Umai Mi

This place closed on 12÷31÷14.

We love Umai Mi! Creative and adventurous food. Really really delicious. We typically sit at the kitchen counter to watch the action. We’ve also gone to one of the food/​wine paired dinners and it it was excellent and fun.
We actually prefer Umai Mi to Hot Joy. I know, sacrilegious, but it’s just that good.

Why are all chefs trying so hard to jump on the David Chang bandwagon?
I get it, seriously, I do, we need more and better asian food, and less taco trucks. But to try to be something you are not only reflects on the food, it’s no surprise that to dine at Chef Dady’s Restaurants and expect a bit of a bad attitude, ok maybe more like a lot. I can’t help but to express that the minute i walk in to any of his restaurants the service staff makes me feel like they are doing me a favor by simply sitting at their table, as if i owed them 20% automatically regardless of how bad the service may be.
On to whats important; The food i feel is Pan Asian «confusion» and a lot of dishes «inspired» by a few trips to trendy restaurants in Austin that are surprisingly similar to items I’ve had somewhere before. I think I’ll stick to the cocktails and skip the overpriced, over seasoned & over rated food.

I’m not sure what this place is doing nestled in the soccer mom alley on Bitters, but you go wherever you gotta go when there’s crispy rice involved.
This was my first experience at Umai Mi and I was very pleased with the outcome. My friend and I decided to sample all of their snack menu and shared the Ahi Tuna dish. Their deviled eggs with Sriracha are probably the best I’ve had. The crispy rice was everything you aren’t imagining.
Those complaining about how «unauthentic» the food is should refer to their positioning line and/​or develop a sense of humor.
Don’t expect to find dozens of menu items at Umai Mi. Expect memorable and flavorful dishes made by an adventurous crew.
The service was friendly and attentive — our waiter, Dwayne, made some great recommendations and made sure we were satisfied with everything.
Yes, I will comeback to this place even if I have to brave the legions of Pinterest fanatics working on their bead bracelets next door.

This place has a lot of potential; the venue is great, the menu looks awesome but it’s execution is mediocre. I had the deviled eggs last time and those were very nice; however, for my main, I had the pork ribs and the meat was very tough. We also ordered the nutella desert and it was actually one of the worst nutella desert’s I’ve ever had (and that’s tough for me to say since I have nutella almost every day). I will be returning here since the menu has changed slightly for the summer and I want to give it another shot, I really hope it doesn’t disappoint as I’d love to be a regular there.

The good and bad is that it’s a farm fresh restaurant almost exclusively, so the menu can really vary. Food was good though even though I’m pretty particular about Asian Fusion restaurants. Great service, good atmosphere. Had the crunchy shrimp, shrimp rolls, deviled eggs, and pork belly. All dishes were good, but only the pork belly was very unique in their technique. I highly recommend that. Everything was good bit that is what stood out. 3 star because of the limited menu and dishes that you can very readily.

My initial review, shortly after they opened was 5*, yet if I had written one based on our last couple visits (April-​May timeframe), they would have averaged 2.5*.
It got to the point of scratching them off our «regular haunts» especially after Hot Joy opened, even though they’re much more conveniently located for us. Husband heard they’d tweaked the menu and talked me into giving them another shot. Didn’t have high expectations this time and we were pleasantly surprised to find the new menu (which has a very «Feast”-like vibe) included several new additions, as well as deleting quite a few «originals» that hadn’t worked out.
We shared the green curry lobster bisque (very light, not creamy as I would have thought) followed by the crispy shrimp and umami bomb. In retrospect, wish we’d opted for the larger portion on the shrimp as it proved to be our favorite. Don’t get me wrong, the wagyu coulotte on the umami bomb was very good-​served medium rare (even though I usually prefer steak well-​done) and accompanied with shitakes and bok choy.
Through an ordering mixup, we ended with the lime curd parfait instead of the new Horchata/​sweet rice/​mango that we really wanted to try.
Glad to hear that they’re still offering half-​off wine bottles during happy hour, even though their list has been pared down substantially. I see from their website that they’ve abandoned Sunday dim-​sum; there never was the traffic volume to make it an effective option. Also noticed that the playlist «evolved» from the first times we came… hip-​hop never was a dealbreaker for us, but obviously others on social media felt otherwise.

I had reservations for Saturday night, but there wasn’t a crowd. The décor changed quite a bit when the concept changed from an old favorite Bin 555 to this new concept. They were playing a kung-​fu movie on the back wall (Drunken Master if I recognized it correctly?) and the menu and décor have been revamped into a modern, sorta cheeky, Asian theme. It was definitely dark, so it was a little tough to see my food (hence the dark pictures).
The menu that was being served was different than the one on the website, so we had to make a few adjustments to our plans once we arrived. The service was great, and our server came by several times during the evening, capably answering questions and making recommendations for the three very different palates at the table.
I can never resist an interesting deviled egg, and having seen the great reviews on Unilocal,we ordered some while we checked out the rest of the menu. They came super fast. Like while our server was still at our table taking our order for them, because someone made a mistake and rang them up at our table by mistake. So it wasn’t magic or a genie, just a kitchen mishap, but it sealed the deal because they looked delicious as we waved goodbye to them as they continued on their journey to the correct table. When we got our rightful plate, they had a spicy, creamy Sriracha filling and a chili oil drizzle. They also won my heart with the coarse sea salt and scallions on the plate. I’ll add my voice to the chorus of positive reviews and tell you that you must order them!
We started with the local tomato salad and the lobster bisque. Our server generously offered to split the bisque into two bowls because we were waffling a little about ordering it and whether we were hungry enough for it. I loved it, the person I split it with did not. This bisque definitely has more of a lobster flavor, not a creamy flavor. It’s very seafoody, which I loved, but some other fans of more traditional seafood bisques should be warned. The tomato salad is full of fresh farmers market flavors that depend on what’s available that day, and it was fresh, sweet, and flavorful.
The crispy rice with herbs and crispy shallots was incredible. It was a really large portion, and we weren’t able to finish it, but we sure tried. The refreshing greens are a good balance to with the fried crispy rice. You know I love texture! The crunch on this one was great.
For dinner, we got the Umami Bomb Wagyu beef entrée, the penang curry duck breast with crispy noodles, and the purple potato gnocchi. They were all flavorful. I wish I could remember exactly what the sauce served on the gnocchi was, but alas, I wasn’t able to get a good gander in the darkness. Rest assured, they were great. I was a little surprised to see gnocchi on this asian menu, but it was a good, if a little heavy, alternative to the meat heavy dishes that we ordered as well. One of my other table mates had been looking forward to the grilled half chicken, and settled for the Umami Bomb instead after our server told him it was one of the most popular dishes. The beef is not terribly tender, but it is very flavorful. If you’re looking for a robust meal, this is a good choice. The duck breast and crispy noodles were really excellent. Both of the meat dishes are rather large, and the intense flavors can be a lot to take in in the larger portion they’re in. We shared the dishes around, but still had plenty to take home for leftovers. I would have been satisfied with a few bites of each as a small plate option.
For dessert, we split the lime curd parfait, which was a happy surprise to find on the menu. I love a good cool lime dessert, and it was served with a sesame cookie. Sooooo… I was not over the moon about this one. It should’ve been a slam dunk easy pleaser for me because I went in to it ready to fight for it, but it was just kind of passable. I had a few bites, and wasn’t ready to fight anyone at the table for it. It ended up going back to the kitchen half eaten when we left, and we are not a table of people shy about their sweet teeth (tooths?). We were full and in the wine by that point, so that probably had an effect, but it wasn’t an outstanding dessert.
Overall, I left a still committed Dady fan, but I left sure in my initial thoughts that Bin 555 was a slightly better restaurant. I’m not sure San Antonio needs another high concept Asian restaurant right at this moment, but if he wanted to jump into the water, I wish he’d swapped out one of the Tres for it. But that’s also me being selfish because this is outside my normal zone of social circling. Maybe that’s it. Maybe after I trek somewhere with high anticipation, it’s hard to live up. There was a lot of great potential, and I’ll give it another try because I’m rarely disappointed by his places. It’s still much better than most other restaurants in town, but not as good as some of the other experiences I’ve had at this exact same addres

I have a degree in Geography and let me tell you that finding this place after I parked the damn car was harder than any class I took in school. All jokes aside that shit was ridiculous, but once I had my first bite I forgot all about my Helen Keller led hike to Umai Mi.
Like all things in life when you add the sriracha it usually makes it better. I now know that this also applies to deviled eggs. Honestly I will no longer be able to enjoy deviled eggs without sriracha again, thanks a lot Umai Mi. The soba noodles looked like they had been marinating in fresh cement mix, tasted a little bland at first but just a little sriracha and you’ll be fine. They grew on me after the first couple of bites.
My main entrée was the tamarind glazed brisket with pickles. If you don’t like a little spice then I would avoid this dish. I love spice and this dish is one of the best things I have ever heaped into my mouth. The brisket was rich, moist, and exceptionally flavorful. The pickles really helped cut the richness of the dish and were probably the only thing that allowed me to finish the entire plate.
I will definitely have to go back again. Everything on the menu sounded good, and I didn’t even get to have a cocktail. Apparently they make a good old fashion; I will be the judge of that. Also I will be sure to bring friends so that we can try this large alcoholic punch bowl of death mixture they broadcast on their drink menu. Sounds like a terrible but great idea.
Awesome spot if you can find it.

I’ve been waiting for some time to eat here; finally felt the craving at the right time and even had a companion who shared it. Being quite new to the area, it was a bit difficult to find this restaurant (ehem, after we parked, lol), but it was worth every footstep in the wrong direction.
I’ll admit, I came for the deviled eggs. They are 6 stars. Unlike any other deviled masterpiece. The heavens opened up and drizzled sriracha on this unique creation. Thank you. Soba noodles? Never had ‘em. Delish. Don’t be turned off by the murky color, and add sriracha. I wasn’t 100% satisfied with the duck curry, it may have been the jungle I had to climb through to eat it, but it’s very good and worth trying. The duck was succulent. As for their star anise pickles, interesting, but I prefer a bigger kick with my pick.
During lunch on a weekday my friend and I were the only patrons. Needless to say, the service was very good. 5 stars. Water was always full, and our waiter was very interested in our thoughts on the food. I’ll be back to try the entire menu, and that lovely, large fish bowl full of alcohol they offer…

THIS IS A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Save your time and money and do not come to this restaurant! The food served here is not just an insult to asian food but to food in general.
I went here for Sunday dim sum and we were the only table occupied. This was already a bad sign! I have soo many bad things to say about this place, but I will limit my review to just a few points below.
1.The service was incredibly slow for having only 1 table occupied! We waited 5 – 10 mins each time we wanted to place an order for more food.
2. The menu was limited… VERY VERY limited. Sorry, but 5 dishes on the menu isn’t considered variety.
3. All the food was wayyyy over salted!!! None of the natural flavors of any of ingredients could be appreciated. The rice in the fried rice was completely brown… It was just rice doused with soy sauce… ick. Many of our dishes were not completely finished, but we still left with a sodium overload. We would have left hungry, but thankfully the amount of water each of us drank filled us up.
4. The food is served in small rice bowls that were over filled. Each time the waiter served the food his fingers were inside the food… GROSS!
5. Each dish was over priced for the amount of food served
P. S. Décor around the restaurant consisted of good fortune cat statues in cages. I am pretty sure it is a sin to cage good fortune cats… but maybe to everyone elses luck this restaurant will close soon so no one will have to experience the terrible food this place produces.

We came for our Grandma’s birthday dinner. A beautiful evening on the patio with yummy food and great service can’t be beat. Only downside was that our 84 year old Gigi ordered something pretty spicy and didn’t know it. No one’s fault but ours, we should have clarified… But it was definitely the hottest dish at the table (yum for us not so much for her!). She was a good sport though. My husband and I will definitely be back for date night and I’m sure it’ll be another 5-​star experience!
I also appreciated the patience and friendliness with our 15 month old. Not every restaurant is as nice to parents and children. Thank you!

After many many years of visiting Bin 555, I finally was able to check out Umai Mi. I’m sad to say, that I was soooo disappointed. The waiter was super nice and went over the entire menu with us. He recommended the deviled eggs, shrimp rolls, and crispy rice as the appetizers.
We tried the deviled eggs and thought I think that the idea was great, it was Japanese mayo on top of a boiled egg and a dot of Siracha. I was expecting a little more. Then we got a tom Kha soup. It was literally just broth… for $ 6? Not worth it. Next was the crispy rice and that had a good taste to it. I would eat that again.
For an entrée, we ate the pork belly and it had a good taste to it but the pork belly was wayyyyyy too fatty (I didn’t know that this was possible)! I eat quite a bit of pork belly and caught myself tearing off layers of fat because there was hardly and meat. So disappointing!
Nice décor, but I think it’s way too overpriced for the type of food that you’re getting. I don’t think I’ll be visiting again.

So when I think about Asian food I think about comfort foods. About 20 minutes after I left this place my mouth, tongue and lips were still burning from the spice in the Ramen bowl. I realize being from San Antonio, I should have a tolerance for spicy. But unfortunately I don’t so all my friends know when I go to a restaurant my first question when ordering is «is that spicy?». When ordering I notified the waiter that we don’t like spicy so that is where he inserts «Don’t get the …» the first visit the server did make a point to tell us while ordering what was spicy and since I was with 5 other people they did order spicy items. I did try those dishes because I wanted to be flexible but they were seriously super spicy. During my second visit I wasn’t so lucky hence the burning mouth.
This isn’t the first place I have had ramen so based on my other experiences I didn’t know I had to say no jalapenos. At all the other places I have been to in San Antonio and Dallas they bring the jalapenos and the parsley on the side so order failure on my part. My server saw me fishing out items from my ramen and totally avoided the conversation on why.
Based on my two visits to this place my spice level can handle the cocktails, Grilled/​Fire Roasted Edamame, Shrimp Rolls, Lemongrass Charred Chicken, Sichuan «Beef and Broccoli» and the desserts. Unfortunately I really didn’t care for the Beef and Broccoli or the Charred Chicken. I love the creativity on the dishes so I will return but am not making any special plans to get back there.
Price: Since my first visit was split 4 ways only only had to pay about $ 40 and we all had a drink and dessert so there was no sticker shock. During my lunch visit for 2 people we left paying about $ 60 so my burning mouth and wallet was not happy. We had 1 app and 2 entrees with zero leftovers. I would appreciate a lunch menu.
Atmosphere: totally love the décor and the lighting but what I thought was super cool was the reggae music that had me jammin.

Was so impressed by the interior design and ambiance. Although The lighting was too dark and don’t get me wrong I love me
Some dark intimate lighting but I couldn’t see my food or my friends and so I couldn’t enjoy the dining experience because of it.
We ordered the ribs (DELICIOUS) the brisket and pickles a surprising delightful and contrasting dish! Then the Panang duck curry :(that one was a bit disappointing because I love Panang curry and it didn’t live up to any expectations.
Other than my few critiques… umai mi was tasteful and had a fresh feel for food and design! Thumbs up!

Well done, Chef Dady’s interior designer, WELL DONE. I love the touch & feel of Umai Mi… classy Asian theme, lots colors & textures that pop, get your sexy on! You walk into the bar, which is more lit & casual. The bar faces an open kitchen where you can watch the hustle & bustle of the chefs. Then you stroll on into the dining room and bam! Dim, rich, romantic. Boys, take your date here! (there’s also fun, Bruce Lee-​like movies on!)
Service, as typical with Dady restaurants, was friendly & on point. We wanted to order just about everything on the menu, so our server helped us make tough choices. You can choose small plates (though sizeable, we thought), bowls, and large plates. We ordered the thai eggplant & rice cake, chicken wings, red curry bowl with duck & crispy noodles, & finally the ribs.
While waiting for our food, we observed passing food to other tables & said «did we miss salad on the menu?! Huh?» We just saw green & lots of it. On top of every dish. We discovered when our various food items arrived: they use fresh herbs. Lots of them. To where it looks like a salad. Score! I love fresh herbs!
The Thai eggplant & rice cake was ah-​mazing and not at all what I was expecting… delicious, tender mini Chinese eggplants (I think) with a chewy carb joy something in a yummy salty soy sauce. Not the flavorless, dry rice cakes you buy at the store that require peanut butter. At all.
The chicken wings were spicy & messy… wet wipes galore… good, but I prefer my wings very fried & crunchy.
The ribs were a nice flavor change… sweet, very tender, & superb! The scallions & sesame seeds on top added a nice contrast to the honey glaze.
The panang curry was good, but not nearly as spicy as I’d have liked. Great flavors, though, with the duck, noodles, fresh herbs, etc. It tasted better the next day, for sure! I agree with Sarah J., in that it needs more veggies than just red bell pepper.
I’ll be back! Plus I didn’t have room for the nutella torte that I saw on the dessert menu…

First impression: I love love love how the place is decorated. The place is covered in rich, vibrant colors to play on the Asian theme. There are lots of windows, so you get a lot of natural light, but when the sun sets, the low, red lights take over, making the place seem very intimate and sexy. This seems like a perfect place for a date: go about an hour before sunset so you see the place in both lights, the change is astounding!
This was my first visit to Umai Mi and I will be back. Since the establishment prides itself on being unauthentic Asian cuisine, we asked our waiter for recommendations. I am so, so glad he recommended the Thai eggplant and rice cake small plate. This dish is incredibly flavorful with a hint of spice. In my mind, when I heard rice cake, I was picturing something like the rice cakes I buy at the grocery store: those dry puffed rice things that people only eat when they are dieting. This was so not that. The ‘rice cake’ in the dish seemed to be these little chewy things that were surprisingly delicious. Next, we moved on to our second plate: the crispy fried chicken wings. They were covered in red curry and incredibly messy! They had a good amount of heat to them as well. We also tried the sticky ribs and the panang curry, duck, crispy noodle bowl. Both were really good, but I thought we’d get more ribs for the price (I believe it was $ 16 for four ribs), but they were so good! It was a nice contrast to all of the spicy foods we had been eating; the ribs are covered in a sweet (honey?) glaze and aren’t spicy at all. The curry wasn’t as spicy as I thought it would be, but it was very rich. I would have liked there to be more vegetables in the dish (there are just a few slices of red bell pepper), but it was still good.
One thing I really really liked about all of the dishes was that they are all topped with fresh herbs, and not just a sprinkling, there’s a good amount on there! The only real negative about the place was that at times, the service can be a little slow. Honestly, we got our orders in and our food brought to us pretty quickly since we got there a bit early, but as the crowd started rolling in, we noticed the lag in service. At that point, we were only waiting for our food to be boxed and our check to come, so it wasn’t a big deal. But it is just a warning to those of you who decided to go during the really busy hours: it may take a while, but it is worth it! ALSO: happy hour is from 4 – 6 with pretty good specials. At that time, it isn’t super busy either, so if you get out of work early enough, head over!

What can I say about this fabulous place? yuuuuum. That pretty much sums it up. The staff is awesome. Called to make reservations for a birthday dinner and they were more than patient, helpful and accommodating. They helped me decide on some small plates to set the stage for the dinner, gave us the best seat in the house (on the patio infront of the fire), created the perfect ambiance. Dewayne and the general manager Kathryn were above and beyond. And did I mention the food was amazballs!!! You cant go wrong here but I will recommend a few things for you.
We had EVERYTHING. The lemongrass chicken, the beef (ribeye) and broccoli, combo fried rice, papaya salad, deviled eggs, shrimp rolls, wood cooked sticky ribs, spicy chicken wings, edamame, souped up ramen, brisket, and I think thats it… lol…
*****Go for the deviled eggs no doubt. Something you will NOT regret. The shrimp rolls are absolutely cooked perfectly and the ribs fall off the bone. The beef was a perfectly seasoned medium rare and the chicken was delish. We couldn’t stop raving about it. Wasnt as crazy about the rest, I could have it or not, but those were my favs! Oh, and I dont eat Ramen, but I have to admit, I am eating my sons left overs at this very moment.
And who doesnt like fire, beautiful lighting, and some great tunes? Even heard a lil 2pac! Totally not stuffy. I would compare it to Stonewerks or maybe Kona. Dont take my word for it… go…see for yourself.
(Tip: happy hour is ½ off bottles of wine and cheaper dishes).

Central San Antonio, you guys are spoiled. Whenever y’all want some unique dining options, you can head to The Pearl, Southtown, Downtown or Alamo Heights. For us out here in the Stone Oak area, the pickings are a little slim. Enter Umai Mi!
As soon as I stepped in the restaurant, I was sold on their concept. Dark red lighting and white lanterns along with Kung Fu movie projections and Jay-​Z in the background set the kitschy-​cool tone. Umai Mi’s menu is fantastic! About 10 — 12 small plate options, 4 bowls (ranging from curry to ramen) and 5 large plates balance perfectly and the Asian influences range from Indian to Thai to Chinese and Japanese. It truly is absurdly inauthentic and I loved every bite. It’d be faster to tell you which small plates I didn’t order. But the table favorites were the Kewpie-​Sriracha Deviled Eggs (soft-​poached to perfection), Yang Zhou Fried Rice and Beef Tongue Steamed Buns (that came with Kimchi Pears, zomg y’all).
Our server was equally awesome. Not only was he incredibly knowledgeable about the menu and cooking techniques, but he was ninja-​efficient. Last sip of my drink? He’s there to take my next drink order. Needing another napkin? Hey, when did this stack of napkins get here? Spot on.
Seriously, get your bum to Umai Mi, order a bunch of plates and enjoy the stylized and delicious experience.

The food here is absurdly unauthentic.
This was formerly Bin 555. It’s still owned and operated by the same chef. The format has changed to Asian with a focus on Thai inspired dishes that are unapologetically not «authentic», although most of us wouldn’t know if they’re authentic or not anyways.
They didn’t make significant changes in the two weeks it was closed (we asked) but it definitely has a different feel. It’s has a quirky artsy feel that somehow manages to conjure thoughts of «Asian dynasty» in your head. The ceiling has the look of a seventies dance floor with red lighted tiles. Their mascot is a chicken crossed with Chinese dragon. We called it a «Dragon Cock».
We went on opening night which is always risky. We went early before any dinner crowds could gather to create potential services issues. Things went smoothly since the staff was carried over from the Bin 555 (we asked). The chef even brought one of our dishes by our table and asked how things were going.
Everything we had was good. They focus mostly on small plates and appetizers echoing the previous establishment. They only had four dinner entrees. We like to sample a lot of flavors so we were happy to order many small plates and share.
By far my favorite dish was the buttermilk fried chicken in green curry. They used a lot of fresh herbs on top which blended well while still adding pop. Actually, they used a lot of fresh herbs on everything. Bonus!
The Sup’d Up Ramen was also very good. Definitely not «traditional» as it has a heartier broth with a velvety texture. Tom Kha soup was good as well with the cilantro oil floating on top.
They have a good cocktail selection that are house mad and hand poured. This was my only complaint about the service. It took a LONG time to get our cocktails both times we ordered even though there were only a few tables seated. The Bin and Tonic (not misspelled) was tasty though not surprising in anyway. Singapore Sling was good and definitely recommended. The Healer would not be, however. It tasted like a weak toothpaste or mouthwash.
I’m looking forward to going back and trying more.