text: Hailing from LAOC I have pretty high standards when it comes to ramen and I eagerly awaited the opening of Umami I made it for a weekday lunch As other reviewers have already stated the space is very niceNew York chic with a completely new interior and classy bar nnThe dinner menu looked very similar to the lunch menu and I am assuming that the only difference is really the portion size of the ramen The cocktail saketini menu looked quite impressive with classic and original saketini recipes I cannot say anything about how they tasted though since it was not quite yet noon when I dropped by but I will have to return to taste them The sake list had a nice selection with reasonable price points for glasses mL bottles It is nice to know that there is another place to get good sake in town that is not Sushi Muramoto or Restaurant Muramoto nnWhat I ordered was the salad mushroom and arugula and ramen tonkotsu lunch portion They came out quite promptly and the ramen was steaming hot nnThe salad was fresh and crisp but a bit overdressed All in all it was somewhat forgettable nnThe bowl of ramen was quite inviting but I was left a bit wanting First the positive The noodles had a hearty and toothsome chew and were cooked well Their flavor infused egg had a delightful texture and custardy interior The chashu was well prepared but with two very thin almost delimeat thickness cuts the flavor of roast pork did not quite shine in comparison with the rich broth nnThis brings me to the brothDo not get me wrong their version of tonkotsu is rich but richness from the fatcollagen of high temperature boiled bones can not make up for a lack of wellumamiAt times I had thought that I accidentally ordered shio salt ramen I did not have an issue with the level of saltiness with this broth The flavors were just too clean for me to be a tonkotsu Perhaps next time I would recommend the garlic bomb extra for their tonkotsu Additionally for the reviewers that are commenting on the lack of umami perhaps try out their misoramen that is what I am going to do as miso paste should add quite a bit of umami and deepness to the broth nnThe staff are quite friendly and young Also the service was attentive and prompt nnOverall I would give Umami a for lunch but I will return for dinner service and try out their cocktails sake and smaller bites and give an updated review We all deserve second chances right