YOPO, Fitzrovia… bold Latin flavours permeated to excellent effect

Two words neatly sum up YOPO: weird and wonderful, in equal measure.

Nestled inside Fitzrovia’s Mandrake Hotel, the restaurant delivers atmosphere from the get go, drawing you towards the entrance, protected by doormen pointing diners in the direction of reception.

We walked through a stone-walled tunnel lit by flame torches, expecting to enter the light but were plunged further into darkness.

Intimate or slightly strange, it was difficult to work out the vibe at first.

The restaurant was half full by 7pm – all with couples sitting in subdued lighting – romantic but not so good if you’ve anything other than 20/20 vision.

We soaked up the atmosphere, which included the 20ft stuffed emu, with a snake for a neck, stood majestically behind where my husband sat.

Thankfully, we found it intriguing, even cute. How many would agree, is another question?

The big bird, we were told, was in keeping with the South American heritage of the restaurant.

To my mind, the bird belongs to the Antipodes but I didn’t argue.

There’s certainly a tropical feel to YOPO and this has been rolled out through the new interior, which marks the recent re-opening.

The menu is thought-provoking and it’s easy to see that the restaurant has previously held dreams of attaining a Michelin star, as we understand was mooted when it first opened in 2017.

So now on to the food – it was pretty good but we struggled to carefully examine each dish visually before consumption.

The candle helped a little, but largely it felt like going in blind, which is why it took five minutes for me to realise I was eating tuna tartare with chilli and cashew.

Seasoned with shallot, three types of chilli, including Peruvian Aji Pancha, olive oil and dark soy, the tenderness of the fish was a nice contrast against puffed buckwheat.

Starters of Lindisfarne oysters, served with champagne granita, beef and white bean empanadas and Portland crab were all gratefully received.

Bold Latin flavours permeated to excellent effect.

By far the cleverest dish was Portland crab stuffed brioche, Gala apple and caviar, which was utterly delicious but rather on the small side. We could have eaten it twice over.

Sirloin steak is always a good idea and cooking it in a Josper oven, an excellent way to seal in juices, while creating a charred finish.

Our vegetable sides were a huge surprise, grilled aubergine, sesame and soy took this humble veg into another universe of flavours – succulent, juicy and sweet – it’s cooking executed with all the finesse worthy of a Michelin-starred dish.

Purple sprouting broccoli with mole completed a meal that managed to retain its simplicity, while packing a powerful punch.

As dinner finished the room came to life with party-goers settling in for the night and the DJ in full swing.

Website: YOPO, 20-21 Newman Street, Fitzrovia

 

 

Pictured: YOPO in Fitzrovia: Pictures YOPO restaurant/Foodstorymedia – The Mandrake