Umami

I haven’t been here in probably over a year — but the few times that I did go there I was impressed. Noon makes some of the most amazing beverages I have ever had… sit at the bar if you get the change and you’re in the mood… she is legitimately magic!
The food was consistently good, if not excellent. I think I suffered a little bit of sticker shock when we got the bill, but it was likely from wanting to try all of the drinks. I would recommend this restaurant to a friend, and I plan to go back!

I went to Umami with some trepidation. After all, Asian Fusion is one culinary genre that usually attracts various hacks who are not only talentless but also rude to boot.
This was a friday night and I made reservations just to be safe. Turned out that there was only one other table that was occupied when we walked in. My fears felt like they just entered the Large Hadron Collider.
Great experiences are born out of such low expectations and this was no exception. The rest of the night was phenomenal. Almost everything we ordered was perfectly prepared and impeccably spiced. The drinks were a highlight: do not miss the Beaconsfield. Gotta love a place that names their best drink after the local railway station.
We ordered a boatload of food and polished everything off like hungry sailors (three different appetizers, a soup and a bunch of entrees). I will go there again to make sure this was not a fluke.

Now I’m a fan of Asian Fusion as much as the next person. But sheesh. Bland, unexciting food with hints of Asian ingredients doesn’t scream Asian Anything to me.
Side note: bask in my awful memory of dish names! Umami’s domain is expired and therefore I can’t access their menu.
Started off with the orangey sauteed mushroom dish (sans quail egg) on the recommendation of our server. Nice texture but not really much to reflect or savor.
Then for the main course had an Eggplant Scampi. Incredibly dull and I’m not sure how this was considered Asian at all. My main selling point for snagging this dish was it was the only veg-​friendly entrée on the menu. No spice, a hint of oil, and the promise of the noodles being an udon but ended up being more of just an italian egg noodle.
This place is the embodiment of the «Meh, I’ve experienced better». Boring, uncreative, and a meal that won’t linger in my mind ever again.

EASILY the best restaurant in Brookline!
Food: Absolutely unbelievable — I’ve been 4 times and every time tried everything at the table. Never been anything less than amazed. Personal favorite — the Frutti Di Mari.
Staff: Friendly, helpful, considerate.
Drinks: Good.
Atmosphere: Great. Especially during the summer — ask for an outdoor table.
5 stars absolutely great!

I’ve always thought Asian fusion was just a fad. I thought it would fizzle out when people realized how overpriced and mediocre most of it tends to be. Umami’s food is surprisingly inexpensive given its setting and I will grant that it’s a notch above the typical mandarin orange, crispy noodle laden crap.
The food isn’t terribly creative, but well done. The Chilean Seabass cooked well, and the sweet potato/​miso combination is solid. The seaweed and mixed greens salad is inexplicably addicting but the Tom Yum soup isn’t all that special.
Most of my love has to go out to the drinks. The drink menu encompasses a wide range of flavors suitable to any alcoholic whim. The Beaconsfield, a crisp and clean cucumber vodka drink and the Noonoroni, a negroni with hibiscus bitters, sit at opposite sides of the flavor spectrum and they are both wonderful. There’s isn’t a single cocktail on the menu that I would not like to try so I will definitely be back.

Bottom Line: Delicious food and deep drinks, Umami has more than a pretty face.
The moment I eased onto one of the few bar chairs at the modest but well endowed bar, I knew this was going to be a classy experience. The atmosphere is exactly that with small tables and a sharp looking staff. That I wasn’t dressed up in a 3 piece suit or sporting designer duds didn’t diminish that feeling that I was going to get personalized yet quirky service from Noon, a trained sommelier.
A quick browse of the menu brought my friend and I Steak Au Poivre and Frutti di Mare after an appetizer of glazed chicken wings. Not knowing it was an Asian fusion establishment, I thought it was distinctly NOT Asian fusion: I could only gather a hint of the chili used as the base in the Frutti and the glaze reminded me of Singapore.
But strong food stands on it’s own. Well portioned, the Frutti harvested plenty of sea creatures to satisfy and made good on it’s promise to be spicier than most. The Steak was plainly that but was tender and melted in our mouths. For dessert, my first experience with Mochi was positive and the sweet rice pudding with Durian sauce was the Asian fusion tour de force.
The highlight by far was the laundry list of drinks I had that night. The bar has plenty of unique and high brow products from local and distant sources. A wheat beer and a «biodynamic» (a.k.a super hippie) wine top that list. But the mixed creations were among the best I’ve ever had, hands down. Creative and showcasing a wide variance in sweetness, sour, and mhmm mhmm tastes, the mixed drinks by Noon are to be had by any self proclaimed bar snob. Her own fermented hot melon juice concoction blew me away.
So yeah, Umami comes off as a classy, well dressed eatery but come inside and you’ll feel warm all over and content in no time.

Dinner and drinks at Umami were nothing short of amazing. Great place for a romantic date or a nice way to wind down from a long week.
Highly recommend the Lemongrass Marinade Steak Tips w/​charred heirloom tomatoes and coconut rice ($ 15) — seriously delicious and I’m definitely getting it again.
For drinks, ask Noon (the bartender and part owner) about the heated bourbon w/​chocolate bitters… a-​maaaaaaazing. :)
Good times, I’ll be back.

Very odd, but in a good way. I entered confused and left in the same state. I met a friend here who wanted to try it out and the restaurant’s appearance looked inviting. I was surprised and impressed with the variety of vegetables incorporated into the various dishes. I am very fond of the well dressed and served vegetable so my interest was peaked. So I ordered the eggplant «scampi” – tempting thoughts of eggplant and thai basil in my head. However, I received the pan seared atlantic salmon instead.
This is what was odd: normally I would not hesitate to point out the mistake and send the dish back, but I really, really love a good salmon. And this was a good salmon. So I ate it. Without complaint. Even when my friend pointed out what I was doing. It was wrong. I felt guilty but I couldn’t stop myself. And I didn’t say anything.
I think that is the best compliment that I can give this place – except that my order was wrong. Otherwise the service was good and the rest of the food delicious. I would be willing to give this place another shot and see about those vegetables.
I still feel guilty and to be honest, I wonder what my rating would’ve been if I hadn’t been seduced by the perfect salmon!

Midweek visit, nice and quiet. An exquisite little place, with a carefully focused menu. Liked some of the unusual touches like hibiscus soda, and veggie appetizer instead of bread. The salmon was cooked perfectly, though I would like a little soy sauce with my noodles and baby bok choy. One dish that needs a little more umami taste! Tasted the lobster ravioli, that had plenty of taste.
The desserts were actually quite delightful, a fall special warm drink with a squash infusion, quite ethereal. And the durian custard on rice was sweet, accented with orange, and perfectly small. There is definitely a unique approach in this place.
Came in on a rainy, windswept night, and found it quite comforting. They get extra credit for soundproofing the room, it never got noisy or uncomfortable. Had enjoyed a lovely brunch previously on a summer Sunday, and glad I came back.

Oh, Umami. You tried. I know you did.
It just wasn’t worth the trek. Granted, I came for another restaurant that happened to be closed for renovation, but I’d wanted to try Umami anyway, so it made a decent substitute.
Here’s the thing: The food isn’t bad. It’s actually quite enjoyable in a simple, stripped-​down kind of way. But it’s definitely not creative or really Asian-​esque, unless you think throwing in a few «Asian» vegetables you can buy at Shaw’s or some oyster sauce is Asian fusion.
The salmon is quite a healthy dish and the fish itself was crisp and juicy. The green tea soba noodles were delicious with the fish sauce and there was plenty of bok choy. But… This is not Asian fusion. I don’t think anything is really being fused. Same sentiments go toward the Tom Yum soup. Spicy, fresh base (props for that) but the ingredients were just your typical mushrooms and shrimp. Somewhat Asian? Sure. Asian fusion? No. For really good, inspired Asian fusion, check out Myers+Chang.
Service was pretty good and the décor is shabby chic. If you happen to be in the area, this isn’t a bad dinner option. It’s just not the best.

Awesome. One of the best restaurants that I have been to in Boston. As I had been wanting to Umami for some time, I hope you realize that my expectations were quite high yet they still found a way to far surpass them.
Everything on the menu piqued my imagination, the service was timely and friendly, the recommendations were spot on. I shared the chicken wing appetizer and had the Frenched Lamb Loin Chops as my entrée. The complete lack of smokey taste was delightful as I could actually taste the chiles and other assorted marinade items. They were slow grilled to perfection, remaining tender and juicy. It was slightly to the saltier side but pleasing to the palate none-the-less.The rice accompaniment was also flavorful and delicious… and this is coming from a person who rarely eats rice because of its tendency towards bland and over cooked.
I was also very impressed that the chef stopped by our table. He inquired about how our meal was and actually took the time to talk to us about how he prepares his food and his inspiration. It did not feel like a «mandatory check in» by any means. He was truly interested in our thoughts and opinions and I was more than happy to learn about what goes on in the back of the house.
The removal of one star was for the lack of depth in the dessert menu (rice pudding, fruit and ice cream). After such a delightful meal, I was looking forward to the icing on the cake so to speak. Also, the wine that I ordered (riesling special) tasted as if it had been left open for a couple of days (maybe this is why it was a special?).

Wow. Not only was the food/​drink inventive, creative and delicious, I felt like a celebrity dining here. Everyone was *so* nice! Since we decided to go to Umami spur of the moment on a Saturday night, we called first to see if we needed to make a reservation. The woman on the phone took our name and we arrived about 15 minutes later, after circling the block once trying to snag a spot, when we were greeted enthusiastically and escorted to our table.
After looking over the drink menu and asking a few questions about some ingredients, which the server was more than happy to answer, I ordered a U-​Sizzle. I’m really into spicy drinks lately, and this one was stellar. Definitely designed for slow sipping, it’ll kick you in the throat if you try to swig too aggressively. Do it right though, and it’s a complex sweet/​spicy party. My dining companion ordered The Muse, which was just sweet enough and dangerously easy to drink.
We started with the honey-​ginger chicken wings, which were subtle but delicious, with just enough glaze to be sweet and yummy without making me feel like an animal for eating them in public. For the main course I went with the Sea Bass. I was this close to ordering the Steak au Poivre, but it wasn’t a red meat kind of day. The Sea Bass was amazing. The menu said it was cooked in sake, which sounded cool and tasted delicious. It was a reasonably sized piece, served atop simple butternut squash and sauteed greens. The dish was creative, but not pretentious, which is how I feel about Umami as a whole. It’s like your cool artist friend who makes the most interesting things, but doesn’t overstate that identity.
Throughout, our server was present and very friendly. When we were thinking about dessert, she told us about the durian dish with sweet rice and we were all over it. I mean, who doesn’t want to try something like that! That scrot Andrew Zimmern, I guess. But that’s no way to live. So we tried it, and it was completely odd, yet kind of awesome. The scent was slight, but noticeable when you got in there. And the taste was kind of indescribable. You should try it though, I’m really glad I did. Our server talked about her lineage and said that in Singapore, people eat durian all the time, but you can’t bring it on public transportation because of the strong odor. She also said that the fruit is slimy in its raw form, but in the dessert it was more like thin pudding over sweet, sticky rice.
After the meal, the hostess/​co-​owner (who was also the one who took our reservation), came over to ask how everything was and inquire as to whether we had dined there before. We hadn’t, and she said she knew that because she tries to remember customers and didn’t recognize us. She went through some of the history of the restaurant, and was clearly very devoted to providing an excellent dining experience to customers, and making them feel valued. We definitely enjoyed our meal, and felt like family by the end of it.

The good: the bartender is really excellent. I can’t stress that enough. The drinks are inventive, they use homemade bitters, and they aren’t shy with
the liquor. The mushroom and chicken wing appetizers were a hit.
The bad: Most of the food was, at best, average. The lamb shank came atop about 2 cups of cubed squash (of varying levels of cookedness) and little else! The seabass, lamb chops, tiger shrimp app, and sweet potato fries all were received with some sort of a «eh, it was alright» review by the diners I was with.
The ugly: The durian custard. Holy hell it’s nasty stuff. When Andrew Zimmern won’t eat it, you know it’s bad. The best way to describe the flavor/​experience is to imagine eating a pudding that tastes like natural gas (you know, that smell and feeling in your nose/​mouth you get when your pilot light goes off in your gas stove) and smells like sulfur (ahem).
I’d come back if I had another
coupon or if I were in the area and wanted a creative drink (maybe before a dinner at Publick House).

Although I was craving korean bbq, a good friend of mine insisted on going to this place saying how good it was. I trusted his word, so the 4 of us went 2 Sunday’s ago. It was pretty easy to find parking, and the restaurant is on the more modest size, but the first thing I noticed was how warm and personable the hostess was. Found out later she’s one of the owners as well, and she was the only hostess/​server working that night, with at least 5 other tables there dining.
We tried the appetizer specials and I choose the steak tips as the entrée. The food was definitely thumbs way up including flavoring, quality and presentation. Althought I would hold off on the dessert (only 1 — Durian). Didn’t really get to try their specialty cocktails but from what I’ve heard they are pretty good.
All in all, I would highly recommend this place for a date, or a dinner with a few friends, it’s not really suited for a large party. The service is definitely high, makes me wish all restaurants had service this good. The food was incredible, the ambiance was also great as well.
Must try!

I went to Umami because I had bought a
gift certiicate, and I was pleasantly surprised! The food was fantastic and the portions were large for the prices. I would definitely recommend the sea bass and the Beaconsfield cocktail.
Also, the service was exceptional. I had a question about the Spanish cava they had on the menu, and the bartender brought the bottle over and talked to me about the wine.
I will definitely be returning to Umami.

Just back from Umami after dinner tonight (Jan22, 2011) and highly recommended (as 5-​star rating shows).
We order Hibiscus Soda (thanks Lily) and sweet potato fries (thanks Dan) first as drink and app. Both are very good and sweet potato’s spicy ketchup is also very interesting one. For main dishes we had New Zealand Lamb (thanks Erik) and Duck Breast (and thanks Sarah) — both are phenomenal. I have to say reading others review are extremely useful and rewarding.
The only thing would slightly downside is due to today’s cold weather — the temperature in store is lower than expected — and it made main dishes cooling faster after on the table — it would be good if temperature could be higher in the restaurant.
Also, strongly recommend to call and make reservation before heading there. I believe it will be harder and harder to get a seat there since the food is so good and price is very decent and reasonable.
The last but not the least — we will definitely be back to Umami shortly for sure!

What a nice little gem of a restaurant. Came here last night on a quiet Thursday evening for dinner and I was definitely enjoyed the yummy food and quiet atmosphere.
After reading the reviews me and my boyfriend opted to get 3 appetizers to share, mussels, Tom yum soup, and wings. They brought out fresh veggies with a ranch like dressing for a free appetizer which I personally loved. The portions were decent for the exception of the wings (4 lonely pieces) other than that the flavors were delicious through each and every dish. The mussels came out in a rather large portion served on top of a delicious broth, Tom yum soup was absolutely delicious, and the chicken wings were yummy.
For a main course my boyfriend enjoyed a fall of the bone lamb shank served on top of some yummy potatoes. For me I had the Chilean sea bass with mashed sweet potatoes. We both enjoyed our meals everything was nicely seasoned and portions were decent.
A must have for me the next time I go would be the hibiscus soda, it was so refreshing, unlike any other soda or soft drink I’ve ever tried.
We were disappointed with the durian custard. It was more like a rice pudding with a topping of durian drizzle. Other than that I have no other complaints.
I would definitely recommend this restaurant, a delicious experience in my book.

Umami! Love the name — been very interested to try it out since hearing of it. Enter
— woohoo!
A friend from NYC had said she tried it and it was «good for Boston, run of the mill in NYC.» Pfft! Well, okay, except for her suggestion that NYC’s food scene trumps Boston’s (hey, we’re trying here ok?), she was pretty much right on.
1. Atmosphere — REALLY lovely! Quiet, calm, warm-​enough, friendly service, lots of parking options. Dining room isn’t too big but also not cramped and the acoustics are great.
2. Menu — I could use some more options, and maaaaybe a little more food on my plate for the price, but those are my only complaints. Oh wait — they only have 2 desserts listed on the menu, and they were out of one (the pumpkin custard). That’s a little rough, especially when your only other dessert is «Durian custard», which is basically a bed of flavored rice with a little durian (extremely fragrant) cream on top. It was weird — fine — we at the whole thing — but plan to go elsewhere for dessert. Oh! One cool thing though is that instead of a bread basket you get little sticks of pepper and celery with a chive dipping sauce. It was super good… I just wish there had been more… seeing a trend here?
3. Food — My friend had the arugula salad and the eggplant pasta. I had the tiger shrimp appetizer and the duck breast. She loves the arugula salad, and while she wasn’t a huge fan of the sogginess of the eggplant, the pasta was excellent! I tried it too and completely agree — mmmmm great flavors and perfect texture. My shrimp was awesome, though 1 more would have made it better (there were 4), and the duck breast was tasty. The fat on the duck was a gross texture so while I understand why they left it on for flavor in cooking, I don’t really get why they didn’t cut it off for plating… but I don’t eat duck that much so who knows. The flavor was great, but I would have loved for it to come with some kind of vegetable. It was just duck with a topping on a bed of what I think were passion fruit chunks. Delicious, but a little lacking.
4. Price — Pretty decent. A little more food would have been good as I’ve mentioned (a few times, eh?), but for an app, entrée, tea, and half a dessert I think my total came to about $ 25 or so?
I’d say try it — you could love it, or it could be a place you’re glad you went and may or may not return.

After scoring a
cert for Umami, we headed there last night around 6:30 and it was pretty hopping. The interior is small and lovely, a bit trendy but also cozy, and the tables were a bit close together so maybe it’s not the best for a first (or second) date, but perfect for dinner with a good friend or sig other.
They start you off with a strange medly of raw veggies with an herbed mayo dip, an interesting and unexpected choice for a starter. As an app, we split sweet potato fries which were excellent. They came with a ‘spicy’ homemade ketchup which wasn’t spicy at all, but there wasn’t enough of it so I ended up using the remainder of the mayo dip which worked just as well.
For drinks (cheap at $ 8.50), I had the rum punch drink– today’s seasonal juices were lychee and meyer lemon– which was delicious, and the boy had a Negroni drink that was strong and tasty. Second round we both had Dogfish Head’s Midas Touch (highly recommended). Noon the bartender came over to check on us and see how the drinks were, which was really sweet and a nice touch to the service here.
For entrees, I had the sea bass and it was excellent, perfectly cooked and lightly flavored. I usually don’t care for bok choy but didn’t mind it on this dish, and the sweet potato purée was delectable («it’s like eating a cloud» according to the boy). The boy had the red curry duck which he really enjoyed, it was actually spicy (a good thing!) as opposed to places like Kashmir, but not totally numbing. Portions were the perfect size, filling without being overstuffed, and prices were right (nothing over $ 20). They had 2 options for dessert, something with durian and some kind of pumpkin, neither of which struck our fancy (we were pretty full).
The service was top notch here, everyone from our waitress Sheela to Noon the bartender to the hostess to any other waitress here were nothing less than friendly, professional, engaging, and prompt. Everyone was so happy and nice, it made the whole evening that much better Umami is a great little dinner spot in the neighborhood and I will definitely be back.

Sitting at the bar with Noon taking special good care of us, this was a terrific dinner. We started off the meal with a small bottle of sparkling, unfiltered Sake. It was creamy, tasted of pear and coconut and was incredibly refreshing. For appetizers, we had the special a Bluefin tuna that arrived on the docks of Boston harbor earlier that morning. The Bluefin was served as a tartar with corn kernels, and was dressed in citrus vinaigrette (perhaps yuzu?) with sliced cucumber on the side. We also had an order of the sautéed mushrooms which were composed of a yuzu marmalade, cointreau, and sunny side up quail egg. It was the definition of savory. Coincidence that Umami means savory, I think not.
Up next, I had the duck. The duck was glazed in Hoisin with passion fruit purée, spicy cape cod cranberry, mango chutney. It was nice n spicy and was perfect on a chilly September night. The duck was cooked a prefect medium and was delightful to eat. My dining companion had Asian noodles with pieces of onion and eggplant tossed throughout in a savory sauce. Hers was good, but mine was way better.
We capped off the meal with a few more cocktails made by the one and only Noon. She has a gifted hand when it comes to mixing up cocktails. She knows her profession, with a plethora of cocktail knowledge and a heavy hand; it’s hard not to love her concoctions.
Thanks to Noon and Yoshi for an incredible meal. We will surely be back soon.