Umezushi, Japanese Restaurant, Reviewed

MORE than ever, the food world is obsessed with detail and authenticity. As food bloggers debate whether salsify is the new samphire, restaurants fly water halfway across the globe for a more genuine experience, when many people are happy with a glass of British Tap.

The fish itself isn’t standard though – the selection changes each day. By opting for Chef's Fish Choice (£10) we tried Cornish brill, sea trout, whelk maki and tuna. The sea trout especially was light and melting as a ripe peach.

But the cuisine that takes the (faithfully recreated) biscuit for obsessive attention to detail has always been Japanese.

Koya in London, for example, imports its buckwheat flour from Japan and the dough is of course kneaded the traditional way (with the feet, naturally).

Umezushi

This level of perfectionism is all well and good, especially in food that is so subtle there are only a few degrees between greatness and gah.

But sometimes it reminds me of Sunday afternoon historical re-enactment society, with its members gathering for endless polishing of pikes and adjusting of jerkins, the exhausting levels of nerdiness sapping the all the energy from proceedings.

A real roundhead would just clonk you over the head with the nearest blunt object, and not worry if it would have been more accurate to use a flintlock or a matchlock musket. Sometimes the spirit is more important than the detail.

Fortunately Umezushi, a recently opened sushi joint tucked beneath the railway arches on Mirabel Street, strikes just the right balance between exactness and enthusiasm.

Umezushi

This is assisted by a restrained menu typical of classic Japanese sushi bar. But the newcomer’s real strength is that instead of kowtowing to an unachievable ideal of Japanese-only ingredients, Umezushi is loud and proud about its locally sourced British products. After all, both countries are island nations with rich coastlines. Fish, crustaceans and seaweed make their way here from Scotland, Ireland and Cornwall.

Sushi doesn’t have to be fish of course. There was a trend for reindeer (that’s right, raw Rudolph) and even grasshoppers and bee larvae have been used in sushi, but Umezushi sticks to classic fish and vegetable in either cut or hand roll form, plus sashimi.

Umezushi

The fish itself isn’t standard though – the selection changes each day. By opting for Chef's Fish Choice (£10) we tried Cornish brill, sea trout, whelk maki and tuna. The sea trout especially was light and melting as a ripe peach. The revolving menu means more unusual selections such as monkfish liver, turbot and razor clam will be up for grabs, ensuring devotees will always have something new to tickle their collective fancies.

My favourite was the tempura (though I’m biased – I’d consider eating a rolled-up newspaper if it was coated in batter and deep fried) with wonderful firm vegetables including lotus root. A side of Korean Kimchi (£2.50) and a bowl of Miso soup (£2) provided punchy counterpoint to the more polite, restrained flavours.

Umezushi

The hot dish of the day was steamed seabass with Irish Sea vegetables (£10) in which the fish had slightly lost flavour, but the vegetables were a knockout.

After having perfect tempura to follow with sushi, the hot dish gives the chef a chance to break out and experiment with Japanese flavours: I’m looking forward to trying the sous vide mallard breast with crispy leg in miso glaze (£17) when it makes another appearance on menu.

Umezushi

Umezushi is proving to be an exciting, much-needed addition to Manchester’s independent restaurant scene.

The only concern is the small-scale operation is going to have a hard time balancing delivering this quality at the right price.

Still despite a difficult location (walk out of town, from the Cathedral and after strolling under the first viaducts under Manchester Arena turn left) Umezushi is definitely worth the trip. This applies to both the food obsessive or the general diner looking for novelty.

ALL SCORED CONFIDENTIAL REVIEWS ARE IMPARTIAL AND PAID FOR BY CONFIDENTIAL.

Umezushi, Unit 4, Mirabel Street, Manchester. M3 1PJ. 0161 832 1852.

Rating: 14.5/20

Food: 8/10
Service: 3.5/5 
Ambience: 3/5

Umezushi

Umezushi

Umezushi

Umezushi

Umezushi

Umezushi

Umezushi