Yu-u and yakitori

Despite talk about it having some of the best Japanese lunch sets in Melbourne, there's a lot of mystery that surrounds Yu-u. A quick google will find some Urbanspoon reviews and a couple blog posts about it, but don't expect to find an official website or any pictures of the food. Yu-u has earned the reputation of being one of Melbourne's best kept secrets, and judging by its nondescript entrance off in a side alley in the CBD and strict no photo-taking policy, it seems intent on keeping it that way.

From the moment you descend the staircase into the basement restaurant, you feel like you've been teleported to an izakaya in Roppongi; the minimalist design, with polished wood and soft lighting, only reinforces this, as does the prices on the menu. I guess teleportation doesn't come cheap.

While there's quite a varied collection of food, the restaurant seems to have a focus on yakitori - skewers of different cuts of chicken lightly grilled and either seasoned with salt or topped with a sweet soy-based sauce. In Japan, it usually complements a few rounds of beers after day at work, so part of me was a little shocked to see this simple comfort food costing as much as $3.50 for a skewer. In Japan, I would've expected to pay about a third of that. Then again, I guess that's the price you pay for trying to eat a food that isn't very common. And, the selection of kawa (chicken), reba (chicken liver) and sunagimo (chicken giblets) - unappetizing off cuts of chicken that make for amazingly delicious yakitori - is much wider and closer to the original than the basic chicken breast yakitori you find throughout Japanese restaurants here. 

The moment the first skewers came out - negima (chicken thigh with spring onion, topped with salt) and kawa (crispy, lightly salted chicken skin) - I immediately understood why they could get away with charging $3.50 for what surmounts to pieces of chicken skin on a skewer. Each skewer expertly cooked depending on the cut of the chicken. The standard, regular chicken yakitori, was tender, and kawa had a slight hint of smoky charcoal flavour. Sungaimo, which can easily become chewy if overcooked, was firm and juicy while still retaining that slight bite that characterises that cut of chicken. Pricey? Yes, but still cheaper than the cost of a flight to Japan to get the same quality food. 

Yu-u

137 Flinders Lane, Melbourne