Sushibar Umami — Restaurant in Tampere sub-region

Master has left the building.

This is the first time i visited Umami since the former chef/owner left last month to pursue other dreams. Knowing transitions are never easy, I allowed some weeks to settle in for the new operator.

First dissapointment came on payment. Lunchcards do not work anymore, so bye bye on saving taxes while eating.

I got my order very quickly, maybe 1/3 of the average waiting time. but since another customer who was there before me, got his lunch same time as me, i started to suspect if some of the dishes were prepared and stored before my arrival. Formerly I could always expect that the dishes are prepared after order is made, which is understandably time consuming.

First taste on salmon nigiri revealed that the rise was noticeably dry, hard and untasty compared to the former chef's creations. The fish tasted good as usual, but some of the new additions with egg and sesame tasted quite odd. In general everything but the sweet tamago/creme brulee was hindered by sub par quality rise.

Also the composition of the sushi's looked like pretty rushed compared to the fine artistry on previous visits. so there goes the aestethics as well.

Regrettably the Umami I knew for years is gone for now. The quality/price ratio cannot be justified anymore, unless major...

The best sushi place in Tampere. Mr Zhang takes his rice business very seriously and it shows! The rice is freshly made, warm, non sticky and seasoned with a bit of a twist. You can feel the separate grains just melt in your mouth. The toppings are great too - fresh, tasty and well balanced, but I keep going back for the rice.

The place is very small and the number of people the place can serve per day is restricted by the amount of rice they make. The sushi sets come in three sizes: small (12e) medium (15e) and large (18e). If you take the large or medium set you will get a few bites of the most delicious sweet omelette on your plate. The sets will contain what ever is good that day; usually salmon, grilled salmon, and avocado nigiri. More variation...

I stumbled my way through kauppatori not having any idea what I wanted for lunch. Something about the atmosphere and intimate setting drew me in. But my god, hands down best sushi I’ve had in Finland and possibly ever. Each piece might not look perfect but I can see each individual piece of sushi was made with love. Every bite was fantastic. I can’t wait to...