Quality of food is debatable; that’s a matter of personal taste. But Umami does have a more upscale atmosphere, more unique menu (Chinese/Japanese “fusion”– ever had their pad thai? it’s AMAZING), and, notably, a great selection of healthy and gluten-free options, which are difficult to find in restaurants in general and nearly impossible to find in Chinese restaurants. There is an entire section of the menu called “Revolution Diet”. Those dishes are brought to you in pretty bamboo steamer baskets. And I really don’t know of many kosher restaurants that make their own cocktails.
I’m not knocking David Chu’s. I really like David Chu’s. It has good service, reasonable prices, and good food. But I prefer Umami for a lot of reasons, many of which are based on objective facts, not opinions.