Umu

Ate there in early August - we will not be going back

It wasn't the food which put us off - it would be pretty good value at about half the price. It was the service, which beggared belief.

When we sat down at our table, three different staff members, all of whom were fluent in English, checked with us whether we understood the menu. But when it came to actually taking the order, we were allocated a trainee waiter who spoke no English. His supervisor (one of the three who had been round earlier) watched him struggle from 3 feet away, but did not intervene. It took ages to place the order,and then, needless to say, he got it wrong, in more than one way.

When we complained, the manager offered to refund the discretionary service charge. He didn't seem to grasp the discretionary notion - we were in any event not going to pay that.

Incidentally, a Japanese celebrity appeared while we were eating. A super-senior manager came out and served her personally.

Draw your own conclusions - I certainly have.
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Rusty - View all reviews by this user
1 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, August 12, 2010

I absolutely love japanese cuisine. I have eaten at all the best japanese restaurants in London and have been several times to Japan treating myself to the famous kyoto cuisine.

I have to say that Umu is disappointed me for the following reasons:

First of all I have to say the service was really positive and the waiter did everything to make us welcome and very attentive.

I had the kaiseki menu and my partner the sushi kaiseki.

The dishes were well presented however the sequence of how dishes arrived seemed confused. I expected the dishes of my menu to have a beginning a middle and end a crescendo or something. It started interesting but then lost its theme its sense of season flavour... it seemed lost and it felt the chef run out of gas a third into the meal.

The sushi menu was very good however for a kaiseki sushi menu it was boring as well.

The quality of sushi and sashimi was very good but as a kaiseki presentation it should be more then just nigiri and sashimi!

The head chef looked grim working away occasionally barking at a lower ranking chef. I felt that this was quite unpleasant to see. The lower ranking chef was a lady who conveyed much more grace then the so called master who obviously was superior in skill however one can not help notice a certain arrogance oozing from him.

I would recommend a visit to umu at least once to see for yourself.
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Jaqueline - View all reviews by this user
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, June 09, 2010

I went last night with some friends and wish I had read the reviews first. It has to be one of the worst value for money meals I have ever had. Would never go back
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Gye
2 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 0
Saturday, March 20, 2010

I REALLY enjoy Japanese food and consider myself a bit of a foodie. Umu came really highly recommended by friends of ours whose opinion I really respect. But I cannot for the life of me understand why.

I found the flavors of the dishes on the tasting menu to be incredibly upleasant with only one or two exceptions. The resturant stunk of fish which I didn't understand... fresh fish does not have a fishy odor. And the tables were packed in so tightly that you are practically sharing the dining experience with your neighbors.

The price was what I would expect to pay for at a fine dining resturant. But the food was not up to par for the price.
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3 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 10, 2009

I should've known it would be a difficult night when we had to dibs enough tasting menus for our table. Had I known what we were in for, I think we all would've gone a la carte or, if we were really smart, out the door.

The artistry of the dishes was appropriately well-done, but honestly the flavours were unpleasant. No dish off the tasting menu was delicious - the soup was scalding, there were maybe 5 pieces of sushi total, and the staff could barely remember the description. I don't know if it was genuinely Japanese, but for me to enjoy dropping that much for dinner, the chef would do well to remember the local diner's tastebuds. As the staff scrambled around us, they kept leaning on me to clean the table (please, just move the table away from the corner, there's no legroom anyway).

I struggle to see any reason for the accolades. The pattern on the large mirrored wall mimics a West Elm furniture catalogue, and catching glimpses of myself in the mirrors opposite made me feel like I was in a saloon/casino playing poker. Suspicious and creepy.

Oh, and we all left hungry.
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1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Friday, November 06, 2009

Going to this restaurant is just a joke... How can you charge such high price for such low quality food... No, you must be kidding.

We ordered what was supposed to be a big plate of sashimi for 5 people... I could not believe it when I saw it coming, it is just so tiny. The fish was fresh, but that's pretty much it.

Then, for the hot dishes, I couldn't really sense what was supposed to be a unique experience... or should I say uniquely... bad!

Anyway, highly unrecommended, shame on them, they should really rethink to way of being a posh restaurant, rather than a restaurant overpricing its customers.
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0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The tasting menus are expensive - but a great experience. The variety, creativity and quality are exceptional. Special occasions, well worth it.
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Anthony - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 7
Friday, August 28, 2009

Food is ok but not that great compared to other Japanese restaurants in London.
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5 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 2
Saturday, March 21, 2009

I was shocked!!! Some of my english freinds recomended me UMU is excellent Japanese restaurant in London. I missed good quality Japanese so went there with my family. The price was not so bad but the food disappointed me....I dont understand why lots of english people think UMU is great.

People think like this is they dont know high quality REAL Japanese food in KYOTO!!!
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KANDAGAWA K
4 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 2
Saturday, February 14, 2009

This must be one of the most exquisite meals i have ever eaten. Faves were the grilled skill fish and the grilled venison. Sashimi is to die for. The restaurant is beautiful and so sleek and the waiting staff attentive and knowledgable. If only i could afford to eat here every week ...
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Mingus
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, February 07, 2009