Wonderful little street cart with limited hours and a limited menu.....
DONE RIGHT!
Ume serves very delicious marinated beef, excellent rice, zingy wasabi coleslaw, two delicious and uniquely flavored sauces, sweet, chewy moochi dessert and a refreshing iced tea made from roasted barley.
Located near the SE corner of UO campus, across the street from Prince Pucklers, I kick myself for not visiting Ume while I was a student at the School of Music and often grew hungry practicing in the evenings.
Excellent value, quality local ingredients, great flavors and friendly service.
Ume Grill is food cart at its finest.
A consistent yet spartan menu, utilizing high-quality ingredient, and made by actual human hands--all offered for a screaming deal due to the low overhead. Ume reminds me why the whole food cart thing started in the first place. And, dare I say, Ume just might be southeast campus' response to Alexander? At the very least, I hope they're still around in 18 years.
I was late to the table in trying Ume grill, so let me first say 'thank-you' to the rest of town for keeping them in business through their first year and through a very tough, cold, wet, and long spring. It was four weeks ago that I rolled up. I was working late, as was hubby, and at about 5:30 I realized that our cupboards were bare. We had some leftover garden greens, wrapped tightly in the fridge, and the ever-present rice cooker still had at least one serving for me on the counter...but I was hungry. And wanted something to round out my meal.
Enter Ume. After fighting my way through the craziness around Prince Pucklers, I found myself situated in the midst of a little corner of Zen in the southeast corner of 19th and Agate. I was offered some hot barley tea, along with a menu to peruse. Â "2 skewers, please. Oh, and throw in some of those spicy pickles and wasabi coleslaw, too." I situated my bar stool into a sliver of sunlight to wait for my dinner. 5 dollars and 5 minutes later, I sauntered back to my car, satisfied that the spoils of my hunt were so fruitful.
At home, I prepared to assemble the beautiful goodness that was to be my dinner. (1) Scoop of warm rice in the center of the bowl, (2) Careful arrangement of micro greens around the rice, (3) Placement of the meat in a crown of glory on the top, (4) coleslaw and pickles made readily available in a side dish for maximum "perfect bite" composition. Voila! A restaurant-quality meal quickly available in my own home.
I've since been back several times. Some things have changed (e.g., when the days are warm, the tea is iced), but the beef is always falling-apart tender, the pickles are perfectly crisp, and the mochi is still the essential dessert. Of course, you don't have to take the liberties with their dinners that I did--the Yaki bowl is a perfect meal in and of itself, already assembled and ready to eat! Now that summer is here, I suggest you grab one, head to the park, and relish in the reinvention of local flavor that Ume offers.
The meat on a stick part of the meal and the mochi were great.  The meat on a stick had the right balance of meat to fat to cooked deliciously.  The mochi were soft  and lovely little clouds.
The rice was alright, it was overcooked. Â The wasabi slaw was a slaw but it wasn't wasabi. Â I like my wasabi to jump up and slap me in face and this slaw just didn't.
I promised the friendly owners a review because I like to support industrious folks, so here it is...
The food was tasty, no doubt. Â I might not be as crazy about it as the other reviewers, but that might be because I shared the food with my husband to avoid getting a lot of containers. Â He dislikes food carts for the disposable waste they create and I do agree, but I was willing to compromise my ethics for the food! Â At any rate, Ume seems to make an effort to use some compostable containers. Â
I dig that they use some locally sourced foods (like Nancy's yogurt). Â The beef was indeed very tender and the rice perfectly cooked. Â All in all, it was a very good deal for $5.50. Â If and when I return, I'll try the sandwich because the ciabatta bread looked so damn good but I wanted to try all the components individually first.
One word: wonderful!
The proprietors of the grill are friendly and attentive, I was absolutely pleased with the service that I received.
I went on a cold and rainy night -- despite the rain and low temperatures -- I was comfortable sitting at the bar with the delicious and pungent smells wafting off the grill as it sizzled away cooking our food.
The meal was delicious. Â I ordered the yaki bowl which comes with two sirloin skewers, two scoops of delicious, medium grain rice, creamy wasabi cole-slaw, tsukemono (pickled cucumber) and the most delicious, delicate and unique mochi! Â The variety makes this meal a real winner, and the skewers couldn't be more tender; this is not to mention the complex and memorable flavors the skewers impart upon the tongue.
I left full and sated, with one thought: what would the wasabi cole-slaw be like if a ginger component was added?
They also provide curbside pickup, and I would consider it an effective and useful implementation of the takeout concept.
Go!
(To the tune of Diplomat's Son by Vampire Weekend)
It's not right but it's now or never (for I don't usually eat beef)
And if I wait could I ever forgive myself? (because it smelled so good)
On a night when the moon glows yellow in the Sun Auto parking lot
With the light from the cart buzzing on the corner of Agate and 19th
Cuz I'm gonna eat it where I can (at the seat on the cart)
And then I'm gonna duck out behind them (don't tell anyone I ate beef)
If I ever had a chance it's now then (you should go, it's mighty cheap)
But I never had the feeling I could offer that to you  (a Yelp sing-song review, it's true)
To offer this review to you would be cruel (if I didn't mention...)
When all I want to do is use, use you (...that they are open in the evenings and from one to seven on Saturday)
Ray was an island son
It was two thousand ten and one
Ray was an island son
It was two thousand ten and one
oh.oh.oh.oh.
Away drove a Honda, all dark blue with Oregon plates. Inside was a pescepollotarian ignoring his transgressions.
This a great little food cart in the East Campus area of Eugene, right across from Prince Puckler's. Â The couple who own it couldn't be more friendly, pleasant, and helpful. Â While I waited I got the complete run-down of what was in my meal: Â Oregon beef teriyaki skewers with two homemade sauces to dip them in (one sweet and plum-based, the other salty and shoyu-based), wasabi coleslaw, delicious spicy pickles,, perfectly-done rice, and sweet fresh mochi. Â Everything was delicious and clearly made with care. Â It was quick and super-cheap!
Can't wait to go back. Â I hope the menu alternates.
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