Dining in the Dome with Yo Sushi - One For Your Bucket List & Runs with Other Restaurants All This Week
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Last night Smix & I had a very special once in a lifetime opportunity to eat our favourite food at the top of the world. Well, the top of Belfast at least.
Our friends Yo Sushi Belfast had taken over the dome in the Victoria Centre for two nights of deluxe dining with unreal views over the Northern Irish capital.
It's a long way down
It was an intimate affair with less than 30 of us sat at little tables dotted around the viewing deck at the peak of the Victoria Centre.
You could see from Cave Hill to the City Hall, from the Odyssey to the Castlereagh Hills, it was a breath taking view, and without the usual bustle of guests up there with you like during a normal day.
Head chef Andrew
The evening started with a ninja sushi school. We were guided by head chef Andrew through the history of Yo Sushi, the rolls and the rest, and those who wanted to roll their own had a chance to get hands on.
Yo Sushi Belfast run sushi classes regularly. It's something we've always wanted to do, but sadly the time we were booked to come along, Smix got sick! It's definitely on the cards though, as Smix says my home made sushi is 'disgusting' and won't eat it!
Pikachu from Build a Bear instore £21 but selling out quick- only available dressed online for £45!
Then it was time to eat. The first course was sashimi, which is raw meat & fish. It's my favourite part of any sushi experience.
The beef tataki (under the limes) is my favourite Yo Sushi dish of all time, and I always order at least two on every visit. It's lightly seared beef which just melts in your mouth.
I also had raw tuna & salmon, and Andrew kindly included cucumber maki rolls for Smix, as that's one of the two dishes he loves.
Heaven
The second course was salmon nigiri for me, prawn nigiri for Smix. That's the rectangular blocks of sticky rice topped with fish. More cucumber maki for Smix, which pleased him no end, and for me two classic rolls. I loved the little ones with the hot sauce, my kind of sushi roll.
The heat started going out of the sun around 730pm and the shifting and changing of the sun was just magical to watch outside the dome.
Next was the hot food course. Now when I go to Yo Sushi I rarely order any hot food, despite their full and bountiful menu of it. So it was nice to try some other dishes. I do order salt chilli squid sometimes.
Okonomiyaki
Above is okonomiyaki, a traditional Japanese street food. It's a pancake made from cabbage and spring onion, and it actually has quite a Northern Irish tatse to it, sort of like a potato cake.
Below are chicken gyoza dumplings with a soy dipping sauce.
For this course Andrew improvised on Smix's dishes and deep fried the seaweed wrapped cucumber maki!
The final hot dish was a sweet and sour style chicken and sticky rice. At this point I was struggling a bit as I was eating for two, which these dishes made to be shared within the couple at the table, where my partner had his own dishes being made for him. But I didn't let that stop me. Oh no!
Finally dessert! I love the Matcha green tea cake, and a sweet apple dumpling accompanied it, with chocolate and banana sticks as decoration. I also bought some chocolate mochi on my way home, ganache filled balls of joy that I can't resist on every visit.
I have to thank the staff of Yo Sushi Belfast tremendously. They gave Smix & I an experience we will always remember. It was so special.
The good news is if you want to do this yourself, the Dining in the Dome events run until the 23rd of July. It's not just Yo Sushi in on the act either. You've missed their evenings, but click here to browse the other centre's restaurants who are taking over the dome, and book a table with them. It's a tremendously romantic gesture, and something very special.
Handy hint, until 730pm the dome is very warm due to the glass, so wear something light, and bring cash for paying for drinks.
Let me know if you dine in the dome, on Twitter @rudedoodle, and if you want more photos and videos then add my username on snapchat 'rudedoodle'.
