Yu at The Retreat at Elcot Park – The Food Review

Yu is a pan-Asian fine dining restaurant within The Retreat at Elcot Park, a pleasant countryside hotel located between Newbury and Hungerford.

Yu is contained within a crimson-walled room at the front of the hotel that features woven fans on its walls and jellyfish-like lampshades floating from the ceiling.

It’s a plush and warm interior that is perfect for a romantic evening dinner or a celebratory family meal.

Yu means sharing in Japanese, and this concept of sharing is key to its menu which offers an exciting hybrid of traditional Asian food and typical fine dining dishes.

There is an extensive offering of sushi with both fish-based and vegetarian uramaki rolls, sashimi and nigiri, and diners have the option of sampling the best of these with a large sharing signature platter (urakami and nigiri platter £45, urakami, nigiri and sashimi platter £85).

As well as sushi, Yu also offers several different small plates and larger, more expensive main course dishes.

When I visited Yu with a friend, we ordered prawn rolls (£6), garden rolls (£8) and veggie gyozas (£9) as well as the spicy teriyaki ribeye of beef (£38).

In a refreshing turn, the restaurant sticks with the typical Asian fashion of bringing out dishes as soon as they are ready rather than waiting and serving food at each course. This adds to the relaxing and shared dining experience that Yu is aiming to establish.

The gyozas came out first and they were tasty iterations of the popular Japanese dumplings, with a nice crispy skin, tasty vegetable filling and accompanied by a moreish spicy vinaigrette dipping sauce.

The sushi rolls came together on the same slate dish, beautifully presented on a large bamboo leaf alongside some ginger and wasabi.

The prawn rolls were encased in tempura flakes which added a welcomed crunchy texture that paired well with the meat and teriyaki, and the vegetarian garden rolls contained a light and refreshing vegetable medley and were both gorgeous to eat and look at.

The ribeye came out last, and it was well worth the wait. Served medium rare, sliced and lathered in the teriyaki sauce, it was a steak lover’s dream.

The high-quality cut of meat cooked and elevated with Asian flavours was a perfect showcase for Yu’s fine dining fusion mission.

For pudding, we were treated to a millionaires chocolate tart with salted caramel ice cream (£8) and a selection of mochi (£6).

The tart was a rich and heavenly mix of chocolate, caramel and miso that will please anyone with a sweet tooth.

The mochi, which is ice cream contained within a gelatine-like form of sweet rice dough, was more light and refreshing. Certainly the innocent angel when compared to the decadent devil of the chocolate tart.

To drink, Yu has suitable wine, beer and sake options, but its cocktail menu is where it shines.

It contains several fun and imaginative twists on popular classics that don’t stray too far away from their traditional origins.

I had a sloegroni (£13.50) which replaces a typical negroni’s dry gin element with a fruity, berry-based sloe gin. This was a masterstroke as the fruitiness slightly dulls the boozy sharpness of a classic negroni which makes for a strong yet tasty and refreshing cocktail.

Yu’s approach to fine dining is welcoming and communal, while never faltering from its premium quality food and exquisite service.

For fans of far Eastern flavours who also want to enjoy a superb high-end restaurant experience, Yu at The Retreat at Elcot Park is a definite recommendation.