For dim sum cravings, Yauatcha is a must! The Soho one has a Michelin star and is a favourite haunt of ours. Yauatcha City, has been open two years now, so for a change of scene we thought we’d pay this one a visit. We were keen to check out their new ‘Supreme Saturday’ menu and their terrace which we’d heard had been given a makeover by designers Isabel & Helen in partnership with Grey Goose, to celebrate alfresco fine dining – perfectly timed for the epic summer we’ve had this year.
xUnfortunately, the terrace was closed for lunch, so started our experience inside and made a note to have a drink on the terrace after. We started our supreme experience with a favourite, Lychee martini cocktail which just so happens to be a choice on the set menu (the other two choices were Lychee ginger Collins or Negroni). The menu is generous and includes luxurious dishes some of which are exclusive to the restaurant, two cocktails (one to start and the other to end the meal) plus half a bottle of wine. The cocktail was as good as we remembered (we struggled to not order another) and a great start to our culinary journey. After the cocktail we were offered half a bottle of red or white wine and the first of our courses; a divine platter of fried dim sum, followed by a selection of signature and classic dim sum and a choice of two mains out of a choice of three. We opted for the Truffle pork belly rib and Lobster vermicelli pot (the third was Szechuan pepper beef with eryngii mushroom) these came with Jasmine steamed rice and Chinese vegetables. The pork was exceptional. The lobster and glass noodles divine. Needless to say, we were in a food coma shortly after finishing the main and though we really wanted dessert we decided that our best hope was to take the macaroons away with us so we could enjoy each heavenly bite without overdoing it.
We finished our meal with post lunch cocktail, again, there were three choices, a Manhattan, Chuntian (a refreshing lemon cocktail) and a Gaelic kafei (which is essentially an espresso martini served over ice). We took these out on the terrace so we could admire their cherry blossom and stunning canopy of delicate blue ‘flags’ installation. Sadly, we were unable to fit anything more after this so we never got around to trying the lovely Grey Goose concoctions that were created as part of the collaboration. There are three apparently so this will just give us an excuse to go back…
Yauatcha City is located on the 3rd floor of the buzzy Broadgate Circle where a vibrant restaurant scene is blossoming. The beautifully designed space wraps around half the circus, meaning that every table in the restaurant is a good one – the views over the circus and the bright natural light make it a venue as good for a sunny, leisurely brunch as it is for lunch and dinner. The whole dining experience for us was a dream, friendly and knowledgeable staff, sublime food and delicious cocktails. But, be warned you may need to clear your diary for a few hours, the Supreme Saturday menu is a culinary feast that is generous in portion and a very reasonable £52p/p including drinks. This is one of London’s best kept secret and one that you will want to share with your mates!
Yauatcha City, Broadgate Circle, London, EC2M 2QS
