Umi Sushi @ Tanjung Malim, Perak

Of late, there have been a number of new restaurants that have been opening up in Tanjung Malim and Umi Sushi is one of them. This is the first ever Japanese Restaurant in town and they opened their doors sometime late last year. This restaurant is located in Taman Universiti, a relatively new area of town where most of the new eateries have been mushrooming. Being a Malay Muslim owned business, this premise is Halal certified. Japanese cuisine has always been one of my favourites and having said that, I usually would only dine at certain Japanese Restaurants as I am quite fussy when it comes to these flavours. For me, they have got to be exquisitely perfect or else, I won't really end up enjoying my meal. Having said that, as I was in the mood for some Japanese food, I decided to pop in and try this place out. 

Umi Sushi Located In Taman Universiti

Outdoor Seating Area

Just A Small Area With Two Tables

Indoors

Beautifully Designed Premises

The place was beautifully designed and was evident of the initial heavy outlay. They had a small outdoor seating area as well as a posh looking indoor seating area. Besides tables, there was a long counter that is typical to any Sushi Bar. The waiting staffs were mostly Malay's but I believe that their chefs are Filipinos. I was here at an odd hour and even at that time, the response was quite good. There were a number of tables that were occupied and customers just kept coming and this is a healthy sign. 

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

The Menu

Their menu was an impressive hard bound and printed on high quality gloss paper. The spread was good and what you see above is just a portion of their menu. From what I saw in the menu, I understood that they are not 100% authentic in all their dishes as there were a number of fusion and hybrid dishes in the menu. Well, I'm always open for such improvisations as long as it gel's well with the overall theme.

Set Meals

Besides what's available in the menu, they also had two Bento sets. This seemed like a better option for me as it presents an opportunity to try a number of things instead of one heavy single dish. I then ordered the Saba Steak & Tempura Set which was priced at RM 25.90 . The prices weren't cheap and at the same time, they weren't expensive. I would say that it was a mid tier Japanese restaurant. Service was nothing much to shout about but they were generally attentive. 

Kedondong Fizz

Kedondong Fizz

Cutlery

My set came with the above drink called Kedondong Fizz. It was a fizzy soda drink. The drink itself shows that this is a fusion restaurant and not one to be labelled as an authentic restaurant where 'Japanese' lads would dine. In an authentic Japanese Restaurant, the most common drink would have been Green Tea. The drink was nice though and it had a salty sting to it. Nice for the hot weather. I would rate this drink at 8.5/10 . I was not too happy with the cutlery though. I was expecting Bamboo Chopsticks but what they had were a very flimsy looking plastic chopsticks and of course, the usual fork and spoon. I would expect better cutlery and being a Japanese Restaurant, they should provide Bamboo Chopsticks. The other thing that I was not too happy about was the absence of Wasabi. How would it even be possible for one to have Japanese food with Wasabi. That should be placed at every table just like what they have done with the Japanese Soy Sauce.

My Set @ RM 29.50

This set came with some White Rice, Tempura, Chawanmushi, Grilled Saba Fish, Miso Soup and some Watermelon. The portions were good for the price. Time to indulge now. Once again, no Wasabi provided with the set.

White Rice

White Rice

The White Rice provided is the local variety and not the Japanese sticky rice. This was a huge let down. If one refers to 'rice' in a Japanese restaurant, then it has got to be the short grain Japonica rice. I do hope that they would rectify this going forward as this is a huge blunder. 

Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi

Chawanmushi

Their Chawanmushi was just okay though I know for a fact that it would not pass for a Japanese. Nevertheless, being non native Japanese people, it was somewhat acceptable. The texture just didn't gel together and good Chawanmushi should just dissolve in the mouth, not one that is to be chewed. They had got the ingredients and taste right, just the technique wrong or perhaps I should say that it was not near good. More of a novice's preparation and I would rate this at 4/10 .

Tempura

Tempura

Their Tempura was nicely coated and deep fried but once again, it was the technique that went wrong. Do you see oil stains smudging the base of the paper? That should not be there. This you could check by simply visiting any Japanese restaurant that is manned by Japanese chefs. This oily stain would have a reverse taste on the Tempura itself. This was told to me by a Master-chef. I would rate this at 6.5/10 . 

Tempura Dip Sauce

Tempura Dip Sauce

The dip sauce for the Tempura had a local touch to it. Not 100% authentic but it tasted very good. Excellent work done here and I would rate this at 9/10 .

Grilled Saba

Grilled Saba

Grilled Saba

The Grilled Saba Fish was once again a fusion preparation. It tasted very Malaysian. Even the preparation methods was truly local. This kind of preparation would never be seen in a Japanese restaurant. Now, having said that, I would still say that this was a delicious preparation. It would have been better if the fish was not overdone. This was slightly overdone thus making the meat a little stiff. Otherwise, it tasted good and I repeat that it tasted very Malaysian and not Japanese. I would still rate this at 8.5/10 as I truly enjoyed the preparation. After all, it's all about the taste right!

Miso Soup

Miso Soup

Their Miso Soup was good but not great. The 'Dashi' was lacking and it should have had more greens and Tofu.  Nevertheless, a good attempt and I would rate this at 7/10 .

Tamago Maki @ RM 4.90

Having been done with my Bento set, I also ordered some Tamago Maki just to fill the stomach. This is one of my favourite rolls. The price is definitely very reasonable for the portion. 

Tamago Maki

It Was Breaking

This for sure must have been prepared by an amateur. This is one of the simplest rolls to make and it is mostly done using some tools. I wonder why they could not get this done right. Just like the earlier cases, the ingredients were all right and it was the technique that had gone wrong. If this was served to a Japanese, he would have just walked off as this is considered a bad omen. And it was not this one only, every single roll on that platter were opening up. I would rate this at 5/10 .If only the technique would have been right, this would have easily scored 9/10. 

Japanese Soy Sauce

The sauce used was that of a decent quality but once again, it was sad to note that Wasabi was not served with this dish as that is a compulsory practice. Definitely one for them to take note of.

The Bill For The Day

In my opinion, this place has got quite a number of things to improve on. I believe that I have said sufficiently in the paragraphs above and would not want to repeat it here. To those who have not been exposed to real Japanese food that place so much emphasis on perfection, this would be fine but not for a seasoned Japanese food lover. The Japanese are one of the most fussy people when it comes to their food. Everything has got to be precise including the cuts, layout and the way food is served. Otherwise, this is definitely a great place.

Address: No. 33, Jalan U1, Taman Universiti, 35900 Tanjung Malim, Perak, Malaysia.

Telephone: +605 458 2606

Opening Hours: Tues - Fri 1200 - 1430 & 1730 - 2230

                             Sat & Sun 1200 - 2230

                             Closed on Mondays

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/umisushitgmalim