Lost in time at Umu

Life in Manila or in any city, for that matter, can be extremely hectic and just mind-blowingly insane. Meetings, deadlines, Excel sheets, crisis control, friends you want to see but just don’t have time for, events you absolutely need to attend and parties you don’t want to miss out on. Trying to balance this with some form of exercise plus quality moments with family … sometimes you just don’t have time for yourself. You can barely eat lunch in 10 minutes, sifting through e-mails on the computer while your keyboard becomes shamefully greasy with your takeout or food delivery-laden fingers.

Once in a blue moon, you get the opportunity to have a “lunch meeting” and once in a solar eclipse you get that occasion where you have a “lunch meeting with a friend.” Danelle Palang of Dusit Thani is someone I’ve worked with so often and who is so nice and endearing that I’m happy to say she’s now a friend that I get to work with. When I had to decline a dinner invitation to showcase Umu’s new chef, she gladly moved it to another day for lunch. It was so much more delightful to enjoy such an indulgent meal in intimate company. Big and fun surprise, the Internet generation’s blogging queen and another good friend, Jenni Epperson, came to join. Time then stood still, as all kinds of vegetables, fish and meat flew in the air, sparkling sake was happily consumed and girly gossip and heartfelt moments were exchanged. Thursday? Weekday? What day? It just didn’t matter.

Simply yummy, healthy too: Gorgeous vegetables with scallops and prawns

Since I’ve cooked with them several times, Dusit Thani is kind of like a second home. I know all the nooks and crannies, the underbelly and not-so-glamorous side of the hotel. The staff are people I recognize and lo and behold, our teppanyaki chef was one of the poor guys who had to carry me on a bamboo chair on their backs (while I was in my chef’s coat, oversized toque and siling labuyo-red in the face) as part of one of Danelle’s kooky PR ideas. Not my finest moment. Chef Don Paran is also a dancer but today he made beautiful scallops do the polka on that searing-hot griddle and fine steaks cha-cha-cha in a pool of soy butter.

Despite me knowing the place so well, I never realized how beautiful and large Umu was. The natural noon light highlighted these quaint Japanese gardens framed by open windows. You couldn’t even tell you were part of a hotel complex, even less so in the middle of a bustling city. The backdrop for our teppanyaki table was curated greens, vibrant and fresh in a gray concrete jungle.

We started with a platter of paper-thin sashimi of fresh salmon and lapu-lapu and a classic miso soup. We then had prawns and scallops cooked with colorful vegetables. They were tender and rich, not at all dry and overcooked, which tends to be the case in most teppanyaki places. They were also perfectly seasoned and many times the fast-moving teppan chefs tend to put on more of a show and go overeager with the seasonings. “Whoa! A rain of salt right there! Plus a drizzle of soy sauce! A tub of butter?” Then it sits to wallow in utter overcooked sadness. Here at Umu, no bells and whistles, things were cooked with proper timing and a precise hand in seasoning.

The highlight of my meal was the sea bass. Skin was crisp and golden like it had been kissed by the Mediterranean sun. The flesh was white and succulent. They did not drown it in sauce but kept the charming white morsels as pure as the clouds in heaven. You tasted the fish. A perfectly cooked fish. The beauty of simplicity in one luscious bite. My mouth waters just remembering the gorgeous moment. Washed down with the heavenly, bubbly sake, clear and ethereal in flavor.

A taste of heaven: Divinely cooked seabass

After the fish, even if I had politely said I could eat no more, a gorgeously marbled piece of beef was cooked medium rare, diced and served in generous portions on my plate. Buttery, soft and full of intensity, I finished my plate without hesitation. The hot sake helped me digest everything, or at least I’d like to think it helps. As if the feast wasn’t indulgent enough the waiter came around with a big smile: “Would you like more?” “Huh? More of what?!” “More of whatever you like.” I had always wished for black hole as a stomach but no amount of imagination or sake or plain old gluttony could even let me sneak one tiny carrot in my happy belly.

We finished with a light sake ice cream. (Bring on the sake! In all its forms! At all times of day and all moments of the meal!) I had happily forgotten time and all the other things I had to do as we were deep in female-bonding conversation, slightly intoxicated with the richness of the moment. (It was almost 3 p.m. on a Thursday!) But no regrets, only happy memories with good food, good friends and just taking the luxurious time to enjoy life … and some sake.

Desert for the soul: refreshing sake ice cream and plum wine

* * *

Umu’s Weekday Teppanyaki Buffet is P1,250 net per person from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. As-much-as-you-can-eat miso soup, vegetables, seafood, fish, beef, garlic and plain rice, including a complimentary round of ice cream and unlimited green tea.

Umu Japanese Restaurant is located in the Dusit Thani Hotel, Ayala Center, Makati. Call 238-8888 for more information.

You can contact me at Stephanie_zubiri@yahoo.fr.

Here’s the beef: Beef in flames cooked in cognac (left) and then served hot and well done. All Pictures taken with a Canon Ixus