Anyone having a bad day, head down to soothe your soul, or if you really just crave for a good time over smashing drinks and food. While the ramen is available all day, the rest of the kushikatsu, yakitori and drinks are only available after 5:30pm. Now go forth and treat yourself.

At the tasting I met the delightful Mr. Moriura and Ms. Liao, aka Fufu-san, who were both visiting from Ume No Yado to help introduce some delicious new imports to New York from their Brewery. I was delighted to taste their new sakes and happy to taste their existing offerings again. This is a delicious sake made with the rare but well known “Bizen Omachi” rice. It’s hard to grow and gives this sake a beautifully unqiue taste. this Junmai Daiginjo is milled to an amazing 40%. Look for the signature smooth taste. By the end of the meal, my tummy was surely filled and happy. The skewers of meat were delicious and the ramen just sent me straight to ramen heaven. The ramen is cooked well and when paired with the broth, it literally comforts one’s soul. I’d recommend to add an extra side of charsiu to get that extra oomph in flavour. Of the sakes I tasted there were two new fruity imports and two existing standbys. Let’s take a look!

Chef Shota, hailing from Japan, is the sous chef at Kaiseki Yoshiyouki, a fine dining restaurant in Forum under the same Iki Concepts. Very friendly and passionate about his food, he is currently at Uma Uma for guiding purposes and will shortly return to his original workplace. This is perhaps the best known sake from Ume No Yado currently in the US. What I like about it is the somewhat rich character and the fact that it doesn’t shy away from rice flavors. It’s extremely drinkable and very enjoyable. The meat surrounding the bone is juicy and makes for a very good accompaniment to beer. Plus point, it is also ultra rich in collagen.

An almost industrial-like decor that is wood based, Uma Uma is a quaint restaurant resting just on the outskirts of Millenia Walk, close to Marina Square. My dining partner mentioned that she loved the scallops and she usually wouldn’t choose the scallop dish as her favourite, so yes, it is yummy alright. Yuzu is a well known taste in Japanese cuisine, but less so here. it’s often called a “japanese lemon” and it a unique citrus worthy of your attention. This low alcoholsake is made with the addition of fresh yuzu juice that is summed up in one word: “Refreshing”! This is a low alcohol Plum sake or “ume-shu”. It’s sweet without being overpowering and if you like the taste of plums, you in for a treat. Enjoy as dessert after a meal! And who better to explore what Ume can do than the Plum house itself “Ume no Yado”!Reworked and rebranding of the original ramen store in Fukuoka, Uma Uma is now the new name of the 60 year old store. Good things are meant to be shared and this is precisely why Uma Uma is expanding from its stores in Forum to a new and chic location at Millenia Walk. However, I preferred the Uma Uma ramen traditional style because I’m boring like that and I always love a good bowl of comforting broth.