
Raised on four kitchens. Now eating our way through New York.
Oui Umami is a brother and sister reviewing New York restaurants together. Hugo is of Japanese descent, his sister is of Vietnamese descent, our mom is French, and our dad is a New Yorker who has opinions about pastrami.
Growing up, every family dinner had four critics at the table. That's still how we eat. So instead of one star rating, each place we visit gets four scores out of 10, one for each perspective, filled in by hand on a green guest check: Japanese for craft, Vietnamese for balance, French for technique and New York for value. Dad's value score is the headline.
The name says it too. Oui is Mom's yes and our one-word verdict. It also sounds like the Vietnamese ơi you shout across the house to call family to the table. Umami is the Japanese word for savory depth. And New York is in the question we ask at the end of every meal: would Dad come back? Oui or non.
Our first episode was filmed at Carnegie Deli, the place Dad used to take Hugo. That's check No. 0001. Every review after it gets the next number. Hugo doesn't eat dessert, so his sister scores every dessert on a separate check.
How we review: we pay our way or say so up front, we order what the place is known for plus one wildcard, we score at the table, and we answer one question before we leave.