Umi Sushi, Haymarket

Japanese is one of my favourite cuisines - I love sashimi and all those Japanese flavours. It's a cold Saturday and I can't wait for some green tea. I head out to Umi Sushi which is located in Haymarket, right near the tram line. Umi Sushi has been recently renovated with a fresh seafood tank, private rooms and extensive menu to choose from.

I see a sign that says Umi Sushi for a limited time in winter also has a special all you can eat buffet sushi and a la carte dinner from Sunday to Wednesday at $35pp. That looks like a great deal.

However on this occasion, I am here for lunch and we are enjoying dishes off the a la cart menu. I naturally order green tea to warm up on this particular day. The hot green tea is so calming and warms me up quickly.  Matt goes for a black Asashi for a refreshing start. I quite like the glasses where water is served in as they look like fish tail goblets.

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As I look at the menu, I would say this is the most up-market and refined Umi Sushi in Sydney compared to the Town Hall and Darling Harbour venues. There's some really nice items of the menu which have modern twists as well as traditional favourites. 

If you are dining in a group and ready for a feast, it will be hard to resist ordering the deluxe sushi boat. It will take your breathe away folks. I was in absolute awe when the boat came out. It will set you back some moola however you are paying for some serious quality produce. There's a sashimi main portion that's served up with kingfish carpaccio, nigiri sushi and some delicious fatty tuna totoro which is currently in season. I am in heaven.

Umi Sushi has the nigiris so perfectly lined up and very well put together. I dab some fresh wasabi onto the kingfish nigiri and dip the nigiri side on into some premium soy sauce. It's so enjoyable to eat. 

Matt really enjoys the Tuna Totoro which is a higher grade of fatty tuna. You can see the difference in colour and the higher the grade, the more melt in your mouth it is. So mouth watering. So delicious. 

I also devour the thickly cut sashimi pieces on the Umi Sushi deluxe sushi boat. The sashimi is of high quality, freshness and deliciousness that can only be expressed through yummmmm.

  
The Umi Sushi Deluxe boat also had this kingfish carpaccio which had a hit of citrus, soy and ginger flavours that dance on the tongue. Matt and I devour the boat.

Next up, Matt and I try a Umi Sushi traditional dish of Japanese omelette ($9.80). It's such a simple dish but I find myself going back for more. The omelette layers are light, fluffy and layered with depth of flavour from soy and mirin. I really enjoy this dish. Texturally and by appearance they look like tofu but you quickly can distinguish by taste that it's fluffy egg. I sip on my green tea and go back for another portion.

For a touch of posh, why not consider ordering Umi Sushi's truffle cabbage ($14.80). You read right - truffle cabbage. The smokey, soft but crunchy on the edges cabbage leaves were paired up with a truffle oil and light soy sauce. This definitely made eating my vegetables much more enjoyable. This dish is a nice side dish to any protein dishes.

You may be surprised to also know that Umi Sushi has quail. This cut up quail was suprisingly unique due to the particularly crunchy skin that is has crunchy bits of chilli salt. This dish would perfectly pair with a refreshing glass of beer. The quail is quite boney so chew softly to enjoy the skin of the quail but be careful you eat around the bones.

For more beer pairing type food, you could consider off the skewer range. There's an amazing miso eggplant, fatty pork, chicken meatball, chicken, beef and stingray. Matt's favourite is clearly the chicken meatball. I can tell as he's not sharing but luckily I sneak in a bite. It's so flavoursome and a joy to eat so I concur with his food feelings for this one.  

The stingray has quite unique texture. It's soft but tough on the edges. The fatty pork skewer is well seasoned and enjoyable to eat.

Umi Sushi also has sukiyaki options where you can buy your choice of grade of wagyu. It's another way to impress via food. The skillet is lined with pork fat and then a shallow broth will start cooking a selection of mushrooms, noodles, cabbage and other vegetables.  Matt and I are eating a premium wagyu today. Matt likes his meat pink. I quite like the sukiyaki broth and I like the meat to really absorb those flavours.

Those flavours are so amazing. The sukiyaki is so enjoyable to eat. The meat is flavoursome and the noodles soak up all those flavours. I am in heaven! I am in foodie heaven. My food feelings are on an absolute high. I'm also absolutely full. What a feast that Matt and I have been treated to today.

I've really enjoyed the meal although I am quite full.

Summary: Overall I've been really impressed with the high quality produce and wide range that Umi Sushi provides. This is an upmarket Japanese restaurant that is one to impress. That sashimi and sushi deluxe boat was magnificent and the flavours from the sukiyaki were second to none. These two were my favourite of the meal. I would highly recommend Umi Sushi.

Location: Shop 1, 477 Pitt St, Haymarket

Opening Hours: 
Daily 11:30am to 10pm

Weekend Food Escapes dined as guests of the venue or their representatives. All photos, opinions and words are my own.