Umai Ramen Sumibiyaki — Restaurant in Kowloon

Foodie Hunt in Lai Chi Kok: Savoring Japan’s Authentic Local Izakaya Flavors

No need to board a plane tonight— you can travel around Japan right here, tasting unique local dishes from all over the country!

In this cozy izakaya full of small fishing port vibes and rustic charm, start off with some fun and refreshing specialty drinks:

🥒 Kappa Sour Legend has it that the Kappa (a water spirit) loves cucumbers, so this drink features cucumber as the star. It’s lightly alcoholic, fresh, slightly sweet... super refreshing and perfect for cooling down!

🎏 Goldfish Sour Garnished with shiso leaves and chili peppers—shiso looks like aquatic plants, and the chili resembles little goldfish swimming around. Drinking it feels like being in an aquarium—fun and creative!

🍋 Tower Lemon Sour A towering lemon, sour and sweet with an icy chill and strong lemon flavor. A must-try for summer and perfect for photo taking!

🍍 Pineapple Sour Tropical flavor with sweet pineapple aroma, icy and thirst-quenching!

Now, let’s dive into a delicious tour of Japan’s local specialties:

🐔 [Chiba] Deep-fried Chicken with Peanut Miso The fried chicken is golden and crispy outside, tender and juicy inside. The peanut miso sauce is fragrant and sweet, a perfect match with the chicken!

🥔 [Hokkaido] 2-Year Winter-Aged Baked Potato The potato is aged under snow for two years, baked until slightly crispy on the outside and soft and sweet inside. Hokkaido’s unique aging method greatly enhances the sweetness— Such a delightful surprise!

🐻 [Tokyo] Salmon Roe / Sea Urchin Monaka Adorably bear-shaped monaka wafers, perfect for photos! The salmon roe bursts with salty freshness, and the sea urchin is rich and creamy. The crispy monaka adds texture and layers of flavor.

🐂 [Hiroshima] Beef Intestine Tempura I’ve tried many beef offal dishes, but this beef intestine tempura was a first and a real surprise!

🐖 [Fukuoka] Grilled Pork Knuckles Topped with unique crispy “ice flower” bits, it’s crunchy without being greasy. Grilled over binchotan charcoal, it’s totally different from Okinawa’s stewed version—a real specialty!

🐠 [Oita] Ryukyu Marinated Sashimi Colorful salmon, tuna, and avocado sashimi. The fish is fresh and sweet; the avocado is creamy and smooth. The special Ryukyu marinade has a sesame aroma and perfectly blends all the flavors. A local Oita summer delicacy that’s incredibly appetizing!

🧀 [Fukuoka] Mentaiko & Cheese Pork Roll Tempura Mentaiko is a signature food of Fukuoka. This tempura is golden and crispy outside, with stretchy cheese and bursting mentaiko inside. The pork is tasty, the cheese rich, and the mentaiko salty and mildly spicy—full of texture and absolutely delicious!

🐙 [Niigata] Niigata Black Yakisoba The noodles soak up the rich squid ink flavor, with a seafood sweetness and bits of squid adding texture. This creative dish was developed to promote tourism in Itoigawa City, using locally caught squid ink. Very distinctive!

🍱[Nagoya] Nagoya Chazuke with Kabayaki Eel (Grilled Eel Rice Three Ways) Hitsumabushi is so fun to eat: 1️⃣ Original grilled eel rice—the eel is crispy outside, tender inside, with a sweet but not greasy sauce, paired with soft rice. Delicious! 2️⃣ Add seaweed and wasabi for more complex flavor. 3️⃣ Pour special broth over it to make ochazuke (tea rice), a whole new taste experience!

“Umai” faithfully presents Japan’s local dishes and B-class gourmet food, each dish carrying its own unique story and culture—you can really taste their passion and creativity! Next time, I must try their sushi bar and...

The Appetite of Autumn [Sanma @umai.hk] Sanma 秋刀魚 - like it’s namesake, the sanma fish is the most prominent seafood representing Autumn, and it is also considered as the “King of Fish” in this season. How to satisfy your Sanma craving in this season? Now you can experience the great flavours that will make your fall season extra delicious in Umai. Furthermore, how about a glass of wine paired with these delicacies? Plum wine is always great with fuller-flavoured fish or savoury dishes. Umai’s homemade plum wine is brewed in the traditional way with high quality Wakayama Plum and Japanese Shochu. Kanbai!

Sanma Tasting Menu (HK$1088/2-person) ⏺ Umai Signature Crab Roe with Japanese Miso Dipping Serve with Fresh Vegetable sticks

⏺ Fresh Sanma Sashimi Super fresh raw sanma sashimi with wasabi, soy sauce, grated ginger and spring onions.

⏺ Raw Grilled Saga Yobuko Squid with Korean Seaweed Grill it yourself - place the squids on the tabletop charcoal stove until tender, it can’t be beaten when served with Korean seaweed.

⏺ Grilled Kyoto Purple Crystal Kamonasu Eggplant The eggplant was grilled with bits of crispy charred edges, with the combination of miso and sesame, it really takes this simple dish to another level.

⏺ Grilled Seasonal Jet Fresh Sanma A classic Japanese fall dish - Grilled Sanma. It was grilled until the skin crisped up and golden, the smoked flavour added a layer of flavour to the dish.

⏺ Deep-Fried Chef Selection Hypomesus Deep-fried hypomesus fish with potato strings, perfect accompaniment to any alcoholic drinks.

⏺ Grilled Wagyu with Hackberry Leaf The Wagyu slices placed on the hackberry leaf with fresh veggies over fire, the resulting dish is sensational and delicious.

⏺ Sushi Grade Sanma Kamameshi Used the sushi grade sanma cooked with Japanese rice in an iron pot, all the natural flavours were infused with rice.

⏺Plum Wine (HK$48) A delightful tasting plum wine with its faint fragrant, sweet flavours and a touch of acidity. Savour it on the rocks to get the full aroma of sweet and tangy plum.

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🏠 Umai 📍 Shop 2, G/F, D2 Place One, 9 Cheung Yee...

i was here to have lunch in a group of 4. we actually were looking for some decent japanese food. when we looked at the menu, there was only the choice of lunch set. we then asked if we could order more as a-la-cart but it wasn't an option, only some daily selected dishes were available on another paper card. we were pretty disappointed. each of us picked a sashimi bowl. we wanted to order those selected ones, but the staff came back again and said most weren't available. finally only the deep fried eel and sirako were able to order. then when the dishes came, the staff was so laid back they just put the tray at the end of the table and asked us to pass it on by ourselves. overall it wasn't the service that we're...