Going back to their Tokyo roots

Yo! Sushi have never been ones to sit on their laurels, but this year’s menu overhaul sees the biggest changes they have made to date. They have gone back to their Toyko routes, where the company was founded, and added more street food and home cooking items to the menu, as well as trying to introduce more Japanese language and culture into the business.

The result is an eye popping menu with around 100 options and, for the first time, there is now pork on the Yo! Sushi. Apparently, even though it is has always been a staple protein on plates in Tokyo and beyond, it has been missing from the Yo menu because it wasn’t sushi.

I popped into the flagship Yo! Sushi at Selfridge’s in Manchester’s Trafford Centre where Assistant Manager Xavier was on hand to talk us through the new menu.

The dynamite roll is a winner for me because it is the opposite to what many expect from sushi. Sushi is about simple, often single flavours. But the dynamite roll is a little flavour explosion. It starts as a simple salmon and avocado roll, but then you get the chilli oil and sriracha mayo. So you get all of the flavours of a bigger dish in a single bite. Winner.

Ginza roll. Like the dynamite roll, lots of big flavours in this. Starts with salmon, cucumber and cream cheese, then you’ve got some caviar for crunch and teriyaki and sriracha for flavour.  Cream cheese in sushi? Sounds weird. Isn’t.

This is sushi for people who don’t like sushi. Fish no chips is too bland for me. No hint of the promised yuzu.

This ama ebi is a small, slim sweet prawn. Nice and delicate but too small for me- give me a big juicy prawn any day.

I love smoked mackerel, and the piece on this saba was delicately smoked so the mackerel still shone through the lovely sweet teriyaki glaze.  That elusive pork dish! Buta no kakuni is actually the ubiquitous pork belly with daikon radish and rice. The sweet soy sauce cuts the fat nicely I thought.

It turns out that there are more substantial broths available in Yo than just miso. This chazuke was really substantial for such a little bowl and contains a delicious broth filled with rice, nori, Japanese citrussy chilli paste and two types of fish.

Jumping on the fried chicken band wagon or a genuine Japanese street food? I don’t know, but the teba no karsge is a tiny chicken wing with a bone removed so it is easy to eat and a squeeze of lime.

It looks like a Spanish croquette but this is maguro katsu is filled with chunky tuna and mayo. I like that it wasn’t what I expected and was really meaty. The squeeze of lime is a good touch.

There you have it. The majority of your old favourites are still on there, and you can pig out on Blue Monday’s if you can be bothered to queue, but for me the additional dishes keep things interesting and are something to consider about when you’re watching for your the bowls go round and round and round….  

Thanks to Yo! Sushi for the nibbles.