Ume

Ume is located in the basement of One Poultry so it is not the sort of place you stumble across when wandering around the Bank area at lunch time. I came on a Friday and the place was packed with the queue stretching out of the door but it moved quickly.
They have an indoor seating around for around 20 people or you can takeaway. I liked the chicken katsu curry which was around £6.50 putting it at the top end of City lunch options. I really liked that the curry sauce was served in a separate container which allows you to use as much (or as little) as you like.

Not many dishes to choose from, but it is still on top of my list for lunch around my workplace. Personally speaking, I like the Sichuan Chili Noodles, but sometimes it is too spicy for me while other times not spicy enough. Ramen is OK, they put lots of stuff in it, and the taste is light. It is very popular around lunch time so if you are tired of waiting just go before 12 noon.

Ume is a nice addition to the limited lunch options around Bank and provides decent value Thai/​generic Asian food. I’m a bit torn whether if I like it enough to keep going back due to the volatility in quality of food. I’ve had some delicious pad thai and some truly horrible nasi goring but from others I’ve heard the exact opposite experience. This leads me to conclude that eating a Ume is a gamble — something I prefer to reserve for my occasional casino visit.
As I said, the pad thai was tasty with tender noodles, crunchy sprouts, tender chicken, sharp chilli and roasted peanuts. Add that bit of acidity from a wedge of lime and I was in lunchtime heaven. Although a bit pricey at around £7, the portions are big enough for two lunches so quite reasonable.
The nasi goreng was one of the most bland dishes I’ve ever eaten — in fact I think adding flour paste would have given it more flavour. I doused it in the emergency chilli sauce I keep at my desk for just such occasions but it seemed to suck the sauce into a bottomless pit of nothingness. After a few bites, I introduced the box to the trashcan and wandered off to find something else.
I’ve also tried the spring rolls (generic and nothing special) and the gyoza where they managed to only fry half of them and turn the remainder into piles of goop. I just don’t get it, Ume, you have so much potential!

Try the veggie katsu curry! De-​lish!!!

For a few months since my office shifted from Liverpool street to Bank, I missed the «Hard wok café», and it’s noodles and fried rice. I occasionally even made the long walk back for lunch … until I found (or rather, my boss did) Ume at the basement of One Poultry.
It serves a small selection (of about a dozen or so items) of south east Asian and Chinese dishes, reasonably priced at between £6-£7, which makes Ume very popular at lunch time. I particularly like the Singapore noodles and the minced pork with French beans and rice. The quantity of food is enormous and is quite a bit more than what I would like for lunch.
Although most customers take their lunch away, they do provide a small seating area for about 15 or so people should one want a sit down meal.
The main complaint against Ume (at least among my colleagues) is regarding the design of their lunch boxes. One flap of their cardboard boxes will open toward you which makes them difficult to eat from. One of my colleagues even went so far as to asking them to change the design and he says that they are working on it.
Ume, to me, is an Asian version of Assenheim’s … a place to come to when I have missed breakfast. It provides tremendous value for money, and I am glad to have discovered it.

Lunch options can be on the scarce side if you’re working around the Bank area.
Besides the plethora of Pret and Eat chains, City Caphe provides a glimmer though it can hardly be the option to go to 5 days a week.
It was with excitement when I heard of another eatery that offers hot food. So with a lunch date set, I headed there with excitement and anticipation.
Ume offers a variety of dishes and I went with Char Kway Teow on this occasion.
It was a generous portion and tasty. I thought it could do with a bit more flavour but that might be due to the fact that I was sick. It isn’t the benchmark but nevertheless a welcomed addition to the area.

This is a lunchtime quick service takeaway restaurant with a dozen or so eat-​in seats, down in the basement of 1 Poultry. The dishes are southeast Asian (think Malaysia and Indonesia), and most are based on rice or noodles. I will personally vouch for their excellent nasi goreng and Singapore noodles.