Yumeya Japanese Restaurant

A couple of Fridays ago husband and I were walking up and down Mohamed Sultan Road, with the vague idea of eating Japanese food for dinner. Trendy En and Yoyogi were crowded, but I was not exactly curious and gagging to go in because the bright lighting did not suit my mood. A few doors away from Yoyogi, at a corner shophouse, was Yumeya. It too, was full that night, I was disappointed as I was more ready to settle down in its warmly lit wood and tatami interior. Fortunately a couple paid up and exited even as I was moping about half-distractedly outside, so we were able to get a table eventually.

The menu covered the usual gamut from sushi to ochazuke, so we did likewise and ordered a bit of everything. Sashimis of otoro and kampachi were fine, very fresh, but it was a Friday and I was not expecting any less. The uni sushi that followed, impressively creamy, rich and highly evocative of the ocean, made me pause- it is the season for uni to be sure, but the little details like temperature, rice, methinks someone in the kitchen knows what he is doing. There followed more nibbles and bites, like chawan mushi for husband and uni chawan mushi for me- the slightly warm uni over silky custard, sensual, voluptuous textures gliding down the throat, well a girl can't wish for more to start her weekend off no? Then there were some scallops grilled in their shell with spicy mentaiko mayonnaise, very nice. Grilled mackerel, oily and salty as it should be, was quickly demolished. A few more pieces of negitoro maki, again, unimpeachable, to round up the meal. Like my friend G would say, ham-pa-lang good. We were not unhappy that we couldn't finish the last dish that husband ordered out of curiousity, a hotpot of braised tiny whitebaits braised finished with a poached egg; there was nothing wrong with the execution but we haven't got to that stage that we can appreciate its delicacy and nuances. Together with some Asahi, the bill that was presented was by no means cheap but we considered it reasonable for the high standard of cooking. Sorry, no photos, it would have been too dim for decent images in any case.

As we were leaving and husband was settling the bill at the counter, the chef, he was about to go somewhere else, so he introduced himself to me  and we chatted briefly. Lee Loon, or Loon as he prefers to be called, had in the past worked for Yoshida when it was at Lucky Plaza and then at the Devonshire offshoot. After Yoshida he drifted around the Japanese restaurant community for a bit before settling down to this restaurant. Loon apologised for the noisy ambience, he had noticed that the tables to our left and right were full of raucous drinkers, some of whom apparently came over only for the drinking. We too were initially under the impression that this place was some sort of neighbourhood izakaya joint, as the young waitresses engaged in friendly banter and kanpai sessions with the customers. Loon assured us it isn't always this noisy, though actually we didn't mind it much as the food was good and the noise did not deter us from our conversations. Also, now that I know who is in charge of the kitchen, we will definitely return, noise or no noise.

Yumeya Japanese Restaurant

22 Mohamed Sultan Road

#01-01 Singapore 238977

Tel: 6887 0282

Comments

[hinata]

Really glad to read your review - been wondering about Yumeya for ages but haven't had a chance to try it... definitely going now!

[Mr Kim]

I have been to Yumeya Japanese Restaurant . The environment was good but frankly speaking , the food was not really tasting compare to other Japanese Restaurant . Long time ago , the shop was crowd with Japanese customers but recently i went there again but there was not a single soul of Japanese . What happened ??? Is the food not tradition enough or what ??? I was curious . For instead , Sashimi in your restaurant is really not fresh enough and this may cause food poisoning to customers .

[umami]

Mr Kim, I am not related to the restaurant. Also, this review was posted more than two years ago so things may have changed.