Bar Ume, Surry Hills

Kerby Craig (Executive chef) is back along with head chef Jo (ex-chef and Pitmaster at Vic's Meat Market) and a new team. They are located at the same spot as Ume Restaurant but has rebranded the joint as Bar Ume.

It is now a casual Japanese themed bar that's generally a bar that includes a menu from Kerby's Ume Burger and daily/weekly Japanese snacks specials. I can't help but feel like I was transported back to Blacows at Ebisu. It has a bar/cafe/bistro vibe just like Blacows. The place still has most of Ume Restaurant's interior intact but with a few changes. Expect a good range of sake, wine and whisky. But I was there to smash burgers and fried chicken.

Koji fried chicken

The koji fried chicken ($9) is pieces of amazing karaage chicken! Each bite starts with a crisped coating and followed by a super succulent meat bursting with flavoursome juice consisting fruity and ginger notes from the shio koji marinade. The mayo was so addictive too. 

Double bacon cheeseburger

The double bacon cheeseburger ($20) is a well constructed classic burger with double wagyu beef patty, sexy melted double American cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, onion, rice vinegar pickles and Ume's special sauce in a soft milk bun. The wagyu patty works well even if it was cooked almost well-done as it was still so juicy. The patty was also lightly seasoned so that it doesn't get overly flavoured along with the sauce. I prefer my burgers without the salad but the salad in this didn't bother me at all as it was quite minimal. This has gotta be the best "classic style" burger in Sydney at the moment.

Ebi burger

Their ebi burger ($15) tastes as perfect as it looks. I mean just look at it! It's so beatifully constructed! It consists of prawn katsu, Japanese tartare sauce and shredded cabbage in a soft milk bun. The prawn katsu patty was simply awesome with its golden-crisped crumb coating and perfectly cooked prawns.

Ume burger

The Ume burger is Kerby's take on a MOS cheeseburger. It's absolutely delicious and yes, it was full of umami. It was a cheeseburger on a league of its own. It had wagyu patty (the wagyu beef patty is covered under that mince sauce), wagyu mince sauce, melted cheese, mayo, tomato, onion and mustard in a soft sweet milk bun (sourced from a Japanese bakery). The wagyu patty was juicy and packed with flavour. The wagyu mince sauce was like a bolognese sauce but more sweet, which gave the burger extra character. The melted cheese, creamy sweet mayo, zingy mustard and crisp bite from the onions gave the burger familiar classic cheeseburger flavours. The tomato gave a nice balance to the whole burger.

I love the burgers at Bar Ume right now. They are all about perfection in simplicity and balance.

Bar Ume

478 Bourke Street

Surry Hills NSW

Opening hours

Monday to Saturday 11am to 11pm

Sunday 11am to 9pm