yet, more fun Sake bombing experience, YAY!) They also offer a variety of different liquors, including their very popular Japanese Beer.
Now lets get to the good part. Sushi has and always will be among the top contenders for my favorite food choice. I've tasted Sushi across the globe and have experienced different fish qualities and various roll options. There have definitely been amazing experiences where I was left astounded and most definitely horrendous nightmares with smelly fish leaving me feeling like I stuck my head into a stagnant pond. Umi's however left me amazed, excited, ecstatic and well REALLY full.
Umi's offers all the run of the mill rolls that most sushi restaurants offer as standard protocol. There is the tuna roll, the spicy salmon roll and the california roll etc. However, they also offer Umi speciality rolls that are an amalgamation of the most tantalizing flavors all rolled (no pun intended) into one bite size piece that makes you contemplate whether you want to swallow whats in your mouth or keep ruminating like a cow, just cause its THAT GOOD! My favorite roll after much internal debate and toil is definitely the "Pretty in Pink." Oh, i forgot to mention the extremely creative and slightly embarrassing to order in public titles that they have given their rolls. The list of names includes, "Hottie roll," "Belltown Barbie, "Badboy roll" and the "Naughty roll." So it kind of becomes a dinner and entertainment experience once you get someone else to order for you.
Back to me telling you about my favorites as I salivate and find it hard to get my words across. The "Pretty in pink" comprises of a crab, scallop, avocado, tobiko and mayonnaise mix that is topped with avocado, and then wrapped in soy paper. Each piece of the roll though intended to be bite size is more like three bites, but you never actually complain about that once you start eating. I never truly understood the term, "melts in your mouth," until I met Ms. Pretty in pink and boy did she show me a good time! Other close contenders were the "Seattle Crunch" - salmon, cream cheese and avocado, fried and drizzled with teriyaki sauce and sweet chili aioli, the "Suzie Rosie" - spicy scallops, avocado and cucumber wrapped with tuna, the "Flaming Tuna" - spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber and tobiko topped with spicy yellowtail, yuzu tobiko and spicy aioli and the "Hottie roll" - spicy scallops, tobiko and cucumber wrapped with salmon.
The bursts of flavor and tantalizing texture of the fish against the creaminess of the sauces is like poetry in your mouth. Credit goes to the chef for designing such a unique combination of flavors that seem almost appalling when you read them on the menu but then work in perfect harmony when you actually go through the experience. Umi's also offers a few speciality rolls that are fruit based, such as the "Mango Tango" - mango, cilantro and bell peppers topped with tuna & mango shiso sauce and the "Tropical Paradise" - salmon, strawberry, avocado, tobiko and cucumber wrapped with tuna & mango, served with blueberry sauce. These are delightful options that appeal more to diners who have a sweet tooth and are willing to take a giant leap away from traditional sushi rolls.
I did a few other options on their menu. They also serve traditional Japanese dishes such as their "Agedashi tofu," and their "Panfried chilean sea bass in a tomato glaze" which were authentic and very delicately flavored. They also serve a range of desserts, but to be honest I would advise against leaving room for them if ever the occasion did occur.
Umi's has an extremely dynamic and eclectic ambiance with people from various walks of life, different age groups and different parts of the world choosing to dine there. It has a chic, zen-like setting that serves as a great place to go with either a small or large group and have great conversation, food and drinks. They do offer a happy hour menu which features most of their best rolls at a discounted rate and therefore, is a great deal if you plan to go there as often as I did and still want to pay rent. Umi's isn't cheap but I strongly believe that it is worth every penny for the experience you get there.
To conclude, if anyone you know is heading to Seattle, this is definitely a place they want to visit. In fact, I would urge people to put Seattle on their list of places to visit just so they can experience Umi's, an experience I daresay, nobody else can offer!
Meal for two - $40
yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmyyyy now im hungry
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