Like many of us who are born and bred in Kuwait, we have a thing for Japanese cuisine. If you all haven’t caught on by now, “bazaar eats in” is the newest game we’ve been playing, where we go on a hunt for delivery-only concepts, savory or sweet, and review the first one we find to tell you all about it. This month, we stumbled upon a humble fusion Japanese joint named Yatai.
The name of the eatery stems from the Japanese word for “food cart”. This seems appropriate as delicacies are delivered from their kitchen to your doorstep in a cheerful little car, and set up in separate compartments containing a set of chopsticks, wasabi, a pot of soy sauce, and a neatly pressed packet of ginger. Yatai generously sent us a smorgasbord of food to try, and with enough food to feed a village, our humble team of eight felt intimidated.
We asked Yatai to send us their show-stopping items, and boy, did they ever! Right on time, when we were all ready to chow down on some lunchtime goodness, a delivery man arrived carrying three bags laden with different types of innovative maki, mains, and mouthwatering salads.
We didn’t know where to start, so we unwrapped our chopsticks enthusiastically and tucked in to a bunch of different dishes, family style. We nibbled on flavorfully spicy edamame beans with a special sauce, dubbed Yatai Edamame, and knew we were in for a treat. Coupled with three different types of salads to tickle our taste buds prior to going to town on some sushi, as most should, the Light Wasabi Salad, the Crunchy Crab Salad, and the Kakiage Salad. Each salad brought something different to our plates, while delightfully defining the idea of Japaense fusion cuisine, but the Kakiage Salad was the real treat, and something different than the standard. With a mix of shrimp tempura, carrots, avocado, edamame, asparagus and sesame, drizzled with Yatai’s signature special sauce, fellow diners who are craving a sushi turned into a salad, this is what you should be ordering.
Mains were aplenty, and delicious. We sampled one of their bestselling dishes, the Chicken Katsu Curry: a breaded filet with a delicious homemade curry sauce and served with a side of rice. This was our operation manager’s favorite, as he felt the chicken’s breading had a fresh crunch that complimented the spicy tanginess of the expertly concocted sauce. The beef teriyaki was delightfully glazed and paired wonderfully with a side of rice as well, tantalizing our designer’s taste buds. Delicately sprinkled with sesame seeds, this dish was an award winner in his books.
As for the sushi, where do we begin? We writers at bazaar are absolutely obsessed with salmon, and just from sampling their tender Salmon Sashimi, we knew that their makis would make our tummies smile, and this was especially achieved with the Caramel Salmon Maki. Yes, you read that right – a salmon maki drizzled with caramel sauce. Believe us, it works; the sweet and savory flavors create a symphony of yum! Other show stopping maki rolls included the Hollywood Maki, Sarati Maki, New York Salmon Maki, and of course, the Yatai Special Maki: a maki that is so delightfully tender and crunchy, the restaurant dedicated it as their signature roll.
This concept, created by Mr. Omar Bassam Al Qenaie and Mrs. Nawal Ahmad Al Ayoub was established in 2015, with the ethos to deliver quality Japanese food to your doorstep, with a fun kick. We’d say they’ve succeeded in adding an edge to the region’s loved classics like we’ve never had before.
To conclude this month’s eating in experience, we were pleased, and rest assured, we finished all of the delicious food we were sent. If you have an affinity for Japanese food with a twist, then Yatai is the delivery only concept for you! Go ahead and give them a try!
Yatai’s menu is available on Talabat, and their delivery number is 2263 0203. Follow them on Instagram @yatai_kw.
Do you have a delivery only concept or would like us to review one that you have in mind? Contact us with ideas at info@bazaar-magazine.com.
