Ramen Night at Umami

Ed loves ramen, just like Naruto. If you're not an anime fanatic, you wouldn't understand the connection. I, too, was clueless at first. Here's a little bit of explanation: My husband is addicted to Anime and Manga. I often see him in front of our desktop, watching cartoons in Japanese language with English subtitle or reading online comics. His favorite is Naruto, a popular Japanese anime series. Since I have never watched an episode, I know nothing about Naruto, except that he loves to eat ramen! I stumbled upon this anime trivia when we were in Hong Kong, Ed asked me if we could have some of Naruto's favorite (not the ready-to-cook in a pouch, but the authentic one). To make the long story short, just like Anime, ramen became one of Ed's simple joys . :)

My husband spoils me a lot, he follows me to whatever restaurant I choose every time we're out. One weekend, I felt it was about time to choose a place where he could have what he likes. I heard from a friend that there's a new Japanese stall at Mall of the Emirates foodcourt. I told him about it and his face lighted up, like a 10-year old boy who just received a present.

Umami occupies a small spot at the west food court of Mall of the Emirates. The stall is an eye-catcher; logo is in orange and black and there's a Japanese pagoda designed on the wall.

Umami serves Far-East Urban Cuisine: dimsum, dumplings, rice toppings and ramen, my hubby's favorite.

It was "Ramen Night" for both of us! Ed had the Spicy Ramen.

I ordered Prawn Tempura Ramen.

We also tried the Shrimp Dumplings!

Japanese dishes at Umami are worth-trying. The ramen was served piping hot. The flavor was okay, far better than the ready-to-cook ones, but still can't surpass the ones that we had in Hongkong and Macau. The shrimp dumplings were not freshly made, but tasted good. Since contemporary Japanese cuisines in restaurants are expensive, Umami is a good place to go when on a budget; Far- East cuisine served simple and cheap!

The Bill for 2:

Prawn Tempura Ramen: 31 AED

Spicy Ramen: 21 AED

Shrimp Dumplings 14 AED

Grab a bowl at:

Umami - Mall of the Emirates - West Food Court
Umami - Ibn Battuta Mall - Tunisia Court