Yumetastic dinner

After a short break, I’m back with a new review in my cycle of “Visit Helsinki” posts. I have to admit that at some point I felt fed up with those (this coming from a true foodie and bon vivant sounds silly :D) and taking a short breather was just what I wanted and needed. I got ecstatic writing this post and bringing back the reviews of new and interesting places to visit in Helsinki as well as revisit some of the all time favourites. 

That is exactly what I’m doing with this post, presenting you a whole new menu of my favourite restaurant in whole Helsinki – YUME!

If you have missed out on previous posts about Yume, there are 4 of them and my dedication to this place doesn’t stop only on occasional visits. I have been “called out” by my friends for literally becoming a piece of interior at Yume. ;D I also like to believe that I have a sushi roll made by the request and I like to present it as “Nata special roll”, heheh. I think that you get the point by now, Yume is incredible and a true piece of indulging food paradise. In the past 1,5 years I brought numerous people and friends with me to Yume and not a single one of them left home unhappy.

Since Yume is an Asian fusion restaurant and NOT only a sushi spot (as often mistaken for), every single menu change takes time in order to provide something new, keep up the performance levels high as well as bring in the best of dishes from different Asian kitchens into one complete menu.

In my case, this is 5th menu change I had the pleasure to test and yet again, it has exceeded all of my expectations! As one of the most frequent restaurant goers, it is hard to impress me, esp. with one and the same place. I used to have many different favourite restaurants but very often after they would change their menu, something would start “lacking”, either the uniqueness of flavours in the dishes, the food plating or both.

This brings me to my new title for experiencing Yume – YUMETASTIC! So what is so Yumetastic on the new menu (starting with 2 courses from the special shell fish menu), let’s check it out together. 🙂

SOFTSHELL CRAB 

Softshell crab in chilli and plum sauce with nori and puffed rice SCREAMS eat me now! Hello perfection! Contrary to a popular belief, there is no difference between soft-shell and regular crab, it’s the exact same crab but the soft shell crabs are the “naughtier” version of the regular crabs, having outgrown their shell and they make new, bigger ones during the molting process, they’re more delicious too.

They’re best eaten when crispy and warm, so that is the reason why you will see 90% of soft shell crabs served as tempura ones. Yume’s approach to this crab dish is the best next thing after having prime sturgeon caviar spread on the slice of bread, meaning – you feel like million bucks eating this dish!

GRILLED OBSIBLUE PRAWNS

Prawns in ginger ponzu sauce were great but nothing too pretentious as I had them last year, but they were as good as I remember them. Don’t read into this wrongly, if you try them you will love them and find them delicious, but as somebody who grew up eating those all the time, freshly caught and prepped at home, I don’t find them that special but I must admit that Yume’s homemade ginger ponzu sauce does give them a new, interesting taste.

GADO GADO SALAD

New addition to the starters is this incredibly rich in taste and exotic looking vegetarian salad. An Indonesian dish known also as lotek, consists of hard boiled eggs, fried tofu, carrots, spinach, cherry tomatoes, haricot verts and an overwhelmingly delicious peanut sauce topped with roasted coconut slices.

Just the description and looks of the salad make my mouth water but it’s taste is truly bombastic! You’ll go nuts after trying Gado Gado. 🙂

VEGGIE HOT STONE

Something that’s been very popular and requested at Yume are their, as I call them “social frying” hot stones. 😀 This time around, hot stone options are: marble beef, tuna, tiger prawns and steamed vegetables, all accompanied by their matching sauces. Those stones are really simple and fun to use. You take the slices of veggies or pieces of meat and fish, place them on a hot stone, fry them quickly on both sides, dip in the sauce and they are ready to get the party started in your mouth instantly!

SUSHI 

Oh MY! Here we go again with my endless adoration for Yume’s sushi. I HATE and that is a very strong word which I usually never use, but in this case, I HATE sushi buffets that have bloomed like crazy mushrooms all over Helsinki. About 7 years ago, the biggest trend was to have Chinese-Thai buffets everywhere but the amount of sushi buffets in Helsinki is just ridiculous which shows me the sad fact that not that many people do know what is even a good sushi or how it should look like.

By going to Yume, after trying out their newly added eel hand roll or any of the nigiris, you will realise that it must have been the best or closest to the best sushi you ever ate in your life. Zuma, Nakazawa, Inoue, Koi, Katana, Nobu, etc. rock the world of sushi, but Yume fits right up there, on the world scale! Sushi is 80% about the rice and 20% about the way how fish is cut and prepped (new fave is whitefish nigiri with truffle yuzu and Philadelphia roll).

ROASTED SALMON

I could write a whole another post, dedicated just to my love for salmon and a very special part would be dedicated to this specific dish! I LOVE this roasted salmon in red miso and mushroom sauce with edamame beans and fennel. When paired together with Yume’s fried rice… You will want to cry as much as when watching heartbreaking Grey’s Anatomy episode, but not because of being sad, but because by this point, like myself, you will realise that your dinner made you so happy and satisfied and was worth every single euro. One of the most annoying moments in life is when you want to eat well and the food is just completely unappetising and you could have cooked it better yourself at home.

DESSERTS

Lychee pudding with raspberry sorbet and spiced chocolate ganache with coconut sorbet were both equally delicious. Similar looking to some of Yume’s previous desserts but yet very “new” and sweet tooth approved. Lychee pudding is more lighter so if you had a bigger dinner with more entrees, I would suggest you to have this as the finishing part of Yumetastic experience.

*Thank you Mr. Xander and to whole Yume crew for making this continues love possible!

*All of the photos are property of Natali K. photography and can not be used without the permission.

*All of the opinions are author’s solely!