Umami Ramen & Izakaya — Restaurant in Montreal

Heard good things about this place previously from a friend so decided to check it out. I don't usually leave bad reviews, but some experiences are just enough of an impact that I would take my time and energy to write an honest one.

Pro: Cozy interiors and that's pretty much it for pros actually

Food: Quite disappointed, most of food left a bitterness in my mouth. I ordered the karagge and tantanmian ramen. Have read reviews about the food being salty, so I mentally prepared myself prior to receiving the food. However, it's not so much about the salt for me but rather how flat the flavours are. Everything tastes quite average, I wouldn't consider this meal bad, but it's not good either. There's no real umami to the dishes, unlike what the store is called. For folks who are trying to spin a twist for Japanese fusion, even if it's vegan, for $18-$20 a bowl, I expected more.

Service: Pretty standard, the staff didn't have the worst attitude but we have to move our own cutlery and water to the table when they switched our seats, including reminding them that we need more water for the table. We also were the last ones in the restaurant to receive our food when everyone who came after us already started eating, there were no explanation provided on why our food took 45 minutes to come to the table. When we asked to check in on our orders, the staff just told us that it's coming soon. In addition, one of my pet peeve is when the staff chooses to stand behind you and stares at the machine while you input a tip. It's a pretty passive aggressive behaviour and frankly, it makes me want to tip less.

(Note: I do not feel entitled to any service, but if you were to expect customers to pay an 18% tip as prompted by the machine as the lowest tiered tip amount, there needs to be some what of thought here when serving customers in the space to make them feel...

Remember to make a reservation!! The restaurant was crowded despite it being a rainy weekday.

We ordered the spicy miso, spicy kimchi and tantanmen ramen, with a miso tsekemen. Alongside, we ordered gyozas, Tonkatsu and okonomitaki. For dessert, we had the vanilla ice cream with donut.

The flavours of the ramen was heady and gratifying. The must-order is the kimchi ramen.

However, a significant issue that we had was that the restaurant seems to be quite heavy-handed on the salt in almost all the dishes that we order, but thankfully the place provides free jugs of water that the Waiters and Waitresses refill frequently. Though miso soups are supposed to salty, they should not be THAT salty!

The tsukemen was fun to eat, having to dip the udon-like noodles into the bowl of concentrated miso broth.

The okonomiyaki was delicious. It had toppings with different textures- bits of tempura flour fritters and ginger. The flavours were bold and explosive.

As for the Tonkatsu (fried ‘pork’ cutlet), it is made of tempeh which I usually avoid eating, but Umami made a good job in transforming this vegan ingredient. The end result was a well-fried cutlet with a crunchy exterior and a warm, creamy interior.

The gyoza was average and either the sauce or the filing had a little bit of a spicy kick to it.

The meal was concluded with the dessert of vanilla ice cream and sugared donut. This dessert was a great close to dinner as the ice cream was aromatic, light and satiates any sugary cravings that I had for the day. Though my friends found the donut a little heavy and dense, I found its combination with the ice cream to be perfectly matched.

Would definitely give it a 5 stars review if the noodle and side dishes are much less saltier, we found ourselves washing down each mouthful with gulps of water and had to dilute the soups and broths with the...

The Aubergine agebitashi was excellent. Tofu agedashi fried part was horribly slimy, which was very disappointing, but the tofu itself, the prune ume and yuzu sauce with green onion were delicious. The shoyu ramen is not what could be considered amazing. It tasted like something one could make at home. It was clean, the broth mild and pretty ( I understand it this as it's vegan), the daikon too strong but still crunchy. It would have been better to be less overpowering in the ramen. The Yuba vegan chicken cut was not bad, though I wish it had more flavor. The vegan egg yolk was a nice touch but entirely for show; taste was only in the skin of the yolk, tomato, no texture as it was forgettable with the rest of the dish. The green onion strips were crunchy and vibrant. I did not drink, but the tender seemed to enjoy making them. A bit charming. The servers did not hover or push, which I believe is always good.

Cleanliness would have been preferred. The table was sticky... and leaving out utensils out where people can carelessly cough or touch was not wise, considering the cooks wore masks to be considerate to the customers. I regret not asking to have my space wiped and utensils replaced. I rather not come off as antagonizing. I admired how clean the kitchen seemed to look. Watching someone prepare food and cook is beautiful. I suggest to keep in mind the cleanliness of where customers are sitting as well.

The lighting is much too low, even in the bathroom. There isn't enough space between customers, though that may be my own discomfort, you could touch elbows with strangers. The place is nice, and the atmosphere relaxing. It was a nice experience.

Recommended dish would be the aubergine agebitashi. I'd recommend the tofu agedashi if the fried part was crispy, but it was not. It will linger in my mind a...