Umii, Drummoyne

Umii bills itself as a modern izakaya, located in Drummoyne. The food tasted fantastic but there were a few issues with the food matching what was promised on the menu. We started with the Scampi with foie gras and truffle oil. The food looked amazing when it arrived at our table but the question that popped into both our heads was: Where is the foie gras? After asking the waitress, we found out they were the little shavings on top of the scampi. Funnily enough, the table next to us ordered the same dish and asked exactly the same question. That aside, the scampi, served raw, was delicious with the sauce. If only there were a bit more foie gras, it would have made for an even more decadent dish (and perhaps justify a bit the price of the dish).

Scampi with foie gras and truffle oil $20

Continuing with the crustacean theme, we got the Grilled lobster tail. It was one of the blackboard specials and stated it came accompanied with grilled fresh figs. With no sighting of the figs, we again raised the question with the wait staff only to be told they didn't know. When we enquired further, we found out the chef had changed the dish but they hadn't updated the menu! Whilst that was pretty disappointing, we actually couldn't wait to dig into the dish as it was incredibly tasty. The grilled lobster were plump and perfectly cooked and the mix of the sweet and spicy furikaki seasoned crumb together with the black sesame sauce was very addictive.

Grilled lobster tail, furikaki seasoned crumb, steamed crab meat $39

The Lamb cutlet served in a traditional Japanese charcoal pot thankfully came as it was described. The cutlets were very tender and seasoned superbly. The smokiness from the charcoal pot came through without being overly dominating.

Lamb cutlet served with Japanese traditional charcoal pot $22

To apologise for their menu discretions, we were offered a complimentary dessert so we chose the Matcha roll with waffle cone. The matcha roll had that perfect sponge cake texture, and together with the gelato, had a really intense green tea flavour which I love. Topped off with strawberries and a black sesame waffle cone, it was a great way to end the night.

Matcha roll cake with waffle cone

I left Umii with mixed feelings - the food and presentation were beautiful and a great showcase of modern Japanese cuisine. On the other hand, the menu deviations were irritating and some of the service inconsistent. Given it's a relatively new restaurant, hopefully they were just initial issues which have now been fixed as I would love to try some of their other dishes.  

Rotating fridge of the fresh seafood