Umi Air features a simple yet stunning architectural design which is consistent with its brand since Umi has been known for its beautifully crafted sushi and maki nestled in colorful, minimalistic pastel boxes. Umi’s new venue exhibits an open kitchen wherein customers can witness how their food is prepared. Above all, customers are assured that their food is handled carefully.

Umi was founded by spouses Herlyn Mortensen Ojima and Tatsuya Ojima last June 2020, during the height of the pandemic. They started as a home-based, online specialty store that showcases the delicious taste of authentic, traditional Japanese sushi and contemporary versions of the Japanese classic. Umi’s specialties include salmon sashimi, spicy tuna maki creamy tempura maki, and the Umi box sets. Their best-seller, the Chef’s Mix, contains 32 pieces of their signature umi roll, spicy tuna, wagyu, spicy tempura gunkan, and salmon skin, which all come with various sauces.

“From my experiences as a chef in Norway, I was fortunate enough to have worked with such great people in the industry, and I aspire to share everything I’ve learned back in Manila,” said the Japanese chef, Tatsuya Ojima. True to his words, he trained his chefs himself when Umi first started. One of his first employees and Umi’s current sous chef, John Paolo Carlos, said, “Mr. Ojima taught me a lot about working efficiently in the kitchen. From carefully preparing different types of fish [while minimizing wastes] to maintaining proper kitchen sanitation. Working in Umi has helped my growth as a chef since they have given us the freedom to develop our ideas and express ourselves through food.”

“We are truly grateful for receiving such support from people. It is humbling to see how we’ve grown these last two years, and I owe it to our valued customers and all the people who have worked with my husband and me. Without your hard work, none of this would be possible”, said Herlyn Mortensen Ojima, Umi’s CEO.

Experience Umi Air as it soon opens on the 23rd of September 2022.