Restaurant review: Yo! Sushi

Where I ate:

Yo! Sushi, Rupert Street, London

As part of this year’s family theatre trip (a little later than our usual post-Christmas/Pre-New Year evening out), we went to the Garrick by Leicester Square. Last year we went to Wagamama, so this time round dad chose Yo! Sushi.

We eventually found the restaurant after a short diversion to the Trocadero Centre (quite frankly the worst place I’ve ever been to in my life!) and surprisingly, despite the size, wasn’t busy at all. There were plenty of seats around the conveyer belt and we were positioned at the back of the restaurant with a lovely view of the food being prepared in the centre, as well as everything going round on the belt.

Love watching the food go round

That’s my favourite thing about Yo! – the freedom to pick up whatever you fancy and the fact you can have as much or as little as you want. The menu also boasts a number of hot dishes which can be ordered and then prepared and cook fresh in front of you. Again, you can order as much as you want, whenever you like, by simply pressing a button and getting the staff’s attention. I often pick a lot of the same dishes, but once in a while go for something different – that’s the beauty of the belt, spotting something that looks different and you’ve not had before. There’s just so much to choose from.

Because so many of the plates contain two, three or even six, it’s even worth sharing so you get a little taster of everything as opposed to a whole dish. My brother and I shared a number of plates this time round – again, it was nice having something different as we both chose an array of varying plates. You don’t leave feeling overly full or bloated either and despite the majority of dishes containing rice, everything tastes so light, because it’s fresh.

What I ate:

• Spicy seafood udon (316 kcal)

I hadn’t tried this before, but a fan of other seafood udon broths, I thought I’d try it. Spicy is an understatement – this toxic orange coloured broth absolutely blew my head off; even dad said it was too hot, as he sat sweating! The salmon and squid were lovely, although I was disappointed to find no prawns in my bowl. I ate everything but had to leave the broth. I’ll still with Waga’s ramen, I think!

• Spicy pepper squid (145 kcal)

California roll

I love squid and this is something I always order from Yo! As soon as it arrives, it’s so hot and the batter tastes fresh and well-seasoned. There isn’t too much chilli, so it’s not as spicy as the broth, but the pepper adds a nice heat, without being too much. I could easy eat more than one portion of this, it’s possibly my favourite dish.

• Spicy chicken ISO (130 kcal)

This portion contains two rolls, so I shared this one with my brother – another new dish for me. I love katsu chicken and the sauce in this wasn’t too hot, more fruity and delicately spiced. I’d definitely have this again.

• California roll (118kcal)

Another of my favourites, I think I just love all of the ISO rolls. The California roll contains crabmeat and avocado (what a great combination!) with a slight touch of mayo so it isn’t too dry. I often dip mine in soy though. I could eat plate after plate of these and not get bored.

Spicy chicken ISO and
Crunchy prawn ISO

• Crunchy prawn ISO (126 kcal)

I hadn’t tried this roll before and I still can’t work out whether I like it, or not. The prawn was in a tempura style batter with katsu sauce – it was a bit strange, katsu doesn’t work with seafood. I think it had been doing the rounds on the conveyer as well, it didn’t taste as fresh as everything else I selected.

• Cucumber maki (140kcal)

Okay, no trip to Yo! is complete without a serving of cucumber maki! This may be my all-time favourite dish. It’s so light and refreshing and perfect for picking out, while decided what to take next. Soy with these are a necessity and even though you get six rolls on a plate, you’ll be lucky if I share these with you!

• Chicken gyoza (119kcal)

My brother chose these from the belt, so I tried one. I’m not usually a fan of dumplings as I find them too dry and the texture of the case is a bit weird. There were surprisingly nice, although too spicy for my liking – for that reason, I wouldn’t order these for myself.

• Strawberry cheesecake mochi (185kcal)

Wow, wow, WOW! A new edition to the dessert menu are these delightful balls of yummy, sweet goodness! I wasn’t a fan of the original mochi (too gelatinous) or the chocolate version (too rich), but these are perfect – can I just have a bowl full next time? The tiny bit of strawberry in the middle is just enough, while the custardy cheesecake filling is amazing! It is like eating a mini cheesecake – for a fraction of the calories and is actually a lot nicer!



Strawberry cheesecake mochi

So I actually managed to eat 810kcal and wasn’t full. I can’t wait for my next visit to Yo!