Yauatcha City

Yauatcha City: A Dim Sum Experience That Falls Short

Yauatcha City, owned by the Hakkasan Group, has established itself as a popular dim sum destination in London. However, on my recent visit, the experience left me feeling a little underwhelmed.

Getting to Yauatcha City is easy via public transport. Numerous buses stop nearby, and the venue is a short walk from Liverpool Street Station. Be aware that there is no car parking available. Look for the distinctive blue door and take the elevator to the restaurant floor. They also boast a patisserie downstairs for those with a sweet tooth.

The first thing you might notice upon entering is the limited table space. While the restaurant itself isn't tiny, the tables are quite close together, making it tricky to navigate with a large group and multiple dishes. The decor is also rather plain – not bad, but certainly not opulent.

Thankfully, the service was a bright spot. The staff were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. However, the food itself fell short of expectations, especially considering the price point. There are definitely better Asian restaurants offering similar fare for a more reasonable cost in the area.

Let's delve into the specifics:

Wagyu Beef Puff: This is one of Yauatcha's signature dishes, but the Wagyu filling was rather skimpy. The pastry itself was decent, with a nice crunch, but the star of the show was noticeably absent.

Spicy Soft Shell Crab: This dish lived up to its reputation as one of the menu's highlights. The crab was perfectly cooked with a satisfying spice level.

Pan-fried Lamb with Red Pepper and Onion: This felt like a less exciting version of the lamb dishes offered at other restaurants. It wasn't bad, but it lacked any special spark.

Salt and Pepper Lobster Tail, Mooli Cake: Disappointingly, the garlic flakes seemed to be the dominant flavor here, overshadowing the lobster itself. The batter lacked complexity, and the lobster meat portion wasn't particularly generous.

Hand Pulled Noodles: These were a bright spot! The in-house made noodles were springy and delicious, especially when dressed with the provided chili oil and soy sauce.

Overall, Yauatcha City is an average Asian restaurant. While the service is commendable and there are some decent dishes, the high price point paired with the underwhelming food leaves it feeling forgettable. There are better options out there for a truly memorable dim sum experience.

If you cannot to catch glimpse of sunshine this summer in London, just head to this amazing place. Their cheeky carrot cake will brighten your day and new summer collection of desserts not only cute but really tasty.

The place has a great atmosphere, food is plenty and amazing, we had the harmony set menu which in between the two of us was more then enough and we got to taste some of the best dishes. Our waiter Kevin was very knowledgeable and professional. I would really recommend trying out this experience.

Last minute dinner with friends and really wanted to try Yauatcha as had long been recommended. It was a hot sunny evening and the place was busy. It has quite a lot of background noise which I liked as you could chat and not feel you were being listened to. More of a "buzz" I would say. The food is very good. Crispy duck is not the best I've had (Min Jiang is the go to for that) but is good (shredded rather than my preferred sliced!). We all enjoyed the food and the environment. The staff were friendly and we didn't feel rushed even though it was a busy evening.

Everything we ordered was amazing! Delicious and flavourful. Only thing that was slightly interesting was the fried squid as the oatmeal dusting was a bit much but just share it / have a few and it’s ok!

Staff were friendly and attentive

Would definitely come back!

Outstanding food quality, the venison puffs have blown me away at least four times over the course of years on repeated visits. The food has remained consistent and I have never been disappointed by any of my visits here.

We only went for dessert after having dinner elsewhere and we walked in as they had availability (usually need bookings though).
Desserts are more on the interesting and fancy side so I would not recommend if you are looking for a black coffee and slice of cake. I didn't really enjoy the desserts though but definitely an experience.