Umi Sushi and Oyster Bar — Restaurant in California

Talk about a disappointing Birthday/Anniversary celebration - -

Three weeks in advance I called Pechanga Resort and Casino to made dinner reservations at UMI SUSHI & OYSTER BAR for a specific date in September. I was asked if my reservation was for a specific purpose or a celebration. I told them it was for my wife's birthday and our anniversary, both taking place the week of the reservation.

We arrived at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula September 30, 2020. We proceeded to the UMI Sushi Bar hostess and were welcomed and taken to a table which was a small 2 seat table in the middle of the isle by the kitchen and service station where all the restaurant staff had to walk by to kitchen and register/service area.

I explained to the hostess that we were celebrating a romantic evening and even with COVID 19 this was not a safe distancing table, also it was the busiest traffic area of the restaurant. The Hostess called over the Manager, a Mr. Deejay Tabong. Mr, Tabong asked what our problem was (in a very surly manner) I explained how we felt about the seating especially since we had made reservations far in advance for a very special occasion in spite of the COVID 19 concerns. Mr. Tabong began to argue with me about our concerns. After listening to my response, Mr. Tabong suggested we look for a table at a different restaurant. I protested that it was too late to look for another restaurant but Mr. Tabong insisted that the table we were standing at was the only one available and there was nothing more to discuss. As we walking away the Hostess quietly suggested we might want to sit at the Oyster Bar which was empty. Rather than disappoint my wife because of the inconsiderate manager Mr.Tabong, we took seats at the Oyster Bar and ordered drinks and Sushi.

We were surprised at the large crowd in the UMI Restaurant given all the news about social distancing. After sitting at the Oyster Bar for about 30 minutes the Hostess came over and quietly suggested we consider a table that was not in a crowded area.

We placed our order for the Seafood Steam Pot which unfortunately tasted like warm dishwater and old stale fish. We had another drink and got ready to leave.

It really upset me when I heard the staff singing Happy Birthday at two other tables. I called the waitperson over and said I had made specific reservations for my wife's birthday and why wasn't anyone singing happy birthday to her. She said the Manager Mr. Tabong said not to bother.

The waitperson brought a dessert to the table and said happy birthday.

We paid the bill and left the...

I attended a concert in The Summit and made a reservation for dinner at 8:45pm. Lucky for me I did because the hostess was turning away prospective diners stating that the earliest opening would be 10:30pm.

I was led by the hostess to a nice booth for two (thank you!) even though I was dining alone. I ordered a Hendricks and tonic and the sashimi platter and the sushi platter.

My server was apologetic about the wait for my food ... no problem, I was in no hurry. The sashimi platter came first; the only item I didn't care for were the two pieces of seared fish. I prefer my sashimi sans any preparation.

There was a long wait for the sushi platter but it gave me an opportunity to people watch. The sushi could have been arranged more artfully because there was a large empty space on one side of the rectangular platter. I managed to finish all but three pieces of the crab roll. I thought the rice was a little mushy; I was in Japan for 3 weeks and came to appreciate the firmness of the rice there.

Did I expect world-class Japanese food in Temecula? No, but it was fresh and, with a few exceptions, tasted good. I thought the price was reasonable ($126.36 + $28 tip) and the service was great....

I was at Pechanga for some conferences, I did not see this restaurant earlier because I was only playing at the casino after hours and I was distracted, until the last day that I was staying there, (after losing and winning at the casino hahaha) I happened to go back and see this medium-sized gem restaurant, it is stunning the cleanliness and the decor is on point. After we waited around 7 minutes to be seated our waiter was polite and knowledgeable on every question about the menu, The pictures I posted are for his recommendation which we kindly followed after some talk with him, From the appetizers to the main dishes everything felt original, You can see in the middle of the restaurant how the prepare your order, the raw tuna was amazingly fresh and tender, like butter melting in your mouth, the same with the wagyu beef, even the experience to cook it was nice, it was our first time doing this, the pork was savory, tender and juicy they were pair with some sweet potatoes fries with honey glaze dip. If I return to Pechanga Resort I definitely would eat more than once there!!! Ohhh! And please try the sake it had a taste like melon it was refreshing but be careful with the alcohol...