Umami Restaurant and Sushi Bar Indian Harbour Beach — Restaurant in Melbourne

Sister restaurant falls short of the always excellent Umami in Melbourne...we've very much enjoyed eating at the Melbourne restaurant for the last 11 years.

So, beachside: We thought we'd try this for a date night, and were disappointed to find the decor is so sparse and cold...too modern/minimalistic and very bright, almost cafeteria-like. Nothing at all inviting about it.

A/C is cranked up far too high, even for FL where shops are typically kept very cool. Food, tea, hot sake...everything got cold FAST. Not to mention, I was uncomfortable and my wife was shivering throughout the meal which we couldn't even enjoy because of the intensely cold environment.

The sushi was great, as we have been used to in Melbourne. And we love the great selection of interesting offerings of Japanese fish, sea urchin, crabs, etc. Presentation is always on point, as is the freshness and overall quality of each piece or roll. Still on top here.

The ceviche, while a deliciously refreshing and pleasant combination of flavors with a slight jalapeño spiciness, left a lot to be desired in terms of the amount of seafood in it. This was more of a very nice salad with a few pieces of octopus and fish...and, we practically had to fish for them. Ceviche is supposed to be all about fish (and/or any other seafood), but this was sadly not the case here. Very disappointed.

Lastly, the service was friendly, fast, attentive and professional which is always expected at Umami and always appreciated.

Bottom line: as long-time patrons of the original location in Melbourne, we expected so much more from this new location. Maybe stick to the model that has worked so well for so long. Shouldn't be too hard to fix, but it must be. We'll give it one more shot only in about 3 mos to see if it's improved. And, for now, there's still the Melbourne...

First Impressions: This is a wonderful second location for this business. They opened on August 20th, 2024. Upon entering, I was greeted by friendly staff who were quick to assist me with picking up my dinner for take out. The inside for sit down also looked very nice and open. I definitely will be going here to eat as well for lunch and dinner. The menu seems to be the same from the West Melbourne location which is nice.

The Food & Pricing: Everything was excellent and seasoned with love. My wife and I got an order of gyoza’s for our appetizer. For our entrees we got the Yaki Soba Noodles With Chicken and the Bulgogi. The Bulgogi comes with either a Miso Soup (we got) or a Salad. We also got two sushi rolls; the Spicy Salmon Roll and the Cajun Salmon Roll. It was plenty of food and we had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. From my first experience I would conclude that one can expect to spend anywhere between $50-$100 for 2-4 people. They have a website which provides a digital menu that lists all their dish prices. You definitely get what you pay for in quality, flavor and portion size. Below I have listed photos of the dishes we ordered. I highly recommend bringing your family and friends to eat here, you...

The seating is very odd with padded bench seating along the wall with chairs on the opposite side of the table. The bench seating is at least 6 inches higher than the chair seats, which brings that diner way above the table.  So first thing, we moved to one of the regular tables in the middle of the room. We started with a calamari appetizer which was served lightly fried with mixed greens. It was good, but nothing special. Next up was an order of spring rolls. They were served hot, but the few veggies on the inside were soggy, bland and likely cooked from a frozen state. I ordered the BuriBuriGood sushi roll and my wife ordered the Korean barbecue rib appetizer. The sushi roll was pathetic, maybe a little over an inch in diameter, with very, very small strips of fish and very little flavor. The Korean bbq ribs were served with cooked onions and mushrooms, the meat had been pulled off the bone and was tough and not hot.The final bill, with tip, for 1 glass of plum wine, 3 appetizers and 1 sushi roll was $82.50 out the door. This was our first visit to Umami and our last. I’m surprised this restaurant is still in business. Do yourself a favor and skip it and go straight to Thai Thai ll.  You won’t be...