Uma Uma is a recently opened ramen/yakitori shop located next to the Boston Market on Route 40. The entire Baltimore/Baltimore Suburbs is seriously lacking in good ramen shops and while Uma Uma may not be the best ramen I've ever had, it's probably among the best in the Baltimore area.
The interior of the shop is very cozy and warm. There are tables, booths, and bar seating. While you need to put down your name for a table or booth, the bar area is first-come-first-serve. The bar area is separated into two sections. The first obviously looks like a bar. However, the second area is against the wall on the right side of the restaurant (if you are standing inside facing the back of the restaurant). Either way is a good option when the restaurant is busy if you are part of a small group.
The menu itself is fairly simple with six ramen choices and a whole lot of yakitori options. However, because the restaurant is still new, the yakitori options are not all available when I went.
I ordered a shoyu ramen and chicken thigh yakitori while my friend got the tonkatsu ramen. The ramen was good and actually quite filling (my friend said that he never gets full when he gets ramen...so he was pleasantly surprised).
My shoyu ramen came with a soft-boiled egg, nori seaweed, pork belly, green onions, bean sprouts, and corn. I'm no ramen expert but to me, the broth while a little cloudier than other shoyu ramens I've had but was still flavorful and good. The noodles were cooked to perfection, giving the perfect balance between tenderness and chewiness. My only gripe was the soft-boiled egg was a little overcooked and was lukewarm. Overall, it is good enough to fulfill any ramen craving. And as stated before, the entire Baltimore area is lacking in its ramen options. Despite it being the newest kid on the block, Uma Uma is probably the best in the area :)
The yakitori was good too. I just ordered a chicken thigh (momo) just to see what it was like. The thigh was well-cooked; it was tender and moist. However, unlike traditional yakitori, I don't think this was cooked over charcoal (I'm guessing probably due to health code or restaurant rules in the county). It would have been nice to have some smokiness to it (maybe mimic it using a smoke gun?). I also would have preferred a little more char or caramelization on the chicken to give more textural contrast. But that's just being a little picky; the chicken thigh wasn't bad at all. I'm not sure when or if Uma Uma will have alcohol, but the yakitori would go great with some beer :)
Because Uma Uma is new, when I went at lunch, it was completely packed. And I mean PACKED. I arrived around 12:05 (five minutes after what I later found to be the grand opening) and all the tables were taken. My friend and I got bar seating and it still took us about 30 minutes to get food. The orders for the entire restaurant must have come around the same time and the kitchen was swamped. Being familiar and sympathetic with the service industry and such, I won't hold it against the staff or restaurant, especially since it's new; the wait time will shrink as the restaurant's newness fades. The same thing happened with the nearby Sonic and SmashBurger. Nonetheless, our server, Christina, did her best, checking in on us occasionally and giving us updates about the food. The owner, Emily, also came by several times checking on us and asking for any feedback too. It's always good to see a proactive owner for a restaurant.
One last thing: my friend and I split the check. There is a precalcuated tip value at the bottom of the receipt showing 15%, 20%, and 25% values to make things easier. However, I noticed that those values reflected the total value of the check, not the split check. It could have been just a computer bug or maybe lack of experience on the server. But either way, I'd double check it.
I'm sure given a few weeks, the restaurant will have shorter wait times, better service, and even better food. All restaurants need some time to iron out the kinks when they first open. I think Uma Uma should be around 4-4.5 star but I'll give them five with the expectation that things will improve over the next few weeks too. I'll be back for sure though! A great addition to Ellicott City. read more