Umu

General information

Nestled on Bruton Place, serving Michelin-starred Japanese cuisine, Umu prides itself on the provenance and integrity of ingredients, which are used to create innovative Kyoto influenced dishes. Executive Chef Yoshinori Ishii is involved in every aspect of the restaurant from flower arranging, to making the ceramic tableware. He maintains regular contact with Cornish and Scottish fishermen to whom he has taught the humane Japanese method 'ike jime' of fish preparation to preserve the quality of the fish. Each day Umu flies in fresh produce from Japan to ensure Yoshinori’s exacting standards.

Yoshinori Ishii

Yoshinori Ishii brings over twenty years of cooking experience to the elegant dishes for which Umu is famed. As well as being a highly accomplished chef, he is also a skilled fisherman, potter, and calligrapher. Ishii has a rare eye for artful display as well as flavour, incorporating his expertise as not only a chef but also a skilled artist into each dish.

Ishii trained for nine years at the three Michelin-starred restaurant Kyoto Kitcho in Japan. Although he was sous chef, he also took responsibility for cultivating traditional Japanese vegetables and preserving and arranging all the cultural assets owned by the restaurant- from flower arranging to tableware. Following his time at Kyoto Kitcho, Ishii then became Head Chef at the Japanese Embassy for the United Nations in Geneva and New York. He then worked as Omakase Chef at Morimoto restaurant, also in New York. During his time there he received the prestigious ‘Rising Star Chef’ award and was a finalist for the Vilcek prize for culinary arts.

Notable Awards:

2012 One Michelin Star (since 2005)
2012 Ranked 39 in The Sunday Times 100 Best Restaurants
2012 AA Restaurant Guide- 3 Rosettes (since 2006)
2012 Zagat Survey: Food: 26, Décor: 26, Service: 25
2011 Square Meal Guide- 2 stars (since 2008)
2009 Newsweek Japan – top 100 most influential Japanese abroad
2009 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence - Honouring
2015 Second Michelin Star

Testimonials:

“Near fanatical about the quality and freshness of its fish, Umu is the thinking man’s Japanese. The sommelier looks after one of the largest sake lists in the world while a new chef, now six months in the job, continues to run the show beautifully.”
Jeremy Wayne, Tatler Restaurant Guide 2011

“It’s impossible to dispute or underestimate the attention to detail and imagination packed into each of Umu’s magical, Kyoto-style dishes.”
Square Meal Guide 2011

“The mere fact that there are over 160 different labels of sake available tells you this is no ordinary Japanese restaurant.”
London Michelin Guide 2009

Menu

Kaiseki
£155

UMU lunch selections

Each menu will be served with a small green salad and a choice of homemade ice cream and sorbet or seasonal fresh fruit

- Shokado bento – Bento box with a choice of grilled fish, poultry of the day or tiger prawn tempura served with a seasonal simmered dish, chef's selection of sashimi, a seasonal cured dish and rice £35

- The above served with grilled Wagyu beef £45

- Shojin Bento – Bento box with a vegetarian selection of grilled and simmered dishes, a seasonal appetiser, and rice £25

- Chirashi-sushi – Selection of sashimi served on top of sushi rice with kinshi and shiitake £45

- Hiyashi somen– Cold somen noodles served with tiger prawn or vegetable tempura £25

- Chef's special sushi selection – 10 pieces of classic and modern sushi £38
(Please allow 20 minutes for preparation)

Zensai - Appetisers

- Tuna tartar salad £20

- Sake-cured Scottish langoustine, tomato jelly £28

- Lightly seared wild Scottish lobster, coral sauce £38

- Three preparations of Kumamoto oysters £18

- Sake-steamed Irish abalone Sunomono £22

Sashimi

- Omakase

Chef’s special selection of sashimi MP
Chef’s special selection of shellfish sashimi MP
or your choice from today’s market per piece

- Usuzukuri

Thinly sliced sashimi
Yellow tail £21
White fish of the day £21

- Vegetables

Umu green salad £12
Oshitashi £11
Homemade tofu, umadashi, ginger, spring onion £21
Yasai-Nabe, vegetable hotpot £21
Homemade Hiroosu, tofu cake & vegetables £24

- Tempura & Kawariage

Blue tiger prawn £26
Seasonal, organic and Japanese vegetables £21
Wild Scottish lobster £45
Japanese ‘Fish & Chips’ £28

- Welsh wild Eel

Kabayaki, charcoal grilled, sweet soy sauce £28
“Fuwa-fuwa” egg soufflé, mushroom, mitsuba £28
Ibushi, smoked à la minute, plum-shiso sauce £28

- Fish and poultry preparations

Lightly grilled toro tuna tataki, variety of miso sauce £38
Wild Scottish lobster, shichimi pepper, miso bisque £39
Charcoal grilled Guinea fowl thigh,
sake steamed breast, foie gras quinoa, vegetables £28

- Wagyu Beef

Grade 6, Hoba-Yaki, miso nut sauce £39
Grade 9 hot Himalayan rock salt, grilled at your table £65
Grade 9 tataki, lightly charcoal grilled, vegetables, sesame-ponzu sauce (served at room temperature) £65

- Soup & Rice

“Nimonowan” fine clear soup
with seasonal fish and vegetables £26
Kyoto-style red miso soup £6
Kyoto-style white miso soup £7
Buckwheat soba noodles with vegetables £21
“Uzumi-Dofu" lobster tempura, lobster soup and rice £22
Steamed Japanese rice £8

- Sushi

Edo-mae sushi
Traditional Tokyo style
Nigiri sushi

Toro £8
Seared toro £8
Akami (tuna back) £5
Sea bass £7
Turbot £6.5
Engawa £6.5
Yellow tail £6
Red mullet £4.5
Mackerel £4
Wild salmon £7
Langoustine £8
Lobster £7
Scallop £6
Sea urchin £8
Sweet prawn £6.5
Razor clam £6
Squid £4
Eel Kabayaki £4.5
Eel Shirayaki £4.5
Ikura £5
Tamago £3

Umu-mae sushi

Umu style Nigiri-sushi

Toro, shishito pepper £8
Seared tuna, mushroom £6
Red mullet, pesto, bottarga £6
Eel and caviar £12
Eel garlic butter £5.5
Brown crab courgette £6.5
Prawn mango £5.5
Lobster, pesto, plum £7.5
Langoustine, ginger £8
Seared salmon, walnut sauce £7.5
Seared scallop, cucumber £5.5
Seared razor clam £6
Foie gras, shiitake £8
Prawn, cucumber, shiso £8

Vegetarian sushi
Pickled white radish £3
Simmered aubergine £3
King oyster mushroom £3
Simmered courgette £3
Shishito pepper £4
Donko shitake £4
Tokyo leek £4.5