Yugo

Located in Desa Sri Hartamas, Yugo stands out from any other Japanese restaurants and izakayas. Yugo is translated to “Fusion” in Japanese, so it’s not surprising to see other delicacies here along with the common Japanese dishes. “I want to provide a brand new experience!” said Janis, the owner who is ambitious enough to combine his love for Japanese cuisine with food sharing to form Yugo.

“It must be expensive to dine in a Japanese restaurant” Janis states that people are conscientious to Japanese fine dining for its price. Therefore YUGO’s main aim is to provide high-quality cuisines at an affordable price! The cuisines here are Japanese - based but with a twist as they’re prepared with various cooking styles such as Northern Europe and Malaysian.

“We like working with people who share the same vision”

Janis recruited Nizam, the executive chef with nearly two decades of experience in modern Japanese restaurants when the business just started. The store came together with the knowledge and bold ideas of the two. As driven as he is, Nizam uses his expertise in Japanese cuisine and came out with never before seen taste and visual combinations.

The environment is overall simple, comfy with coherent colours. It feels like you’re enjoying Japanese cuisine in a refined French restaurant. Besides, sitting by the cement countertop allows customers to communicate directly with the chefs and if you’re lucky, you might just get some extra snacks ;)

“Our ingredients are quality guaranteed!”

When it comes to ingredient selection, Janis affirmed that all the selections are made carefully. The selected ingredients are top-notch but the menu is surprisingly affordable, “I bet you can’t get these dishes out of the house!” Nizam is the mastermind behind all the dishes and they’re a reflection of his skills: from edible flowers, wasabi to fried lotus root slices, all by him!

When it comes to specialities, we have to mention their Zucchini Flower – a crispy zucchini tempura stuffed with a playful mix of juicy truffle paste and mushrooms, bringing joy to the mouth! Along with their duck egg chawanmushi which offers an unprecedented texture and aroma, the Ika Salted Egg Pasta is a statement too. The pasta was coated in rich but non greasy salted egg sauce, most importantly the squid was bursting with umami, definitely a taste of heaven!