This tiny Japanese "beach house," which prepares the cuisine of likewise tiny Goto Island, might pass for a hipster lounge if it weren't more sincere and capable with the cuisine than concerned with the attitude.
A sweet, largely liquid "salad" of fresh Japanese yam, plum, and shiso (above; special; $5) grew on me, the plum especially, as I nibbled my way through it. Squid cooked with fresh Japanese mushrooms, asparagus, tomato, and lemon (below; special; $8) offered an unexpectedly successful combination of flavors and textures.
Uminoie
86 East 3rd St. (First-Second Aves.)
646-654-1122