CHESHIRE: Yu Alderley unveil their new Christmas menu
| 30th October 2018
It’s that time of year again. The clocks are about to go back, the days are rapidly turning into nights and there is a cold winter breeze weaving its way through the North. It’s time to wrap up warm, bring out the cosy blankets and embrace the season.
With this in mind, we heard through the grapevine that Yu in Alderley Edge were showcasing their new Christmas menu, so naturally, as we already have this years Christmas spirit inside of us, we had to go along and check them out.
Along the cobblestoned path of Alderley Edge, set just behind Piccolino’s, lies the hidden gem that is Yu. Yu Alderley is widely known among the locals as THE place to go for truly sensational Chinese food. Co-owned by brothers Victor and Vinny Yu, they are famous among foodies for creating traditional Chinese food with a unique modern twist.
I was so excited to visit Yu Alderley. Chinese food must be one of my favourite cuisines, after all it is in my blood (I am a quarter Chinese on my mother’s side). Upon arriving we were met by Victor, the executive chef and culinary mastermind behind Yu. Victor’s family originate from Hong Kong, so traditional food for them is Cantonese. Expect a wide collection of dim-sum, including an exquisite range of sui mai, bao buns, har kau and won ton.
We were seated in the beautifully decorated dining area whilst Victor talked through the menu with us and explained each dish upon arrival. Our starters consisted of king prawn sesame toast, Cantonese sweet glazed loin ribs, chilli salt and pepper squid and pork war tip. Each dish was thoroughly enjoyable, although for me, the Cantonese sweet glazed loin ribs stood out from the rest. The pork fell off the bone and the sweet glaze made the whole dish melt in the mouth.
Next it was onto the cherry wood smoked Goosnargh duck with Asian pickles, hoi sin and pancakes. The Goosnargh duck is highly revered as the best duck on the market for quality and taste, a British food legend with a Chinese twist. This was one of my favourite dishes. The duck is smoked at the table providing an instagrammable, yet highly entertaining theatre to the party. The duck was absolutely delicious and took on the subtle cherry wood smoke which added an extra oomph to the dish.
To round off our Christmas banquet we were served sweet and sour chicken, Mongolian spiced wok seared lamb loin, baby leek, chilli and coriander and egg fried rice. We were supposed to be served Hake in a black bean sauce, however Victor switched this up for us to the champagne miso black cod as this is one of the most popular dishes in the restaurant. The black cod was simply outstanding. Marinated for four days, the cod soaks up all of the flavour and perfectly cooked this fish melted in the mouth. A firm favourite for each one of us.
The sweet and sour chicken was the best I have ever eaten, and the thinly sliced Mongolian lamb was packed full of flavour, another dish we all thoroughly enjoyed.
After our meal we headed over to the bar area. The cocktail menu is full of incredible cocktails all with a nod to the Chinese heritage Victor and Vinnie grew up with. I went for the Lychee martini, a sweet, oriental style cocktail made with a Ketel One vodka, lychee liqueur with citrus and lychee juice. The Yu Alderley cocktail bar has a lovely and relaxed environment, a great place to go for a few drinks with a partner or friends.
The Christmas dinner banquet menu is set at £49 per person for a minimum of 4 people and is available throughout December. There is also a Christmas lunch party menu for £29 per person for a minimum of 10 people, as well as, a New Year’s Eve menu at £85 per person with limited spaces available so be sure to book sooner rather than later!
For all the foodies out there, there are limited tickets available for the Yu collaboration on Thursday 8th November with International Emmy nominated TV chef Ching He Huang.
VIVA Verdict: The quality of the food, cocktails and attention to detail makes Yu Alderley one of the finest restaurants Cheshire has to offer.
Follow Yu Alderley on Instagram here.
Yu Alderley
London Rd,
Alderley Edge
SK9 7QD