A quiet and inconspicuous hole in the wall with a minimalistic but warm setting that showcases a beautiful bouquet of lanterns looming over you as you dine, Umi Nami serves affordable Japanese rice bowls with no GST nor service charge, perfect if youβre in the mood for some chirashi dons without breaking the bank. After numerous times walking past the establishment thinking it was simply under renovation, there was of course, a clear sense of excitement as to the food that the place whipped up. However, the excitement was eventually short-lived and anti-climatic. A quiet lunch at the retreat underneath the scorching hot weather included an appetizer of their Ankimo Monkfish Liver ($7). Traditionally, Ankimo features monkfish liver that is first cured with salt, before being rinsed off with sake and finally steamed. The liver served at Umi Nami came soaked in a citrus soy marinade, which did little to enhance the creaminess of the liver itself. I had their Aburi Scallop Salmon Don ($17), which came with a fairly generous portion of cubed salmon and lightly seared scallops. The redeeming factor of the dish all-in-all has to be the scallops, which had a small but effective dollop of truffle paste on each of the sweet and tender morsels. Not outstanding, but definitely a nice place to top up on your donburi levels.
