Yo Sushi

The Yo Sushi chain was a real eye opener when they first introduced their line of conveyor-belt raw fish; us natives had never seen the like. When I first arrived in London in 2001 I thought this was a sight to behold and an experience beyond compare. Now, in 2006, Yo Sushi hasn’t changed, it’s been left behind in a sea of other sushi and Japanese food emporiums. Reputedly the best sushi in London is to be found in the Japan Centre on Piccadilly, the best Sashimi in Nobu etc etc but back then we didn’t know the difference, never mind care. The Yo I fondly remember as being exciting and different hasn’t changed from then, which is exactly the problem.

I paid a visit to the one in Islington recently and a strange phenomenon has occurred. Almost everyone in there on a Saturday night was on their own and desperately reading a book. The Yo of days gone by was where groups went, “look at us, we’re so trendy” was the refrain. Now Yo has become the preserve of single people in transit, like McDonalds for those with more money.

Those wise to the Yo procedure know the drill; do not just lift any dish, specifically order what you want, ignore the conveyor belt unless you keep a close eye on the chef (easily done give the stage the poor men have to operate on) and grab instantly what leaves his hand. The Yo promise is that no fish is left on the conveyor for more than two hours, personally I think two hours is a long time in the life of raw fish and I don’t believe them anyway. That said I left with a satisfactory belly-full of raw fish and tempura no real complaints to be made now I know the drill. McRaw fish is all it is really.