Umi Premium Sushi & Seafood Buffet — Restaurant in New York

My mom and I went to the Nostrand Umi buffet last year and were somewhat disappointed; this year, mom asked me to take her to the Asian restaurant again, and we really liked dining there much better this time.

Atmosphere: The music was soft and slow, lights not too bright, comfy booth chairs and table to sit at.

Service: At some point, it was hot at our table, so I asked the administrator lady we needed some cooling and the lady asked a waiter to turn on a floor fan, which helped breathe more easily.

Restroom: Clean and easy to access, though there was a lack of soap in the men's restroom.

Lobster: Cost an extra $6 since it wasn't offered as part of the buffet menu. It wasn't so great even with the melted butter and soy sauce I added, because it was grilled, so it was somewhat on the dry side. Mom said we should have tried other dishes instead.

We only ate dishes from the buffet, but didn't try the hot pot option, though there were plenty of raw ingredients for hot pot cooking.

Flounder and carp: Steamed large flounder: tender and delicious, melted in the mouth. Carp fish was rather hard to chew and didn't taste that great at all. We would like to suggest that the carp fish be cooked by cutting it in slices first, then pan frying it. This way, it should taste much better.

I really liked the fatty pork belly cubes, which tasted much much better than the bbq ribs, which I found rather dry. If possible, I'd love to try smoked pork ribs instead of bbq ones, because I know smoked ribs can taste really good.

Hot and sour soup: My mom loves it but she said it's too spicy and it can cause stomach issues, so she would like if it could be less spicy than that. Plus, she would like to have clam chowder in the buffet, too, which is available at other buffets, but not at Umi yet.

Abalone: The abalone in garlic mini-soup was super delicious and we had 2 servings of it. We didn't get to try the Buddha soup, though, but maybe next time we will.

Raw fish: We tried tuna and other raw fish sashimi as well as the roe servings. Mom said she liked the black roe. It was all really good and none of it caused any gastrointestinal issues afterwards whatsoever. We'd also love to see salmon caviar among the available dishes.

Frog legs: Salted and fried just the right amount.

Large shrimp on a stick: Mom really liked it and she looks forward to eating it again later this year.

Impressed with the variety and deliciousness of the many dishes we tried. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough stomach room to try more.

I, particularly, liked the juicy, marinated mussels and baby octopus. I didn't get to taste the crayfish that could make me drunk.

Lots of different fruits included freshly cut watermelons and sliced pineapples.

Pineapple rice: Nothing fascinating about it. I like the classic Chinese pork fried rice with bean sprouts, carrots, and onions.

Soda: Fountain machine soda is better than canned beverages because we can mix a little of different drinks like cola, ginger ale, lemonade, and orange into one.

Desserts: Overly Large chunks of softcakes, but taste well. We would love it if the softcakes came in small, conveniently sized servings.

Ice cream: Unfortunately, the ice cream still comes pre-packaged only and tastes less than ok just like last year. We would love it if Umi had an ice cream machine with freshly made, real milk, soy-free ice cream poured into waffle cones just like at the buffet on Emmons Ave.

Price: The deliciousness, freshness, quality, and variety of the dishes justifies the invoice.

Overall impression: Much much better than our previous, first-time dining experience. That's why we're planning on visiting the Nostrand Umi again next month and hope that it will be improved even more, so we can leave a perfect...

One of the most disgusting experiences I've had at a restaurant. I came to dine with my family. The first thing I did was use the bathroom. It was genuinely horrifying. There were two faucets for washing your hands. One was completely broken, and the handle was missing. It could not be turned on. The other was broken, and the handle was stuck. It was permanently on, and the setting could not be adjusted. It was just leaking water in an uncontrolled manner, splashing everywhere. And to top it all off, the soap dispenser was broken. Not only did it not dispense soap, but it was hanging loosely from the wall and about to fall off.

After leaving the bathroom, I intended to leave with my family to find a better restaurant with any hygiene standards at all. But to my dismay, they had already grabbed plates of food. It would have been rude to make a scene to leave the restaurant after we already grabbed food.

If these were the stages of grief, I was now at the bargaining phase. I thought, the food can't be all terrible. After all, I saw a decent amount of customers at the restaurant. I accepted the inevitability of food poisoning eating here. But I shall eat my fill and accept this experience for what it is.

But I could not. The food was unbearable. The sushi was warm when it should be cold. You could taste the staleness of the salmon. And pasted above the salmon section was a disclaimer from the restaurant, a warning that their fish may cause illness and poisoning. How reassuring. The hibachi also used stale ingredients.

And the dining experience, aside from the food, was awful. The utensils provided were dirty and stained, as if not properly washed. It was 93 degrees outside, a very warm day, and the restaurant couldn't be bothered to turn up the air conditioning. Everyone inside was sweating. And that heat definitely can't be good for the sushi and raw seafood they're serving.

Perhaps, the crabs, crayfish, and clams are the redeeming features of this restaurant, because I saw many customers loading their plates with them. I cannot comment on those items because I did not try them.

I may be more sensitive than most when it comes to hygiene. But if you are at all concerned with hygiene, whether you're worried about COVID or not, you should avoid this place. It is not just unsanitary....

I miss when this was the Flame buffet because the Flame was much cheaper. However, Umi is really good. My #1 criteria for a buffet is that it doesn't make me feel sick afterwards. This place is good. The sushi is real sushi and it tastes good. The seafood selection is good. I ate a lot of raw oysters and felt fine after. There's good choices of pork belly, tomahawk steak and other meats. There's also typical Chinese American food for people looking for that. There's also more traditional Chinese food. They have a fridge full of boba tea, as well as serving soda at the table. I will say that the boba is more like milk tea with tiny boba pieces, not the big pieces I'm accustomed to, but it's good. My family was like "where's the balls," but they're there. I did not try the hot pot because I was confused as to where to get it. Found out you have to ask the wait staff for the broth and they bring a burner to the table. There's such a huge selection of food though that I didn't get to try everything I wanted to try. Half of the desserts are good. The other half is not good. The purple mochi was tasteless. There was a little pink cake dessert that might as well have been Pepto bismol. The puddings are good. The matcha tiramisu is good. However, my poop was forest green a few days later from whatever dye they put in that cake and I was freaking out. 😂 It's not really matcha but it tastes like matcha. It's a cake with dye in it. Anyway, you know they're going to cut corners somehow. My mother complained that some of the meat seemed undercooked. I mean it was cooked enough to be safe but certain meats need to be cooked to the right texture. Nobody wants to eat hard oxtail stew. I am somewhat disappointed that staff did not alert me to the senior discount they had on the wall. I paid for my entire family, which had 2 seniors. They don't offer birthday discounts so that's the least they could've done. Which reminds me. They play a music track on loop, so that means every 20 minutes or so you're going to hear a bilingual Happy Birthday song. It's cute at first but eventually feels...