Umami Curry & Ramen — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Came here with a party of 7 plus a baby as I did not know how small it was. They accomdated us and didn't bat an eye and making sure we were all comfortable and they could access where they needed to serve tables behind us. (I had a reservation and they were expecting us however there was a mix up on how many people) I brought my parents here who don't ever eat this kind of food. They asked a lot of questions and were in my opinion annoying. The staff must be used to this as again no irritation and were helpful and able to accommodate requests. Edamame was great. I cannot stand bland edamame with no seasoning. This is seasoned, not spicy but there is flavor. Katsu chicken curry. Chicken cooked perfectly not soggy and a nice crispy texture. Curry could've been spicier. Curry ramen. Comes with 3 pieces of the beef brisket. (I ordered extra and added 2 more slices to mine) Had to add in quite a bit of chili sauce to get the spice up to my level of preference but with some doctoring it was perfect. (Probably about 6 scoops) Amazing ramen and the beef was so tender you could pull apart with the spoon. Zero complaints everything was cooked perfectly. Coffee fluffy pancake. I've never had fluffy pancakes before so I wasn't sure what I was expecting. But these are fluffy and thick. I was thinking they would be more batter-y or softer. Good but wouldn't order again. Little bland on the flavor. For the amount of food everything is priced very reasonably. Total spent on 7 people was $200. Wait time was not bad either. I will mention they were out of several things and they only do the build your own bowl on weekdays which was a bummer. Definitely recommend and that you overlook the abandoned shopping plaza this place lives in and go check it out. Just understand that there are only about 10...

Passed by this place a bunch of times and finally got around to trying it out. We ordered a delicious peach sake that was refreshing and relatively low alcohol. My wife and I weren't too hungry so we opted for a few appetizers and to split a bowl of Curry. The first to arrive were the blistered shishito peppers which I've had before and make at home but not like this. The peppers had a sweet and savory seasoning, maybe a house togarashi, that made this simple dish very interesting and delicious along with the fine chili threads that added color and a touch of flavor. The tempura shrimp were the next to arrive, piping hot! The shrimp were sweet and juicy inside the crunchy coating and were excellent. Finally the takoyaki arrived emanating the unmistakable odor of bonito flakes. The takoyaki were molten inside and had to cool a few minutes before we were able to eat them. Once the wait was over I was delighted by the large pieces of octopus inside that were not overly chewy and a well seasoned batter. Probably the best takoyaki I've had outside of Japan, definitely the best I've had in JAX. The waitress brought our curry and two plates so we could share it. The first thing I noticed was the fragrance of the curry, it was quite floral (we had the Umami Curry) and different from other Japanese curry I've had. The beef was tender and had a nice crust but I wished the pieces had been a bit smaller only because I couldn't cut it in half without losing the crust. The curry had a nice spiciness but it wasn't hot to the point that it made me sweat...just the right amount of heat. It was velvety and blended well with the rice making a nice coating over the grains. I am excited to return to try some of the...

Pictured: Pork belly baos, Hamburg Sando, and beef curry.

The pork belly baos were incredibly delicious. Pork belly was very tender and flavorful, added cucumber and fukujinzuki are the same they add to the main curry dishes. The Hamburg Sando is surprisingly flavorful. The meat (basic hamburger) is smothered in a BBQ type sauce. The bread they use is very soft, almost like Hawaiian rolls but I'm unsure if that's what it is. The sandos are also pretty small with no side. The beef curry was made with very tender brisket. Very delicious a lot like the pork belly when compared by tenderness. I liked the sides in this curry better than the others, the potatoes mixed in was a treat and the broccoli is blackened. I was so impressed by the broccoli I ordered 3 more orders of just that (two pieces for 1.25). The portion sizes are more Japanese than American, in other words, you might consider ordering more than one thing on the menu. I would have been ok with just the curry, but I really needed that bao to feel satisfied. My husband needed a bao and a Sando with his curry. We left feeling satisfied, not stuffed, which is what we usually plan on anyway. It's nice to have a place like that, in my opinion, because I get to try...