The Asian food scene in Cape Town has been growing in popularity and the latest addition, YU, proves why this style of food is so popular. It’s fresh, exciting, bold and full of yum factor.

Where to find YU

YU is located at the stylish The Onyx, an apartment-style residential four-star hotel on the corner of Heerengracht and Walter Sisulu Avenue, which opened at the end of 2018.

The restaurant specialises in contemporary Asian fusion food and the vibe is trendy and the locale upmarket. The restaurant is headed up by restaurateur and owner Rory Jossel, of Koi fame (JHB-based restaurants) who brings a wealth of knowledge about this style of food.

The YU Menu

YU focuses on shared plates, which has also proven to be a growing trend. It’s really the ideal Capetonian way to spend an evening – dining on lots of tasty bites with friends over a bottle of great wine or craft spirit.

The menu is chock full of amazing dishes and the real challenge lies in choosing which ones to try.

Some of our favourites included the Prawn and Butternut Dim Sum; we loved these dumplings with a bit of a local twist – they were so light and full of flavour. We also polished off the amazing Soft Shell Crab served with sesame mayo. The crab is encased in the most featherlight yet crunchy batter and we mopped up every last bite. If you love ribs then you simply must have the Soya and Sichuan marinated sticky ribs, which will have you licking every last bit of sauce from your fingers.

There is also a varied sushi menu and we loved the New Style Tuna Sashimi and the Marinated Seared Salmon with burnt spicy mayo and crispy bits on top.

After Work Drinks

YU not only serves up stylish and delicious bites but has a great bar and lounge. With its Foreshore location, it’s the perfect place to have after work drinks and a bite before ubering home. Try a cocktail, a craft beer or wine from the impressive drinks menu. The combo of a slick venue, great sharing plate style food and a bumper drinks list is the trifecta for a good evening out.

The Interior

The stylish interior of YU fits in perfectly with the equally stylish hotel lobby location. The space was designed by Yaniv Chen and Leigh Fink from Master Studio, who drew inspiration from early 1950s Yakuza meeting points.

“These spaces were unassuming and the interiors often derelict, but they were warmed up from the dimly lit interiors, rich dark velvets and warm timbers. We wanted to recreate the juxtaposition between imperfection and luxury.”

We especially love the photogenic Octopus wall mural, which you will def see popping up on your Instagram stories feed.

The YU Mantra

Rory Jossel clearly knows how to run a restaurant and has created an environment unlike that of most hotel restaurants.

“The key to any successful restaurant is simple – amazing food, amazing service and a warm, relaxed atmosphere where you can drink with friends,” he says. “Our menu lends itself to a sharing experience, it’s fine dining, but without the stiff three course meal.”

For your fix of Asian tapas in a trendy location, visit YU.

YU Asian Eatery | Open Mondays to Saturdays, 12 noon – 23h00
57 Heerengracht Street, The Onyx Hotel, Cape Town  | 021 111 0453 / yu@theonyx.co.za

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