The Hungry Ghost Festival, also known as the Zhongyuan Festival, marks the time of year when tables are turned and the deceased are believed to visit the living. During the month of the Hungry Ghost Festival, the gates of the afterlife are thrown open and ghosts are free to roam the earth in search of food, entertainment and mischief.
Though the Hungry Ghost Festival gets some acclaim as the “Chinese Halloween,” the holiday actually offers a great opportunity to teach children about caring for the destitute and less fortunate. During the Ghost Month, hungry spirits roam the earth in search of mischief and worldly pleasure. To ease their suffering, the living observe superstitions and make offerings of food, money and entertainment all month long, culminating with an outdoor ghost-feeding ceremony on the night of the Hungry Ghost Festival.
Yuu Kitchen will be curating their own version of the festival with Gold envelopes placed outside the restaurant containing a gift; ranging from free drinks (Bubble Tea, Asahi or Karma Cola), free dishes (from the restaurant), t.shirts and stickers (from Karma Cola) and one lucky envelope will contain a trip to South-east Asia. A special Bottomless Food Menu called ‘Feast for £50’ will be available. Every customer that dines between 5th and 10th September will also receive a free Sake Bubble Tea Cocktail, a fortune cookie and a gift for them to celebrate the festival at home. To honour ancestors, the restaurant will set a place just for them on the evening.
Chef Jon de Villa (of Nobu and Zeffarano) will be creating a new YUUSpecial (Yuu Kitchen runs a series of weekly limited special dishes) using the infamous Ghost Pepper. Each week there are only 5 YUUSpecials available per day. Previous YUUSpecials include: Wagyu Bao with spicy mustard siracha ketchup, fried shallot rings & smoked garlic mayonnaise; Lamb steak, served with a 'chimichurri shiso;’ Australian Wagyu rump tartare with quail egg, cornichon, served with wasabi and charcoal sour dough crisps and Salted Grill Carabinero shrimp with green papaya, green mango and chicharron salad.
Yuu Kitchen’s menu caters very well for Vegetarians and has an Allergens menu which can be tailored for those with dairy, gluten, nut intolerances or allergies as well as being able to cater for vegans with most dishes.
Yuu Kitchen took the number one spot on TripAdvisor as the best restaurant in London from late January to early March and is now the number one Japanese restaurant in London - firmly cementing itself in London’s Asian dining sector offering high quality, flavoursome food.
