Restaurant review: YÙ by Toki at Al Mamlaka Social Dining, Riyadh
This new place will satisfy any lover of Asian food…
Make your way to the second floor of the Kingdom Centre, where you’ll find an impressive food hall brimming with food stalls. If you somehow still haven’t visited yet, allow us to introduce (or reintroduce to some of you) Riyadh’s first-of-its-kind luxury food hall: Al Mamlaka Social Dining.
Now, this is not your bog-standard food court, folks. Spanning 37,000 square feet of culinary adventure, you’ll discover around 20 delightful food outlets inside.
And today, we’ve decided to fill up on Chinese food from YÙ by Toki.
Tucked away in the corner of Al Mamlaka Social Dining, this new contemporary Asian dining destination by Leylaty Group (the same creators behind the beloved Kuuru) is the sister restaurant of Toki, one of the oldest and most sought-after establishments in Jeddah.
The cuisine at YÙ by Toki is mostly modern Cantonese and Szechuan. And with so much talk about the brand’s dim sum creations, we simply must try some ourselves.
So, we start our meal with the crystal shrimps (SAR55), which arrive in dainty translucent parcels filled with juicy shrimps.
The Szechuan crispy duck roll (SAR45) arrives shortly after. Think crispy duck with tender meat wrapped in a light, flaky pastry, and dipped in the tangy plum relish for good measure – it certainly has a great balance of textures and flavours.
Also worth ordering is the Szechuan sui mai (SAR50), which comprises sweet, succulent chunks of shrimp and chicken with bits of Chinese mushroom.
Yet, one dish we’ll be coming back for is the xiao long bao (SAR55), a trio of steamed soup dumplings filled with delicious chicken in a comforting broth. It also makes for an Instagram-worthy photo, thanks to its delicate skin adorned with vibrant colours.
We also love that the dumplings at YÙ by Toki come ensconced in thin skins that aren’t too doughy, with the perfect skin-to-filling ratio.
Less visually striking but no less delicious is the black truffle dumpling (SAR45), which consists of potato and fragrant Chinese forest mushroom wrapped in a crispy, fried skin.
For our main course, we lap up a bowl of kung pao chicken (SAR80). A classic dish done right, YÙ by Toki’s version offers the perfect balance of savoury, spicy, and slightly sweet flavours. The chicken is tender and well-coated in the glossy, flavourful sauce, with just enough heat to keep things interesting. The crunch of cashew nuts and the pop of dried chillies add great texture and depth.
When paired with fluffy rice, it’s a satisfying, comfort-food-level meal. It’s not overly complex, but when executed well, it hits the spot.
Another winner is the black bean Angus beef (SAR95). The meat is seared in a wok with mushroom, green capsicum and a punchy black bean sauce, resulting in beef cubes imbued with wok hei and a heady dose of umami. At a juicy medium-rare doneness, the meat dissolves in the mouth with a single chew.
What’s On verdict: YÙ by Toki is an absolute gem. The dishes are packed with incredible flavours and are reasonably priced too. It’s the kind of place you find yourself coming back to, again and again. Overall, we can’t fault anything at YÙ by Toki in this review – but does “we left too full” count?
YÙ by Toki, Second Floor, Al Mamlaka Social Dining, Kingdom Centre, Al Olaya St, Riyadh, daily noon to 1am. @yubytoki
Images: Supplied / Social
