Ultimate Food Guide - Iconic Restaurant

酉隐 (you yin) – The most unique izakaya Restaurant In Shanghai

As you may well know, the best place to hide is in plain sight. Hidden in the concrete jungles of the city, there exists a unique Izakaya restaurant, “YouYin”. Contradictory to its popularity, the restaurant has only 8 seats indoor with no sign outside and accepting guest of reservation only. Such uniqueness makes this small izakaya restaurant stand out from its competitors and becoming one of my favourite places to hang out with my friends in the evening or late night. 

The name of this restaurant unveils the uniqueness and mystery of its business philosophy. “酉” (you), the Han character, originates from the tenth of twelve earthly branches. It represents the period from 5 to 7 p.m. as well as rooster(chicken) of the Chinese Zodiac. While “隐” (yin) which means hidden in Chinese conveys the owner’s philosophy of accepting the guest who truly appreciated the foods and their crafting of cooking. 

For appetizer, “8 Inches” is the one you shouldn’t miss. The dish is a sashimi platter comprises the ingredients of Snow crab meat, Chicken liver, grilled streaky, Ginkgo leave, edamame and black tea roasted chick breast. My personal approach is to enjoy the dish on clockwise. The snow crab meat with minimum seasoning serves as baseline for the taste but also tickles your taste buds by its freshness. It might sound paradoxical; the chicken liver is my personal favourite of this platter. It has very tangy taste but without compromising the tenderness and freshness of the liver. The smooth texture of the chicken livers makes it more unique to the other sub-dishes in the platter.

After finishing the starter, the Yakitori has played the main theme. In YouYin, you can find most of the main stream izakaya foods from its menu. The categories include Yakitori, Ikayaki, Tamagoyaki, Gyoza and others. However, I would recommend the chicken dishes. According to the owner, the chicken they used are hand-picked from the local farms and butchered each morning before being sent to the restaurant. The quality of the raw material forms a solid based for the incredible taste of the Yakitoriya.

The cooking skill of the chef has put a cherry on top to enhance the dieting experience of the guests. In here, the craftsmanship of the chef is conveyed by the foods, and the compliments from the guests is the greatest rewarding to them.

Last but not least, Chicken Ornigiri is the optimal alternative as a termination of your food journey in YouYin. The Japanese-style clay pot has integrated with color, aroma and taste. The rices, cooked with chopped chicken, chicken soup and fresh spring onion creates a simple and elegance vibe. There are several approaches to eat the Ornigiri. The smoked egg yolk rice is the optional in my first priority. The difference between the temperature and flavour between egg and rice creates strong comparison and stimulating your appetite and making you cherish every bite of it. 

Author: Li