UMI BALANCES CLASSIC AND MODERN JAPANESE FLAVORS WITH STYLE.
Does the perfect bite exist? It’s a question I found myself pondering multiple times during a duo of recent visits to Umi in Buckhead. Spoiler alert: I believe it does, albeit in many different permutations. Every dish, crafted under the watchful eye and skillful hands of Executive Chef Todd Dae Kulper, seemed to be aimed at achieving harmony between sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami flavors. I relished how each plate came out perfectly composed, with no guesswork required to find the precise sensory experience the chefs intended.
The feast for the senses starts before the first course is served, as the dining room is elegantly dim and moody with its dark wood walls and sculptural lighting from British designer Tom Dixon. Meanwhile, the open kitchen is brightly lit, shining like a beacon and telegraphing that the food is the real star, guided by a cadre of chefs committed to precision.
Start any visit, as I did, with a cocktail. While the menu offers plenty of classics, from a wonderfully wellmade whiskey Old Fashioned to a violet-hued Aviation, tipples with Japanese ingredients shine. The Matsuyama’s Jacket, named for the Japanese pro golfer who won the Master’s in 2021, is a blend of smoky mezcal paired with herbaceous shiso, citrus and a touch of sugar. Its green hue is a nod to the Augusta tournament’s signature jackets presented to winners. Likewise verdant, the Kyodai combines tequila with shiso, tangy yuzu and lime for a creative riff on the margarita.
My favorite way to experience the extensive menu is to order a bit at a time, according to where your whims and appetite take you. No matter what follows, starting with the avocado salad is a must. Made simply of half a flawlessly ripe avocado filled with delicately piquant wasabi vinaigrette, it’s exquisite in its buttery simplicity. While you can share this dish with your dining companion, don’t. Everyone will surely want one of their own. On the other hand, the spicy tuna starter, which comes with fiery tuna tartare on lightly fried, crispy sushi rice and topped jalapeño slices, is a perennial favorite and an ideal appetizer to split. So is the carpaccio of Japanese red snapper (madai) with sea salt, lemon, olive oil and yuzu kosho, a bold, fermented chili and citrus paste.
Sometimes you order something on a whim, and it becomes a go-to dish you think about later. For me, that was charred chutoro tataki. The medium-fatty tuna came ever-so-slightly charred, sliced and served in a pool of sweet-tangy sauce made with yuzu, wakame seaweed and su-miso, a traditional sweet-and sour mix of miso paste, rice vinegar and sugar. Every morsel melted in my mouth and left me wanting more.
Sashimi, thinly sliced, raw seafood, really showcases the impeccable freshness of the fish that is flown in directly from Japan twice per week. It was easy to imagine that the stylish, glossy pieces of fatty tuna, hamachi and red snapper were swimming in chilly Pacific waters just days before. While the set-up provided by the expert service team includes soy sauce, ginger and wasabi, reverence for the quality of the seafood led me to use those accouterments sparingly.
To really see the chefs’ creativity on display, dig into the sousaku nigiri section of the menu. Rather than standard nigiri, a pristine piece of fish draped snugly over chewytender sushi rice, these two-piece creations are even more exciting.
The Hinomaru is a standout, made with madai (Japanese red sea bream) and earthy shiso leaf, sea salt, a fermented chili paste called kanzuri and tangy yuzu juice. Likewise, the cured Scottish salmon with garlic aioli, lime, cracked pepper and briny caviar is a beautifully composed bite.
While Umi’s raw offerings are the focus, don’t overlook the “hot dishes.” There, you’ll find melt-in your- mouth lobster toban-yaki with lobster brown butter, a worthy addition to any meal. The duck leg confit, cooked in A5 Wagyu fat, lacquered with a soy-ginger glaze and served with Brussels sprouts, was an unexpected delight that leverages French cooking techniques while managing to feel perfectly at home on this Japanese menu.
If you’re feeling adventurous, ask about off-menu specialties. I did one night and was rewarded with a creamy, spicy handroll of buttery scallops and rice wrapped in tender-crisp nori, which turned out to be an ideal finale to the evening’s savory dishes.
On my second visit, my husband and I were shown to a table on the covered, climate-controlled patio, dubbed the Bonsai Room. The regular dining room can be loud, but this space, even on a Tuesday evening, can only be described as cacophonous. Fortunately, the near-flawless food got most of my attention because having a conversation over our table for two without shouting was impossible. If you’ve paced yourself, you’ll have saved room for dessert.
Plan ahead and order the feather-light green tea soufflé. It takes 25 minutes, but it’s well worth the wait. For a more dramatic presentation, choose the chocolate kyu, a Valrhona chocolate globe filled with fresh berries, red pastry cream and mascarpone infused in Yamazaki 18-year whiskey. The limited nightly offering comes with a mallet so you can smash the sphere to reveal the goodies inside.
Though they came in all shapes and sizes, the question of the existence of a perfect bite was answered in the affirmative more times than I could count at this Buckhead gem.
Umi
404.841.0040
umimodern.com
@umisushiatl
Prices: starters: $9-$80; sashimi: $12-$58; nigiri: $6-$29; sousaku nigiri: $17- $34; hot dishes: $19-$185; vegetables: $9-$12; traditional rolls: $9-$15; house specialty rolls: $15-$45; desserts: $9-$16; omakase: from $175 per person.
Recommended: Matsuyama’s Jacket cocktail, avocado salad, charred chutoro tataki, Hinomaru, sake aioli, duck leg confit, green tea soufflé.
Bottom line: Umi is a Buckhead original for beautifully executed sushi made with ultra-fresh imported Japanese seafood, thoughtful service and stylish environs. Opened in 2013, it’s still one of the see-and-be-seen hotspots for good reason: It delivers a top-notch experience.
PHOTOS: Madelynne Grace
