Umami

This restaurant is great. It has a classy atmosphere, the waiters are very polite, and the food is amazing. I ordered the spicy singapore curry laksa noodles and it was absolutely delightful. Although the food is a little pricy, the quality of the food makes up for it.

My son and I were going to a concert at Royal Albert Hall and wanted to dine in the vicinity. Saw Umami online, read the reviews and sounded like a good choice. Sadly, the food was disappointing. The food was «toned» down despite our request for medium spicy for the Mee Goreng. I was really looking forward to the gado gado but this too was a disappointment. The salad was overwhelmed with bean sprout and had no cabbage, potatoes or egg which is standard. Felt the food catered to «Western» taste than authentic Indonesian — Malaysian. I have tasted much better gado gado and Mee Goreng in the bay area. My parents were Indonesian so perhaps my expectations are higher.

Nice service and food.
It looks like a posh restaurant but the prices are competitive :)

Food was average. Food was on the oily side and it was a weird fusion mix. If you have other options go somewhere else. Service wasn’t bad.
Prices were expensive for what you get.

I’m in London on business and my hotel’s offerings are quite narrow and rather ethnocentric. So after two days I was hungering for something exotic to go with my profile picture, you know?
So I was walking on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, you know, near that palace? And I saw this pan-​Asian place. I never trust anything that says «pan-​Asian» because it usually means «master of none». But it was either that or BK. So…
When I walked in, I realized it was part of Crowne Plaza. Dagnabbit! (So… BK?) Promptly, I followed the lone South Asian host-​waiter-​table cleaner.
First disappointment, no raspberry iced tea or any sweetened iced tea. (Ugh, to be an American needing to eat across the pond! But Nestle is European, no?) Fine, apple juice!
For lunch, I had the lamb curry, small serving, with steamed white rice, and side of sauteed baby bokchoy. The lamb is slow-​cooked and quite soft, and the serving size was perfect for me. The spiciness was on-​target but I found it a trifle too salty. I wasn’t thinking of having the simple bokchoy side dish but the waiter suggested it, since the lamb was all meat, thick and… I got it. I ordered it. And he was right. The garlicky veggies complemented the curry quite well. And I’ve been missing my veggies.
The plate looked nice but it made too much clanging when the utensils made contact with it. Was it metal? Distracting.
I would have ordered the lychee cheesecake, but alas my newly smaller waistline would not allow any more input for this sitting. Coffee was all I could take. Some other day, perhaps.
With service charge and VAT, it all came to GBP 24.63. Overall, it was a good lunch, filling, satisfying, exotic in a familiar way, but no fireworks. And the service was accommodating, pleasant, and prompt. I’m eyeing the duck-​and-​green-​mango salad for dinner.

Nos quedamos en el hotel y tenía muy buena pinta desde fuera. Pero la verdad es que la comida me decepciono bastante. Mala no esta, pero nada especial. Una lástima porque prometía.

I would give this place 1 star for the prompt seating and ambiance. Food service and quality of food was not that great. We asked for mild food because some of our group do not eat spicy food. I asked for extra spice on the side and was told they have to ask the kitchen but none arrived. Therefore; I did not enjoy my meal. We are from the Bay Area, California where international food is prevalent. We are used to all price range and quality of food. We were a large number on the table but there was other table
with large group also. What annoyed me more was being profiled. We always have to asked for water but all other tables were being catered to. Their water glass was always full. The servers made a mistake, they didn’t know that we are from the State and are used to giving 15 to 20% tip. We would have given more tip if they were attentive. I would not recommend this place for quality of food and service even I am staying at the hotel.

My family and I recently visited London and decided to stay near Kensington Palace at the Crowne Royal Plaza. On the first night my cousin decided to try this restaurant since it’s within the hotel. She ordered the duck appetizer with a side of rice. It didn’t wow her one bit. I thought she was just being a good snob as that we are from California and are used to a more fattier duck. But when I tasted it, it was quite bland.
On our last night of our stay we decided to go ahead and give the restaurant another try. Our party of eight was seated promptly as the restaurant wasn’t too busy. We ordered our appetizers and mains. While waiting for our dishes we were often forgotten. Our water glasses were rarely filled without us asking and the servers only paid attention to us when we were receiving food or clearing the table. The food wasn’t that great. The soups and proteins were probably the best dishes they were quite flavorful. But their noodle dishes were bland and when we had asked for chili to make the food spicier they never brought any out. At the end of the meal we had a few dishes untouched and wanted to do take aways but the server said they didn’t so take away. Yet the group next to us did. Quite suspicious.
Overall the ambience was good but the service and food weren’t all that great. I probably wouldn’t come back. It’s just not for me.

I was visiting London with my mother when she saw an advertisement for this restaurant, in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, very near where we were staying, and we decided to try it. We walked in at 6:30 and it was… deserted. We were a little put off by that, honestly — when a restaurant is deserted at 6:30 pm, you wonder what’s wrong. But we decided to order and take our chances, and I’m glad we did. The food was delicious and the service attentive and friendly. The atmosphere is elegant and the menu was interesting. The spring rolls were steamed, not fried, which was novel. I had Malay beef and an asparagus side dish and both were delicious. The a la carte style menu means it won’t be a cheap meal, but the food was very good.