A starter of Octopus Carpaccio ($18) was almost too pretty to eat. Paper-thin slices of tender octopus were dressed with savory roasted garlic oil, crispy sprigs of fried cilantro, and sesame seeds. A simple preparation, but one that showed off all of the flavors on the plate. Excellent!
Another favorite of the table was Chicken in Lettuce Cups ($11); a mound of finely diced, sautéed white meat chicken, toasted pine nuts, hoisin sauce on the side and four large, crisp romaine lettuce leaves which allow diners to spoon out the chicken mixture onto the lettuce, paint with hoisin and roll the lettuce into a tidy, delicious bundle, with lots of textural interest and an interplay of sweet and savory.
After eating this, a special of Madai with Carmelized Tomato ($16), a thick piece of sea bream, topped with a bit of cooked tomato and finished with a dollop of onion aioli was indeed flavor ful, but somewhat soft and monochromatic texturally.
Warm Three Mushroom Salad ($13), was a pleasant surprise. A mix of meaty shitakes, enokis and lion’s mane (a large, white shaggy mushroom said to have beneficial health effects), perfectly cooked, dressed with a lemony vinaigrette, and plated with fresh salad greens, made for a light, tasty dish.
Two fun preparations, Tuna Taco and Tuna Pizza, were both more serious endeavors than their names would suggest. The taco ($16) chunks of raw tuna, cabbage slaw, in a crackly wonton shell, with a side of very credible guacamole, was quite enjoyable. Tuna Sashimi Pizza ($16) was built on a crisp scallion pancake, the dices of raw tuna streaked with Japanese mayo, drizzled with that spicy kabayaki sauce, a wasabi vinaigrette and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. A wonderful blend of lush tuna, a bit of spice and a crusty “pizza” base. Yum!
An entrée-sized portion of Pan-Seared Black Sea Bass ($18) sported crackling skin, was garnished with fat, shelled edamame beans and served with a very tasty eggplant puree that married quite well with the fish; it was special indeed.
A justifiably popular dish is the Miso Black Cod ($16); two thick slabs of perfectly juicy seared black cod (sablefish), with a silky, velvety feel in the mouth, this was my dish of the night. Served simply with an almost sweet, and not-too spicy miso sauce, and a pickled Black Seaweed “salad” to add toothsome crunch, it was a perfect dish in every respect.
We also brought along an Austrian white: 2015 F.X. Pichler Steiner tal Riesling Smaragd, a honeyed, lush wine from a top producer, which pairs beautifully with this kind of food.
We were interested primarily in seafood on the night of our visit, but for meat lovers, there is section of the menu which offers up dishes made from the prized wagyu beef and equally famed Kobe beef.
Yumi
1120 Ocean Ave., Sea Bright
732-212-0881
yumirestaurant.com
Bob Sacks, longtime food and wine buff, reviews restaurants in this bimonthly column. Follow him on Instagram @dinnerwithbob. Read his reviews here.
This article was first published in the May 31-June 7, 2018 print edition of The Two River Times.