In response to my
Asian Invasion blog, Mr. Al Krueger, whose company, Comet Branding, handles public relations and branding matters for the new Brookfield restaurant Umami Moto, invited me to dine there. After clearing it with the NOW editor, I accepted Mr. Krueger's invitation. Because Mr. Krueger kindly offered to pick up the tab for appetizers, I was obliged to tell him beforehand that I would have to disclose that to my readers and that I could not let the free items influence my opinion about the restaurant, should I choose to blog about our experience there. That was fine by him. So, with The Spouse in tow, I visited Umami Moto on a recent weeknight.
Umami Moto occupies the same space as the former Monsoon restaurant. As I stated in my prior blog, I was not impressed by the "fusion" cuisine that Monsoon offered. I dined only once at Monsoon and found the food to be so-so. I never went back. So, when I heard that Umami Moto was being billed as an asian fusion restaurant, I had my doubts, but I was willing to try it.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, we were greeted at the desk by the requisite cluster of young hostesses, only one of whom appears to actually be seating people -- a phenomenon I've noted at newer restaurants. The restaurant has been redecorated, and the bar, The Sake Lounge, occupies the front, with a wall separating the bar from the main dining room. A smaller, partially-enclosed dining area at the west end of the building is connected to the main dining room. With contemporary decor and artwork, the restaurant appears to be going for a hip, downtown feel. For a weeknight, the restaurant was moderately full.
What is "umami"? Umami (pronounced oo-mommy) is the "fifth" element of taste (the others being sweet, salty, sour, and bitter). Discovered by a Japanese chemist, Dr. Kikunae Ikeda, umami means "deliciousness" or "savoriness," or it has also been described as a certain "roundness" of flavor. I was a little skeptical. I'd never heard of this concept. But I checked with my friend who lived in Japan for a couple of years, and she confirmed it.
Shortly after being seated, we were treated to the umami experience by Chef Mark Schmidt. First, he presented each of us with a bowl of broth, which I found to have a complex flavor all by itself. Then, he added a little fish sauce. Then, he added a touch of soy. After each addition, we tasted the broth. The end result was supposed to deliver the umami flavor. The Spouse claims he could taste "something" but really couldn't put it into words, but The Spouse can be somewhat susceptible to the power of suggestion. Although I could taste the different flavors after each addition, I'm not sure I was really wrapping my taste buds around the whole umami thing. To be treated to the umami experience, I believe you will have to ask for it because I did not notice other diners being offered the presentation that particular night. Here is the umami experience as it was presented on Fox 6.
Umami Moto has a website, which features, among other items, a downloadable menu and pictures of the interior of the restaurant. Click here to view.
Based on prices, I would describe Umami Moto as an upper end restaurant, more suited for date night with your spouse rather than family dining. I would also advise against taking younger children there, especially if you are working on the "we don't throw food on the floor" stage of child development. There is no kids menu either. A check of the restroom revealed no diaper changing station.
Because we were anxious to try something new, we did not order any of the sushi rolls available nor did we order any of the typical chinese dishes listed, like Beef and Broccoli or Kung Pao anything.
We ordered two appetizers: the Shanghai Pork Shumai and the Thai Chicken Wings. Of the two, we liked the chicken wings the best. The wings were marinated in coconut milk, which gave them a pleasant sweet taste -- but not overly sweet. The wings were served with two sauces, a peanut sauce and a "volcano" sauce. I liked the peanut sauce. Although mostly sweet, it had a bit of heat to it. The volcano sauce, although I found it slightly spicy, was not hot enough to satisfy my jalapeno-chewing Spouse. The shumai dumplings were larger and juicier than what you find at Chinese restaurants. The addition of coconut milk also imparted a Thai flavor to the pork, ginger filling. Although we liked the filling, we thought the outer wonton wrapper was slightly undercooked.
We ordered two entrees, the Shitake Scallops and the Braised Pork Shank. We also ordered two side dishes, the cold cucumber salad and the stir-fried eggplant.
I really enjoyed the scallops. They were perfectly done, and the light shitake coating gave the sweet scallops an earthy richness. I was especially intrigued by its accompaniment, "bamboo rice". The best way to describe it is to imagine risotto formed into patties resembling small, fingerling potatoes and then fried until the exterior develops a thin, crisp crust. Although I could have used a fork to cut it, I opted to eat it with my fingers. Although I am usually a white rice purist, I liked the delicate taste of the bamboo rice. It had texture without being too mushy. The pork shank was huge. The meat was done just right, fork-tender. Although I liked the cherry reduction served with it, I didn't really taste the hoisin that it was supposed to have been braised in. But I have to admit that I only had a few bites of the pork because I was busy devouring my scallops.
The cucumber salad was fine, although they could have cut back on the mirin vinaigrette. It was kind of swimming in it. Neither of us really liked the stir-fried eggplant. It was overdone, and frankly, we've had better at other places.
Although we were both feeling pretty full by the end of the main courses, we couldn't leave without ordering dessert. We ordered the Moto Bananas but told them to hold the ice cream because The Spouse is lactose intolerant. Chef Mark, believing that just the bananas were just not enough, very kindly threw in some of the Mandarin Chocolate Spring Rolls. Both desserts were good. The chocolate spring rolls were very, very chocolate-y. The Moto Bananas were like cinnamon, banana egg rolls. If not for The Spouse's stomach, I would have enjoyed them better with the vanilla ice cream.
We had no complaints about the service. Our waiter was attentive, and the meal was well-paced. At the end of our dinner, our server informed us that because it was Thursday, it was Ladies Night. There were drink specials in the Sake Lounge, and a DJ was going to start playing at 9 p.m. When I was in college and law school, Thursdays were always a big night to go out, and I kind of felt that the restaurant was giving a nod to that social scene. If that's the case, I'm not really sure how that will play out here in Brookfield. But The Spouse had work the next day and we had a babysitter on the clock, so we couldn't stay to check out the bar scene.
Umami Moto has two strong things going for it: the intriguing umami concept and the enthusiasm of Chef Mark Schmidt. We really enjoyed meeting Chef Mark. When answering our questions about umami and the kind of fusion cuisine he was presenting, he was really excited about bringing something new to our area.
I found Umami Moto to be better than its predecessor, Monsoon. The restaurant is still fairly new, but I think it's certainly worth another visit.
