When Ping Zhan talks about cooking, she beams, her ear-to-ear contagious smile a glimmer of the passion that fills her days. And when she talks about cooking for people, well, the smile takes over her face, her eyes crinkle at the corners, her whole being brightens.
That’s why Zhan and Andy Liu opened Allentown’s Ume (pronounced you-me) in August last year: the husband and wife restaurateurs had been out of the business for four years, and Zhan missed cooking for restaurant diners. Founders of Liu’s House and Bamboo, both in Allentown, the couple sold those businesses so Zhan could spend more time with their daughter. Now their daughter is off to college, and Zhan wants to be back in the restaurant kitchen.
The new restaurant finds its downtown home in the former quarters of Red Ticket Cafe and Billy’s Downtown Diner. The renovated space is minimalist in style: black trim and the black ceiling balance white walls, devoid of art, creating yin-and-yang energy. Gleaming gold vases with boughs of dried orange berries brighten a corner. Backed by elegant walnut-looking shelves with Asian plates and vases, the sushi bar serves as a focal point. Tubular bamboo lights patterned with golden swirls hang from the ceiling, casting warmth and contemporary flair. Floor-to-ceiling windows look out on an urban thoroughfare.
Despite the spare décor, the restaurant has a warm, inviting tone. There’s a focus on family: Zhan and Liu’s nephews work here, and cousins, too; most of the staff is related. Zhan’s best friend works at the sushi bar. The staff, built on family relationships, translates those relationships to an easy-going, comfortable welcome.
Because Zhan and Liu want to offer a diverse menu with a lot of variety, Ume serves up several Asian cuisines: Thai, Chinese and Japanese; there’s even Korean fried chicken. There are standards such as lo mein, fried rice, Szechuan dumplings, Pad Thai noodles, Thai basil shrimp, Thai peanut chicken, teriyaki and tempura, sushi and sashimi.
Ume-created sushi rolls are especially tantalizing. The Psycho roll features shrimp tempura, cream cheese and fresh mango inside, fresh salmon and avocado outside, with salsa teriyaki sauce and sweet chili. Inside the Ume roll there’s spicy salmon, yellowtail, asparagus, sun-dried grape and jalapeño. Topped with spicy tuna, avocado and sliced tuna, it’s served with sweet and hot chili miso sauce.
Zhan and Liu, executive chefs, head up the additional four chefs in Ume’s kitchen. A sushi chef and assistant round out the food preparation team. The couple, who hail from the same small village in China, make all the restaurant’s sauces. Not surprisingly, they met in a restaurant—30 years ago in Allentown, of all places.
Zhan, who came to the United States at 17, was working in Chinese restaurants in Manhattan when she responded to a job opening discovered through a Chinese employment agency. As it turned out, the job was at a Chinese restaurant in Allentown owned by Liu at the time, near the former Kmart.
Over the course of cooking for 30-some years, Zhan, of course, has developed her own perspective on principles of the kitchen: “I want food to be not only good, I want it to look nice. Food should be beautiful like a flower.” Therein lies the root of the restaurant’s name—the delicate flowers of the Japanese plum are known as ume, a symbol of new beginnings because they bloom in the spring.
Ume’s minimalism is a tabula rasa that allows the beauty of the food to take center stage. Each dish looks like a work of art—some with garnishes of exquisite orchids, some with elements of height in the presentation, all of them exploding with color and plated with a clear eye for design.
Rest assured, however, never does Ume sacrifice beauty for taste and flavor.
Rocky shrimp is a perfect example. Arranged on a striking blue and yellow serving plate, deep-fried battered baby shrimp—in a pool of chili mayo sauce and dusted with black and white sesame seeds—are oh-so-tender inside and lovingly crisped outside. A fan of sliced avocado shares the plate, along with a stemmed cocktail glass overflowing with shredded daikon radish, topped with curly greens and an orchid. There’s a judicious hint of spice in this dish, and the radish shreds add a visual and textural counterpoint.
On a bed of crispy greens, pan-roasted salmon with Hunan sauce, and its tantalizing combination of heat, tanginess, sweetness and umami, is another visual feast. The fish, so moist and tenderly cooked, shines in its sticky sweet glaze of sauce, the corners of the fish deep brown, signaling the caramelization of layers of flavor. Succulent sautéed onions and red and green peppers, steeped in the deeply flavored sauce, top the fish with seductive taste notes. Pomegranate arils strewn across the plate add gleaming color and pops of flavor.
Thai basil brings pungent, interesting notes of anise and spice to Ume’s Thai beef. The sautéed whole leaves punch up the flavor of stir-fried beef strips, green beans, broccoli, mushrooms, onion, jalapeño and garlic. Al dente vegetables contribute perfect crunch, a foil to the tender meat, and hoisin sauce blankets all with sweet and salty depth. A pink orchid, fresh and perfect, provides bright accent.
From the sushi bar, the Hamilton Tower roll is a flavor bonanza. Lobster salad tops the roll; inside, crisped shrimp tempura and crunchy cucumber combine with the creamy richness of avocado. Served in a pool of sweet chili spicy mayo sauce, the roll is a study of contrast: heat and sweet, creamy and crispy. Thin slices of the marinated jalapeño garnish, reminiscent of pickling, add still more spice, but in tempered fashion. Eel sauce and mint sauce are painted on the plate with an artist’s eye, and the architectural composition of this plate is dramatic and impressive.
Not only is green tea cheesecake a sweet sight, it’s also delectable in its uniqueness. The richness of cheesecake is balanced with grassy, earthy flavor, which gives it a clean, refreshing finish, unlike many richly overbearing sweets in this genre. A drizzle of chocolate sauce and garnish of blueberries and pomegranate arils finish this dessert with an eye to beauty, of course, and a pop of bursting flavor that plays nicely with the cheesecake.
Ume features sake, Pennsylvania-brewed beer and Galen Glen wines, exclusively, because Liu “loves” these wines from the vineyard and winery in Andreas, near Jim Thorpe. Galen Glen winemaker Sarah Troxell says, “Our wines really shine with this kind of cuisine. It’s a perfect match: there are so many layers of flavor in our wine and in Asian food.” Troxell, also co-owner of Galen Glen, adds, “[Because the] menu is so diverse, there’s a lot of opportunity to pair wine [with the food].”
For example, the winery’s Vinology Grüner Veltliner, rated 92 points by James Suckling, with its notes of apple, pear and white pepper, partners with the pan-roasted salmon like a long-married couple. And the Thai beef is complemented by Galen Glen’s Vinology Cabernet Franc, with its hints of raspberry, dried thyme and violets. From time to time, Ume will offer wine dinners featuring a menu paired with Galen Glen wines, pre-selected for their balance of body and flavor intensity with the food.
When it comes down to it, the wine, like the minimalist décor, serves to enhance the food that comes from Ume’s kitchen. After all, at its essence, Ume is all about the food.
Zhan cooks with fresh ingredients sourced from the tri-state area; in the summer she often serves fresh strawberry sauce with sushi. Liu is a wholesale fish importer, so the fish served is of the highest quality.
“We have good food,” Zhan says; “We have good wine. I want people happy and coming back.”
When people keep coming back, Zhan gets to keep on cooking. Troxell says Zhan “has an enthusiasm for sharing food,” and that’s evident in every dish this restaurant serves. Cooking for people just makes Zhan happy; her smile inspires each plate: the way the food’s cooked, the way it’s plated, the way it’s garnished, the ways its look and taste satisfy a hungry heart. I’m guessing that’s her special sauce—the sauce that makes dining here such a gustatory gift.
Ume
840 Hamilton St. Suite 100, Allentown | 610.435.9999 | ume840.com
HOURS
Monday to Friday: 11 a.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday: Noon–9 p.m.
Sunday: Closed.
Cost: Starters: $2.50–$15
Sushi: $5.50–$18
Mains: $11–$24
Parking: Free parking behind restaurant
Reservations: Recommended
WHAT TO ORDER
Pan-roasted salmon: hard to believe a dish this good is healthy too. Hamilton Tower roll: this architectural culinary marvel tastes even better than it looks. Green tea cheesecake is a must-try: who knew cheesecake could offer a clean, light flavor profile?
Published as “Inside Dish” in the February 2025 edition of Lehigh Valley Style magazine.
