Earlier this month YO! Sushi re-opened their doors in Meadowhall after 7 months away. It’s still situated in the the exact same place as before (upper floor outside House of Fraser) but has had a shiny new make-over.
There’s now much more seating, with space for up to 70 people. There’s a choice of booths with the conveyor belt next to you or you can sit ‘bar style’ facing the belt. I can’t imagine that many of you are new to the concept of YO!. The restaurant was first founded back in 1997 in Soho, London. They now have 100 restaurants around the world.
If you haven’t been to one of their restaurants before the concept is simple. Grab what you fancy from the moving conveyor belt of fresh food. Each ‘plate’ is colour coded with their pricing system which you can find on the menu. There’s also lots of alternative options on the menu including warm food, street food and anything which you don’t spot on the belt. To order these you simply press the little buzzer on your table and a member of staff will come and take your order.
The Sheffield branch has re-opened with a new menu but don’t worry, all your all classic favourites are still there. They now offer a selection of street food, 29 veggie dishes and 16 vegan options like Tofu Katsu Curry, Pumpkin Katsu, Harusame Aubergine and more.
The street food menu is fantastic and although I initially think of and want sushi when I go to YO! It’s really fun to have lots of different options available. It’s also useful for when you’re going out with a group of friends with different food prefrences. I really think there’s something for everyone now, especially with their new vegan and veggie additions.
I was invited down to one of their opening evenings last week. I took Phil along with me and we decided to try lots of new dishes. I think it’s easy to get into the habit of ordering your favourites and then never trying anything new. Especially as there’s lots of new editions to the YO! menu.
The staff at the restaurant were were friendly and helpful. They took the time to explain the new dishes on the menu and recommended their favourites. I’m now going to share my thoughts on everything we ate. If you’re looking for the opening times of the Sheffield Meadowhall YO! Sushi just scroll to the end of this post.
Prepping my soy sauce and wasabi. You’ve always got to be ready for dipping.
If you’re new to wasabi go easy ’til you’re used to it.
Pickled ginger. Let’s be honest, this stuff is delicious but doesn’t look very appetising. I love it and could eat a plate of this alone. The idea is to eat it between your different plates of sushi. It will help to clear your taste buds. You’ll find it sitting on your table in a little see-through container. Just help yourself.
One of my all-time favourites is the simple Cucumber Maki. I know I said we were going to aim to try only new dishes but I couldn’t resist sharing a few of these and dipping them in soy and wasabi.
You simply grab the plate of Cucumber Maki off the conveyor belt. There’s usually lots of them going ’round. If there’s something you really want and it doesn’t appear just hit the button on your table and make a request.
This is a Salmon & Avocado Temaki. Doesn’t it look pretty? Phil really enjoyed it and I’m sure I’ll try one next time.
This is the beautiful Blossom Roll. Each roll is filled with Prawn Katsu and avocado with purple shiso yukari and spicy tuna topping. They don’t serve bluefin tuna in the restaurants. They only serve yellowfin and albacore tuna.
This is one of our favourites and it looks really pretty too.
I love bao buns. I often go for the veggie ones but this time there was the choice of Pork Belly Bao or Hoisin Duck Bao. We shared the pork belly bao which is marinated in a sweet sticky sauce and served in a very soft and squidgy bao bun. The pork is topped with pickled red onion, cucumber and sesame.
It’s delicious and the sticky sauce isn’t overly sweet. It’s a good balance of sweet and savoury flavours. I wish I was eating one now.
Chicken Karaage. This is another new addition to the street food line-up. It’s a super crunchy fried chicken marinated in soy and sake. There’s a hunk of lemon to squeeze on top and a side of mayo to dip the chicken into. It’s so good and I can’t wait to go back and have it again.
Furikake Fries from the street food menu. Fries are not something you’d initially associate with YO! but trust me, these are delicious and I’m sure I’ll be ordering them again. These are super skinny and crunchy Japanese style fries. They’re coated with delicious siriracha mayo and topped with yuzu furikake, sesame and smoky bonito flakes.
It’s nice to mix up a few plates of sushi with a couple of warm plates from the street food menu.
Finally it’s time for dessert. They’ve got a pretty good selection of desserts too:
Espresso Ice Cream Mochi – this looks so good
Mango Ice Cream Mochi – who doesn’t love mango?
Ginza Strawberry Cake – very pretty
Malted Chocolate pot – the waitress said this was her favourite
Fruit plate – I love having melon after a meal
Strawberry Cheesecake Mochi – This sounds interesting
Custard Dorayaki – Another interesting one, have any of you tried it?
Japanese Souffle Cheesecake – This looks really good
I love all kinds of mochi but my all-time favourite has got to be red bean mochi. They didn’t have this on the menu so we decided to grab a plate of the Chocolate Mochi from the belt to share. These delicious little balls are so good. These are basically little rice balls filled with a rich chocolate ganache. They’re super rich so I’d suggest sharing them with a friend.
We shared a total of 8 plates between us. I was stuffed, this was probably a little more than I’d normally eat. I think that 3/4 plates is enough per person, depending on how hungry you are and if you’re sharing together.
From November the restaurant will be launching seasonal dishes. I can’t wait to go back soon. Thanks to YO! for inviting me down to try the new menu and experience the shiny new restaurant.
Opening times of YO! Sushi in Meadowhall.
Monday – Friday: 11.30am – 9pm
Saturday: 11.30am – 8pm
Sunday: 11.30am – 5pm