Yo Sushi reviewed

Residents of the adjoining neighborhoods of Žižkov and Vinohrady have all the luck. In the past two years, the area has enjoyed a boom of new restaurants and shops that have made it a culinary hot spot. That's not counting the beautiful farmers' market on JZP each Wednesday and Saturday that brings in fresh meats, fish, baked goods and produce in a happy atmosphere.

Relative newcomers include French bakery and café La Milleme, a Cheesy outlet and a Robertson shop with imported food and fresh cuts. But in the past few months the area has gotten The Pind Indian restaurant, Pho Vietnam on Slavíkova, Yes Burger on Seifertova, and farther up that street toward the Lipanská tram stop, and the subject of this review, Yo Sushi. You might recognize the name: Yo Sushi is a large sushi chain in the United Kingdom, but this version is unaffiliated.

The sign for Yo Sushi has been tempting residents of the area for several months, much longer than the three months it has actually been open. So it was with excitement that we noted it open and filled with diners on a recent night. A couple of days later, we rounded up some friends and tried it out.

A big part of Yo Sushi's appeal is its darling if sometimes kitschy exterior and décor. A flat-screen television plays a looped video of Korean tourism advertisements out of the front window. Upon entering, part of the kitchen is open and directly on your left, so that you can watch workers roll up sushi. A display case of ready-to-go sushi is directly in front at the cash register, a setup that encourages passers-by to order food to go. Two rooms, one in front and one in back, have simple, sleek furniture. Large oil paintings in both rooms include simple sushi rolls, koi fish or cartoonish girls with takeout cartons with bright colors in the background. The effect is altogether warm, clean and a little hip.

Expectations hit a snag, however, when you get to the actual sushi. The menu is long, with both Japanese and Korean dishes. You can order sashimi, nigiri, hand rolls and specialty rolls. In an attempt to taste it all, we ordered a big mix - the kind that comes out on a wooden boat platter. Presentation aside, the ship's crew was a sad bunch.

Pieces of raw tuna, butterfish and salmon were - how shall we say this? - not entirely thawed, making for watery and cold bites of disappointing fish. At this point, anyone would be ready to write off Yo Sushi's eponymous specialty, but that wouldn't be quite fair. The myriad specialty rolls clearly cater to a population that may be uncomfortable with raw fish. Instead, crab sticks make a frequent appearance, and rolls can go way off the sushi map to include teriyaki chicken, beef bulgogi and shrimp tempura. Other more traditional rolls passed us by that looked beautifully made and generous, but after the disappointing nigiri and sashimi it was hard to muster any enthusiasm to order them.

Yo Sushi, ironically, did better by its Korean dishes. Korean vegetable pancakes and pork gyoza dumplings were piping hot, accompanied by tart, sweet and salty dips, and came with enough for a party of four to all sample. Miso soup is a standard version with seaweed and cubes of silky tofu.

Bento boxes are a more affordable way to sample a little bit of everything and combine cuisines in a way that works out quite well. Beef bulgogi bento comes with a moderate portion of the seasoned and tender beef along with a couple of nigiri pieces, a light salad with ginger-miso dressing, kimchi and rice. The sashimi bento offers the same sides but with three large pieces of tuna, salmon and butterfish, although the quality was not better than the aforementioned sushi platter.

A Korean noodle dish, Jajangmyeon, was especially homey. Thick wheat noodles mixed with sweet and salty fermented black-bean paste, bits of pork and vegetables and topped with slivered cucumber. This dish is something to return for, and went well with the cold sake we ordered for the table.

On a second visit, we ordered takeout, and had to wait an excruciating 25 minutes for the food to be ready. The restaurant is small, but so is the staff. They are, nevertheless, kind and seem to be doing the best they can. The wait was forgotten once we sampled the kimchi jjigae, Korean kimchi soup filled with the spicy, fermented cabbage, pork, tofu and vegetables. That soup is amazing for someone who is perfectly healthy and clearheaded, but I have no doubt it could do a lot toward alleviating common colds and nasty hangovers. Unfortunately, it is unbelievably overpriced at 280 Kč, especially given its size and ingredients. There is nothing in there that should drive the price up that high. The same goes with Kyochon chicken, deep-fried nuggets of seasoned chicken. That a container of these would cost 275 Kč is laughable, and a dangerous pricing model given its area. Žižkov is not known for brooking overpriced restaurants, and its residents are the type to raise an eyebrow and keep walking, cutesy décor or not.

Yo Sushi is one of several new spots in the neighborhood, and it will be interesting to see how each will either adjust its business models or stand its ground. Either way, it's heartening to see some new activity on the food scene in these parts.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com