The men’s and women’s restrooms at Ümami Cafe are marked “Udadi” and “Umomi.”
“Which one’s which?” I asked my friend Ron.
I can be incredibly slow on the uptake.
Those restrooms were just one of the things I found intriguing at Ümami Cafe, a restaurant that’s quirky, puzzling and eclectic — but most of all, an all around good time.
Quirky: The children’s menu is viewable on a View-Master toy — ideal to entertain kids at the table, and a reason for parents to keep Purell on hand. Many, many little paws have touched those View-Masters…
Puzzling: I get the word “Ümami”, which roughly translates from Japanese as “fifth taste” or “flavor.” But what’s with the umlaut over the “U”? Is that just for show, like the umlaut in Häagen Dazs?
Eclectic: The name Ümami Cafe conjures up a sushi restaurant, but the menu is actually a hodgepodge of cuisine: Asian, Latin, American — pan-global, if you will. Seems chaotic and random, but it all works.
To start the meal, each table is served a bowl of homemade, fresh out of the fryer potato chips.
Crazy good. Warm, crispy and perfectly salted. I loved this. Who needs bread when you’ve got potato chips like these.
Ron and I went with a couple of Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold beers — those go down real easy — and we both ordered the “Sushi Joint Style” salad.
Simple, but yet so well executed. The slices of pickled ginger were a nice touch.
Here’s Ron’s Kobe beef burger.
And my killer entree – Pork and Peas.
Pork adobo braised in vinegar and garlic until it practically melts, served over rice with fresh peas. Seriously some of the most tender pork I’ve ever eaten. And intensely flavorful — I must have this again.
What an interesting meal, and not at all what I expected from Ümami Cafe. This place has many sides: kid friendly yet pleasing for adults, casual and neighborhoody yet sneakily sophisticated, unpretentious and reasonably priced, but serving dynamic food.
It’s still bugging me though: Why is there an umlaut on Ümami?
Ümami Cafe
325 South Riverside Ave.
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
914-271-5555
Global Cuisine at Umami Cafe
The men’s and women’s restrooms at Ümami Cafe are marked “Udadi” and “Umomi.”
“Which one’s which?” I asked my friend Ron.
I can be incredibly slow on the uptake.
Those restrooms were just one of the things I found intriguing at Ümami Cafe, a restaurant that’s quirky, puzzling and eclectic — but most of all, an all around good time.
Quirky: The children’s menu is viewable on a View-Master toy — ideal to entertain kids at the table, and a reason for parents to keep Purell on hand. Many, many little paws have touched those View-Masters…
Puzzling: I get the word “Ümami”, which roughly translates from Japanese as “fifth taste” or “flavor.” But what’s with the umlaut over the “U”? Is that just for show, like the umlaut in Häagen Dazs?
Eclectic: The name Ümami Cafe conjures up a sushi restaurant, but the menu is actually a hodgepodge of cuisine: Asian, Latin, American — pan-global, if you will. Seems chaotic and random, but it all works.
To start the meal, each table is served a bowl of homemade, fresh out of the fryer potato chips.
Crazy good. Warm, crispy and perfectly salted. I loved this. Who needs bread when you’ve got potato chips like these.
Ron and I went with a couple of Captain Lawrence Liquid Gold beers — those go down real easy — and we both ordered the “Sushi Joint Style” salad.
Simple, but yet so well executed. The slices of pickled ginger were a nice touch.
Here’s Ron’s Kobe beef burger.
And my killer entree – Pork and Peas.
Pork adobo braised in vinegar and garlic until it practically melts, served over rice with fresh peas. Seriously some of the most tender pork I’ve ever eaten. And intensely flavorful — I must have this again.
What an interesting meal, and not at all what I expected from Ümami Cafe. This place has many sides: kid friendly yet pleasing for adults, casual and neighborhoody yet sneakily sophisticated, unpretentious and reasonably priced, but serving dynamic food.
It’s still bugging me though: Why is there an umlaut on Ümami?
Ümami Cafe
325 South Riverside Ave.
Croton-on-Hudson, NY
914-271-5555