Restaurant review | Yo! Sushi

Where I ate:

Yo! Sushi, Westfield Stratford, London

On Saturday, dad and I went to Barnet’s first round FA Cup match and as we got the tube from Stratford to Canons Park (long!), that meant stopping off at Westfield for lunch. Of course, we went to one of our favourite casual eateries – Yo! Sushi. I’d not been for ages, in fact since this post and there were even new additions to the menu in the form of the £8 mega bowls. While they offer great value for money and are probably so filling you don’t need to order anything else, all of the fun is in creating your hand rolls and choosing various dishes from the conveyer. It’s just part of the experience!

After waiting around 10 minutes (always queues everywhere, especially on a Saturday), we were seated at the bar, rather than a booth. This meant less space but at least we were in a prime position to get dishes. The staff were even opposite us creating new, fresh dishes and it was great fun watching them too. Ordering hot food didn’t take long at all and I was generally pleased with the efficiency. As I was driving, I stuck to soft drinks and took advantage of Yo!’s unlimited water for £1.10, drinking my weight in sparkling!

What I ate:

I immediately ordered a portion of the spicy pepper squid (145kcal) which is my all-time absolute favourite! It’s cooked to order so always really fresh and the batter, crisp. It’s a great way to begin your meal, unless you’re impatient like me and go straight for the belt. I found this dish a lot hotter than usual, with the surprise addition of tempura chilli! My dad ordered the tempura soft shell crab (181kcal) which was incredible.

While I was waiting for the squid to arrive, I chose the crunchy prawn ISO (126kcal), which consisted of three rolls. The last time I had this dish, I wasn’t sure about it and even still, I can’t work out if I like it or not. The prawns are coated in crispy katsu breadcrumbs, but the dish is cold. I think there are too many textures going on... I’ll stick to spicy chicken or duck & mango ISO next time!

I also picked up the spicy chicken salad (204kcal) which I’d not had for ages, but always used to love. It was exactly the same as I remembered – if anything, not as spicy. It’s a surprisingly filling dish, with large chunks of well-marinated chicken thigh, mixed leaves, julienne carrots and edamame beans, garnished with beansprouts and a soy, ginger & garlic dressing.

Of course I managed to have a dessert and opted for the strawberry cheesecake mochi (185kcal), which is lush! The crumb exterior is really light and then the squidgy filling is way too moreish. The custardy cheesecake flavour is just sweet enough and then you’re hit by the surprise strawberry centre. I just wish there were three or four pieces per serving – especially when you’re paying £4.30.

Even though it was a rushed lunch, it was still enjoyable, with the service being very good – despite the initial queuing. On Sundays, Yo! offer 10 plates for £20, which is a must-try! I reckon I could demolish those quite easily, it’s a shame there’s not a branch near me.