A new takeaway restaurant has opened in Everton that “sells out everyday.”
Umami, on City Road, has only been open for a couple of weeks but it has already become a local favourite. The American food-style restaurant is renowned for its Detroit square pizza which regularly sells out.
The dough is made fresh daily and the chef is often telling customers to get orders in early to avoid disappointment. With glowing reviews the ECHO decided to test out the menu, to see what all the fuss was about.
READ MORE: Christine McGuiness hits back at Paddy after 'exhausting' holiday
Of course we needed to try the famous Detroit-style square pizza so we ordered the Buffalo Soldier which is topped with crispy chicken. One of my favourite parts of the pizza was that it didn't have a traditional crust, thanks to the hand stretched dough used.
Instead, it has toppings and sauce almost right to the edges of the pizza slice. A dough crust is replaced with a crispy and crunchy cheesy layer instead.
The crispy edges of the square shaped pizza are emphasised even more by the soft, very doughy, centre which is the best of both worlds in my opinion. Unlike other pizza restaurants, Umami doesn't scrimp on the toppings, the chicken bites where so big that they could have been a side on their own.
In-keeping with the State side theme, we also opted for the Philly Cheesesteak and chips. It's a whopping portion, something that was echoed by another customer in the venue who described his meal as like something from "Man Vs food."
I asked him what he thought after tucking in and he said he'll be ordering again on a hungover day. The Philly Cheesesteak was juicy but not too messy.
The bread to filling ratio was perfect with a minced beefsteak being used, rather than thick slices. The flavours are finished off perfectly with onions and tomato.
Given that we were dining in a Liverpool takeaway, we thought it was only right that we tried the Scouse Burger. It is made up of a salt and pepper fried chicken burger, with sriracha mayo and fried onion and peppers.
The burger is perfectly seasoned and fried to perfection, with a crispy top layer, rather than a thick batter. It comes with fries which were perfectly crunchy.
We upgraded the fries however, to buffalo mac fries, which come loaded with mac and cheese AND buffalo chicken. In hindsight, this was definitely too much and probably equivalent to ordering two meals. But if you're hungry, or hungover, you're unlikely to regret the decision to upgrade.
Co-owner, Ben Ferguson, said he decided to open the restaurant with his friend and chef, Michael Murphy. It had always been Mikey’s “dream” to open a restaurant and Ben thought together they had the right mix of skills to help make it work.
The 24-year-old, from Crosby, told the ECHO: “We decided to come together and create something unique. We went for a restaurant , takeaway hybrid, we’re takeaway prices but restaurant quality food.
“We knew we had the right team and skills together to make it happen. There was this opportunity in this building, and we looked into the demographic and thought it would be perfect.”
He added: “Before this it was a chippy and when we were first opening everyone walking past was saying they’re glad we’re going to be something different.
“We’re sort of the only restaurant in an American style place in the area. It’s just restaurant quality , at takeaway prices basically.
“The feedback has been great, we’ve got more than 100 reviews, with 5.8 out of 6 stars in just a few weeks, everyone is loving it.”
READ NEXT:
Cowards who refused to enter court to learn their fate
GMB's Richard Madeley admits cheating '10 times' during marriage
Liverpool Council staff hit back at chief executive's 'work from the office' demand
A sudden ambush, a desperate chase, a point-blank execution - dad's killer still walking free
Celebrity skincare expert says £3 product is the 'secret to perfect skin'
