Umi Japanese Shandwick Pl

★★★★★

“We came here for dinner craving ramen, having had an amazing experience at their Chapel Street branch before. Unfortunately, this visit was disappointing. I ordered their signature paitan ramen (with extra chasu), which was way too salty, and the beef ramen was bland and lacked flavor. The Dynamite sushi was fine, but that’s about it. Overall, the food didn’t feel worth the price. The service was poor, no one asked if our food was okay or if we needed anything. The welcome was confusing and awkward; the staff saw us when we arrived but didn’t acknowledge us until we approached them ourselves. To make matters worse, a service charge was automatically added. In the UK, service charges are optional, yet the bill didn’t mention this at all, which felt presumptuous. Additionally, we overheard the table next to us saying their chicken karaage was cold, almost as if it had been frozen which raises concerns about consistency. We also felt rushed when paying, without the chance to discuss the bill. Overall, this visit fell far below the standards we experienced at their Chapel Street branch.”

★★★★★

“Into UMI in Shadwick Place in Edinburgh and it’s an amazing restaurant set up automatically to make you feel as if your in Japan. Amazing little booths which makes it homely and great decor. The food is amazing with a takeaway at the front door. There is a good menu selection and the staff are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I would recommend a visit and there is a bar at the front door as you enter. The location is great as it next to Princess Street.”

★★★★★

“First time trying so can only comment on my experience with the ramen. Firstly, the atmosphere is lovely and service was friendly enough. My two gripes: the first was my ramen arriving luke warm, which isn't ideal especially on a cooler day. A person who seemed like the manager was checking on multiple people asking how it was for them, and that is a good practice. And I gave an honest request to make my experience better, getting it warmed up, which he did and took care to not also nuke the egg which have made it overcooked - a nice attention to detail. Even better, would be to remake it at the correct temperature, which wasn't offered or taken into consideration with the bill. It would be useful for customers to know that gratituty is automatically applied to the bill, even for one person. This should be optional. But I left it on since they rectified the food temperature at my request. I don't think it's a single case though, as I asked a fellow customer who ordered a miso soup who also said it arrived luke warm. So unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience for those reasons. But maybe the rest of their menu is better in taste and delivery. And they will improve by taking into consideration the temperature of their food and make tipping optional at least only mandatory for large groups.”