Today, we’re talking about sushi.
Before you get all excited, chicken shnitty and avo rolled in rice and seaweed
is not sushi. It’s katsu don and avocado. It’d be like having spaghetti
bolognese on pizza. When you’re in teriyaki chicken roll territory, you know
you’ve strayed to the wrong side of the bullet train tracks, coz this here is
not true blue Japanese tucker.
At Ume, the kitchen has so
strayed. And while this offends my traditionalist sensibilities, reluctantly,
tonight I must bow to these worthy mutations and give change a chance.
To accompany our journey into this brave new world, a drink! A flask of sake,
no less. Informing the waiter that I prefer mine chilled, he suggests the most
expensive of the premium sakes. Now, when a friendly waiter guides me to the
most expensive item on the menu I'm always wary whether my request for help is
being exploited for an up-sale. Sceptical but now fearing to look like a
cheapskate (don’t judge me! You all know you also apply the “second least
expensive” rule when choosing wine!) I turn to his second recommendation, a
180ml flask of Miyasaka 'Masumi Karakuchi ' from Nagano ($19). This is a smooth
dry sake and an enjoyable accompaniment to the flavoursome dishes to
follow.
A little bit liquored and ready
for dinner, we greet our first dish with relish. A rounded quilt of shaven seared scallop ($19)
arrives dotted with a confetti of wood sorrel leaves and smoked dulse (a red seaweed). The scallop is of impeccable
quality, though the creaminess of the shellfish mixed with the sweetness of the
brown butter sauce makes for a maybe too rich entree.
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| Seared scallop carpaccio ($19) |
I talk my
usually carnivorous friends into the dish of shiki no salad ($17). They
take delight in devouring the beautiful meaty carrots, accompanied by pipings
of dashi custard and florets of fried brussel sprouts. I love the exploitation
of the unique texture and taste of this traditionally loathed vegie - last
enjoyed at Blancmange.
 |
| Shiki no Salad ($17) |
Slow braised octopus (tako ($18)) is of a tenderness
I've not yet savoured in an eight-legged creature (far from the deep fried
tarantula I snacked on in Cambodia). It's imbued with a smoky scent from the
char-grill and is served with cubes of simmered daikon and cucumber. A far cry
from the anemic raw squid nigiri, which is always the last piece chosen on a
shared sushi platter.
 |
| Tako ($18) |
Australian diners are well
schooled in barramundi,
but Ume’s version is an exceptional catch. Poached in shiro dashi butter served
with crisps of wakame, strips of konbu and slices
of Jerusalem artichokes ($34). Local fish done in Asian
style – this dish epitomises what I love about Sydney dining.
 |
| Cone Bay Barramundi ($34) |
Now, I’m not a hater but...given
the small numbers of tables in Ume one
would not expect to be neglected, yet the head waiter managed to make us feel unloved
and completely forgotten at times. Maybe it was a clash of personalities, but
he seemed to be quite disenchanted with our table. Lucky this was the only
element of the evening to leave a sour taste.
We order one of everything for dessert.
My favourite is the dark
chocolate terrine ($15) plated with tiny pillows of whipped blood orange
and ginger ice cream. The ice cream proves too much for those who don't adore
ginger. Fortunately each dessert has a distinct taste and feel, so everyone
finds a favourite amongst the suite of three, rounded
out by sake-caramel braised
pineapple ($15) and strawberry
jelly and vanilla tofu ($15).
 |
| Dark chocolate terrine ($15) |
Ume is turning out some truly elegant, modern
Japanese cuisine that I'm sure is deceptively complex. All this at a markedly
reasonable price. Re-inventing the wheel may be impossible, but the Japanese
invented the magnetically-levitating bullet train which rips shit through
wheels anyway. SO maybe this tweak on tradition, in the hands of a nation of
innovators, is acceptable after all.
Ume Restaurant
478 Bourke Street, Surry Hills
t: 9380 7333
