Review: Yo Eastern Fusion

On Saturday night, our friend Belinda celebrated a birthday at Yo Eastern Fusion restaurant in Welgelegen. I used this as a excuse to do a review for you, my blog readers. Thankfully my wife had her K800i mobile phone with her... No, not to call an ambulance! ... twas for the camera, ok...
We started the evening with a drink in the bar. This is definitely the cheapest bar I have ever been to. Cocktails - Sex on the Beach, Strawberry Daiquiri, Call me a Cab, etc. for R25 each. Where in Cape Town can you find that?

The main restaurant: Great ambiance and friendly staff. There is a stunning fish tank off to one side, adding to the Asian feel of the restaurant. Thought was given to the lighting - the Sushi Bar is well lit and the dining area is darker and more cozy. The prices are fair. The menu is extensive. The hotter dishes are indicated with a little picture of a chilli, just after the name of the dish. There is a 10% service charge for larger tables - ours was R160.

If you are a sushi lover, this is the place to try. The sushi menu is extensive - Maki, Shashimi, California Rolls, Nigiri and all the favourites. They also do 'special sushi', designed by the owners. The picture is of a sushi platter (R105). The ingredients are all fresh and your sushi is made while you wait. Seafoods used in the Sushi range from Salmon (normal, spicy and smoked), prawns, tuna, eels, Norwegian Salmon and crab sticks. Pretty impressive! I was asked to please give special mention to Adrienne for ordering the platter... LOL

The menu, as I said, is quite extensive. They have steak for the ol' die-hards and escargo for the more adventurous. They even do soup: Hot and Sour (chicken or prawn) and Sweetcorn Soup. I decided on the Crispy Duck with pancakes (R72). This was very tasty but I must say: There could have been more pancakes. The only negative thing I found: My bowl of oyster sauce looks like it was prepared in a hurry (see the pic).

This was a minor slip up as I checked some of the other dishes ordered by our table.
A wide range of curries are also available, originating on Thailand, China and Indonesia. Richard had the Thai Green Chicken Curry (to the right) and it was really good!

We decided to skip dessert. I was so tempted to try the Crème brûlée but passed for more cocktails are the bar.

I would definitely rate this restaurant (as opposed to slate).

Yo Eastern Fusion Restaurant
Welgelegen Shopping Centre, Malmesbury Road, Welgelegen (above the Spar)
+27 21 558 9888
Open 7 days a week (12pm to 12am)

Dessert: My Fabulous Crème Brûlée

This is my all-time favourite dessert. Crème Brûlée is French for 'burnt cream'... what is with the French and cooking? If ever you have tasted Crème Brûlée, you will be thinking to yourself: Burnt cream? Are you mad? It tastes like nothing of the sort. Never...

Crème Brûlée is a dessert that consists of a thick custard base, topped with a layer of hard caramel (melted sugar, for the layman). This custard base is normally flavoured with vanilla but you can experiment with chocolate, liqueur or fruit. I prefer the original...

Ingredients:
6 Egg Yolks (Large Eggs)
80ml Castor Sugar
250ml Milk, Full Cream
500ml Cream
5ml Vanilla Essence
Extra Castor Sugar for caramelizing on the top

Method:
1. Beat the castor sugar and egg yolks until well mixed.
2. Heat the Milk and Cream in a pot, until just before boiling point.
3. Remove from heat and add Vanilla Essence, stirring.
4. Add Milk & Cream to the Egg mixture, stirring in.
5. Pass through a sieve, into a pouring jug - for easy pouring into your ramekins.
6. Prepare the Bain-marie and pour the mixture into the ramekins.
7. Place in an oven at 140 deg Celsius, for about 30 minutes. When a knife point is inserted into the top of Crème Brûlée and comes out clean, it is ready.
8. Remove from the oven and remove ramekins from the bain-marie, allow to cool.
9. Refridgerate.
10. Just before serving, sprinkle with Castor Sugar. Place under a grill and caramelize the sugar.

To make this a social event, pass a gas burner around the table and allow everyone to caramelize their own sugar. It is great fun!

Well, there you have it... My Fabulous Crème Brûlée recipe.