[Restaurant Review] Oumi - Good Views, Great Food

Oumi is a relatively new restaurant and they serve Japanese 'Kappo' cuisine, which literally means 'to cut and cook'.

I was there for their Restaurant Week menu, which I thought was great value, and it proved to be great value.

The Food

I really love the Shima Aji Crudo. If I were to describe the dish in one word, that would be fresh. The ingredients were incredibly fresh, from the fish sourced from Japan, and the edible flowers from the urban garden next door. I really liked the thickness of the sashimi, and the sakura ponzu sauce really helps in awakening the palate. The ponzu was sweet, sour, and savoury, but the flavours were well-balanced. I like to taste sashimi in their natural flavours, but the ponzu sauce was just so good that I cannot resist dipping the sashimi into the sauce again and again.

The Kani Chawanmushi & Sushi Bowl was served next. This was the highlight of the meal. To be honest, I'm not too sure why they served it as a single course. However, I'm not too bothered by it and neither should you.

The Sushi Bowl is unlike your typical chirashi bowl, and I dare say it is the best sushi bowl I ever had. I'm not exaggerating. Everything was fresh, and I must applaud them for their commitment to include edible flowers in all their dishes. The rice was nicely seasoned, and I wish there was more rice.

The Kani Chawanmushi was unlike anything I tried. Most chawanmushi have a custard like texture, but the Kani Chawanmushi at Oumi resembles a soufflé in texture. The chawanmushi was fluffy and soft, and the crab and sweet corn provided bursts of sweetness that distinguishes this dish from other chawanmushi I had.

The Buta Kashira was interesting to say the least. The pork was well-grilled, with a nice char taste. The mountain caviar provided a strong textural and taste contrast to the pork. While the pork was fatty, tender and sweet, the mountain caviar had a broccoli-like flavour, with a grainy texture.

I thought the Lemon Myrtle Sorbet was a good way to end the meal. The dessert was very refreshing despite the custard, and helped to cleanse the palate after the rich, and wholesome main course earlier. No complains from me :)

Remember what I said about great views? You can get a seat either at the counter, watching the chefs prepare the food or get a seat by the window. If you do get a seat by the window, you will be rewarded with this awesome view (pardon the bad photo). There are no bad seats in Oumi, it is just a matter of preference!

Conclusion

My expectations were high for Oumi, and it did not disappoint. I would dine at Oumi again in a heartbeat as the dishes are unique, and I really appreciate their commitment to the concept. Many restaurants market themselves as 'farm to table' or using 'fresh produce to the fullest', but only marry the concept in a handful of dishes. I'm impressed with how Oumi handle their ingredients, bringing their concept to life, and them incorporating flowers in every dish.

Disclosure: This post is not sponsored.

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