Yellow Tail Sushi Bar

VIE Hotel’s new Japanese restaurant serves sushi and sashimi in style

WHILE most Japanese restaurants get their inspiration purely from the Land of the Rising Sun, VIE Hotel Bangkok’s new venue, Yellow Tail Sushi Bar (YTSB), takes its cue from the trendy sushi bars found in New York’s Manhattan Island. 

The idea, according to the restaurant’s slogan, is to offer ‘Freshness in Style,’ a concept which applies both to the food – as fresh as it gets and presented with artistic flair – and to the restaurant’s design, which takes contemporary cool and gives it a Japanese spin. 

Located on the third and fourth floors of the VIE 39 building in front of the hotel, the restaurant is split between an indoor dining room, seating 50, and a cozy outdoor terrace. Indoors is where most of the action’s at, though, for here you can watch the chefs slicing and dicing fish at the open kitchen (complete with sushi bar seating 10), and soak up the cozy ambience of the dining room, which boasts neat touches such as mahogany chairs upholstered with a hodgepodge of floral prints imported from Japan; and an eye-catching ceiling of wooden beams shaped to resemble a wave. 

The key to any good sushi restaurant, of course, is freshness, and YTSB does not disappoint. Japanese Master Chef Yoji Kitayama uses live fish imported three times a week from Tokyo’s famous Tsukuji Market to create his dishes, and ensures that his food lives up to both aspects of the restaurant’s ‘Freshness in Style’ concept by turning this fresh produce into miniature works of art.

Order his innovative Rossini Roll Sushi, featuring Teriyaki foie gras and Kagoshima wagyu beef sirloin with white truffle miso sauce (B800++), and it’s immediately apparent that this is no ordinary Japanese dining experience, and that Chef Yoji is no ordinary Japanese chef. The elegant presentation and rich tastes of this dish have their roots in European cuisine, and offer a glimpse into Chef Yoji’s background which includes stints working alongside chefs in Australia and Denmark.

“I’m also trained in French cuisine and I like to bring that French philosophy to the kitchen,” explains Chef Yoji. “But what’s on offer here isn’t fusion. It’s simply a stylish, modern take on traditional Japanese cuisine made with the freshest ingredients I can get my hands on.”

For straight up sashimi, there’s the superb Sakura Set, which includes blue fin tuna, salmon, Alaskan crab, Japanese scallops and more (B2,800++. A sushi set is also available). But it’s not just fresh fish that’s the imported highlight – you can also sink your teeth into a plump, juicy, and sweet Japanese fruit tomato, a refreshing appetizer drizzled in honey soy sauce, for B380++. Some luscious Japanese strawberries are also available. 

For a meaty main, the Cedar wood grilled black cod Saikyo-style (Gindara Saikyo Sugi-ita yaki. B900++) is a must try. And keep your eyes peeled for regular specials – including this month’s selection of imported oysters.

117/39-40 Phaya Thai Road. Open daily 6pm - 11.30 pm (opening for lunch soon!)
Tel: 02 309 3939 Facebook: viebangkok