Ume Burger Darling Square — Restaurant in Sydney

There are only three words you need to know about this place: go, go, and GO! We went for lunch last Saturday and we're heading back there for dinner tomorrow night. This is one of those places I want to "do to death", as I did with Bodega when it first opened (I often went twice, and sometimes, three times a week!), and I have already assembled a list of friends who I want to introduce to the place - not all at once, but spread-out, so I have an excellent reason to return time and again. Anyway, enough of my Black Ops dining tactics, and onto the review. The dining room is a cosy affair with a graf-art mural of a big, full-bloom cherry blossom branch dominating a long wall, with two-thirds of the opposing wall owned by the bar/counter, stocked with all manner of sake and shochu (there is a better than decent list of each, with region, composition, and tasting notes). A few Japanese beers also make it on the list, and it was refreshing to find that they were the real deal, imported from Japan, and not the second-rate locally-brewed stuff. We started with a warm, salt flake-topped bowl of edamame, whose pods complied by releasing firm, fresh beans - a nice contrast to some of the frozen, over-cooked-till-soft numbers found elsewhere. We found a perfect accompaniment in a nice, cold (imported can of) Kirin. The edamame bought us some time to contemplate the rest of the menu, which consisted of a selection of the traditional sashimi and sushi, and the more modern take of stand-alone dishes. Being four in number, and with the rest of my party deferring to me to order (woot - free-reign!), I...err..."we" decided on the following: - Sashimi: kingfish (rolled, with a little nori centre), salmon, and tuna, accompanied by wasabi, white pickled ginger, and daikon radish. All were fantastically tender, melt-in-mouth affairs - Seared Kingfish carpaccio (resting in a light citrus dressing, topped with a dab of red miso, with a restrained scattering of garlic chives (I think!), and crowned with a violet flower and leaves (of unknown origin!) - Tuna carpaccio, served ina garlic oil and citrus dressing, topped with a restrained sprinkle of garlic chives (I think), and sesame seed. Divine! - Seared Scallop carpaccio, in a light citrus brown butter, with finger limes, little curls of nori, and picked wood sorrel leaves. This was outstanding - beautifully tender scallop balanced perfectly with the citrus brown butter, and gracefully arranged in the shape of a flower - Pork Belly dumplings, garnished with puffed wheat and shiso leaves (perhaps). These were a special - so special in fact, that we ordered another round! - Grilled Giant Octopus, cooked sous vide in its own seawater to oh-so-tender perfection, charred for some colour and caramelised flavours, and arranged with simmered daikon, cucumber and sansho pepper - Barramundi with shiro dashi butter, baby kabu, crisp wakame sea flora, and a soy & yuzu dressing. Perfectly balanced flavours and textures, and beautifully poached fish - Roast duck with a yuzu and miso sauce, accompanied by roasted, slightly smoked chestnuts, a chiff of leek, and nasturtium leaves. The duck was perfectly cooked - with the tell-tale pink blush, harmoniously balanced with the citrusyness (is that a word?) of the yuzu juice and miso bringing the duck and yuzu together Instead of ordering wine, we asked the sommelier if he would match each of the dishes with an appropriate sake, and we weren't disappointed. Each was brought to the table and its character, origin, and manufacture described. Portion sizes allowed each of us a taste of every dish, and with that, we were delightfully content, and so did not order dessert. We did, however, have a couple of glasses of wheat-based shochu (toasty grain flavours with the faintest hint of toasted coconut), which ended our Saturday lunch perfectly. The floor staff are friendly, knowledgeable, attentive, and unobtrusive, and I can't wait to get back there...

Went there last week on a busy night with a close friend for dinner.

Ume's atmosphere is something in between casual and fine dining (a setting that makes you feel really comfortable - so does the very attentive and benign staff), accompanied by some nice modern Japanese Jazz.

The food is above expectations throughout. From the first dish (Salmon belly sashimi, simply melt-in-your-mouth), our palates were sent on a beautifully balanced and perfectly paced roller coaster ride.

Whether it be the Raw Deep Sea Prawns, served with prawn oil, walnuts, okahijiki (a very tasty beach herb), lemon, and Sashikomi soy, making up a perfect combination for the taste buds; the Riverina lamb shoulder and the Wagyu beef (served with a house-made Yuzu Kosho); or the poached strawberries for desert - it's hard to name standout dishes.

All in all, a perfect night with beatifully created food in a nice atmosphere - pity it went by so quickly! Full and very pleased we left the place, certain to be back in the...

We finally tried this popular burger joint for weekend lunch recently after trying to visit its Barangaroo branch few times on weekend but they're always closed. We ordered its name-sake Ume wagyu burger and uniquely Japanese style tonkatsu burger. Both were lovely especially if you like burger, Japanese wagyu beef patty, and tonkatsu or fried pork cutlet. However, I personally prefer the beef burger since the wagyu patty was so juicy and the melted cheese was perfect.

The place is small and part of food court style area, albeit expensive one. Prices on the menu are quite high compared to other burger joints, but reasonable compared to prices in other places in the touristy area. Customer services from staff members are reasonable for a burger joint. You can pay with credit cards with no additional surcharge - a big...