Umai-Ya Japanese Restaurant @ Damansara Utama (Uptown), Petaling Jaya

This very cozy and nice Umai-Ya Japanese Restaurant is hidden in Damansara Utama, same row with HSBC. They serve very good buffet on weekends at about RM48+ per head. Umai-Ya is yet another restaurant which offers a selective Japanese cuisine. Unlike any other buffets, Umai-Ya’s style of buffet is somewhat different compare to the likes of Shogun, Tenji, Jogoya and etc. Instead of you going to counters picking the food you planned to devour, all you’ve got to do is to look at the menu and select what you want as well as the quantity. Then, pass the menu (or paper) back to waiter for ordering. Besides, Umai-Ya offers nothing but Japanese food.

They were running some buffet promotion on the weekends (for lunch only). The deal is all you can eat and drink and you only have to pay RM48++. As usual, you can order bottomless ocha (a.k.a. green tea) and besides ocha, you can opt for Coke or Tiger beer. Yes, Unlimited Tiger beer!

Let’s start with the Salmon Sashimi (2 pcs), freshness is essential when it comes to eating sashimi, and every piece was succulently fresh.

Unagi Sushi, the Unaki is tasty but the size (thickness) is a little bit too thin.

Talking about Unagi Sushi, the below is the Unagi Hand Roll. It’s crispy and taste quite good actually. Yum!

Then the Saba Shioyaki or grilled mackerel, nicely deep fried the fish instead of doing a slow grill. Here, they grilled the fish to a perfection. The flesh is thoroughly cooked yet retains the juiciness from the fat. The skin of the fish is intact, brown to a crisp yet not burnt. When doused with a squeeze of lemon to cut the oiliness and eaten with a dollop of grated daikon………MMMmmmmMmmm

Agedashi Tofu, is a Japanese way to serve hot tofu. Silken (kinugoshi) firm tofu, cut into cubes, is lightly dusted with potato starch or cornstarch and then deep fried until golden brown. It's then served in a hot tentsuyu broth made of dashi, mirin, and sho-yu (Japanese soy sauce), and topped with finely chopped negi (a type of spring onion) or grated daikon. Here is average (so so saja)…

Dragon Maki, consists of salmon, Ebi Tempura Roll with Eel and avocado on top. Tempura prawn wrapped in sushi rice with unagi and slices of avocado, each bite was made even more sensational topped with the compulsory wasabi. This was rather pricey though but very worth it.

Next, the Soft Shell Crab Maki, with fried soft shell crab roll with avocado and cucumber. The crab is crunchy and tasty and it taste so so good.

Another Maki, the California Cheese Maki. It’s a crabstick, cucumber roll with cheese and eel on top. Eel is nice grilled and juicy on top.

As for dessert, the Chocolate Ice Cream, very creamy and chocolaty tasty. Nice.

As for the Wasabi Ice Cream top with Red Bean, it’s also tasty and refreshing after meal.

Overall, the service here is par as they are lack of staff. But still worth going for a try.

Food Review

Food Type: Japanese (Pork Free)
Address: No. 49A, Jalan SS21/37, Damansara Utama, 47400 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: +603-7726 4410
Price: RM48++ per pax for Buffet (Weekends only, Lunch)
Operating Hours: Daily (11.30am-2.30pm, 6pm-10.30pm)

Taste Rating: 8/10
Ambiance Rating: 8.5/10
Service Rating: 5.5/10
Value Rating: 7/10

Overall Rating: 7.3/10