Focusing on Japanese street food and sushi, innovation and provenance, YO!’s brand new pop-up concept is opening exclusively in Croydon. Featuring an innovative, bold and flavour-packed menu inspired from across Japan, YO! will bring brand new food trends to Croydon including pork ramen roll ‘Ramen-In-A-Roll’ and crispy panko chicken-thigh sandwiches ‘Katsu Sando’ as well as Osaka’s number one street food ‘Takoyaki’ and crispy fried chicken wings ‘JFC’ style.
Launching April 27th exclusively at Boxpark Croydon, YO!’s brand new concept builds on traditional Japanese recipes and re-crafts them for the pop-up environment.
Curated by YO!’s Executive Chef Mike Lewis and inspired by his regular trips to Japan, YO!’s exciting new Boxpark menu has been crafted with some of the greatest tastes from across Japan, featuring a spectrum of flavours from spicy, fruity and tangy to umami.
Brand new food trends are about to change the scene at Boxpark, with the pork ramen roll, Ramen-In-A-Roll, made with with seared pork belly, tonkotsu mayo, burnt garlic oil and crisp ramen noodles, Chicken Katsu Sando, sandwiched crispy fried chicken thighs in panko crumb traditionally served on Japanese bullet trains, as well as the Hirata Donut, a soft serve ice cream with crisp donut pieces, kinako soy bean powder, pistachio and miso caramel.
Other dishes to be featured at the brand new pop-up will range from Pork Belly Teriyaki to Salmon & Orange Ponzu Tataki. Think Korean-fried chicken wings served up with Furikake Fries in sriracha mayo and other spices, hand-crafted rolls packed with interesting new flavour combinations and rainbow bowls full of sashimi, picked vegetables and juicy bites of mango to make Poké perfection. Great for sharing and enjoyed in a communal space, YO! will bring a real taste of Japanese culture to Boxpark Croydon.
Mike Lewis, Executive Chef, YO! said “YO! Boxpark is the perfect place for us to explore our Izakaya (Japanese pub) inspiration, allowing us to innovate and introduce playful sharing style dishes. From sushi to street food we are bringing dishes like Ponzu Tataki’s, Japanese Fried Chicken Wings, the Katsu Sandwich and even a whole Tonkotsu Pork Ramen in a sushi roll, along with Japanese beers and One Cup Sake. It’s all the type of food and drink that can be enjoyed and shared in the communal eating area, just like the back streets of Japan.”
Commenting on the project Robin Rowland, CEO, said “This is a really exciting development. KAIZEN – constant innovation – has always been fundamental to YO! as a brand. Back in 1997, when we launched our first restaurant, we introduced the UK to a whole new way of enjoying food with conveyor belt sushi. This pop-up at Boxpark Croydon is just another example of how we continue to evolve, and gives us the opportunity to change up the way we engage with our customers and share the latest food trends from Japan.”
YO! has put sustainability at the centre of the concept. Not only is the fish 100% responsibly sourced, the menus are made from recycled paper while all of the packaging is recyclable and the menu has been crafted to aspire to zero food waste.