Food & Drink: Pan-tastic

Andrew Kay explores the Pan-Asian delights on offer at Yum Yum Ninja

I was lucky enough to visit Australia at the height of the fashion for Pacific Rim cooking. It was the start of a trend that resulted in a cuisine that later became known as Pan-Asian. At the time it was pretty exciting, although after three weeks of cooking that was 99% protein and fruit, I returned to the UK craving bread and potatoes.





The influence of oriental cuisines on British food goes back a long way. How else would we have so many dishes that figure in our top ten choices that are not indigenous?

When Yum Yum Ninja opened, I went along and had a delicious spread of food, really tasty and very good — but in honesty, I felt it lacked cohesive directio. It was pulling in ideas from all over and it tasted good but somehow it didn’t quite gel.

So when I returned last week I was looking forward to seeing how things had developed, and I have to report that they have developed into a fabulous offering that truly melds asian flavour with contemporary cooking styles.

I was meeting with Ms B, a local businesswoman with a business that goes truly international, so she knows her food. And we agreed that we would let the chef choose our lunch dishes.

First though, a cooling beer and the best and prettiest rice crackers I have ever seen; black with white polka dots, and all made on site. We loved them, and we loved the pickled cucumber and daikon radish that came too. I finished off the kimchee which had the fire of the real thing and a hint of the fermented flavour, but not quite as extreme as it can be, which for me is a good thing. I loved the seaweed salad and edamame beans too.

Next out was a platter of seared tuna with a sesame crust, cucumber rolls with crab and salmon roe and a wasabi dust. Oh my, what a treat. One I now realise caused a flare up of my gout, but at the time, divine! Superb quality tuna barely scorched and creamy in texture balanced with the raw heat of wasabi really hit the spot. Rice flour steamed dumplings with prawns came next, the clean watery cases and sweet seafood perfectly cooked made us smile. Then when the twice-cooked beef rib skewers arrived, the smiles turned to indulgent grins. Jacob’s ladder is a cut of meat that takes real skill to get right, and the chef got it to a T, succulent, falling apart and deeply savoury, a not to be missed dish.

Next a new dish, not as yet on the menu, but it really should be. Prawns in a chilli glaze served in deep bowls, with a mysterious, dark citrus gel. Fascinating palate-teasing stuff that we demolished in near silence. Then, in stark contrast, a steamed combination of clams and scallops with samphire that was cleansing and pure, a brilliant juxtaposition of flavours after the beef and the prawn dishes.

In stark contrast once again came seared beef fillet with a sweet gingery sauce, spring onion and shredded mooli and a fine fiery powder on the side. Pretty, and pretty amazing too, a burst of heat that made pudding a necessity.

Neither of us had room for pudding but we were prepared to share a tasting plate, and, my oh my, how glad was I that we did. A tiny panna cotta had aloe vera and rose, a plum pie was a deep fried and cinnamon dusted delight, peanut ice-cream properly nutty and not too sweet, and the caramel wantons with melted chocolate were an indulgence that I plan to repeat very soon.

And yes, you will have noticed, very few carbs. But to be fair we were sampling the finest dishes on a hot and heavy day, and I am sure on another occasion I will head for the noodles and rice.

Yum Yum Ninja looks pretty and pretty funky, and you could be forgiven for seeing it as a noodle bar. The truth is, these dishes are complex and very fine indeed, up there in culinary terms with the finest of fine dining, but without the pretence. I’m looking forward to going back soon, and maybe in a simpler mood trying their new business lunch menu of simple and very affordable dishes.

Yum Yum Ninja, 15-18 Meeting House Lane, Brighton, BN1 1HB,
01273 326330, www.yumyumninja.com
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