Yauatcha City — Restaurant in London

I wanted to go here for a very long time, but we hadn’t had a chance to. I’ve seen this restaurant for many years and for the first time I did the booking. This was simply because my boyfriend has been so busy with work etc and given the fact that I was now officially his girlfriend (this was our first date in London now being his girlfriend), I wanted to take the reins a tiny bit and at least book the restaurant. 😄

I did love the decor here, there was a nice atmosphere but it was very busy. It was airy and tranquil as you walked up the stairs. I thought the orchids with the incense was a lovely touch. As we we got upstairs, we were not taken to our table straight away as our table was not ready which I found a bit odd considering it was booked. We had to wait 10 minutes even though arrived on time a d I was told on the reservation that we would only have the table for two hours. Meanwhile, In the meantime, we ordered a drink and we were enjoying the view overlooking Broadgate circle. We were then taken to our table and given our menus. I was shocked at my boyfriend’s menu for his gluten-free options as he had he didn’t have much choice which was a real shame. However, the options he did have I actually thought sounded delicious and something that I would’ve ordered for myself. I ordered a mocktail and my boyfriend had his wine.

They were extremely busy so it took them a while to get to us, that would be my only criticism. We ordered our starters of prawn crackers which were really nice. The prawn crackers were lovely and I then went for the Kung Po chicken and my bf went for the steamed prawns which I actually did have my eye on. I would’ve ordered that for myself! He ordered the egg fried rice which we shared. Our waiter was really helpful as recommended one rice to share between us and that would be plenty for both of us. I also ordered a side salad of cucumber which was really nice. I was really impressed with the food though. My kung po chicken was fantastic. I tried some of my boyfriend‘s chilli steamed prawns which tasted fantastic. They were really tasty and if I were to go back there again that is exactly what I would order.

As I looked at the dessert menu, the desserts did look really good and but my boyfriend could only have ice cream.

I was pleasantly surprised that they did a birthday decoration plate for me because it was my birthday the following week (in a few days time) but I was actually really impressed with the fact that they did that and it added a lovely touch. My chocolate raspberry mousse dessert was fabulous.

I was very aware of the time because I needed to get my train as I didn’t drive into London on this occasion so the end was a bit rushed which was a shame.

But we had a really lovely evening and I would return for sure. The food was of a high standard and I loved the decor, surroundings and atmosphere. I’d go back for the atmosphere and I would order the chilli steamed prawns for myself next time with steamed jasmine rice.

It was a very hot night in London and busy around Broadgate Circle but I really loved the atmosphere and the vibe; The scenery and the decor were...

SUPREME SUMMERTIME SATURDAY AT YAUATCHA CITY London truly is a beautiful city and on a bright summer’s day, it’s impossible to resist the lure of an al-fresco lunch. Mr. Flavour and I have been longing to check out Yauatcha at Broadgate Circle and on this glorious afternoon, they had a delightful outdoor table in the shade of a cherry blossom tree with our name on it.

We nestled into our banquette and perused the sumptuous menu as the sun warmed our skin. With so many delicious looking items to choose from, I think we’ll need some cocktails to aid the decision-making process. Refreshment came in the form of a lychee ginger Collins and a lychee Martini. Both were Eastern inspired takes on a Western classic. I was surprised that my husband didn’t opt for his usual Negroni but on a hot day like this, the cooling exotic flavours hit the spot and set the stage for the feast to come.

The first act began with the entrance of the fried dim sum platter. A real treat for the eyes. A delicately constructed quartet of mini nibbles: Richly seasoned venison encased in a puff pastry jacket. Mushroom served in a crisp spring roll and morels elegantly wrapped in vermicelli. The delightfully classic sesame prawn toast brought a satisfying conclusion to this course. (Mr. Flavour’s note: – You didn’t seem overly satisfied when I ate half of yours).

Next came the steamed dim sum platter. These brightly coloured parcels sat in their bamboo baskets almost looked too pretty to eat. I said almost! The black pepper wagu beef dumpling had to be scooped up quickly, as I could see my other half greedily eyeing it up. We loved the fiery Szechuan dumpling and the crystal wrap with pumpkin and pine nut was certainly an experience we’d never tasted. At this point in the lunch, our bellies were comfortably full but there was more deliciousness to come.

When the stunning looking mains arrived at our table, our appetites magically returned. The lobster vermicelli pot was the real star of the show. A vibrant nest of saucy noodles and bright red claws, with plenty of succulent lobster meat to share. The Szechuan pepper beef was also pretty special but if you ate one of those dried chilies, you tasted the kiss of the Dragon (Mr. Flavour’s note: – Nothing I couldn’t handle! Now where’s that water?).

The desserts were elegantly crafted and again, almost too beautiful to spoil. However, Mr. Flavour needed that cooling cherry compote with his black forest sweet to soothe his burning tongue. I had the yuzu rose choux; a pretty pink profiterole with delicate hints of ginger and rose water. Just as we thought we’d eaten our way through the entire menu, our charming waiter brought out some complimentary macaroons, whose vibrant colours mirrored our moods on this lovely summer afternoon. It would’ve been rude not to order another cocktail and the house take on an espresso martini perked us up enough to gently stroll to the nearest outdoor bar. That’s...

I want to give this place 3.5 based on the dim sum. But, the price and their other dishes made me round down to 3. We've come a couple of times and find some of their dim sum really great.

The standouts were definitely the har gow: shrimp was fresh, large and cooked perfectly. The wrapper wasn't mushy and overcooked. Additionally, the wrapper was strong enough to hold up to the weight of the shrimp without being too dense. I've eaten way too many har gow that just fall apart due to bad wrappers! Maybe it's just my pet peeve venison puff: I didn't think I would like this since I usually only order steamed options at dim sum but this was incredible. We loved how light the puff pastry was. The venison was well spiced and no gaminess at all. Shui mai: really good rendition of shui mai. Can't tell you how many I've had in my lifetime but these were memorable Each item came to our table freshly steamed or fried. The other items (xiao long bao, spring roll, cheung fun, sticky rice and macarons) were all fine to good.

Due to our good experience, we've come back for their Supreme Saturdays menu (£49). With this menu, we got to try even more of their fried and steamed dim sum as well as two of their mains. I didn't find anything special with the mains, definitely a skip... especially if you're paying the regular prices! From this menu, the sesame prawn toast was definitely a highlight. I could have eaten a whole plate of these! Also, the cocktails were on point. We loved our Thea martini, Negroni and Manhattan. All not too sweet with the right balance of alcohol to mixers.

We have been back one other time not due to our own accord and when ordering a la carte... wow, those prices are ridiculous. £7.40 for one serving of hot and sour soup?!? Also, one of the worst bowls of hot and sour soup I've had. Way too much cornstarch leading to a gloopy mess. The egg white fried rice was fine albeit a bit bland... but for the price of £10 definitely wasn't worth it. I will say that the spicy soft shell crab with almond (£13.80) was really delicious due to the light but flavorful batter and the fresh crab. Hate to be a broken record but even though it was tasty... it was super expensive for the portion.

I know the prices are due to the location partly but I can't really justify this going into our regular rotation. I will say that the service at Yauatcha is some of the best we've had in London. They are always there to refill water or chili sauce even before you say something - a rarity in London. I'm sure having the amount of servers they do on any given day also ups their prices. Thus, while this place definitely has some standout dishes there are plenty of (expensive) missteps through the menu. Due to how pricey everything is, I would highly recommend coming in for one of their deals (£25 for 9 course tasting menu plus...