Restaurant Review: Yo! Sushi

July 20, 2007 at 8:40 pm (Manchester, Restaurant, Reviews)

For over a week, I wanted to go this restaurant/diner with a friend of mine and because of our different timetables, it was hard to find the most suitable time so that we can meet up and have a nice light lunch. Well, we managed to do it yesterday.

Let’s start with the location: It is located in the basement floor of Selfridges’s store in Manchester City Centre. Obviously, the location is not hard to miss, it’s in the City Centre, In one of the most respected stores in the UK, and is next to the Manchester Wheel; one landmark that you need to visit when you are in Manchester. Easy to find and very accessible: Checked. One thing that I found problematic (When I asks friends to join me) is the fact that is located in Selfridges’s so it is assumed (Most of the time) that you need to a budget to be able to dine there. No, you don’t. Yes it’s located in an expensive store but being located in it doesn’t influence the prices that this restaurant/diner offers.

What makes this place a nice place to get together and eat is the nice funky atmosphere. They system works as the follows; every plate has a price, no matter what’s on it. Actually every colour has a price. The cheapest plate start with 1.5£ (0.750 Fills) ascending to 5£ (2.5 KD). The Green plates are the cheapest whereas the grey is the most expensive colour (Which make it a No-No option). Notice the number of plates being used and check how many grey plates are present? Not that many, obviously due to their price tag. Moving to the service; as you noticed, its self serviced most of the time as you pick the food from the food slider in front of you, unless you want a cold drink or a hot soup. The staff were so friendly and very nice with us, and we were entertained by observing the chefs’ preparing the dishes. I took a number of pictures and they didn’t mind at all.

 

Now, we are moving to the most essential feature of any restaurant. That is, quality of food. As you noticed from the name; it’s a Sushi Diner, and as result, they cook different types of Sushi. Some of you might want to know how good the Sushi’s were?? Well, I’m not a sushi person. Yes, I did go to a sushi place and I didn’t eat any sushi so I can’t comment on them. On the other hand, my friend tried vegetarian Sushi and she was pleased with it. I think I need to mention, that in a separate occasion, I went with my dear brother to this diner and he didn’t leave without tasting as many Sushi’s as possible (and It did annoy me, mind you) and he didn’t dislike any. He was praising one and indulging in another, so I would assume they were good. So, what did I try? I tried Chicken Salad which was scrumptious, a squid with garden rocket (I loved the texture of the squid.. Fantastic) and then there was the mouth watering Pumpkin Karaoke[I think that was the name of the dish] (Picture of the dish was taken) … which I loved especially with the hot sauce ,, Tasty. Last but not least; A diet Coke… Well, It was hot outside and I did need something cold. My friend tried The Squid and the Pumpkin after I recommended them, she loved the pumpkin but she was not as enthusiastic with the squid, as I was. She tried some kind of Vegetarian Sushi with Avocado that was OK and Miso soup. After 2 hours of chatting, observing, taking pictures and eating, we paid the bill that was very reasonable … Mine was 10 Pounds (5 KD) and my friend was 12 pounds (6 KD) which was not bad considering the place and what we ate.

Hilarious Points:

– The Sushi Chefs’ were so comical and very friendly. One of them kept saying that he’s shy and doesn’t like pictures being taken of him, but he was making funny poses whenever I hold the camera.

– We stayed for quite a while as we were chatting and discussing things related to our course and the staff in particular the waitress kept looking at us, as in ‘Get Out, You’re finished, leave’. Well, we didn’t. It wasn’t busy, lots of empty seats and the place was too comfortable to leave.

Will I recommend the place?

Definitely , It’s a nice place to sit, chat and eat. Prices that wouldn’t break your bank account. Did I mention it’s in the City Centre?…which is, in the centre of everything!! So if you’re travelling to the UK and decided to visit Manchester City, give this place a try while being in a vibrant city like Manchester.

Verdict:

Considering all the points that I mentioned earlier, this place does indeed deserve a … 9/10…