UMAMI by Travail

There is no bigger fan of Travail and The Pig Ate My Pizza so when I secured a ticket for Umami I was pretty excited. Unfortunately, at the end of the meal as I entered my car I muttered to myself, «that was not enjoyable at all.»
Umami is not easy to find. Located in the same strip mall as «The Dollar Store,» this newest addition to the «Travail» crew can be found in the back half of the building that houses Little Caesar. Umami has no signage, so you find it on faith. Once inside you check in at the front desk and are escorted to one of several long community tables. The server places your «check» on a string over your head and off you go. Like most Dim sum restaurants you choose from carts loaded with various small plates. As you order, the server place a mark next to that item on the check and at the end they add them up.
Why was this not enjoyable? Firstly, all of the males were incredibly pushy, borderline rude, almost embarrassing you into taking everything. One actually placed a plate in front me without even explaining, placed sauce on top and was about to leave when I asked him what it was and told him I did not want. This created an incredibly uncomfortable and almost confrontational interplay between staff and guest. I cut my evening short because of this behavior. Likewise, you need to set the pace or else your dining experience will be completed in 15 minutes… you need to be in control.
Onto the food in alphabetical order:
Bacon and Bok Choy — This was the only dish that delivered any level of spice. The three halves of bok choy and a few small pieces of bacon were good, but nothing special other than the dish added some spice to the meal.
Chicken wing — The single wing was deep fried and served with a Japanese sauce. This wing was incredibly salty and I did not like it at all.
Pickled Octopus Bun — Another dish that was more pickled vegetables encased in a steamed bun than octopus. I did not like this dish.
Sliced Beef — This was a winner. It was glazed with a teriyaki sauce and served with soft and sweet red peppers. This is the most expensive entrée and worth it.
Sliced Pork — Three great slices of pork shoulder served with thinly sliced, seeded Jalapeño peppers. The meat was flavorful and I liked the texture but the Jalapeños should have added some spiciness, but they were flat.
Steamed bun — the dough surrounding the spicy sausage was delicious, and I really liked the sausage as well as the pickled vegetables that were served as an accompaniment
Your ticket also entitles you to a free dessert:
Vanilla ice cream cone — This is served with four toppings that you add to each bite. The ice cream was delicious but the shtick of the toppings was just too corny.
Overall, it was an incredibly disappointing visit. Other than the one female server who was pleasant, the entire staff was incredibly unprofessional and the food was nowhere near the standards that are set this group of talent at their other places. Too bad.

Spot on flavors spanning Chinese, Korean, Japanese and other Asian cuisines. Some of the sauces are on the salty side but perfect portions to share. Terrific place to take a first timer for dimsum before you try a place like Mandarin or Red Ginger.
p. s. Do NOT leave without dessert.

Dislike.
Stopped by when I was back in town visiting home, and had been hearing lots of rumblings about this place. Wow was I disappointed by the food. I expected amazingness out of the Travail Chefs…
The food looked nice, but the flavors just didn’t work. They didn’t taste like the things they were inspired by and named after. The best part was the dessert!
The experience was fun though, I enjoyed their carting of food and the way they handle table service. It was exactly what I expected from that perspective.
It was a good effort but I’m not sad to see it go.

Wow. The Dim Sum brunch was absolutely amazing. All of the waitstaff were friendly, helpful, and even created vegan versions of the dishes for my brother. All of the dumplings were great, as well as the Korean short ribs. Coffee was killer strong. The congee had great flavors. Give it a shot, I would come back in a heartbeat!!!

Stopped by Saturday for their Dim Sum with a couple of friends. Friends were both vegetarians and the staff went out of their way to accommodate them, how great was that! Great food but it went by too fast, it was hard to savor each plate they came out of the kitchen so fast. Next visit will be the Kickstarter dinner in December! Can’t wait!

Dining at UMAMI was a really fun experience. Like your server will tell you, food will come fast and hard. Except our experience wasn’t quite so fast, as they kept bringing out some of the same items continuously. Really tempting to get the soy wings again though. The best wings I’ve ever had. Seriously, how do they get them so crunchy?! The rest of the food was very rich, so it was a little hard to try everything. Plus, dining with a vegetarian kind of limited our options. Can someone tell me if the ramen was good? I knew I couldn’t eat it all by my lonesome…
UMAMI is a must try, at least once. Feel free to pass on the beer boot though.

After reading so many highly positive reviews, I was convinced to try UMAMI as my first foray into expensive (and non-​traditional) dining… and I came out a bit disappointed, ok – really disappointed.
I tried at least half a dozen different dim sum items, and found only one that I didn’t have any complaints about – the ham hock. The kim chi was… boring at best, I swear it was mixed with packaged ramen broth. The wings were tasty, though a bit on the overly-​salty side (soy sauce is easily overused). The ramen was terrible, imo. The noodles were greasy and the broth smelled of… well, dirty pig. It could’ve been the mushrooms that were causing that nauseating dirt-​like scent, but I know what a slaughterhouse smells like and this reminded me of it. Also, the piece of pork belly in the ramen was too thick: very tough to chew, and very fatty. The bulgogi was all right, but I feel that the slices are too large and thick to enjoy fully. The hamachi over spring roll (?) was interesting but I didn’t think it was well thought-​out, size-​wise. There was so much Kewpie Mayo being used, I was very surprised (typical asian store product). I could go on about the rest of the menu items, but the basic idea is that though these are somewhat interesting (not too interesting though) things to eat, they need tweaking in order to really improve taste/​texture (boiled egg and avocado=soft and soft, why???)/bite size.
Not to mention the unjustifiable prices they were charging for all of this… :(
One of the dim sum cart pushers was extremely PUSHY (tall, skinny guy with tattoos and a handkerchief over his head, short dark hair). He would stop at my table and sneak an item down without asking if I wanted it before marking my slip and running off. His facial expression at this feat spoke volumes about his character. I found his behavior to be extremely rude and had to yell «NO!» at him the 3^rd time around before he finally backed off and left me alone for the rest of the night… does this not sound like some creepy guy who sneaks in to grind against your back in a crowded nightclub???
The idea is good as was the music (though a bit loud), the menu items need some major overhaul as well as the prices, the location is terrible… at least some of the cooks in the kitchen were nice eye candy.
I don’t know, maybe it’s because I grew up with various asian dishes that I feel I know their tastes very well along with their potential. It just seemed like UMAMI had a very difficult time getting it right, even if they were trying to do something different with it. I admire the attempt, but cannot applaud the results. I’m just really, really disappointed…

If I return, I will order again:
chicken wings — multiple orders
short rib — so good!
maybe brussels sprouts
definitely dessert — would eat two if they gave the option
…could take or leave the ramen. Liked the «modern» additions, but the broth didn’t do it for me — went too far in the midwest salty thick sauce direction
Really loved –true standouts-​, but once was enough:
egg and avocado
hamachi
tried almost everything on the menu (thanks to my friends and neighbors celebrating wendy’s birthday — happy birthday wendy!), and the rest was all decent but unremarkable, so I won’t remark.
Of course, great staff who seem to be having a blast. great set-​up. I’d love to see stellar execution and/​or reimagining of a few more classic dim sum dishes.

The Halloween dim sum night was super fun here. The staff was costumed and singing. It was also Throwback Thursday in terms of blaring music. 90s and early 2000 radio hits blares. A long communal table ran down the room.
My partner and sat side by side so we could better share our way through most of the menu. Our favorites were the ramen and chicken wings. Generally, I’m not a big wing girl but these were sweetly crunchy and meat without the bones in the way. Homemade ramen noodles were well done and filling. I inhaled these so cannot guve a proper review. We were surprised by how much we liked the octopus croquettes. I enjoyed the avacado and egg and hamachi roll for lighter bites. Rice sausage was new to us and was lightly salty good. Somehow we had enough room for dessert. A homemade waffle cone with vanilla soft serve that came with salted caramel and chocolate granache sauces on the side so you could add as you ate. Generous wine pours here too. This is how to celebrate Halloween when your candy bowl gets tapped.

Let’s start by saying that I am partially bias on this place for many reasons. One of which is my strong support for the young chefs and innovative movement in the restaurant world. The guys and gal chef (Maddie) that works here are all very talented, fun and hard working people. It’s a similar dining experience to Travail & Pig Ate My Pizza but with more Asian spices and flavors. It’s lively and they always have awesome old school music … The songs that I want to karaōke to! So don’t go here if you want a quiet dinner.
I’ve enjoyed both recent visits here. One visit we did tasting menu with reservations (everything came very efficiently) and another visit was spur of the moment walk in (service was a bit slower). The reason for this could be because Umami was transitioning into their new dim sum style.
Umami is relatively still new and there are a few opportunities for change and to improve. I expect this from new restaurants. Is Umami authentic Asian cuisine? Not entirely. Umami does, however, use many Asian spices and layers of flavors.

Come with an open mind & enjoy the experience. Bön Appétit! P. S. They love getting feedback!

A very solid dining experience. The strong flavors paired with an alternative atmosphere made for a fun night.
Our group of 6 came on one of the first nights of UMAMI’s new dim sum format and were seated at a giant communal table. Similar to most dim sum places, at UMAMI, each party is given a sheet with all the dishes. As the carts come by, you pick what you please, and the sheet is marked off; the twist at UMAMI is that the sheets are hanging from the ceiling! It all adds to the cool and hip vibe of the place.
The great thing about going with a large party is that we were able to try a little bit of almost everything. Most dishes were quite tasty, although admittedly, none of them blew me away. My favorite of the night? The dessert – a chocolate ice cream waffle cone served with cold-​pressed Vietnamese iced coffee and a personal bar of all kinds of unique toppings. It was a fun, do-​it-​yourself way to end the dinner.

Our original tasting menu tickets were swapped last minute for Umami’s new Dim Sum format — what an experience! The staff brought around carts of small plates one after the other… dumplings, beef bulgogi, octopus croquettes, chicken wings.
Our favorite was the pork belly ramen — a bowl of noodles, and a tea bowl of frothy ramen broth/​dipping sauce and rich pork belly. Dessert was also a hit with our group — a mini cup of cold Vietnamese coffee, a cone of chocolate ice cream (with a chunk of cookie dough at the bottom!) and six small bowls of toppings, from hazelnuts and chocolate ganache to Travail-​esque yuzu butterscotch and citrus ice flakes.
Atmosphere: a cool haphazard paint job and a mashup of Japanese prints and thrift shop finds, plus throwback 90s tunes. The open kitchen and lots of waiters, as well as the family dining, make for a noisy and chaotic — but exciting! — meal.

Based on the fun experience, I’d give it 5 stars. I enjoyed the anticipation of not knowing what dish they were going to bring out next.
There were 9 small plates and 1 ½-​ish desserts. I’m not going to go into full detail of each plate because I can’t remember (lol) and I don’t want to ruin the experience for you. I would say that I left with a happy belly but not exactly stuffed. Per the photos I’ve posted, each plate was shared between two people (minus the dumplings as that was shared between four).
Visually speaking, every dish was plated beautifully. There were some «wow» plates and some «nay» plates. With the «wow» plates you might have to chopstick fight for a bit but you will get a fair share and the «nay» plates are pretty subjective.
The only con I have is that everything moved at fast speed; the timing of when the next plate came out was pretty quick. It felt a bit rushed which didn’t allow my taste buds enough time to do its happy dance.
I don’t know if anyone else noticed but the chefs and our host were pretty buff men in tight tees. AND they have culinary skills? Ladies… book your tickets now for a dinner night out with your girls asappp.
That is all.

These Guys/​Gals never let me down.
I’ve been waiting with anticipation since the inception to get a chance to dine at Umami and since I’m admittedly a huge fan boy of the Travail Crew it was only a matter of time.
My Wife and I went last night for the 7:05 seating. We showed up a bit early and were pleasantly surprised they have a couple of high top tables to hang around while you wait. They also served up Wine while we were waiting.
The place just has an awesome vibe to it, lots of chatter, funky music playing and such a great energy. Nothing better than watching a group of people who have such a great passion for what they’re doing kill it.
The Food was a grand slam. They never seize to amaze me in their flavor profiles. Yes some obviously were expected but others not so much. They are keen on the aroma sensory as well; setting a piece of coal on a sprig of rosemary while serving you the plate. I don’t want to ruin in for would be customers because I think that’s part of the allure, not quite knowing what you’re getting.
The location. I think we all have an idea that this isn’t the best of neighborhoods. I think its admirable they setup shop here but I do worry (because I worry in general) about everyone’s well being and the well being of the property. The Dollar Store across the parking lot front doors glass was busted out covered with a piece of plywood. So far I don’t believe there has been any issues so I’m thankful for that.
I once again give it up to The Crew.
Well done.

Admittedly, the gang behind Travail can do little wrong in my mind.
Umami, for the most part, lives up to the hype and the high expectations. The 10 course tasting menu is a bargain based upon the quality of the cuisine (mostly pan-​Asian inspired fare) and certainly justifies the effort required to get your grubby hands on the requisite tickets. The menu seems to be staying pretty consistent for the time being (it’s a pop-​up, so not surprising) and they also have some affordable take-​out items available for those unable to enjoy the full tasting menu.
As one should expect, the dining experience is very interactive, seating is communal, there will be foie gras, the music will be loud, liquid nitrogen will be involved and good times will be had by all.

6 out of 5.
I’d have to say that my one experience at Travail was a little better strictly in terms of food, but that’s like saying Ferrari is better than Lamborghini. Both are quite spectacular.
Umami has an edge with the «reservations». Having to wait for an hour+ at Travail is not awesome. The atmosphere & music were spot on. There was a couple next to us in full formal wear, I was in jeans/​tshirt. Both were comfortable. Music was all over the board in the best of ways, with the winner being Funky Ride (Outkast).
I would imagine there are some concessions made with this still being a «pop-​up» restaurant, so with that in mind, it’s quite impressive what they have going on here. It’s an incredible, incredible value at $ 40 (includes tax/​tip but no drinks). I can’t wait to get over there for some of the $ 5 take out. Also incredible.
All in all, my night here was FUN. I really can’t say that I can go out anywhere else and spend 1.5hr at a restaurant, have it feel like 30 minutes, laugh the entire time, eat food that makes me think and leave feeling satisfied but wanting more. FUN.

Absolutely fantastic. I would give it Bib Gourmand status if I had the authority to do so (which if anyone knows how to get that job, please message me ASAP)! Eating at UMAMI is a tasty, zany food experience. We had our seating at 8:50 on a Saturday night and it was rowdy and fun and awesome.
You walk into the room and you can immediately tell you are going to have a great time. The kitchen is wide open and the staff is singing, laughing and passing around Das boot. Love it. The décor is artsy and the playlist is brought to you by the staff, which last night meant a lot of sexy 90’s jams featuring the likes of Sisqo and Blackstreet.
The food is incredible, I won’t even attempt to spoil this one for you. Just go with an open mind and let them show you the meaning of the word savory (or «umami» as I learned last night). Make sure you go very hungry though, I was wishing I had fasted all day to make more room for ten full courses of Travail’s finest.
We finished our night by taking sake bombs with the staff. These guys are really the heart and soul of the restaurant and when they had a moment they were awesome to chat with. They really love what they do and they are excited to share their passion with their guests. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for their restaurant endeavors, I can tell it’s going to be mighty tasty.

I really enjoyed the UMAMI experience. First off, I am into the ticketed meal thing (I’ve been dying to get into Next in Chicago with no luck). But second, I do have an interest in Asian food (for obvious reasons).
We were able to secure 7pm tickets for the first Saturday evening, which was cool. They seated us relatively on time and started rotation. Seating is communal so we sat across from another couple and there were couples next and a family to the other side so we did exchange small talk and whatnot, but were still able to communicate with each other and not feel like we were distracting other conversations.
The amuse was a Minnesota crawfish, which was interesting and a learning experience in eating. I loved the dumpling course and my boyfriend loved the sashimi-​ish course. I also was into the ramen and surprisingly, the congee since typically I don’t like rice porridge.
I think the tickets were a reasonable price for all you got and a good experience. It was a little fast so if you’re a slow eater you may be slightly overwhelmed. We got to talk to Mike a little and he seems to have great ideas should UMAMI continue and with the new Travail so we are looking forward to new things.

Umami some more!!! This was a date night for me and the hubby — and what an excellent choice it was! We arrived a bit early and waited for our sitting.
TIP:
The way it’s set up, each sitting time is at a different long table settling which seems to accommodate 12. We found that it worked well to sit next to your dining partner rather than across the table.
The meal started with a trio of sashimi and the plates just kept on arriving… Ramen, skewered meats, congee, soup, pork, veggies. I posted pictures of everything already and I could write a dissertation on the food– all of which was amazing. My favorite by far was the chicken with white curry… Yes, I basically licked the plate and no, it wasn’t embarrassed at all.
I can’t wait for the new Travail to open, but in the meantime, you need to race off to Umami and get your tickets! (Or do takeout…)
It’s an epic experience!

Mediocre at best. This was a huge let down considering Travail is absolutely spot on every time with their menu.
This place, like Travail (my only complaint about Travail), is MUCH too loud when you consider that the staff explains each dish to you. It’s too bad you can’t hear a word they are saying
The noodles were the best part of the meal. Great sesame flavor to them. The desserts were atrocious. A soggy bun filled with chocolate that had congealed to the consistency of curdled milk Jell-​o and incubated until it tasted like shoe leather followed by an apple slice dipped in sugar sauce and liquid nitrogen. This is food, people, not a science lab.
There was a piece of what I assume was beef on the first plate. I assume it was beef but can’t be sure because it had an unhealthy green hue to it. Maybe that’s what grass-​fed beef looks like.
Of course the hipsters were out in full force making sure they took a crappy phone photos of all of the food to put on blogs that no one reads. Do people even eat any more or do they just take pictures of food they could have eaten?
So, I’ll be the lone reviewer that calls it like it truly is. The hipster crowd won’t say anything bad about Umami since it’s «cool» to eat weird crap and if you don’t like it like the rest of your hipster friends then they will probably smash your collection of vinyl, step on your fedora and make you shave your neckbeard.
I was honestly let down. Umami is the lazy Travail.