Umu Restaurant Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "An outstanding Japanese food experience in London."
• "Presentation was excellent and made for a delightful experience."
• "The sushi was excellent."
• "Food is best Japanese cuisine I've enjoyed in London (having lived in Tokyo for 3 years)."
• "The quality of the fish is unmatched anywhere in the city."
• "Delicious, fresh Japanese food can be had here."
• "Every single item was an art from the chefs at the restaurant and we could tell ingredients in each menu are very high quality."

Cons:

• "The place does seem a bit aged and the food itself perhaps has lost its competitive edge."
• "The fish is not very fresh, the cuts are not great. The food is generally lacking taste and finesse."
• "The truffle they offered did not have the truffle aroma nor the taste, it was bland and had no smell."
• "The noodles were just cold noodles with 0 flavour."
• "The food was so bad, very salty, lack of taste."
• "The food was terrible, I would understand the fishes cannot be as fresh as other asian countries. But the cooked food are even worse!"
• "The Keiseki course dish tasted terrible for a very expensive Michelin two-star restaurant."

Service

Pros:

• "The service was alright. Some of them are friendlier than the others."
• "Excellent service from the staff at Umu."
• "The service like the food was impeccable."
• "The service level was excellent and every people at the restaurant was extremely polite and kind."
• "The service was very precise."
• "Waiters are helpful and will give detailed instruction on how to best appreciate the food so if you're new to the Japanese cuisine, don't be shy."
• "The service was very helpful and friendly, as expected at a fine dining restaurant."

Cons:

• "Kind a rude behavior."
• "The sommelier, unfortunately, seemed to sit on the ruder end of the spectrum."
• "The service is slow."
• "Sommelier became increasingly brusque when he realised we just wanted to sample a few less expensive sakes."
• "Service was ok but not excellent for a restaurant of that calibre."
• "Service was mediocre and cold. Very rushed to order and staff seemed immediately turned off when I didn't order alcohol."
• "Too many staff but nobody paid any attention to our glasses being constantly empty."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "The cosy interior seems to hug you into believing you are in Japan."
• "The atmosphere is very nice."
• "Cosy yet modern, Umu is the pinnacle of Japanese dining in London."
• "The mysterious door was hidden in the middle of the wall which slides open with the touch of a button."
• "Great atmosphere (even if sometimes a bit quiet)."
• "It was delicious and a nice mood lighting atmosphere, person yet vibrant and the waiters were 10/10-very attentive yet hidden."
• "An intimate, beautiful dining room, properly groomed unpretentious staff."

Cons:

• "It's certainly not stuffy (no tablecloths) but our table (booked well in advance for a full kaiseki menu) was shoved in a corner with a very strange asymmetrical seating arrangement for 4 diners, wedged behind a till with bright computer screen."
• "The ambience is also missing an 'X' factor."
• "Did it really need to be that dark?"
• "The whole experience was bizarre. I've never felt so uncomfortable at a restaurant before."
• "I would have given another star had it not been for their air conditioning being broken. On a hot summer’s day, it made the restaurant quite uncomfortable."
• "It was noisy and dark and I've never been so intimidated by a menu before."
• "Then there is a very unpleasant smell of wet mould in the restaurant that is not very appetising."

Value

Pros:

• "It's a real treat at £38-45 depending on what you choose."
• "The set lunch is great value for a 2 Michelin star place."
• "The set lunch menu is of fantastic value for what you receive. 32£ for a three course veggie lunch at a two-michelin starred establishment is perhaps the best deal I've ever found."
• "The lunchtime bento boxes are excellent value, coming with four substantial dishes, salad, rice, pickles, miso soup and a choice of desserts for £45-65."

Cons:

• "Very pricey though, if you include more than one drink."
• "Never going back- doesn't deserve the 2 stars it has."
• "Really disappointed from the lunch we just had at Umu. The pricing is super high, and the value isn't there."
• "Shockingly dear prices hang over the memory of very nice food."
• "However, it was also one of the most expensive meals I’ve ever paid for in my life - including the multiple 3-star Michelin meals my wife and I have been to in the past."
• "It's hard to match the eye watering prices with the lack of added value at the table."
• "Prices are still way over the top."