UMI by Vikram Garg

"Had high hopes coming here and unfortunately left very disappointed. I work at a Michelin star restaurant, so I generally have higher expectations than most so take that into consideration. I ordered the Golden Osetra caviar and the umi tasting menu. The caviar course was definitely the highlight of the meal. The rest of the meal was very underwhelming and lackluster of flavor and uniqueness. Every course in a tasting menu should be dropped off with an as to what the dish prepared is. Nothing of the sort was. I ordered the cookie jar as a dessert and was served a cold cookie. If you’re going to charge a 7$ up charge they need be a good cookie not cold and sad. If you don’t go out for fine dining often or ever go and give it a shot. But if you’re a seasoned diner pass this up."

"Unique dishes.. very small portions.. Plaint Walls without arts. Peaceful Quite no background music. Get to meet Chef Vikram Garg. Very nice!"

"The world food tour duo trekked over to Umi in the Halepuna Waikiki (FKA The Parc) from the International Marketplace as Kalakaua Avenue was closed for a pre 4th of July celebration. Umi is an intimate space with bare tables and austere décor. We last sampled food from Chef Garg when he was at TBD in the Lotus Hotel. We enjoyed his food so we were eager to see what he has wrought at Umi. Nathan was our server for the evening. It’s still BYOB ($12/glass service charge) so I brought a bottle of 2014 Le Corton (Bouchard Pere & Fils), a somewhat light and smooth Burgundy with notes of red fruit, earth and a hint of smoke. It was a solid, but not outstanding Burgundy. We started with Tsar Nicoulai Golden Osetra caviar. Instead of the usual accoutrements, it was served with a burdock cream with an onsen egg and finger lime. We first tasted the caviar alone, then dollops atop the burdock cream mixture. The egg and cream with caviar was “to die for” … just sublime! Next we had the Kampachi … Little cubes of fish mixed with jicama, topped with sprigs of fennel and a charred Shishito pepper. There was a light vinaigrette dressing that complemented the raw fish. A ceviche came to mind … excellent! This was followed by Beef Tartare, served with thin slices of crostini. The beef was finely chopped and mixed with mustard, diced cornichons and something else like mayonnaise. The cornichons and mustard overpowered the beef. To me, it tasted like deviled ham. This is not being derogatory because I love deviled ham, but that’s not what I expected. For mains, we ordered the Ribeye and the Scallops. The steak was Koji-aged, which uses a rice mixture as a marinade to tenderize and season the meat. It was served with an okra tempura, white rice and a soy-pepper sauce. My scallop dish was an interesting mélange of flavors … perfectly seared scallops served over a kabocha puree with a foie gras gyoza. The gyoza was fabulous … I wanted a plate of these pockets of goodness instead of the scallops. Later, Nathan said I could have asked for gyoza instead of the scallops … next time! We ended our meal with a dish of brown butter ice cream for my tablemate and a French Press of a Maui coffee for me. She loved the ice cream and I enjoyed my coffee though I wished for a stronger brew. The Maui coffee is good but I prefer dark roasts. Final thoughts: We enjoyed our time at Umi. Service was unhurried but attentive and the food, with one exception, was excellent. Nathan said the chef took the tartare off our bill … unnecessary, but appreciated. Later, Chef Garg stopped by to speak with us. We loved seeing him again and it’s so nice to see the executive chef out in the dining room to speak with his patrons. 4.75 stars!"

"Ordered Curry tasting menu. The rice was from Hokkaido Japanese rice. I preferred a good Basmati rice to the curry I had. Curry was thick and sweet. Japanese rice is sweet side, so Basmati would have been a good balance that’s only my preference. Kale salad was interesting. Good Tamarind dressing. I didn’t care for the fried battered onion and bean powder mixture. It had no taste but added soggy texture to the salad. I would have preferred something crispy as a texture. Great service. Nice interior. Comfortable yes, Food is normal not surprisingly great for the price they charge. Tourist, Hotel price maybe. Maybe breakfast is better? I am not sure this is a place I’d go back right away for a dinner."

"On the day the restaurant opened, I had breakfast at the beautiful lobby restaurant of Halepuna Waikiki. The food was impeccable and I now consider it my top choice for breakfast in Waikiki. Owner Chef Vikram Garg greeted us warmly and was very friendly during our conversation. Our waiter, Darren, was also very welcoming and provided exceptional service. I highly recommend the Yogurt parfait and would definitely order it again. The Croque Madam and smoked salmon tartine were also excellent. The loco moco was exceptional and my personal favorite in Waikiki. The leek-potato gratin side dish was also top-notch. I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast experience here."