YukiYan Sushi Japanese Restaurant in Cardiff

YukiYan Sushi Japanese Restaurant in Cardiff is a small and independent restaurant in Cardiff serving a variety of Japanese fried, hot and cold dishes including tempura, sushi and ramen noodles. It is popular among students and locals alike.

We were early to the restaurant so had to hang around in the area to wait for it to open for dinner. We killed time by visiting the CJK Foods, Cardiff Korean and Japanese Food Store specialising in Korean, Japanese, Chinese and East Asian Grocery. We also visited Fang’s Oriental Bakery next door to CJK Foods, a Chinese bakery and bought some baked goods for tomorrow’s breakfast. Both shops are located just across the road from Yukiyan Sushi.

What we ordered

As soon as the shop opened for dinner, patrons started flooding. While we were early, it did not take long before the place became heaving with customers. We took some time to consider what to order as there are just so many options in the menu. We decided on the following:

Tako Yaki

From the Agemono section of the menu, we ordered the Tako Yaki. Agemono refers to deep-fried dishes. The Taco Yaki or Deep Fried Octopus ball is served with Takoyaki Sauce, Mayonaise, Bonito Flakes and Ao Nori. All plated on a bed of fresh salad. We enjoyed the starter. There was enough for the three of us.

Kyushu Tonkotsu Ramen

From the Ramen section of the menu, we ordered two of the Kyushu Tonkotsu Ramen. The homemade TonKotsu broth was made using pork bones. The noodle topped with marinated pork, fungus, spring onion, bean Sprouts, Egg and Pickled Ginger looks appetising. The ramen and broth was tasty and delicious but we wished that the portion was bigger. Recent reviews however suggested otherwise as many have praised the restaurant for its good value, excellent quality and good size portion.

Nabe Yaki Udon

Next, from the Hot Pot section of the menu, we ordered the Nabe Yaki Udon. Being in a hot pot means the dish stayed hot for longer, perfect for cooler months. The udon noodles was cooked in fish stock soup with chicken, vegetables, egg and prawn tempura on top. Be extra careful when eating from the hot pot. When it first arrived, the clear soup broth was at boiling temperature so don’t just start off with that. Slurping on hot boiling broth will definitely burn your taste buds and numb your tongue. Also, be careful not to touch the pot. Give it time to cool down or if you have to move it, first line your fingers with a napkin.

While the Nabe Yaki Udon was much bigger in portion, we were let down by the tasteless broth. What was meant to be fish stock clear soup did not taste of any fish. The chicken pieces were sliced chicken breast meat cooked plainly without any marinade. And, while it was topped with a tempura prawn, you had to move fast, or lift it onto a side dish before it became soggy and tasteless.

What else is on offer

Apart from Ramen and Udon (above), other items on the menu are sushi rolls, sashimi, nigiri sushi, hosomaki, temaki, teriyaki dishes, mixed tempura, fried or teppanyaki dishes, friend noodles and rice. In our opinion, the restaurant tried to offer too many dishes to their diners as can be seen from their online takeaway menu.

Final Thoughts

While you can not go wrong with sushi, tempura and side dishes, the vast selection of hot dishes which included the fried wok dishes, hot pots, teppanyaki, ramen, yaki soba and chahan or fried rice meant more care is required in its preparation.

Overall, we found the prices to be reasonable, reflected in the casual vibe and just adequate furnishing used in the restaurant. And while we wished our Nabe Yaki Udon could be better, we would certainly go back again to try their sushi and teishoku zen (set dinner) and steam Japanese rice dishes.