Yari Club’s rice box

IF you work in restaurants, there’s little to fear from the growth of artificial intelligence – it can’t replace chefs and waiters.

But the rise of robots is far more worrying.

A new generation of advanced robots can sprinkle spices, stir saucepans or slide pizzas into the oven. Robot waiters can take and deliver orders – and don’t demand a tip.

In Japan, you can find coffee shops with a robot barista; in China, the Qianxi Robot Catering Group opened a restaurant run by 46 of their machines. Here in London we lag behind and still marvel at the conveyor belts in Yo! Sushi and Kulu Kulu in Soho.

A new venture called Yari Club near Covent Garden is the first to offer yakitori skewers cooked by a clever automated machine that can pump out over 800 in less than an hour.

Yakitori are skewers threaded with chicken or other ingredients and are a popular street food in Japan.
Yari Club has chosen a site in St Martin’s Lane to bring them to a wider audience. The yakitori machine takes pride of place in the window, a gleaming hunk of precision-engineered steel.

The skewers of raw chicken are attached to clips on a belt that rotates them through grills at exactly 600°C, lifting and dipping them in a special sauce on their way round.

A human chef still applies the finishing touches, sizzling the skewers on a charcoal grill to add extra texture and flavour.

Yari Club has is still finding its feet, having overhauled its menu after a hectic first few weeks.

The restaurant is one room with an open kitchen at the front and seats for around 20 inside. The design is simple and modern: exposed black brick and counters clad in varnished cherry wood.

The menu, which is being expanded, currently offers seven types of yakitori: one is a tempura prawn and the others star different cuts and preparations of chicken. The Negima, for example, is small chunks of chicken thigh interlaced with spring onion; the Karaage is deep fried with a breadcrumb coating.

There’s the Tsukune, a succulent chicken meatball; and for the adventurous, the Kawa, made with strips of crispy chicken skin.

These yakitori cost around £1.50 each and you can mix and match as you wish. We tried them as part of a bento box. For £11.70 you choose six skewers to enjoy alongside rice, coleslaw, yuzu pickles, slivers of Nori seaweed and their Yari sauce.

The skewers were, unsurpris­ingly, cooked to perfection. We loved their side dish of corn balls, £3.50, which are spheres of deep-fried sweetcorn enrobed in a light batter. I would have liked some extra sauces on the table to customise the eating experience.

To be honest, the yakitori machine is quite impressive but may not hold your attention for long.

If you’re nearby, Yari Club is worth checking out for a quick bite and offers a glimpse of the future.

Yari Club
57 St Martin’s Lane, WC2N
www.yariclub.com
@yariclub.london