 Japanese cuisine is in bloom and it seems like every corner in Chicago has a great selection of Japanese restaurants, from sushi to ramen to the izakaya to tonkatsu. Out of all Japanese food, one of my favorites is "Robatayaki (炉端焼き)" style cooking. There is something fascinating about fresh ingredients grilled on top of charcoal that makes it tastes amazing. As you walk up to Chicago Street in the Ukrainian Village, there are a few Japanese restaurants to pick from. Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill is one of the places I recommend for you to try. Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill opened their first location on May 27, 2011, and is the first place that introduced Robatayaki (炉端焼き) to Chicago. It has an intimate space enough to seat comfortably 35. In February of 2015, Chef Yoot the owner decided to move Yuzu into a bigger space just a few doors down. This new location still keeps the same concept with comic-inspired walls, a fun system that's full of energy, and a trendy soundtrack playing in the background. At the front area, there is a commercial table made up into a party table. It is a 2x4 studded table with a wood top that "inspires" forth folks to strike up with fun conversation.     Time to Meet The Chefs:  First, we have the owner Chef Yoot, who has worked at the Sushi Wabi for over 7 years. Following that experience, Yoot continues with the delectable dish that has the potential to transform food into a piece of art.  Chef Pamela Cariquitan, a native of Sterling Heights, Michigan, began her culinary career young and humble. Cariquitan started work as a garde manger chef at the Takashi for 2 years and then continued her work on at The Arami as a Sous Chef for 2 years. In 2015, she made another transition to Yuzu as the Executive Chef. With Cariquitan Japanese background and inspired with spicy Korean cuisine, Yuzu is a concept that makes big bold flavors in every dish.  Chef Tammasorn Sunsan, maybe better known as Tob, has more than five years of experience as a sushi chef around the city. Behind the sushi bar, he knows his fish just well as he knows his knife skills. While he was showing me how to cut Salmon and Hrame, he said: "This is the best part of Hirame called Engawa." Tob let me taste some Green Negi Engawa: Engawa sushi top with ponzu sauce. It is crunchy and a little chewy for me with a very bright flavor from ponzu sauce. Chef Tob said, "We cut 25 salmon (the whole salmon) per week." As I have been coming to Yuzu for years, I know this place has fresh fish and chef Tob confirmed that it is the truth and how fast they rotate the fish.
 Engawa Hirame Engawa Hirame This is a chewy part (katai), is known as Sashimi inside the Japanese Flounder Fin. Hirame is one of the fish (white fish) that you begin to warm up the palate.  Chef Worawit Boonyapituksaku, Ray, who shows how to cut the whole tuna in the back of the sushi bar, so every bite has a fresh taste from the sea. Ray is packed with experience as a sushi chef over 8 years.
 Chef Sunijit Srilcaew, Nine, is one of the sushi chefs that put art on the plates. Before being handed across the bar, most of the sushi plates are decorated with art that comes with an iconic cartoon theme. He took my breath away when I saw the Chicago roll; The Chicago skyline above the Chicago Signature roll and a nice touch of Yuzu Chicago Sushi. This menu speaks for itself that if you are in Chicago, you have to take a trip to Yuzu.
 Let’s get to know Yuzu's menu: There is nothing traditional about Yuzu; they spin the food into a piece of art that associates with creativity. From the Izakaya menu to Robata to Yuzu rolls to the Special menu, each menu changes every 4 to 6 months (you can stay tune at Yuzu.com). It is well worth it for you to make a plan and stop by.      Izakaya:  Tuna Poke: Fresh Hawaiian Tuna marinated in soy sauce and house special spices adorned with fancy thinly sliced avocado. I order this item every time I stop by and suggest you try the tuna and avocado all in one bite. The creaminess of avocado balances out the tangy taste of the marinated sauce.  Avocado Mango Salad: They create a completely satisfying salad with avocado, mango, spring mix and a vibrant, spicy ponzu dressing and plenty of delightful. Yuzu Robata:   Chicken Golek**: Chicken is grilled on top of charcoal that makes it taste amazing with southern Thai curry sauce. For a curry lover, this is an item you must try!!!  Pork Shoulder**: Juicy pork shoulder is marinated in a Thai special sauce, grilled on the skewers, and served with sweet chili sauce. I would say the idea is similar to that of the Thai Grilled Pork on Skewers (Mooh-Ping/หมูปิ้ง). Rib Eye** Beef is marinated in a house special sauce with a nice touch of Thai herb sauce. Shishito**: Whether eaten as an Izakaya or joined into the main dish, these sweet and crunchy shishito peppers are delicious. This charred shishito is served with a Teriyaki sauce that gets a salty and a hint of tangy taste from ponzu sauce.  Hustler Lamb (2pcs): These delicious imported Aussie lamb is served with a luscious black garlic chutney sauce. Asparagus: Care for some grilled asparagus and ponzu? Yes! Especially for a special occasion and a glass of wine must be involved.  Nasu: For these, a charcoal vision of Japanese eggplant served with a Thai favorite, peanut sauce.  Yuzu Rolls :  Chicago Spring**: This jumbo roll comes with crunchy shrimp tempura, avocado, and cream cheese inside, topped with red Tobiko, masago, chili sauce, wasabi mayo, sweet soy sauce, scallions, and more crunchies from tempura bread crumbs.  Dragon: There is a perfect marriage with Japanese style shrimp tempura, Unagi, and avocado; nothing to go wrong with these 3 together. With fresh cucumber balancing out the saltiness from Unagi, crunchy tempura crumbs add more texture to the roll with spicy mayo and Unagi sweet soy sauce. With these, 2 dragons are flying around the roll, made me feel like watching an old school Chinese movie.  River Walk**: 3 kinds of my favorite fish appear here as Salmon, Tuna and Super White Tuna are all on parade in the roll with avocado, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, scallions. Topped with crunchy tempura crumbs, wasabi, Tobiko, a kick of chili sauce, wasabi mayo and sweet soy sauce. I vote for that Darn Cute Snail!!.  Sorry, I Am Drunk**: Unagi and cooked shrimp are combined with a tasty array of flavors, from spicy mayo, massago, sesame oil, avocado, and both black & red Tobiko.  Shrimp Tempura: An amazing crunchy shrimp tempura, cucumber, tempura crumbs, tasty spicy mayo and sweet soy sauce.  IG@Bestfoodalex and @cleanplateclubchi at Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill Special Menu:   Yakuza Mussel**: Andrew Zimmern recommends to Food and Wine Magazine to use plump, wild Mediterranean mussels! Here the juicy plump Mediterranean mussels are imported and combined with amazing alternative flavors of garlic, ginger, yuzu juice, dashi, and gochujang. Served with Asiago Batard bread grilled with chili pepper flake.  Killing me Softly**: This luxurious green frisee is tossed with mint sauce, asparagus, and sautéed Maitake mushroom with red pepper coulis. It is a delightful accompaniment to a pan-fried imported Hokkaido Scallop.  Hamachi Collar**: The Hamachi collar is simply the section just behind the head and gills, or the best part of the Yellowtail. It is not on the menu, but you can ask the server if it is available for you to order. **Note - Here are my top recommendations for you to try.
Keys Points: Atmosphere: Japanese Industrial-Rustic Sushi Bar. What to eat: Izakaya - Avocado Mango(6), Grilled Squid (10), Sweet Potato Fries (6), Tuna Poke (11) Robata- Pork Shoulder (3.5), Chicken Golek (3.5), Beef Short Rib (4), Rib Eye (4), Shishito (3), Bacon Scallop (4) Yuzu Roll- Born to Chill (17), Chicago Spring (16), Breaking Bad (17), Riverwalk (16), Sorry I Am Drunk (11) Special- Yakuza Mussel (18), Killing Me Softly (22), Dope (22), Hamachi Collar (12) What to drink: BYOB Thank you for stopping by and checking out the review. Natty
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 Happy Sunday And Happy Spring Equinox! It’s hard to resist being how happy I am as I see the calendar says that today is the beginning of Spring season. Vibrant greens will start to pop out soon, and then the flowers will be in bloom. This one of my favorite seasons because I enjoy all the tiny beautiful little things that can seen around. With Easter just around the corner, the Easter bunnies will be hopping around next week delivering their beautifully decorated eggs. For this special and warming occasion, I decided to make a classic butter cookie with the addition of being decorate with a fresh, bright and citrusy yuzu glaze.This cute Yuzu Glazed Bunny Butter cookie recipe is perfect for you to bake by yourself to give away or to your a little loved one(s) at home. And of course, I came up with a cute little idea for decorating as well!  Oh, Dear! These Easter Bunny cookies are seriously too cute to not to eat!   Here are some tips for the recipe:
Thank you for stopping by and read my article, Natty  Happy Sunday My Friends! This year we have had a very mild winter here in Chicago, and I feel like Spring is right around the corner. What a Spring spirited kick-off way to celebrate this lovely weather with the fun and fresh green celebration of St.Patrick's Day (Thursday, March 17th, 2016)! It is a pretty fun day to celebrate whether you are Irish or not as we dress up in green, put a sparkling shamrocks on our faces, drink green beer, enjoy Irish whiskey, and eat green color sweets. We all enjoy in this fun celebration! Here in Chicago, we’ll celebrate this St.Patrick day with the dyeing of the Chicago River in green. This has become a traditional St.Patrick's day celebration here full of cookies, cupcakes, sweet treats in green, and various green drinks to chose from. 
Here I have a fun cocktail and cupcake recipe to share with you all...  - Floral Citrus Cocktail with Grapefruit, Orange, Elderflower, and Rosemary. This recipe is bright and has lovely strong citrus notes with a hint of rosemary and elderflower liqueur garnished with fresh rosemary (not a shamrock but it is green nonetheless).  - St.Patick's day cupcake collection This is a Red Velvet cupcake topped with creamy vanilla frosting and decorated with mint colored candy pearls and holiday green candy decorations. Hope you all enjoy your St.Patrick's Day celebrations, and be safe.
Natty  Happy Sunday!
This post is inspired by my "Immm Rice & Beyond" review, which included so many Thai dishes. It reminds me of one dish my mom used to cook for me, " Stir-Fry Pumpkin with egg and basil". It is one of the easiest weeknight meals, and you can make it for one, two or the whole family, and it’s especially one kid are sure to love. Kabocha squash has a naturally sweet flavor with a dense and soft texture such as sweet potato or butternut squash.With a deep green colored rough skin and rich yellow inside It contains beta carotene, with iron, vitamin C, potassium, calcium, and folic acid. The kabocha is a common ingredient used in so many countries from southeast Asian : -In Thailand, it is a very common ingredient in red curry with pork and basil ( แกงฟักทองหมู/ Gaeng-Fak-Tong-Mooh , stir-fry pumpkin with egg and basil ( ผัดกระเพราฟักทองใส่ไข่ / Pad-Gra-Prao-Fak-Tong-Sai-Kai ) and a popular dessert of sweet pumpkin in coconut milk ( แกงจืดฟักทอง/ Gaeng-Jaeurd-Fak-Tong ). -In Japan, they use it in tempura, soup, and stir-fry. -In Korean, it is the traditional ingredient in Hobakjuk (호박죽), Korean pumpkin porridge of rice soaked in water. Take this quick weeknight menu and serve over Jasmine rice, brown rice or a healthy choice to serve with quinoa. Thank you for stopping by and reading my article. Natty |
AuthorHi, I am Natty! And Thank you for stopping by!! I am a foodie girl who has a passion for cooking, exercise and photography. There are so many favorite recipes from my family and friends I have tried throughout my journey that balances out and makes a healthy meal. I would like to take you on a journey to a different pantry around the world to share my favorite stories and recipes. My hope is that they inspire and benefit you. "You love someone, you open yourself up to suffering, that's the sad truth. Maybe they'll break your heart, maybe you'll break their heart and never be able to look at yourself in the same way. Those are the risks. That's the burden.Like wings, they have weight, we feel that weight on our backs, but they are a burden that lifts us. Burdens which allow us" Bones  Don't wait for the perfect moment,take the moment and make it perfect. - Zoey Sayward- Archives
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