Umami Omakase

Some things are unassuming - whether it be by looks, size, or substance. Umami at first glance is indeed all of these things being located in small space with not much signage or ability to see into the dining room that fits about 35-50 people total and has a very clean but minimalist decor. However, to write it off without truly understanding WHAT they are trying to accomplish is a tragic mistake. My wife took me for my birthday, citing we were going to a "special occasion" spot, and there is truly no greater description for Umami.Umami was a truly ethereal experience from start to finish. I will say that it was probably THE most expensive meal we've ever had, but it's not a place that we walked away from feeling cheated at the price point. That is one of the things that worries me with high-end places in Boston... about 50% of them you walk away thinking "that was good, but for the price "x" place was better"; well, that was NOT the case for Umami, which made it that much more impressive of an experience. Umami is not your run-of-the-mill omakase place, there is no ala carte menu except for their blackboard specialty items (more on that later). You have a choice of two different omakase offerings during two fixed seating times and either drinks by glass or an expertly selected sake pairing. What this does is allows the chefs to shift and morph the menu to whatever is seasonal and available (mostly from Japan for the proteins), eliminating the sometimes daunting amount of choices to make during a fine dining experience. No, here you show up, make ~2 choices, then sit back and enjoy the show and experience... because that is what Umami is: an interactive experience that is centered around a 2-3 hour meal. I wouldn't come here expecting your usual sushi rolls or nigiri... this is Japanese food taken to the next level and beyond. There's no jars of soy sauce or saucers of wasabi and pickled ginger to destroy and overwhelm the delicate, top of the line ingredients. No, Umami and its chefs create some of the most thoughtful and nuanced bites and dishes that will ever grace your palate. This may be offputting to some people, who believe they know best and refuse to change or try something different... but believe me, the chefs know what is best in terms of handling and transforming these ingredients into something that I don't know I could have ever imagined. While you may see the commonly known and ordered sushi such as ahi/bluefin/bigeye/yellowfin tuna and the fatty/regular salmon, they are not the selections that pop out as unique or imaginative (but they did account for some of the best sushi I've ever had in their respective categories). You will find many different fish that can only be found in the waters surrounding Japan and are flown in fresh 2x/week. This includes Japanese Fluke, Hokkaido A+ uni (considered the best in the world), and Wagyu beef (including the certificate of authenticity and credentialing). You also get a look into ingredients I have never seen treated in the ways they were at Umami such as the Japanese langostina and foi gras dishes, both quickly seared with a blow torch to add a little bit of texture to an otherwise smooth and sweet protein. Even if you do not fancy a specific protein or ingredient (such as foi gras for me...), you should indulge with an open mind. There was not a single mediocre or "okay" bit of food that was served during our experience. Even the tomago (baked/steamed egg) was stepped up from your typical, bland offering in the sushi world.There are two different seating choices: the sushi chef bar or standard seating. I would recommend the sushi chef bar so you get to interact with the chefs and see how much work, effort, and talent goes into the creation of each dish. As a home cook myself, seeing the art of butchering the fish and the slight of hand demanded to create such dishes gives an additional level of appreciation for the experience and how the menu is executed. I cannot put the overall experience into words, even after everything I've laid out above. It exceeded any and all expectations for a meal, even at THIS price point. I have been to various Michelin-starred restaurants and even those couldn't have prepared me for the Umami experience. The combination of food, service, entertainment, and atmosphere was at times almost overwhelming as I tried to take it all in. Did either of us have any regrets, especially at the price point? Absolutely NOT. Will we be back? Most definitely. Will it be soon? Not as soon as we would like; perhaps for the next special occasion, whenever that may be... but I WILL be back. If I had the means, I would frequent Umami whenever I could (and plan to do that!). It is one of the only places in Boston that I would say MUST be experienced at some point or another, as it changed the way I will view fine dining in the city. It has raised an already high bar in an amazing food city, and may have stolen the crown.

So much of omakase (and food in general) comes down to taste but I thought many of the pieces/dishes at Umami were just okay, with a handful of standouts. For the price point, especially since a kitchen appreciation fee is not included in the base price, I was expecting to walk away wowed.My impressions:1. Umami is a 30-person omakase with counter + tables. Even though we sat at the counter and got to see the chefs at work, I thought it took away from the intimate ambiance a little, especially when the chef had to shout to the rest of the restaurant to indicate what we were eating. 2. In other omakase places, you have one chef explaining the fish and how it's presented. Here, it got messy - with some pieces, the chef did the explaining; other times, our waiter did; and the recurring theme of showing us the actual fish on a platter beforehand wasn't necessary. Nor was showing us the certificate for the wagyu, which just felt weird (yes, I trust you are serving me what you say you are serving me).3. Some of the flavors did not mesh well together and there seemed to be more of an emphasis on jamming different ingredients together rather than letting the flavor of the fish shine. I'm a sushi purist so already I'm starting at a baseline of just give me the fish and rice. - I was turned off by the raw fish and fruit jello at the beginning (a strange flavor/texture mishmash and frankly a disservice to the fish). - Same for the sashimi and pineapple salsa. The combo of sweet, spicy, and fishy was strange. - Fatty tuna, regular tuna, and caviar may sound good on paper but in practice, the taste of fatty tuna just overwhelms everything else. A slab of the tuna on its own would have sufficed. - The non-fish dishes ranged from stellar (noodles with crabmeat and roe) to eh (duck breast was overcooked, wagyu could have used with less seasoning). I am not a fan of fois gras so the appeal of that piece was lost on me. 4. Where Umami excelled were the simpler dishes and pieces (like horse mackerel topped with green onion and some sesame; the crab noodles; and a stunning hand-roll of unagi and silky tamago). 5. Parking: On busy Mass Ave so budget some time in advance to find a spot.

I appreciate the intimate setting with the diners all around the counter overseeing the chefs at work. While each of the courses was delicious, I was a little disappointed in the various non-fish dishes - not that they were not good, they were but I usually expect the focus of the experience to involve mostly fish. While in concept majority of the courses were yummy there were some courses where there was a lot going on that it took away from the main focus of that course, the fish which then cause the flavor of that fish to be masked and over powered by the various sauces and garnishes. There is a fine line between creativity and flavor. At the end of the day, taste/presentation is subjective - the experience was still great, the food was good, the staff friendly, I like how they would bring around some of the fish (the whole fish) and talk a little about the origin and the taste profile. Still a spot worth checking out and great for if you aren't a huge raw fish person but want to dabble in it since there is a good variety in the courses like duck, shrimp, crab, wagyu.

I highly recommend this place for omakase! It's reasonably priced as far as omakase goes (less than $200pp). I recommend the saki pairing. Service was great and food was phenomenal. Everything was unique and delicious.

Compared to top omakase spots Wa Shin and 311 the quality of the fish is not quite as good. But there is more variety and playfulness and Umami has a more relaxed atmosphere. It does hold 20-30 for one service so it gets a bit loud and is a bit less intimate than other omakase in Boston, but again is a bit more relaxed and you don't have to keep it down here. Regardless the staff are very nice and friendly. That being said, all the dishes were solid with one or two being excellent, such as the duck dish.Service was two hours long with good spacing between dishes. While not the top contender for omasake in Boston it's still above average and ,with the price point, offers very good value. I encourage any sushi lovers to dine here and enjoy a relaxed and fun meal here! 4/5See photos below for some highlights with dish description and rating

Great omakase place! Considered how expensive omakase is in Boston in general, I think this place is good for the price. Most of the pieces are delicious. I love the seafood egg custard (especially the sauce on top), the squid nigiri and the scallop nigiri. The chef is very friendly and accommodating. I would say the signature dish, the one with uni, quill egg and salmon row is a bit disappointing though since all three have specific flavors, and when you put them all together, their unique flavors are cancelled out. Maybe I prefer their original flavors a bit more.The ambiance is a bit lagging in my opinion. I would expect a place with such price point to be a bit more delicate with ambiance. In general, definitely worth a try especially if you haven't been to any omakase before.

1.5-1.8/5TL;DR: SUPER LONG REVIEW - not a true omakase and more of a tasting menu. Modern sushi fusion gone wrong. SO overpriced. Took 3 hoursMy friends and I wanted to try an omakase spot when visiting Boston and decided on this spot due to all the good reviews. The interior is cute, and service is nice. We quickly realized that everyone in the restaurant were doing the omakase, so they are serving ~30-40ish people simultaneously. RED FLAGS/Negatives: --Serving 30-40 people at once: can cause delays/timing issues--A lot of the pieces of fish/nigiri were pre-cut--First dish of Miso Soup was so bland (bad start)--Sushi chefs were handling iPads with their hands then handling the food directly after--They tried to upsell dishes (like Japanese uni) party by party: when we declined the salesman made a condescending comment "oh, you don't like uni?" Like no, we do; but you are aggressively upselling it to us--It was ~10+ minutes in between dishes --Experience took almost 3 hours (they said they were down a sushi chef)--Rice was so weird (each grain was a different size and was coated in something weird)FOOD RATINGS by order (see pics for more): ~Miso Soup (2/5): bland and clam was overcooked~Oyster with tomato puree (2/5): oyster was raw and temperature was on the warmer side. Tomato puree seemed like an odd choice~Assorted cuts of fish with fruit and fruit gel (1/5): what even was this. It tasted like a fruit cocktail with jello and pieces of fish~The spoon (5/5): toro, quail egg, ikura, uni, and caviar on a spoon. Tasted good~Spanish Mackerel (3/5): mid~Chopped salmon with yuzu tobiko and sweet cream cheese (1/5): I assume this was their play on like a bagel and lox. They said to mix it up and eat, and it just tasted like sweet cream cheese, and the texture was off-putting. Honestly, disrespectful to the fish.~Aji (I think)(2.5/5): Mid ~Snapper (3/5): Mid~Multiple types of toro with caviar (4/5): can't go wrong with toro, but rice and temp made me dock a star~Chawanmushi (2.5/5): had a shrimp and scallop on top which were both severely overcooked. The egg was decent, but the soy gel on top was tasty but strange texture (maybe too much agar agar or something)~Baby squid (2/5): Could only taste mayo~Scallop (3/5): large piece of scallop; but just wrapped in some nori~Another type of snapper (2.5/5): meh~Smoked duck breast (2.5/5): great presentation; half warm, half cold. Very dry ~Wagyu (3/5): can't mess up wagyu, but it was just okay and the topping did not complement the wagyu~Foie Gras (4/5): Foie gras was torched and tasty but ruined by the bad rice~Unagi Tamago (3.5/5): decent but nothing special~Mango Mousse (1/5): As a lover of dessert, I was so disappointed. Overly sweet, and again had some kind of gel.I haven't had a disappointing meal like this in a very long time. It took WAY too long; was WAY too expensive; was NOT an omakase; did NOT taste good.

This was a wonderful dining experience. We were seated around the bar with other customers, starting at the same time the dinner experience. The multiple course menu encompassed various fish, sushi, meat selections with elegant presentation and delicious taste. We finished with an awesome desert at the end.

Called the restaurant around 6 pm and made reservations for 8 pm that same night. Dinner is offered at 5:30 pm and 8 pm and is roughly two hours long. The bar sits about 17 or 18 people and there are several tables and chairs. We were informed we had to sit at a table because we had our young children with us. Parking is street parking and was ample/free when we arrived around 7:50 pm.Omakase is eighteen courses with the option of adding bafun uni, which we did. A la carte is not an option. There was a course breakdown on the menu. It was: Soup * Assorted Sashimi Plates * Assorted Sushi * Toro Japanese Fishes * Caviar * Japanese A5 Wagyu Beef * Foie Bras * Truffle Kitchen Specials * Hand Roll * Umami Dessert. It was nice having a breakdown. It would've been lovelier having a list of everything prepared. I'm not an auditory learner so it was hard following the description of all the dishes. That's just a personal preference though. We also got the set A sake tasting which came with three glasses. You have the option of starting with set A and continuing further to sets B and C, the last which offers five glasses, if you're enjoying it and want to keep drinking. We were perfectly content with set A. They also offer an assortment of champagne, beer, and sodas.Everything we ate was delicious. I swore I heard a chorus of angels singing when I ate the toro. The Umami spoon was amazing. Wagyu and foie gras decadent. Husband really enjoyed the fluke. Aji was one of the best I've ever had. No regrets about adding the bafun uni.Service was warm and attentive. I'm glad a 20% kitchen appreciation fee is automatically added to the bill and that gratuity is optional. We added extra cash on top. They deserve it for how hard they work. Ahmed was one of our servers and made our experience a great one. He explained all the dishes to us personally so I didn't feel like we were missing out on anything at the bar. Our food also came out roughly around the same time as those sitting at the bar.Place is decorated simply and not pretentious. My husband was in dark jeans, a button down shirt, dress shoes, and a blazer. I had a dress, jean jacket, and flat sandals on. We were the most dressed up by a lot. Everyone was pretty casual. I have no clue if that's on par for the area since we're not from around here.I thought the price was very fair given the quality of food and service. I'd wholeheartedly suggest this place to anyone looking for a solid omakase experience. I see reviews bringing up places like Sushi Nakazawa, which I've also had the opportunity of dining at. I think comparing Umami Omakase to the former is unfair as I don't feel like Umami is trying to be them. I didn't come to Umami expecting it to be like Sushi Nakazawa and I'm glad it's not. At Sushi Nakazawa, my children would not even be allowed in the main dining room. I appreciate the different approaches to omakase. Also would it not make more sense to compare omakases that are within reasonable proximity to one another and not ones that are a five hour drive apart? Just a thought.

This is a hard review. Staff is super nice. Seating at counter for the omakase was much more entertaining than expected. I really like the clean simple ambience. The dishes - described by many others before - are very tasty. I enjoyed the sake selection, but I relied on my own preferences rather than the very expensive and not so educated waiter recommendation. A few deductions: 1. Not everything needs to be a complex concoction. A great piece of fish can stand on its own and doesn't need layering and sauces. 2. I like fish most of all. No need to have so many meat courses. 3. The desert (something like a caramel pudding) was an awful ending. It didn't blend with the preceding course. Verdict: I shall be back.