UMI SUSHI — Restaurant in Ocean Shores

We have dined at this restaurant since it was first opened and used to adore it. That has all changed. Things have degraded to the point of our entire family never wanting to go back ever. The new owners AND Staff have no more business running this restaurant than they do of performing open heart surgery. Nothing is fresh or made with care as it once was when it was under the care or a serious award winning chef. Gone are the delicate flavors, home made sauces and food art of the highest calibre. Gone are the oohs and awes and mmmms heard throughout the dining area. All that is left is untrained rude staff behavior and disappointment on a plate. The lack of care and knowledge of basic food skills starts with the head chef and infect all that interact with them.

Now they cut serious corners to the point that they serve frozen breaded Calamari which they over cook in a deep fryer with rancid/burnt tasting oil, then have the gall to call it Tempura. Tempura is a delicate batter not a heavy crunchy breading ala Burger King. When this was mentioned to our server they replied without hesitation it is indeed Tempura and you have to pay for it anyway. The end result was a hard chewy rubber band like mystery meat with a flavor that can't be differentiated from their equally terrible crispy hockey puck they have the nerve to list as Pork Katsu. I could not even stomach one bite, it had to be spat out.

If any of this has not given you a hint of what is to be expected, then by all means give it a go and draw your own conclusions. Who knows after building from scratch and operating for over a decade a highly successful restaurant with National critical acclaim, I could be wrong.. You deserve better...

EDIT TO OWNER RESPONSE: Don't be mislead by the owners response. I did pay for everything we ate, $30 on a $38 ticket and that was $30 more than it was worth. I asked that the charge be removed for the Calamari, but the owner refused and shouted obscenities. FYI We were only 1 of 3 separate groups of diners that had similar problems during our visit. The fact that they are responding to this review the way they have speaks volumes as to their attitude towards their customers and concern about what they are serving. I owned a restaurant for over 20 years so I understand that we are all human and mistakes can happen but when the problem was brought to their attention they only responded with hostility, greed and denial. Have a good look at the percentage of bad review that they have starting from about Mid summer 2021. One diner actually caught the Chef picking their nose and wiping it in the (sanitary towel) while in the process of make a Sushi roll. Evidently they think we are all wrong. Draw your own conclusions.

ADDENDUM 10/26/2021: If I got bad food from a grocer, I would absolutely ask for a refund and would get it it without question. A responsible business owner would never want their business to be associated with a bad product nor accept money such. Anyone reading your response can clearly see that you accept no responsibility for your bad products nor behavior of your employees. All you offer is poor excuses What you fail to mention is that we did not eat what we ordered, because after tasting it we deem it not worthy of eating. We got it boxed and brought it home for our dog, whom BTW refused to eat it also.

If you are trying so hard and stand by your chef then answer this, Why do you describe and sell Tempura when you clearly do not understand what Tempura is? Tempura is a light and delicate batter that must be made fresh and cooked with care and understanding of what it is you are trying to create. What you sell comes pre made, frozen and is clearly coated in heavy breading. So you start from a place of deception and when it is brought to your attention you argue with your customer and demand payment anyway. It is not a matter of if it is to my taste. When it is over cooked in old rancid oil it is to no ones taste. I have said enough on this now. All that come to your establishment will soon find...

OK so I would rather not do a pros & cons list bcus there are honestly very few PROS. The staff was delightful & friendly, over the phone & upon arrival. I didn't dine in; was just a pick-up. The store appeared clean, organized & staffed. The outside & decor could use an update & lil spruce-ing up. Although, I'm not quite sure that would've had an impact on my review. (Waa-Waa) The food was not fresh, eventhough, it's located right by the Ocean...ooo-wee. The food was lack-luster. It appeared, as if they weren't wanting to exert much (if any at all) effort into some of the meal prep & ingredients. How do I know, u ask? Well for one' Im no expert but, Ive definity eaten my fair share of Sushi 🍣 as well as, dined at some the top Sushi spots in my neck of the woods. With that being said, I can say w/the utmost extreme confidence "I know the difference between Bad, Fair, Good, Great & I'm so lucky to B able to try this Sushi, Sushi". That Eel did not seem fresh. Slightly gummy/chewy and lacked proper consistency, texture & cut. The Eel Sauce was undesirable. Leaving it without would have been btr off. I also ordered a Spicy Tuna Roll. Keep in mind I'm very excited to try this Sushi, esp since i was in Ocean Shores & near our Pacific Ocean. Well, the Tuna Roll was not stuffed w/melt in your mouth Tuna, it was possibly mixed w/some seasoning & Wasabi. I say mixed because it was straight Tuna fish. I don't know if that's normal around here. Are the locals calling this Sushi & thinking this is typical Sushi? Well in my city this is for from. Our spicy Tuna is made w/actual Tuna. Nicely filleted off a Tuna fish. We actually thru it all away. We had a piece each, didn't like it and tossed it. Highly disappointed because I spent $60 for these rolls, plus they forgot my miso soup. They charged me for it just didn't put it in my order. I had a very bad experience. But hey naybe your might be btr. But based on mjbe I don't...

The menus were a nice variety of americanized sushi. The loud Korean music videos on the TV further communicated that this was not a Japanese restaurant. So it was probably my mistake ordering a "maguro maki", even though I immediately said afterwards that it was a tuna roll. What they brought out was tuna nigiri instead. The menu next to the tuna roll had the word maguro in parenthesis, so I don't think I was wrong to use the word (though usually we call it tekka maki). When I immediately pointed it out to the waiter his first reaction was to argue with me that what he brought was maguro maki. When I explained that it was nigiri, not maki, he did take it back and later brought the tuna roll I ordered.

That wasn't the only mistake, my aunt had ordered a tempura crab roll and what she received wasn't tempura fried. But the bill showed she was charged for the tempura roll. So neither the cook nor the waiter caught these mistakes.

The food isn't bad. It's not bad. Really, the food isn't bad. What more can I say about it though? If you compare it to the good sushi restaurants you'll find it lacking, but why compare with greatness? Don't expect the pieces of sushi to fall apart in your mouth and to be immediately hit by the flavors within. This will require some chewing and with it a loss of subtlety. It's not bad though.

The table only had one soy sauce dish for the six of us. We were brought a stack of plates; the table was not set.

And they included a 15% service fee on the bill, but didn't hesitate to present a receipt with a line for a tip in addition. Feels tacky, but no more so than the...