courtesy of yume sushi
Chirashi, a plate full of chef-selected sashimi, is a riot of color.
The original Takara on State Street will always hold a special place in my heart. It was there that I had my first sushi roll — a life-changing experience! — while in Madison for a college visit. The restaurant closed in 2016 after 15 years in business, another casualty of rising rent prices downtown.
After closing, Takara co-owner Erica Ni told the Wisconsin State Journal she was searching for a new downtown space. Meanwhile she and her husband, Brian Ni, another co-owner and chef, were running a second Takara on Whitney Way and Takara 88 in Middleton. The couple also co-owns Ramen Station on South Park Street. In December, the Nis finally returned to State Street, opening the family’s third (or technically, fourth) sushi spot in the former home of Wasabi.
The space hasn’t changed much with the new ownership — the interior has been renovated lightly, freshened up with a coat of slate-blue paint.
Visits to Yume over the past couple weeks have yielded varying experiences. Sushi rolls were sloppily prepared on one night, perfectly on another. Sashimi offerings disappointed initially, then wowed. Japanese classics like soba, miso soup, teriyaki and tempura had varying degrees of success. The service, however, is friendly and uniformly excellent.
Chirashi, which translates to “scattered,” is a visually stunning plate of chef-selected sashimi over vinegared rice, garnished with dainty microgreens, spiral-cut daikon radish, bright green tobiko and a shiso leaf. On my visit, the dish included salmon, tuna, yellowfin, shrimp and “white tuna” (escolar), plus imitation crab stick wrapped in cucumber and tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette). The fish was perfect — fresh-tasting and generously portioned. Even the escolar, which sometimes gets a bad rap (some call it the “Ex-Lax fish”), was heavenly, buttery smooth and lightly seared on the outside. I particularly liked the tamagoyaki, which had a delicate texture and a hint of sweetness that tasted incredible with soy sauce.
But on a different visit, a piece of toro (tuna belly, normally one of my favorites) tasted mealy and recently defrosted. I was dying to try the uni (sea urchin, my other favorite), which at Yume is priced amazingly at $4, but it wasn’t available. Amaebi (sweet shrimp) was tasty but presented a bit messily atop a big lemon slice. It comes with the shrimp’s head deep-fried on the side, but I mistakenly thought it was just for presentation — you’re supposed to eat it whole! The garnishes were unusual this time — slices of grape tomato and parsley leaves.
Yume’s specialty rolls mostly failed to impress. The best I tried was the Spirit roll — spicy tuna with crunch and avocado inside, topped with yellowtail, sliced jalapeno and tobiko (red and black). The Puppy Love roll was disappointing. The shrimp tempura and caviar was missing, leaving only imitation crab, mango, avocado and cucumber. The visual concept is cute, heart-shaped with pink soy paper, but the construction was messy.
A seafood udon noodle soup looked pretty with its array of shrimp, scallops, crab stick and whitefish, plus those pretty pink-and-white fish cakes (like the emoji!) and adorable star-cut carrots. But the broth was tragically bland. The shrimp were overcooked, and the whitefish tasted off. Miso soup was painfully under-miso’d on one visit, perfect on another.
Beef teriyaki, however, was a delight. The glaze hit a balance of sweet and savory, and the flank steak was grilled to the requested medium. The accompanying vegetables were perfect, especially the caramelized onions. A tempura appetizer was also transcendent — shrimp, sweet potato, broccoli and eggplant all fried to an impossibly fluffy crisp.
Pickled radish, ordered as an afterthought, was a highlight of the meal. Crunchy, slightly sweet slices of radish come topped with grated pickled ginger, bright red and wonderfully salty, and slices of sweet pickled squash. The blend of flavors and textures was triumphant.
It isn’t Takara, and it isn’t Wasabi. But Yume Sushi could eventually rise to their level. Because when it gets something right, it’s downright dreamy.
Yume is wheelchair accessible (the restaurant is on the second floor; the building’s elevator is next to Asian Kitchen on Broom Street).
Yume Sushi
449 State St.; 608-255-5020; yumemadison.com
11 am-2:30 pm and 4:30-10 pm Mon.-Thurs., 11 am-10:30 pm Fri.-Sat.,
noon-9:30 pm Sun.; $4-$55
