Yikes Kitchen’s Vegetarian Taster Menu Launch

When it comes to ‘eating food’, I can proudly proclaim my title as the ‘ultimate human dust bin champion’. From eating scraps from other peoples plates to making puppy dog eyes at my friends in the hopes that they will abandon all hope and give their food to me,if there is one thing that my audience knows,it’s that I have a deep and profound love for food. In fact you only have to watch my Instagram stories to know that 9 times out of 10, I will be talking about how delicious ‘said food’ is that I am eating. If ‘greed is a sin’ then to be honest I don’t really care because when it comes to a menu launch, especially one that caters to vegetarians like myself, you know that I am going to be there! Which is where my interest was piqued by the announcement that ‘Yikes Kitchen’was collaborating with Bymelifestyle, a tailor made experience company, who creates exciting intimate events in and around London.

Bymelifestyle is what I like to call a ‘live in PA’ who collaborates with their clients like ‘Yikes Kitchen’ to create an exciting bespoke experience that is one that their clients will never forget.Which is where Yikes Kitchen comes in; launching tomorrow, Yikes Kitchen aims to bring you ‘fine dining’ directly to your dinner table, in selected locations across London. With Caribbean, Indian and Traditional British influences merged throughout the taster and vegetarian taster menus, Yike’s Kitchen provides 5 star service at a budget friendly price, meaning no more expensive takeaways that have no nutritional value and are more likely to upset your stomach than leave you feeling satisfied and full. So when Yikes Kitchen invited a select group of bloggers to N8 Bar in Finsbury Park, we awaited our food with anticipation and keen hunger. With a separate vegetarian taster menu, made just for me, I was treated to 8 dishes, which included starters, mains and several rather delicious desserts.

 Located in N8 Bar, the location was small but welcoming with a dim lit ambiance that suited the mood of our gathering, while upon arriving we were immediately welcomed with buckets of chilled prosecco, swimming invitingly in the ice. The prosecco was chilled and smooth to the taste, with base notes of white grape and a faint taste of pineapple, which went down the hatch beautifully. To my surprise I bumped into an old blogger friend who I had not seen in over year and we had such fun catching up, as she regaled us with stories of her travels and adventures with what I like to call ‘Fuckboys’, while we waited for the other bloggers to arrive. Joined by Demi and Jess, me and Lucy scoured our menus, as we got to know our new blogger pals and had to stop ourselves from licking the menus because the food looked that damn delicious.

To begin with I was given carrot hummus, served with a crisp warm flatbread that crunched delightfully in my mouth. Soaked up by the copious amount of prosecco that I was drinking the carrot hummus was delightful; the carrot was not strong but was fragrant, while the hummus was smoother than a traditional hummus that can be quite grainy, which I preferred. In contrast the meat eaters had bruschetta with prosciutto, topped with cherry tomatoes and drizzled with balsamic vinegar, which L stated was wonderfully presented and tasted even better than she had expected, which was high praise indeed. Unfortunately for my next course Yikes Kitchen did not have the halloumi that was needed to compliment the bruschetta, so they gave me feta instead, which I did not mind as the feta went well with the crispy bread and the juicy baby tomatoes that adorned my dish. I should also point out that despite being a ‘taster menu’ , the portions of each dish was a medium size, which was perfect for someone as greedy as me!

While the bruschetta was a welcoming appetizer I was very much looking forward to my main course, which was a Cauliflower & Lentil curry dish, inspired by Gujarati and Rajasthani cuisine, a large percentage of whom are vegetarian because they see ‘animals as gods’, as opposed to food. The cauliflower was oven roasted and served with turmeric rice and a garam masala and curry infused sauce, which complimented the cauliflower deliciously, although the turmeric rice could have been cooked for longer as it was slightly raw and some of the rice was clumped together. Despite the rice, the cauliflower itself was soft and tender, while the lentils melted in the mouth, making it a very attractive dish overall. While I enjoyed a lentil curry, the meat eaters feasted on lamb kofta balls with cous cous, which they all declared was tender and beautifully cooked. As an aperitif for both me and the meat eaters we were rewarded with a calming fusion of sweetcorn soup, finished with fresh herbs. The soup itself was liquidized, being sweet and creamy to the taste, but was not rich, creating a hearty, warming soup that left us begging for more. To compliment the soup it would have been wonderful to have some pieces of warm crusty bread to mop up the soup, but other than that, the soup was a welcome addition to both our taster menus.

 Our second main courses had presented themselves on the table and boy were we in for a treat. While the meat eaters scooped braised short ribs with creamy mash into their eager mouths, I tucked into a detoxing light Quinoa Salad Mixed with avocado, cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions & herbs with lemon drizzle. While I am not normally a fan of quinoa, I found that it provided a welcome contrast to the warm mains and the lemon drizzle made the salad feel fresh and fruity. It reminded me of summer which was a great feeling to have in the middle of winter and put some pep into my spirit. Undoubtedly though it was the avocado that I enjoyed the most, which was fresh, ripe and packed with plenty of gusto.

Up until this point, I would have said that my favourite overall dish was the ‘sweetcorn soup’ but then I was presented with – I kid you not THE BEST VEGETARIAN BURGER I HAVE EVER TASTED IN MY LIFE! Inspired by the Caribbean, the Caribbean Plantain Sandwich featured Crispy fried Plantain in a soft brioche bun served with Caribbean slaw, which reminded me of a long summers day at the beach, drinking mojitos and being transported into a reality that was so far from home. It was a beautiful moment and the contrast between the sweet plantain and the tangy slaw created an explosion of flavors in my mouth that made me want to cry with happiness. My only criticism was that I couldn’t have more,but rest assured Yikes Kitchen has officially got me hooked on ‘Plantain’ and I am living for it. Long live the plantain revolution. In contrast my friends had a jerk chicken burger, which they said felt authentic to Caribbean cuisine.

While everyone else was clutching their stomachs because they were ‘full’ I was still raring to go and awaited the arrival of the desserts with the excitement of a 5 year old at their birthday party. Yes I am still a kid get over it. To finish our spectacular meals, we were given Hazelnut chocolate tarts and Eton Mess, the latter of which I was looking forward to the most. The tarts were decadent and rich, with melt in the mouth mini sweet crust pastry filled with a luxury chocolate and served with a pot of fresh vanilla cream, while the Eton Mess featured freshly whipped cream atop light crunchy meringues, drizzled with fresh strawberries and strawberry puree. Out of the two desserts, the Eton Mess was definitely my favourite and I even polished off Lucy’s dessert, as she was too full to eat any more. The chocolate tarts were delicious, but I found the Eton Mess to be more to my personal taste, as I prefer fruit based desserts. To finish our grand meal,we celebrated with another bottle of plonk, which left some of us feeling rather merry.

Overall the food was outstanding and the service was impeccable and I would highly recommend Yikes Kitchen and Bymelifestyle to anyone who fancies the idea of having a tailored experience,whether that be food or entertainment brought directly to your home. And luckily for you I have some fabulous discounts available for a limited time only. Read on below to find out more…

Have You Ever Had A Bespoke Dining Experience Before?

*Disclaimer

Please note I was given complimentary food and drink in exchange for this review but all thoughts are my own and are not affected by complimentary services.