Umami Noodle Bar — Restaurant in Pooler

There is no other noodle bar in town, Pooler or Savanah, I prefer to visit! The quint environment and the various flavors of the Asian culture are next to none. My husband and I first happened upon Umami on our way to Tangers Outlet and figured we give it a shot. He had the Pho and I decided on the Japanese Ramen. We opt for the edamame dumplings as an appetizer. Each dish was packed full of spices nostalgic to its origin; there was no mistaking which dish relative to the culture. When I brought my son, which may have been my third or fourth visit, he had the Japanese Ramen with Matcha Boba Tea, and I chose the Malaysian Curry. My son was literally in heaven, and I was, again, ecstatic with my choice. Though I'm never disappointed, the Malaysian Curry is by far my favorite. As we were enjoying our lunch, sweet little Ms. Rainy, the Owner-operator, came to introduce herself to us. She was so kind and hospitable. From her attire, I could see she wasn't just paying the bills, she was cooking in the back with her staff, she jumped right in to refill drinks, had no issue with bussing tables, you could feel the love of the staff and even from regulars who frequently dropped in Nondoubt she had a following. So, we struck up a conversation about the restaurant business, as she owned a spot on MLK, and my husband is the executive chef of a high-end spot located in the Marshall House. It did not surprise me that I, too, loved her old place, Wasbi's, and she was very familiar with 45 Bistro. It truly is a small world when you've been a part of the scene, but it's not shocking how drawn we get through one person's style of cooking. Umami Noodle Bar is definitely the place when looking for a wholesome, Asian meal with a unique flare. You will leave with a full tummy and very satisfied! Ms. Rainy definitely...

This was my first time coming to this restaurant & I was not accustomed to how to order (you must grab the paper menu at the front counter yourself & tell them your order there; its not a sit down restaurant where they being a menu to you).

Positives: The kimchi fried rice was pretty good. I got it with the shrimp. The wonton soup was mediocre; the broth is alright. The menu was very diverse expanding into many different asian cuisines.

Complaints: THE EXPERIENCE // There were two ladies at the front; the girl taking our order was very sweet. But the other girl was just sitting there at the front on her phone and I think she accidentally pulled something which cut of the power for the register (no receipt for me). That girl seemed unfriendly and talked to her manager and/or boss in a disrespectful tone.

We ordered to dine in but they just gave us our order in a to-go bag. And the woman who gave it to us didn’t even spare us a glance.

They didn’t give us a spoon for the wonton soup in the bag.

OVERALL: My personal experience with their service was very negative. The food wasn’t mind blowing; the kimchi fried rice was good, but the wonton soup was just alright.

About the Price: Two entrées & 1 drink is around 35 dollars (no appetizer).

I really wanted to like it, but it just wasn’t the experience I was looking for. I’m probably not returning any time soon...

Eat at this place twice a month. And it has just gotten worse every time we come back. I this is the third time we got horrible experience first time we thought give them more chance when they forget the broth to my noodles. then second time they forgot to add the sauce to the gyoza and the fried rice was bland . third time as you see we specifically pit the note so they dont forget again. every gyoza always comes with the dipping sauce somehow they always mess that up so we put a note. gyoza soy sauce. not still forgot even though its showing in their receipt. then to top it off the fried rice is horrible there are a bunch of white rice sticking together and not mixed well and its sooooo bland no taste whatsoever it was like eating regular white rice with under seasoned chicken and they didnt give enough pork borth to the ramen which is very inconsistent every time we order it. we didnt even order during busy time.

its a shame it used to be my favourite spot. now Im not coming...