Ume No Yado Yuzu (Yuzu Sake) / 720ml

Product Information

Reworked and rebranding of the original ramen store in Fukuoka, Uma Uma is now the new name of the 60 year old store. Good things are meant to be shared and this is precisely why Uma Uma is expanding from its stores in Forum to a new and chic location at Millenia Walk.

This is perhaps the best known sake from Ume No Yado currently in the US. What I like about it is the somewhat rich character and the fact that it doesn’t shy away from rice flavors. It’s extremely drinkable and very enjoyable.

This is a delicious sake made with the rare but well known “Bizen Omachi” rice. It’s hard to grow and gives this sake a beautifully unqiue taste. this Junmai Daiginjo is milled to an amazing 40%. Look for the signature smooth taste. Yuzu is a well known taste in Japanese cuisine, but less so here. it’s often called a “japanese lemon” and it a unique citrus worthy of your attention. This low alcoholsake is made with the addition of fresh yuzu juice that is summed up in one word: “Refreshing”! Of the sakes I tasted there were two new fruity imports and two existing standbys. Let’s take a look! Anyone having a bad day, head down to soothe your soul, or if you really just crave for a good time over smashing drinks and food. While the ramen is available all day, the rest of the kushikatsu, yakitori and drinks are only available after 5:30pm. Now go forth and treat yourself.

Ume No Yado” means “Plum House” and from what I could gather, the name stems from having an ancient plum tree on the grounds of the Brewery for as long as anyone can remember. The Brewery is located in Nara prefecture which was the first capital of Japan in the 700s and can be considered one of the cradles of sake brewing culture in Japan. Let’s suffice to sake sake has a long and storied tradition in Nara. However, I preferred the Uma Uma ramen traditional style because I’m boring like that and I always love a good bowl of comforting broth. The ramen is cooked well and when paired with the broth, it literally comforts one’s soul. I’d recommend to add an extra side of charsiu to get that extra oomph in flavour. That’s exactly how I felt after getting re-acquainted with some delicious sakes from Nara’s Ume No Yado brewery. Sakaya recently sponsored a tasting of four delicious Sakes from this well known brewery.This is a low alcohol Plum sake or “ume-shu”. It’s sweet without being overpowering and if you like the taste of plums, you in for a treat. Enjoy as dessert after a meal! And who better to explore what Ume can do than the Plum house itself “Ume no Yado”! Who could resist bourbon with egg white, lemon and sugar to give that lusciously creamy and invigorating taste. The bitters added gives the extra complexity to its flavour. By the end of the meal, my tummy was surely filled and happy. The skewers of meat were delicious and the ramen just sent me straight to ramen heaven. They aren’t too tough, remaining soft enough to chew and still tough enough to give that crunchy texture. It is rich in flavour and zesty from the wafu dressing.

The meat surrounding the bone is juicy and makes for a very good accompaniment to beer. Plus point, it is also ultra rich in collagen. At the tasting I met the delightful Mr. Moriura and Ms. Liao, aka Fufu-san, who were both visiting from Ume No Yado to help introduce some delicious new imports to New York from their Brewery. I was delighted to taste their new sakes and happy to taste their existing offerings again. My dining partner mentioned that she loved the scallops and she usually wouldn’t choose the scallop dish as her favourite, so yes, it is yummy alright. An almost industrial-like decor that is wood based, Uma Uma is a quaint restaurant resting just on the outskirts of Millenia Walk, close to Marina Square.Certainly a honeymoon for my tastebuds, it has a strong raspberry taste, giving it a sweet and tangy touch. Though so, do not belittle this drink, the bison grass vodka does make known its presence and it is a wonderful one. Chef Shota, hailing from Japan, is the sous chef at Kaiseki Yoshiyouki, a fine dining restaurant in Forum under the same Iki Concepts. Very friendly and passionate about his food, he is currently at Uma Uma for guiding purposes and will shortly return to his original workplace. I like a kushikatsu prawn better than a tempura ebi because you can taste the essence of the prawn while enjoying the bread crumbs coating whereas for a tempura ebi, the flavours are combined into one, which is also tasty but I prefer the former.