the details Umami Unit 2, 83 Pyes Pa Rd, Tauranga Call 07-575 7533 www.umani.nz
Umami is a Japanese word to describe a taste in food besides sweet, salty, spicy and sour — in short it means "deliciousness" which makes it a perfect name for the new restaurant everyone is talking about in Pyes Pa.
With Tauranga following Auckland's trend of high end eateries in suburbs beyond the CBD, Umani not only caters for the booming population in Pyes Pa and the popular Lakes area, but is a destination in itself to travel to try.
You know you are in for something different and special even pulling up outside, with the red and orange hanging lanterns beckoning. The fit out is unique and ultra modern, with textured walls made of light wooden squares, round mirrors where you can look at yourself to infinity and beyond, and a feature wall of Asian cities which inspire the menu.
Tables of various shapes and sizes surround a long bar, and the atmosphere is intimate but still allowing for private dining. When we were there, guests were a mixed bunch from families with children, to groups of girls on a night out, to romantic couples on date night.
There is also an outdoor dining space with a covered deck with a ceiling of sparkling night lights and more hanging lanterns.
The menu The menu is described as "modern southeast Asian cuisine with a Pacific twist", and is designed to share.
Our friendly waitress suggests we start with a few as you can always add more.
You can opt for all your food to come out at once or in the order you desire.
Edamame Beans tossed with Japanese sake & wasabi salt
Dining with my two teenage daughters, our favourite endamame beans were a must-have.
However simple this dish of green veg may seem, it is actually quite hard to get just right — these did not disappoint with the perfect amount of flavouring of Japanese saki and wasabi salt adding a bite to the tender beans.
Dumplings are another family go-to. Umami varies its dumpling menu — our ones were pork and prawn which we opted to have fried (you can choose a softer steamed if you like), and they come with shallot, garlic, sesame & chilli oil dipping sauce. They were absolutely delicious and if we had to pick a favourite off the menu, these would be it — as proof we were still reminiscing about them the following week!
Karaage Chicken with nori salt, Japanese mayo & lemon wedges.
We also had a plate of Karaage Chicken — crispy fried chicken thighs with nori salt, Japanese mayo and lemon wedges which were beautifully tender and slightly spicy without being overpowering, making them a good choice for younger palettes or indeed anyone who doesn't like spice.
Our plate of Vege Spring Rolls was impressive — huge rolls bulging with shiitake mushroom, glass noodles, peanuts and herbs, fried and served with a Vietnamese dipping sauce.
I had the Market Fish Ceviche — a mouthwateringly fresh kingfish cured with a citrus dressing, coriander, mint, chilli and mustard cress with a sesame fried wonton shell — a great lighter option to compliment our fried food.
Market Fish Ceviche with citrus dressing, coriander, mint, chilli & mustard cress with a sesame fried wonton shell
The food is all so fresh and the portions so generous that we were surprised that was all we could fit in from the shared plates. However, there are a few on the menu that were so tempting I am going to go back very soon to try: the Roasted Miso Eggplant with crispy fried tofu, served with udon noodles, and fresh herbs; and the Massaman Duck Curry of roasted duck served in a mild Thai massaman curry with peanuts and potato accompanied with a chilli/lime jam and roti.
I also spied my dining neighbour's salmon and had immediate food envy — a generous slab of grilled salmon rubbed with a ginger & Teriyaki sauce, served with sweet potato crisps and pickled cucumber. Yum.
Pork belly lovers won't be disappointed either — there is Char Siu Pork Belly, Chinese BBQ rubbed pork belly, twice cooked and served with kimchi, crackling and red miso sauce.
You can make the dishes even more substantial by ordering sides too — there's steamed jasmine rice, wok fried greens and almonds, kimchi, roti bread and miso soup.
Desserts Defeated by the shared plates, once we saw the dessert menu we caved and ordered the Thai Banana Fritter — comforting and tasty, it was banana fried in coconut batter with a miso butterscotch sauce, served with East Coast Ice Cream lemongrass, chilli and lime icecream. Such an interesting combination of flavours and textures and hot and cold.
If there is chocolate on the menu, we are having it, so we also ordered the Choc Delice — a decadent chilli chocolate mousse delice with a sesame tuile and "East Coast" chocolate, coconut and candied orange ice-cream.
One of those dishes that everyone tastes and their face and murmers of appreciation says it all — it plays and tantalises your tastebuds with the kick of the chili and the richness of the dark chocolate.
Great service at Umami
Drinks
There is an extensive drinks menu including creative cocktails like the Suzie Wong — vanilla sake, black doris plum puree and citrus — and the Umani Bellini — Wild Hibiscus with Veuve du Verny Brut.
The beer menu includes Asian beers — including Tiger Beer and Chang, as well as New Zealand craft beers, with Sapporo on tap. There is a really impressive and varied wine menu including dessert wine, port and sake, and I love that there is plenty of choice if you are going for bubbles (I am starting to envisage my summer hangs at Umani already) — with six different champagnes/bubbles.
I also like that there is a wide variety of non-alcoholic drinks — there's kombucha (Earl Grey or Pineapple and Ginger) and the tasty sounding Elderflower Nojito. There's also a range of teas or Vietnamese coffee which you can opt to have served with condensed milk or over ice.
Umami is a great new dining destination in Pyes Pa
The verdict
The service was excellent with all the staff super attentive and friendly. We loved the relaxed atmosphere which was welcoming of all but the decor and the excellence of the food and elegant presentation made it seem like fine dining.
We bumped into a friend with his children who lives locally and declared it his absolute favourite restaurant in the whole of the Bay. High praise and well deserved, Umami is punching above its weight in flair and flavour, and you will not be disappointed by the delicious food and overall experience here. I have been raving about it since.
