YummyTori 2014 Menu, 92 Lothian Road, Edinburgh

A real taster of Japan in Edinburgh

We first visited Yummy Tori in April 2013 and loved it, so one year on we were back to try out their latest menu and sample the plum wine & sake that had eluded us on the first visit (you can read our previous review here)! When most people think of Japanese cuisine they think of sushi and unfortunately that’s about it but that’s only a small part of Japanese cuisine (when I was in Japan a few years ago I only remember eating sushi once). Yummy Tori specialises in the “Japanese tapas” that you would find in an Izakaya, and while some people might think that’s a gimmick, it isn’t as this is what many restaurants over there are like, not just in Japan, but in other Asian countries as well, i.e. informal dining where you order a selection of food and it comes out when each dish is ready. See also our Chop Chop review for a Chinese variant.

3 dishes each is about enough per person and then you might just have enough room for dessert! Prices range from £4.50 – £6.90 for a tapa dish and they are listed by “classic” or “gourmet” status. You can order any 2 classics for £9 and any 2 gourmets for £11 or mix a classic and gourmet for £10.

We had a cheeky cocktail and refreshing home-made plum wine to start (sorry no pics). And so onto the food…

Japanese Tapas

Yummy Tori Edinburgh - Anpan Steamed Bun

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Anpan £3.50

Anpan, a sweet steamed bun with a pork filling. A bit doughy for our liking, and a higher meat to bun ratio would be preferred but I’ve had buns like this in Asia and they always were overly doughy so in that respect it certainly tasted authentic!

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Yakitori Skewers £7.90

Yummy Tori also has a Yakitori list and you can pick any 3 skewers for £6.50, any 4 for £7.90 or any 5 for £9.00. We opted for (from left to right):

Tsukune – Chicken meatballs with carrot and onion which was light & savoury;
Buttabara – Salted pork belly but not overly flavoured in anything else so you got the full flavour of good-quality pork;
Cheese and courgette – veggie-friendly mozzarella and veg but it lacked the salty tang of the other skewers so was the least flavoursome of the 4;
Yaki Ebi – prawns wrapped in thinly sliced seaweed shaved pork. Very savoury – tasted like the sea, but in the best way possible! (Be careful when eating as there was a prawn tail on our stick).

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Tofu & Shiitake Gyoza £4.90

We love gyoza and these veggie versions had a strong smokey coal taste. Mmm savoury umami taste with a light soft “skin” and warming kick.

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Okonomiyaki £5.50

Okonomiyaki, described on the menu as a pancake and when I was in Japan I lived on these for breakfast and they were described to me as Japanese Omelettes so that’s how I know them. Really tasty umami flavours again with thinly sliced ginger on top with slightly thicker julienne of ginger. Crunchy, savoury and deep fried but still really light with that creamy Japanese mayo that seems to be served on almost everything in Japan! Yum!

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Gyudon £9.90

Gyudon, tender beef with an almost roasted coffee taste, ginger and onions with rice. This was simple and delicious.

Yummy Tori Edinburgh - Mystery noodle dish £???

We’ve misplaced our receipt so have no idea what this was! Oops…some sort of dish with thin noodles, savoury soy & ginger. Texture great, well cooked with a heady aroma. Quite fragrant and aromatic, was it doused in alcohol beforehand?

Dessert

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Mango & Passion Fruit £4.90

Mango & passion fruit pudding with an iced passion fruit topping and desiccated coconut. The mango ice cream was refreshing light and there was a raspberry coulis on the base too – the ideal palate-cleanser after a umami-heavy meal !

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Banana Tempura £4.50

Banana tempura, this was a bit bland. The banana was soft and the batter was soft. I know tempura is “light” but it really needed some extra texture & crunch. Banana and cream are always still a good match of course.

The Sake Tasting Board

Yummy Tori Edinburgh – Sake Tasting Board £6.50

We couldn’t leave without working our way through the sake board that we’d missed out on previously (25ml of each), and so, from left to right:

Ozeki Sake – Cucumber water light not much booze lightly aromatic
Ozeki Dry – More “winey” than the sake, like a light white
Hakkaison Honjozo – Quite sweet. Like a nice fruity white – this was our favourite
Kokushi Muso Cocoo – Sweet with a noticeable tanginess

All of the sakes are available in 50ml shots and half & full bottles.

Conclusion

Yummy Tori achieves what it sets out – an authentic Japanese eating experience without the air fare and jet lag. It was every bit as good as our last visit, so if you love savoury food and/or are planning a trip to Japan add Yummy Tori to the “must visit” list as there’s a great selection of dishes on offer – we especially recommend the Gyoza, Okonomiyaki & Gyudon, and the Mango & passion fruit was the ideal thing to cleanse the palate afterwards. In addition to the sake we tried they also stock shochu and some of the main Japanese beers and whiskies, which we shall probably work our way onto next time!

Service was friendly & brisk and toilets functional & clean. Now I’m off to plot my next trip to Japan