For those of us who have returned to offices in the capital, there are probably a few familiar sights you pass every day on your commute, often thinking to yourself “I should really check that out.” Well, for those who work in The City, Yauatcha is likely one you pass daily on your walk from Liverpool Street station, towering above Broadgate Circle, with its pink floral terrace catching your eye. Well, we can whole heartedly say, this is definitely one to check out.
With two branches – the one we visited in The City and another in Soho – this chic Chinese restaurant is a lovely spot for lunch or dinner. Yauatcha City is set one storey up; the uniquely shaped restaurant features floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides, flooding the space with natural light. The aforementioned floral outdoor terrace, installed for the summer, bursts with bright pink, while inside, the interiors are more muted: think clean lines, wood furniture and low hanging mood lighting. Despite the sophisticated vibe, you are greeted warmly from the moment you enter the restaurant, and the friendly service continues throughout your meal. The staff take their time to explain dishes to you with care, both at the point of ordering and when your dish arrives at your table.
The food menu is comprehensive at Yauatcha, featuring an array of dim sum, meat, seafood, rice and noodle dishes. Signature dishes are indicated with a blue mark on the menu. We started our meal with a selection of dim sum: prawn and bean curd, venison puffs, and rainbow dumplings, on sale during Pride month (£1 from each sale is donated to Micro Rainbow International Foundation, which focuses on facilitating employment, volunteering, training and education for LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees).
The prawn and bean curd – one of the restaurant’s signature dishes – combines smooth and crunchy textures, complimented by the heat of the vegan chilli dip. The venison puffs, another signature, are the perfect marriage of sweet and savoury; in fact, these were some of the best pastries I’ve ever eaten. High praise, but totally deserved; soft, sweet, savoury and crumbly, I could have eaten a bottomless bowlful for hours. The rainbow dumplings, which used natural colourings, boasted different meat and/or vegetable fillings. Our favourites were cumin lamb, and chicken and chive.
If the dim sum wasn’t enough, then came the ‘mains’. We opted to share stir-fried rib eye beef in black bean sauce and stir-fried Penang kwetio noodles. The former was succulent and rich in flavour, while the noodles, peppered with prawns, scallops, chilli and peanuts, were moreish. No flavour was more overpowering than the other; everything worked in harmony. Although by this point, our stomachs were bursting, we, of course, ordered dessert. You pass the patisserie cabinet as you’re seated at the beginning of the meal, which features rows of pretty, seasonal cakes and macarons. These petit fours are light, and presented beautifully to finish your meal.
The drinks at Yauatcha are created with just as much care as the food. There is an extensive menu of options that comprise wine, sake, champagne, fruit juice blends (with inventive combinations like mandarin and chilli, and pink grapefruit, lychee, and lemon thyme), Chinese tea, and creative cocktails. While innovation is key throughout the drinks menu, a stand out was the Szechuan margarita. Not only was it incredibly pretty, but the complex taste was perfect. I was apprehensive at the mention of chilli around the rim of the glass, but I needn’t have been. Like the food, not one flavour overpowered the other, but rather created a deep, delicious flavour.
A breadth of diners fill the restaurant day to day: groups of friends, intimate dates, even business lunches. Yauatcha is open Monday–Saturday from 12pm, so whether you’re working in the area, or looking for a lavish meal before a long train journey from Liverpool Street station, amble over to Broadgate Circle.