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The Main Course 7-2
Rating: 
Oh my, another sushi-centric restaurant, Umai, has opened this year in Montgomery County (the other being “Sima” in Hatboro). Umai Japanese opened Feb. 1 in a small storefront space in the new Station Square Shopping Center across Church Road from Pennbrook Station on SEPTA’s R5 line.
It was recommended by Betsy Meehan, owner of the wonderful little Café Betsy in North Wales and already a devoted regular. She joined my L.D.C. (lovely dining companion) and me on a recent Thursday night, ordering a few of her favorites for us to try.
According to the Japanese-English dictionary, the name of chef-owner Ray Jung’s restaurant, “Umai,” means “appetizing, delicious, skillful, splendid.” Umai was all of these things. Jung’s sushi creations were indeed on par with the very best sushi houses in our region.
After graduating from the Sushi Academy, Jung started at the great Ginza, where he trained under the fabulous Yone-san (now at Bonjung in Collegeville). Prior to opening Umai, he worked with Yong at Blue Fin, considered by many sushi afficianados to be the best in the region.
Things got off to a good start with three bowls of the best miso soup I have had, called akadashi ($2 each) — a red miso with three kinds of succulent mushrooms.
The impressive start was maintained with a shared plate of hamachi salad of velvety yellowtail with spring mix in a tasteful onion dressing, but quickened to a higher level with honzukuri – a sashimi of sliced fluke with yuzu sauce ($13.50).
Amazingly, these were soundly bested by our third appetizer, “tuna sundae” ($10), minced raw tuna and avocado with flying fish roe and black caviar, spiked with a spicy hot sauce, and served in an eye-catching martini glass. Blue Fin fans will recognize this as similar to sushi “martinis.”
Jung gets fresh fish shipments four or five times a week, from Japanese, Korean and Spanish suppliers. His tuna, toro tuna, red snapper, hamachi, kampachi (baby yellow tail), tako (octopus) and uni (sea urchin) are from Japan, as is the whole, 55-pound Blue Fin tuna, currently costing a cool $1,000.
We could not pass up the opportunity to have three divine slices of toro sashimi with the recognizable lacework of fat, the ultimate sushi treat. I also was hoping to have some uni — definitely an acquired taste, which I have acquired strongly — but he was out of it that night.
The superbly delicious umai special maki roll ($13.50), counterbalanced this disappointment. It is an inspired combination of crunchy spicy tuna roll with salmon and spicy yellowtail.
Attention vegetarians! Next, we shared Betsy’s favorite, the veggie roll platter, comprising three different all-vegetable rolls: a “naruto” roll distinguished by its wrapping of thinly sliced cucumber, a cold spring roll wrapped in rice paper and an inside-out roll with asparagus and avocado. It’s not on the menu; as with many of Umai’s creations, you must ask for it, and Jung will try to accommodate you if he has the ingredients that day.
You folks of the veggie persuasion will want to try Jung’s unusual, refreshing drink specialty, kale juice, made from fresh kale, apple and cranberry, also on Betsy’s “must have” list.
Jung’s partner is Jacob Wibowo, and his assistant chef is Paul Lee. Our server, Joanna, was very pleasant and helpful in explaining what some of the lesser-known menu items were.
The B.Y.O.B. is decorated in the simple and spare Japanese aesthetic, with bare avocado walls and pumpkin wainscoting below the blue green trim. Umai also features a sushi bar.
A large off-street parking lot more than adequately serves the entire shopping center.
Overall Rating: MMMM (out of 5 m’s) Umai serves excellent sushi in a small, but comfortable, dining room.
Contact food reviewer Mitch Davis at MdavisMainCourse@aol.com.
