Restaurant review: Umami Sushi Pan-Asian, Larnaca

It was one of those hot summer days when even the idea of going to the beach seemed like hard work. Instead, we headed to the mall for a cool wander around. And, of course, it was eventually time to eat.

Having already tried most of the places in the mall, we turned to Umami Sushi Pan-Asian. Everything looked pretty good, so we decided to give it a try.

Umami doesn’t have its own indoor dining area. Instead, you sit in the mall’s public seating area, which doesn’t exactly provide much in the way of atmosphere; it isn’t somewhere you would go for the surroundings. On this occasion, though, we were more interested in what was coming out of the kitchen than where we were sitting.

With sushi in the restaurant’s name, it seemed only right that we started with some. We ordered the spicy tuna maki and the rainbow rolls, one of my favourites with the different types of sashimi wrapped around the maki. We also added the duck maple bao buns to share, although by this point it was clear that our eyes were bigger than our bellies.

For mains, I tend to go for the more traditional dishes at restaurants like Umami. But, I had a craving for something that was as far from authentic as you can get, sweet and sour chicken. My partner went for the chicken pad Thai as soon as she spotted the little red chilli next to it on the menu.

As Umami is a standalone outlet within the mall, you order at the counter rather than having table service. While ordering, you can see into the kitchen behind the serving staff, where everything looked reassuringly well kept and the staff were busy working away. A promising start.

We started with the bao buns because we wanted to eat them while they were still warm. The bun itself was excellent; a soft, slightly springy texture you want from a good bao and was easily the best part of the dish. The filling, though, was nice but there was something missing that stopped it from having that wow factor. Perhaps it was simply a matter of personal preference, and I suspect I might have enjoyed one of the other versions, such as the prawn tempura or katsu chicken, more.

The rainbow rolls, on the other hand, were exactly what I had been hoping for. The sashimi on the outside was lovely and fresh, and the rolls were tightly put together, so they didn’t fall apart the moment you picked them up with chopsticks. They were full of flavour and, for me, a real success. I could quite happily have forgotten about my main course and ordered another portion.

The spicy tuna maki was also very good. There was just enough spice to give it a little kick without overpowering the tuna, and there was a generous amount of filling inside each roll. The sushi impressed us and left the mains with big boots to fill!

By the time I got around to my sweet and sour chicken, it had cooled down to just the right temperature. It had arrived piping hot. The chicken was exactly what I wanted from a sweet and sour. There was enough of a meaty bite to it, while the sauce had a good balance between sweetness and acidity. This was definitely one of the better versions I’ve tried.

My partner’s pad Thai was a different story in terms of heat. She had asked for it to be extra spicy, and Umami certainly listened. It was far too hot for me, but for someone who genuinely enjoys spicy food, it seemed to hit the right balance.

The seating may not have been particularly inspiring or especially comfortable, but the food more than made up for it. The sushi in particular was very good, and the sweet and sour chicken did exactly what I wanted it to do. The fact that we were eating in a mall food court was almost forgotten once the food arrived.

VITAL STATISTICS

SPECIALTY Asian

WHERE Umami Sushi Pan-Asian, Metropolis Mall, European Union Avenue 5, Larnaca

CONTACT 70002027

WHEN Daily 11am to 10pm

HOW MUCH Sweet and Sour Chicken €11, Spicy Tuna Maki €11, Rainbow Roll €15, Maple duck bao buns €9.50, Chicken Pad Thai €12.50