Ume (pronounced oo-may) means plum in Japanese. At the risk of brandishing the most obvious cliché known to weak writers everywhere, I’m still going to say it. Ume, 
the Japanese restaurant in Windsor, is a plum.
Now, this isn’t shocking. Ume is owned by Debbie Shu, Debbie’s sister Kelly Shu and partner-chef Chang Liow, who also own the remarkable Chinois Asian Bistro across the highway off the Windsor Green.
Whereas Chinois dances all across Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Filipino, Hong Kong-style and Malaysian specialties, Ume is pure Japan. From the outside, it looks like a small house, accented with faux rock and on the edge of a residential neighborhood. Step inside, and it’s chic Asia, from the entry water sculpture wall, to the centerpiece sushi bar, to the textured gray concrete floor that shimmers like a river.
Sashimi artfully presented at Ume Bistro.
When Ume opened in the spring of 2005, Windsor was known more for its proximity to wineries than its abundance of sake. Yet with more than a dozen premium sakes in varietals of junmai, ginjo and daiginjo, Ume has put well-deserved emphasis on the polished rice spirit.
A good meal at the blond wood sushi bar starts with a sake flight, like the Sakura Sampler ($13.75), in mild, floral sips of Manamusume, Oka and Kura no Hana. You’ll also get a complimentary cup of fragrant green tea, served in lovely pottery cup.
Ume has some of the most creative sushi selections in its neighborhood, like the Ume Blossom ($12) of snow crab and organic mixed greens in soy bean paper, or the Snow White ($15.50), as a baked roll of yellowtail topped with scallop and spicy seafood sauce. Pay close attention to the specials chalkboard – that’s where you’ll find treats like my recent score of Aji (Spanish mackerel, $7.50), and
The Snow White & Ume Blossom rolls at Ume.
tempura uni in shiso leaf ($8.50).
If the chef is offering live scallop, get it. The sweet dish is doctored with shallots, ginger and garlic and is well worth the $18 price tag.
As soft acoustical jazz music played in the background, my server brought a beautiful plate of ankimo salad, the monkfish fois gras layered with tobiko, wakame and daikon in ponzu sauce ($8.75). It was a taste of the creativity of the kitchen.
I’ve had grilled tofu steak plenty of times, for example, but never served sizzling with eggs on a hot iron platter ($9), and now, I know what I’ve been missing.
The signature Ume Roll.
The cleverly named Dragon Eggs turned out to be quail egg tucked in crisp prawn and drizzled with sweet chili sauce ($9.50), while quail egg found another home in the shooter of briny fresh oyster bobbing in chilled sake with the tiny egg, tobiko and a zingy splash of ponzu sauce ($6.50).
You know I had to order tonkatsu (see my previous review on Senju to see why http://inside-sonoma.com/senju-sushi-in-windsor-offers-a-taste-of-japan/). While Ume’s version isn’t the best I’ve had (blame it on smallish portions and a bit of overcooking), the Fuji apple-studded potato salad was a nice, Hawaii-centric touch. And here is where I will go from now on for my Nabeyaki fix: the udon soup brims with chicken, vegetables, prawn tempura and egg ($15.50).
I’ll say it: I don’t like dining with kids. They interrupt the food. But if you’re going to take the little ones out of their cages, Ume is a good choice. Their children’s menu
The sushi bar at Ume offers a perfect view of the unique sushi creations.
appeals to contemporary tykes’ tastes, such as the Bento A ($8.95), bringing a combo of miso soup, crab cheese puff, grilled teriyaki chicken, steamed rice and green tea ice cream.
And where else but in Sonoma will a Japanese restaurant proudly plant its flag to proclaim it has vegetarian sushi? Yet indeed, there is a whole menu section devoted to the stuff: Japanese pickled radish ($4.50), sweet yam, onion and zucchini tempura ($6), and even an oh-so-Wine Country creation called Lo-Carb California, of surimi and avocado wrapped in cucumber ($6).
For the signature Ume dish, though, it has to be this: the Ume Shiso ($5), of cucumber, shiso leaf, and yes, pickled plum.
Details: Ume Japanese Bistro, 8710 Old Redwood Highway, Windsor, 707-838-6700, umebistro.com.
