Food

Yuu Kitchen Review

Yuu Kitchen, offers a modern take on asian food, with a cool Manga style decor to set the scene. When I heard the former Nobu chef Jon de Villa launched a new Filipino menu at Yuu kitchen in Shoreditch, I was more than excited to head on over and try the menu. Being a Nobu fan, with my heritage also from the Philippines, this was a natural thing for me to want to explore.

We were welcomed by the friendly waitress, who was more than happy to accommodate us, she kindly offered the diner style seating in front of the chefs preparing food, but we opted for the cosy table alternative instead. We were advised a 3 – 4 dishes per person would be more than adequate, they have a generous menu, so good luck in only finding 3- 4 dishes to please you!

We started with the Chicken Inasal- Ancho grilled chicken thighs, with green papaya acharra sweet pickles. The perfectly succulent pieces of chicken married well with a squeeze of lime, complimenting the accompanying sweet pickles. I found this dish to be well matched and could easily introduce this as an everyday dish.

Next on our tapas list were the empanadas- shitake mushroom, sweet potato, ancho spiced vegetables and spicy pineapple. Although the actual pastry seemed to be missing something, when the empanada was dipped in the spicy pineapple, it really brought the dish alive.

When they brought out the spicy chicken wings, I was a little nervous when I smelt the strong chilli aroma. But it was more a nice welcoming kick rather then an overwhelming chilli taste. The chicken had the right amount of hot and sweet and I couldn’t get enough of them. If spicy isn’t your thing you can opt for the chicken wings with the filipino style sticky adobo sauce, which were very enjoyable. Even if you’re not familiar with the pinoy adobo flavours, this would be a good representation and any Filipino would be proud. Compliments to the chef.

The Bistek was the winning dish, sirloin steak with lemon soy, which sat nicely on crispy rice. the steak was tender and succulent, full of flavour. My tip to you, is make sure you order one each, as you won’t want to share.

To end this enchanting dining experience, I ordered the Ice cream bao bun. A variety of ice-cream flavours were offered and I found myself attracted to the praline flavour. In simple words, you haven’t lived if you haven’t tried this gorgeous treat! savoury and sweet, just the way I like it! My guest opted for the Pandan Suman Malagkit, a traditional Filipino dessert. The Green steamed sticky rice, wrapped in banana leaves certainly caught her eyes. It’s a sweet dessert, with a soft texture. I can only compare it to rice pudding but 10 times better and addictive.

The desserts were a wonderful way to finish the meal, the staff looking after us were charming and for sure we will be back. Thank you Yuu Kitchen a job well done!

Website: www.yuukitchen.com

Address: Yuu Kitchen, 29 Commercial street, London, E1 6NE

Written by Faiza Arbouche
Photography by Nyla Sammons