Sometimes, things don’t go as planned, and yet, somehow, they fall right into place. That’s exactly what happened to me when I went down to the Rockaways. My original restaurant coverage ploy fell apart as soon as I got off the Shuttle, and I needed to quickly conjure up a plan B. I looked through my saved eateries on Google Maps, and Uma’s, only a 15-minute walk from where I stood, popped up.
The bright, colorful sign on Uma’s storefront is almost as welcoming as the woman who lent the restaurant her name. Born in Uzbekistan, Uma made her way stateside in 2000 and opened her Rockaways restaurant in 2013. She tells me that when the eatery first opened, she had absolutely no idea what she was doing, Food would run out by 7 p.m., and everything was trial and error. She has since learned the ropes of running a business, so much so that she opened a second location in Puerto Rico. But we’re here to talk about New York City’s hidden dining gems, and Uma’s is certainly one of them.
The food at Uma’s is primarily Uzbek, but Uzbek culture has a lot of outer influence. When I saw some Korean-inspired fare on the “specials board,” I questioned how authentic the place was. I foolishly assumed Korean menu items were added to draw in more diners with a more familiar cuisine. But Uma informed me that Uzbekistan has a large population of Koreans. This is because, in 1937, Joseph Stalin deported hundreds of thousands of Koreans from the Soviet Union to Central Asia, primarily Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. This lesser-known diaspora has caused a huge impact on Uzbek food, with many traditional restaurants, Uma’s included, serving items like kimchi, scallion pancakes and Korean carrot salad as a result.
I took a seat near the window and ordered a wide variety of items: scallion pancakes ($10), Korean carrot salad ($12), lagman ($16), plov ($20), manti with squash ($19), and one of the store’s best sellers, Uma’s salad ($15). Within 10 minutes, plates with portions that let me know I wasn’t in Manhattan anymore began to fill up the table. The dishes at Uma’s are simple but alluring. Thick hunks of shaved feta top warm fried eggplant and roasted red peppers in Uma’s salad. Bright and acidic, thinly spiraled carrots that resemble angel hair pasta comprise the Korean carrot salad, with little jewels of celery seeds throughout. Don’t skip the warm scallion pancakes served with a cold tangy yogurt sauce.
The lagman, a classic Uzbek beef soup, is loaded with chewy noodles, turnips, chickpeas and potatoes and is served with a chili paste on the side. At Uma’s, the noodles are hand-spun, coming in all shapes and sizes, swimming in a red broth that’s been permeated with oil from the fat contents of the tender beef throughout. The noodles are unlike any I’ve had before, long and thick in circumference. Their inconsistent sizes betray their handcrafted nature and make going back for more all the more fun and playful.
After my large share of appetizers, two main dishes came out: plov and manti with squash. I started with the plov, a rice-based dish dressed with morsels of plump raisins, chickpeas and warmly spiced carrots and topped with a nice portion of tender beef that shreds simply by poking it with a fork. The bite from the Turkish rice base is satisfying. Turkish rice, similar to arborio, has a nice bouncy chew. For a fully immersive experience, ditch the utensils, and use your hands to eat this hearty dish. The manti with squash, or Uzbek-stuffed dumplings, has cubed squash throughout the soft dumpling dough, and is best paired with an herbed yogurt sauce, which is conveniently heaped in the center of the dish.
Other dishes like the labneh salad with radishes, cucumbers, scallions and cabanelle peppers ($14) and green or squash bichaki ($8) reside on the menu at Uma’s, as well. Each dish is an Uma’s original recipe. She learned how to cook from her parents and, to this day, her aunt can often be found in the kitchen.
I left happy and full after my day in the Rockaways. My visit to Uma’s became a friendly reminder that sticking with a plan isn’t always the way to go, but, hey, if you’re coming to the Rockaways and you do need a plan, just make sure to include a visit to Uma’s.
Address: 92-07 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Far Rockaway, N.Y. 11693
Phone: (718) 318-9100
Hours: Monday-Sunday 12 p.m.-0 p.m.
Prices: Appetizers $8 to $10; sides, soups and salads $10-$16; entrees $12-$20
Takeout available, No reservations (walk-in only)
Kaitlyn Rosati is a New York City-based food and travel journalist. She is constantly on the hunt to find the city’s best hidden gems, allowing New Yorkers to travel far without ever leaving the boroughs. Have a suggestion for a great hidden dining gem in your neighborhood? Reach out to Kaitlyn with your recommendations at nomannomad.net@gmail.com.
