20180422:
Today Ada and I decided to eat dinner at Umami. Given the choice of ordering a three-course meal or a la carte (6.00 per dish plus applicable surcharges), we eventually chose the three course meal. To our understanding, we both had to choose the same type of system. In any case, for the three-course meal, we were each allotted two items per category ("I", "II", and "III") for a total of twelve (four times three) dishes. If there were five persons eating under this system there there'd be a total of thirty (five times two times three) dishes. Note that this costs 27.50 per person, whereas ordering the same six dishes a la carte would cost 36.00 (six times 6.00) per person.
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| Bread |
The bread and sauce reminded me of bao and dumpling dipping sauce. The sauce seemed to be oil with soy sauce.
To drink, I ordered a bottle of Asahi.
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| Dipping Sauce |
-I-
a) The duck was tasty. c) The duck was delicious; it had a sour taste. f) The thin cut of duck was one reason it tasted good. It combined well with the cucumber.
Menu Description:
Umami Duck Eendenborst • Komkommer • Japanse zeewier • Sjalot vinaigrette | Duck breast • Cucumber • Japanese seaweed • Shallot vinaigrette
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| Umami Duck |
b) The Little Gem Salad was okay.
Menu Description:
Little Gem Salad (V) Romaine sla • Beukenzwam• Boomoren • Rijstvinaigrette | Romaine lettuce • Beech mushroom • Woodear • Rice vinaigrette
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| Little Gem Salad |
d) The Mango Prawns was good.
Menu Description:
Mango Prawns Gamba • Zoete chili dressing • Mangogel | Prawn • Sweet chili dressing • Mango gel
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| Mango Prawns |
e) The lamb tartar came out with peanuts and the restaurant remade it for us without peanuts. It was good, not exceptional, but good. g) When I finished the lamb tartar, it was creamier and tastier than before. With that being said, it's texture was not as great as the texture of the beef tartar I had the other day. 11:13 AM PT (for Amsterdam, Netherlands +9 hours)
Menu Description:
Lamb Tartare Lamstartaar • Soja mayonaise • Kappertjes • Pinda | Lamb tartare • Soy mayonnaise • Capers • Peanut
(+ € 3)
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| Lamb Tartare |
-II-
a) The duck was delightfully crisp on the outside. The sauce was okay. The duck tasted great without the sauce. g) The duck was delicious.
Menu Description:
Orange Duck Eendenborst • Sinaasappelsaus • Wortelpuree • Lycheegel | Duck breast • Orange sauce • Carrot purée • Lychee gel
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| Orange Duck |
b) Meanwhile, I love the sauce of the chicken. The chicken's texture reminded me of Vietnamese ham (chả). The slice of Japanese carrot was the perfect compliment. h) Maybe the chicken was just a bit better than the duck.
Menu Description:
Ginger Chicken Gember kip • Groene paprika • Japanse wortel | Ginger chicken • Green bell pepper • Japanese carrot
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| Ginger Chicken |
c) The salmon was uninteresting. e) The sauce which dressed the salmon was good; that dish depends on it.
Menu Description:
Cucumber Salmon Zalm • Gepofte rijst • Komkommersaus • Mangogel | Salmon • Puffed rice • Cucumber sauce • Mango gel
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| Cucumber Salmon |
d) The tempura mushroom was good; I never had tempura mushroom before. f) I enjoyed how the softness of the mushroom blended together with the sauce.
Menu Description:
Tempura Mushrooms (V) Beukenzwam • Tempura • Peperolie • Mangogel | Beech mushroom • Tempura • Pepper oil • Mango gel
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| Tempura Mushrooms |
I asked Ada to rank the dishes here. From best to worst she picked the duck, then the chicken, then the salmon, and then the mushroom - though the mushroom was better when less soaked in sauce.
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| Tempura Mushrooms (almost gone!) |
I picked the chicken, then the mushroom, then the duck, and then the salmon - though the salmon was better when soaked in more sauce.
In the end, the dishes were all excellent and it was hard to compare their quality. With that being said, the flavors of the duck dish were less consistent. 11:42 AM PT (for Amsterdam, Netherlands +9 hours)
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| Noodle |
-III-
a) The shark tasted just like any other fish, perhaps fishier. g) I tried just a little more shark, but I didn't like the sauce.
Menu Description:
Zeelandic Shark Gladde haaienfilet • Appel • Licht pikante vissaus • Appelgel | Houndshark fillet • Apple • Mildly spicy fish sauce • Apple gel
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| Zeelandic Shark |
b) The duck crepe was awesome.
Menu Description:
Umami Pancake Pekingeend • Flensje • Selderij • Bieslook • Hoisin • Peperolie | Peking duck • Pancake • Celery • Chives • Hoisin • Pepper oil
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| Umami Pancake |
c) The first piece of beef tasted good, but the second (end) piece was more cooked and dry. e) Ada didn't like the beef (she only ate part of her first piece). The final piece of beef was good until the sauce fade away.
Menu Description:
Buttery Beef Black Angus rund • Kruidenboter • Chinese pepersaus • Aardappelsalade | Black Angus beef • Herb butter • Chinese pepper sauce • Potato salad
(+ € 3)
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| Buttery Beef |
d) The pork tasted amazing; it was perfectly cooked. I ate the second piece with pineapple, but there was no major improvement. f) Like the pineapple, eating the pork with the taro didn't add much to the experience. The pork, however, was still great.
Menu Description:
Iberico Pork Iberico varken • Gefermenteerde koolsaus • Taro • Ananas | Iberico pork • Fermented cabbage sauce • Taro • Pineapple
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| Iberico Pork |
h) Ada didn't want anymore pork and I didnt want anymore fish. great. 12:06 PM PT (for Amsterdam, Netherlands +9 hours)
-Dessert-
€ 5 per dessert
This melon treat, while the ingredients were distinct, was good. Of the various combinations, the fruit melon with melon sorbet was best. I like the sour sauce drops. 12:28 PM PT (for Amsterdam, Netherlands +9 hours)
Menu Description:
Melon Treat Meloen sorbet • Witte chocolade gelei • Amandel • Cantaloupe | Melon sorbet • White chocolate jelly • Almonds • Cantaloupe
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| Melon Treat |
Overall, getting the three-course meal was a fun and delicious experience. It was the right amount of food and thus cost effective (compared to a la carte).
Note that a la carte has at least two pros. The first is not being restricted to the categories. For example, one could order five items from category III and two items from category II. Second, ordering a la carte allows ordering less food. For example, if Ada and I weren't as hungry, or weren't big enough eaters, we could have ordered just eight dishes a la carte instead of being forced to order twelve dishes.*
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| A Look Inside the Umami Pancake |
It should also be noted that there's a "In-between course" option for an addition 8 euros. The "In-between course" happens between category II and category III. This is handy for those who want to eat more under the three-course system. Personally, I always use cost to estimate the quantity of food I expect to receive, and I had decided that Ada and I wouldn't be needed the extra four items.
Finally, I would mention that the restaurant decor was modern and inviting while the service was good.
*Considering the price discount, getting the three-course meal is a no brainer if there's intent to order at least 75% of the maximum dish. In our case with two people, at least nine (12 * .75).
[20180520 Edit]
UMAMI by Han
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| UMAMI Menu |
Relevant Links:
UMAMI by Han Website
Umami - Amsterdam, Netherlands (Yelp.com)
UMAMI by Han Amsterdam (TripAdvisor.com)
