This past weekend I had the privilege of staying at the sleek and sophisticated Century City Urban Square Hotel. This stylish hotel is home to the restaurant Urban Umami, which perfectly matches the unapologetically polished vibe. On Saturday afternoon, I was personally hosted by their incredibly talented chef, Chef Naseer. I didn’t quite know what I was walking into, but let me just say I left feeling like I was just taken on a flavour journey through space and time, and of course, utterly stuffed. Urban Umami is all about unique flavours inspired by Asia, and something I love is that they focus on using fresh and locally sourced ingredients. You can definitely taste the quality. It is the perfect blend of local ingredients and oriental flavours. We have a lot of food to cover, so let’s get into it! Disclosure, this is going to be a long read.

“Every spoonful felt luxurious, a feast fit for a king… or queen.”

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a very bubbly hostess who escorted us to my table. Looking around, the interior was clean, modern, and had a quiet luxury feel about it. The sunlight was pouring through the floor to ceiling glass, catching on the gold accents and making everything a little cinematic. There was a stillness to it, not stiff, but curated. It’s the kind of place where you instantly lower your voice, and not because you have to, but because the vibe just asks for it. The furniture looked like it was designed for comfort and posture, you know, supportive and structured, if that makes any sense. As I relaxed into the long, lingering, sculpted chair, our waitress came to take our drink orders. I ordered some pink bubbles, because, why not? There was actually another reason why I chose that drink. The night before, I took part in the wine tasting in their beautiful cellar that was guided by the amazing Lizle. She is incredibly knowledgeable and full of life, it was honestly the best wine tasting I have ever experienced. She made it so much fun and interactive. She also has the best stories! Time goes so quickly and I honestly didn’t want it to end. Anyway, where I was going with this is that she started the wine tasting with the Graham Beck Brut Rose and I couldn’t resist sipping on it again. Just like the evening before, it was crisp and brisk, with a slightly sweet and tart berry flavour. At this point, I still had no idea what was in store for us on the food front. This is when our waitress told us what we were going to be eating… Buckle up and button down, here we go! Five tapas plates, three mains, and two desserts. Yes, just between two people. I was very happy with my beverage choice as I thought it would almost act as a bit of a palate cleanser and be refreshing between all of these dishes.

Not that we needed it, with everything that was coming, but we were served some snacks while we waited for our first course. I mean, I’m not complaining! The light and airy prawn crackers were accompanied by two dipping sauces. The honey style one was my favourite. This glossy pool of sweetness was silky, not sticky, giving off that liquid gold kind of energy. Then the chilli mayo was dangerously addictive. Creamy and tangy with a back end heat that flirts instead of bites. This snack tricks you into thinking it’s “just air”, until you’ve eaten half the bowl. I thoroughly enjoyed this little teaser, it made me very excited for what was coming next.

This brings us to the array of tapas. The table looked like a paint palette, every dish had its own mood board. Everything looked alive! It was glossy, crisp, bright, and so confident. Chef came out to explain what was in front of us, and I swear my jaw dropped as he described everything to us. I couldn’t wait to dig in, but, where to begin? Honestly, I was pretty overwhelmed. Is there such a thing as too much of a good thing…? Nah! Logically, I started with what was closest to me, the salmon sashimi. Looking at it, it was almost glowing. The glistening ribbons of salmon were swimming in a light soy lime bath. The fish itself was so delicate, it melts before you even commit to the chew. It tasted fresh from the sea, citrus kissed, with slightly salty, umami flavour from the soy sauce. Overall, it was cooling, cleansing, and a meditative bite. 

Next, I tucked into the calamari. This dish was super interesting to me and I was almost expecting the worst. Looking at the plate, I saw something quite out of the ordinary. There were dehydrated citrus slices. Yes, I know citrus goes well with seafood, but dried slices? New to me. To my surprise, they were the most iconic plot twist. The sweet, chewy, tangy little pops that shouldn’t work, but totally do. I am still trying to wrap my head around it. Everything about this was utter perfection. The calamari had golden edges and was well seasoned, and the lime sour cream was tangy and a cooling contrast to the hint of chilli. It was bright, punchy, and so much fun to eat. I will definitely be adding this not so secret, zesty ingredient to my calamari in the future.

After tackling all things seafood, I decided to try some of the heartier items. What better way to start that than with the sticky, caramelised, unapologetically shiny pork belly. This screamed indulgence, and smelt like temptation. As I bit into that stunning block of meat, the room went quiet… I was in umami heaven. The bold ginger soy glaze clung to each bite, lingering like a good memory. The meat, the meat?! It was rich, but not heavy with the fat rendered perfectly, buttery but not greasy. I loved the addition of the charred corn and if I am not mistaken, fresh grapefruit beneath. It brought about freshness, and the touch of citrus cut through the more decadent elements. This dish was sweet, salty, smoky, all at once, the new three powerpuff girls together in perfect harmony. 

Okay, we’ve covered seafood, pork, now let’s move onto beef. You would swear I was on the carnivore diet. Don’t worry, I’m not, I have common sense. Coming close to the end of the tapas round, I had back to back beef (B2BB) to go. After a tricky decision of which one to start with, a scientific eenie meenie miney mo, the beef bao buns were up. I picked up one of the mini clouds of dough that were hugging the filling like it’s sacred, and I must say, they were the softest buns, borderline emotional softness. As I bit in, I gave a sigh, and then a smile. Bite sized happiness. The pulled beef was saucy, juicy, and deeply savoury and beautifully contrasted by the crunchy and fresh slaw. This resulted in a light but satisfying dish. 

Last up of all things tapas, but certainly not least, we have the beef dim sum. Some might say we left best for last, and that some is most definitely me. My oh my were these babies amazing. I mean, how could they not be phenomenal? It’s dim sum! If you don’t like dumplings, you cannot be trusted. First of all, there was none of that half empty dumpling drama. These were juicy, plump, and heavy, that good kind of heavy. After dunking it into the dipping sauce, I bit into it and it just burst, literal joy in your mouth. It was meaty, savoury, and perfectly seasoned. The ponzu dip sliced through the richness with attitude. This was a proper dim sum moment, soulful, messy, and just perfect. A beautiful way to conclude a tapas feast. 

Almost instantly after our waitress cleared the table, I spotted Chef carrying a few plates, and he was coming our way. At that moment, I thought to myself, “Mamma mia, here I go again… My, my, how can I resist you?” He placed them in front of us and said he would be right back with the rest. Yes, the rest. Soon enough, he dropped off the remaining dishes, gave us a little breakdown, and left us to it. There was a moment of silence as I tried to pop my eyes back into their sockets, and once again, while I decided where to begin. This time, there were two larger meals shared between us, and then we both got our own smaller portion of the short rib main. The presentation of it all was immaculate, and the aromas were something to write a book about. I started with the short rib that had a glossy, dark hoisin glaze. A petite bowl but a dramatic presence. The fork tender beef practically collapsed on impact. The meat was rich, smoky, and deeply umami. It was complemented beautifully by the creamy, slightly sweet butternut puree. Every bite was comforting and utterly indulgent.

Moving swiftly along, well not so swiftly, but along, I pulled the large bowl of golden glistening ramen towards me. The seared sirloin slices fanned elegantly on top of the broth kissed noodles, and there was just enough pak choi peeking through giving it that pop of colour and freshness. This dish was giving off some seriously wholesome vibes on the visual side, as well as taste. The broth was layered and soulful, and the noodles had the perfect spring. The sirloin was tender and full of flavour, it soaked up all the broth’s miso richness. For me, the egg in ramen plays a crucial part, the yolk adds a velvety swirl through every spoonful. All in all, every slurp was a small act of therapy.

For the last savoury dish, we had the Red Thai Linefish. It was served in that signature Urban Umami bowl, where modern pottery meets edible art. A beautifully cooked kingklip fillet was perched on top of a creamy red curry sauce speckled with lime, herbs, and edamame. It looked comforting yet bright, and you could smell both richness and freshness before you even tasted it. The fish was perfectly poached, flaky but moist, carrying the sauce like velvet. I absolutely loved the vegetable ragu underneath, layered with flavours and textures, adding some freshness to the heartier, deeply decadent coconut milk based sauce. Every spoonful felt luxurious, a feast fit for a king… or queen. 

Wowee! Time for dessert, which was a mud pie with vanilla ice cream and a trio of sorbets. I loved that their flavour profiles were completely opposite to each other. I decided to start with the heavier one, and end on a lighter note. The pie had a dark, glistening chocolate disc on top that looked like it meant business, a crumbed “forest gravel base”, and the smoothest moussey top. The silky mousse melts the moment it hits your tongue and has a deeply cacao flavour that could turn anyone into a chocoholic. This is the kind of dessert that makes you momentarily forget that you’re sharing. 

Lastly, I looked over at the vibrant scoops of sorbet sitting pretty in their wavy ceramic bowl. It just looked like summer. My logic was if it looks like sunshine, I will feel like light after eating this, or hopefully something along those lines. It is quite difficult for me to choose a favourite. They were each delightfully delicious in their own way. The mango one was smooth and tropical, the lemon was tangy and bold, and the pineapple and basil was playful and herbaceous and cooling. Overall, they were all light, clean, and the perfect counter to the chocolate indulgence, and all the other indulgences, from the food-filled afternoon. 

Urban Umami feels like that restaurant you don’t just visit, you remember. Chef Naseer brings depth and precision, and real heart to every dish. Everything is layered, polished, and balanced. From start to finish, the meal is built like a story. It’s the kind of lunch that reminds you why you fell in love with dining in the first place. I can highly recommend adding this spot to your list. It is difficult for me to pick a favourite, but the calamari, the beef dim sum, and the red thai linefish are definitely must orders. 

Thank you Urban Umami! Till next time!