Yo Sushi New Menu Launch

AD - Invited. 

* Yo Sushi is no longer in Newcastle but they do have a branch in the Metrocentre *

 I was recently invited along to the YO! Sushi Newcastle new menu launch. I love sushi but I have never actually been to YO! Sushi before. So when an invite, inviting me along to the new menu launch landed in my inbox I thought it was the perfect opportunity to see what it was like.

Situated on Grainger street, near Monument in Newcastle city centre you will find YO! Sushi. Myself and a group of bloggers were invited along to try out the new 2017 menu, hear about the dishes and enjoy some yummy food and drinks.

So what did we sample from the new menu?

Bullet-Train Katsu Sando

Described as 'succulent chicken thigh coated in panko crumbs and fried to a perfect crisp, covered in Tonkatsu sauce and nestled between soft white bread and finished with Japanese mustard.' It did taste nice, the chicken was crispy and the Tonkatsu sauce tasted amazing with the Japanese mustard giving it a kick. 

Fruity Beef Katsu

I really liked this dish which is described as 'Seasoned minced beef in a crispy Panko crumb, fried until golden and topped with a drizzle of fruity Tonkatsu sauce.' This dish came with a side of white cabbage which worked well with the meaty flavours, I really enjoyed this dish although it did slightly remind me of burgers. The fruity katsu sauce and the beef worked so well together and this is a dish that I would order again.

Sweet & Sour Cod Nanbanzuke

I really recommend this dish which is 'Fresh pieces of cod, fried until crisp and dipped in tangy "Nanban" sauce.' It was delicious the cod was really crisp on the outside and tender and meaty on the inside, the sweet and sour sauce was the nicest I have tasted and worked so well with the cod giving it a nice tangy taste.

Izakaya Pork Teriyaki 

 'Tender slices of pork belly served in a sweet and salty teriyaki glaze, served with a boiled egg.' The pork melted in my mouth and was so tender, the teriyaki glaze was delicious and not too sweet. I could happily have eaten more of this dish as it was so moreish. 

Osaka-Style Squid

I am not a fan of squid at all, so this dish did not appeal to me especially as it had smoky bonito flakes on which kept moving and it made the dish look like it was alive. It was not 'alive' at all it was just the flakes moving due to the heat of the cooked squid. You get a generous portion of Osaka-Style Squid which is 'Made from 100% responsibly sourced squid which is fried crispy. With smoky bonito flakes, aonori, beni shoga, mayonnaise and tonkatsu for a tasty finish'. 

Seared Beef & Pickle Roll

Without a doubt, this was my favourite dish of the evening 'Tender beef wrapped around fresh, homemade tsukemon pickles and a dusting of shichimi powder for added kick'. The beef was cooked rare and had a nice tang to it.  

Tokyo Banana Cake 

Finally, for dessert, we were served a banana cake 'Fresh cream swirled into a banana sponge topped with chocolate'. By this point I was really full from all the food we had tried so I did not manage to eat all my Tokyo banana cake, it was nice with just a hint of banana and lots of cream. 

 I was impressed with my first visit to YO! Sushi, the food was delicious and the staff were so welcoming and helpful. I know it was a PR event but the staff were so knowledgeable about the dishes and explained what everything was and answered questions, they also kept drinks topped up and provided brilliant service throughout the evening.

The standout dishes for me were the Seared Beef & Pickle Rolls, Izakaya Pork Teriyaki and the Sweet & Sour Cod Nanbanzuke.

If you have visited YO! Sushi before let me know what dishes you recommend.