28 Nov Flavor and Design Meet at Umeda Restaurant

Located on the ground floor of a magnificently designed new building on Melrose Avenue, Umeda Restaurant opened its doors earlier this year. Across the street from Osteria Mozza, Pizzeria Mozza and Chi Spacca, Umeda is on the north side of Melrose, on the corner of Citrus, just west of Highland. Omeda quietly opened with little fanfare but luckily some friends told me about it. Umeda Restaurant is named after its chef, Takuya Umeda. Takuya Umeda began his career in Sapporo, Japan and worked with chef Nobu Matsuhisa at Nobu London between 1997 to 2003. Umeda then came to work at Nobu’s Matsuhisa in Bevelry Hills until 2017, when he opened his own restaurant. In the front of the house is the friendly and charming Joseph Mansour who also worked at Matsuhisa for almost a decade.  Umeda Restaurant is a modern sushi establishment that will stun from the moment you walk in. At the entrance, there is a waterfall and stream under a glass floor. Inside, the small and elegant dining room is light and open with lots of blonde wood. The ceiling is mesmerizing with rows of curved wooden arches. There is a sense of serenity that comes as you enter the space. Everything was custom made, including tables and chairs. It is a quiet space and the service is attentive and efficient with a formal touch. The menu, influenced by Chef Umeda’s time with Nobu Matsuhisa, is a mix of Japanese dishes, from sushi to small hot dishes. Umeda Restaurant has a lovely sake menu and the presentation of the sake is elegant. We started with the Onigoroshi, a light-bodied sake with a crisp but delicate finish. There is also beer, wine and cocktails available. There is a gorgeous wine cellar that can be seen from the dining room and a small selection by the bottle, but the restaurant needs to improve their by- the- glass offerings. At Umeda, you can order a la carte or there are three omakase choices. There is the “Tasting” for $100 and up, the “Sushi & Sashimi” for $120 and up and the “Chef’s Choice for $150 and up. With the “and up” portion of the omakase menus, you will want to establish what your dollar limit is in advance because if you are enjoying all of the small plates, the price can add up pretty quickly. Baby spinach with dry miso and parmesan cheese Black cod miso lettuce cup Fresh octopus tiradito with yuzo and chili pepper Tuna tataki with garlic tosazu Rock shrimp tempura with a creamy spicy sauce Japanese Scallop sushi (truffle oil, lemon and sea salt), Salmon new style (chives, ginger, sesame, soy sauce and hot olive oil), Yellowtail (serrano, garlic, yuzo and soy sauce) Santa Barbara Sweet Shrimp (sea salt and lemon), Goldeneye Snapper (dry miso), Albacore (ponzu) Fried Santa Barbara Sweet Shrimp Heads Baked crab roll Green Tea Shaved Ice with Mochi, Vanilla Custard and Azuki (sweet red bean paste) The design, service, presentation and flavor make dining at Umeda a lovely experience. Umeda Restaurant 6623 Melrose Ave Los Angeles, CA 90038