One of the best and worst things about social media is “seeing” other parts of the world. Best in that it broadens our understanding of other places and peoples, but worst in that it can give you a flaming case of the FOMO (fear of missing out). This is especially true for me when it comes to food-related information. When my friend in California posts pictures of her pastrami tacos or my friend in D.C. makes a post about her favorite Ethiopian takeout place, my food envy ratchets up. All of which means that when I saw the sign go up for Yatai, announcing they had both sushi burritos and sushi tacos, I was ready, primed for action.
And Yatai did not disappoint. The interior of the restaurant was really fun with huge vibrant murals on the walls and a life-sized anime figure waiting by an order kiosk. I was initially a bit confused by the décor that almost looked like a mall food court, but it really was just one restaurant. Customers have three ways to order for dine-in at Yatai: order at the counter, order from the kiosk, or scan the QR code on the table with your phone and order on the Chowbus app. Because we needed to make some ingredient eliminations, I chose to order at the register.
The menu was very large. We absolutely ordered too much food, and I regret nothing.
We were probably most excited about the juicy pork dumplings ($12 for six), which you may know as soup dumplings. While these were smaller than other soup dumplings I’ve encountered, the broth and filling were absolutely delicious, a savory little burst of umami-heavy pork broth and tender bite of meat. Served in a steamer basket, these were actually small enough to eat in one bite, but the proper etiquette is to put the dumpling on a spoon, nip a small hole in the top, sip out the broth, then eat the dumpling.
We also ordered the mini pork bao buns ($11 for six). The snow-white, pillowy buns were stuffed with a saucy pork filling. The texture of the bun itself was perfect; they were dry enough to easily handle but super soft and tender. These were tasty, and my kids in particular enjoyed them, but the filling was a little underseasoned for me.
My eleven-year-old is a ramen connoisseur, and there were thirteen different ramen choices, including a couple — like cheese — that aren’t as common in this area. He was in heaven. He chose the tonkatsu steak ramen ($13) for his entrée, and it was by far the largest serving of ramen he’s ever ordered. For us, the broth itself is the most important part, and we were really pleased with the rich, unctuous broth that was loaded with shaved steak, wood ear mushroom, corn, green onion, a thin slice of pink-trimmed fish cake, and a gorgeous jammy egg. Two adults could easily share this for a meal.
I ordered the bulgogi beef meal ($9.99), which was served with a choice of white rice or fried rice. The beef was very flavorful, sliced thin, and coated in a salty-sweet sauce, stir-fried with a veritable haystack of sliced white onion. Truthfully, this was a little too much onion for me, but it was easy enough to push some aside, and it was a really satisfying lunch. I do wish I’d opted to try the fried rice, as the white rice was a little dry. This is the kind of entrée that even your suspicious-of-new-foods Uncle Mike can handle.
But now I’m really leading up to the showstopper: sushi tacos. These exceeded my expectations! The “shell” was a circle-shaped, tempura-coated nori sheet that was fried and then folded, much in the manner of corn tortillas. It was then filled with sushi rice on the bottom, selected toppings, and sauce. The presentation was really fun, brought out in little cardboard taco stands, and they were absolutely a riot of color and texture.
We ordered a crazy taco ($6.49), which was shrimp tempura, spicy crab, and cream cheese with spicy mayo, and soy glaze. I was really afraid the whole thing would shatter when I bit into it, but the nori sheet was both crunchy and yet totally sturdy, keeping its integrity to the last bite.
We also had a shrimp tempura taco ($6.49) with shrimp tempura, avocado, pineapple, and yum-yum sauce, and soy glaze. For someone who enjoys the tempura-battered sushi rolls other places, this is for you. Two of these tacos would be a very filling meal.
We also got a roasted brown sugar boba milk ($6.95) to share, as we hadn’t tried anything like that before. It was a little on the sweet side for me, but I loved the very generous helping of brown sugar boba, which had a great chew and surprisingly complex flavor profile. And, look at the adorable cup it came in, with ears!
The employee who took our order at the counter was very kind and asked the right questions to be sure she placed the order as we intended. Fountain drinks were self-serve, and depending on how much food order, staff may bring it to the table or call a ticket number to come pick it up from them.
The food itself was very quick to come out but staged properly so we had time to enjoy the smaller plates before our entrees arrived. There were a lot of exciting menu items we saw on other tables that we’re anxious to try on a future visit, including the water-based slushes, which looked just like the pictures on their menu with jewel-tone layers of fruity ice. They also have smoothies, and the taro typhoon looks so perfectly purple that I can’t imagine you could order one and not smile the whole time drinking it. And I definitely want to give the sushi burritos a try; they’re essentially giant sushi rolls wrapped in waxed paper to eat with one’s hands. No tortilla involved!
And in case you’re curious, Yatai is Japanese for “shop stand,” aka food cart.
Yatai Asian Street Food
507 E University Ave
Champaign
11 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily