REVIEW: ULI, MARYLEBONE

CS
16 hours ago
2 min read

HUŌ’s luxurious sister restaurant masters fresh and clean Pan-Asian Cuisine

It's the Year of the Horse, and we arrive at Marylebone's ULI restaurant hungry enough to eat one.

Luckily, this luxurious, Pan Asian restaurant has far more delicious treats in store, when we step into the welcome serenity of the Seymour Place dining destination.

The softly lit, blue and white space, studded with greenery and contemporary art is elegant and fresh, like their clean and healthy approach to Asian cuisine, preparing every dish from scratch.

Outside, al fresco seating beckons the well-heeled in thick enough cashmere, with pretty seating and precisely draped blankets in front of its sage, Farrow & Ball exterior.

We are seated inside, by the window, which is the perfect spot for people watching - women totter by with matching furs and lips; and immaculately groomed dogs are walked by people in cashmere thick enough for the al fresco dining.

The menu encompasses carefully selected dishes from Asia, all prepared using traditional Chinese, Thai, Malay and Singaporean disciplines.

We greedily eyeball the soups, crispy aromatic duck, curries, seafood, and noodles, and are not rushed by the warm and friendly staff.

We start with spicy Hunan pork dumplings - a wonderfully fresh take on the Canadian-Chinese classic. They burst in the mouth, with the rich nutty sauce soothing the spiciness, in the perfect balance of sweet and salty.

I follow this with the incredibly generous and beautifully plated, spicy soft shell crab salad. A tower of delicately battered, meaty crab hunks teeter atop a fresh mountain of mango, cherry tomatoes, edamame and greens, tossed in a sticky and moreish sauce with wonderful heat, and topped with spring onion.

My friend lets me sample some of her duck salad with watermelon and cashew nuts - a beautiful and fresh marriage of crunchy and meaty textures, with sweet, and umami flavours. The hoisin sauce is perfect - rich, sweet and zesty, without being sickly.

The portions are very generous and the food is delicious, but we find space for their excellent desserts.

My friend goes for their famous banana fritters - a variation of the battered Indonesian street food snack. These arrive as four glossy, golden balls, which we satisfyingly crack apart. The thick and crunchy, sweet tapioca batter is crunched through to reveal gooey, caramelised banana. Phwoar.

I recommend the mochi selection, for a sweet and light end to a fabulous meal.

Pleasingly chewy and glutinous rice cakes filled with refreshing mango ice cream. It’s also a timely pudding, as mochi is central to Japanese New Year - broken and eaten later in the Kagami Biraki (mirror opening) ritual to bring good fortune.

It’s the perfect restaurant to celebrate Chinese New Year. From 17 February to 3 March, ULI and sister restaurant HUŌ will launch a limited edition menu of celebratory dishes designed to usher in prosperity, fortune, and fresh beginnings.

Expect a limited-edition Dim Sum Basket with stand out dishes including Crispy Duck Spring Rolls, representing wealth and fresh beginnings, and a Whole Dover Sole served with soy, ginger, and scallions, symbolising good fortune.

The most delicious and serene way to usher in a new year, which certainly beats The Hootenanny.

ULI, 15 Seymour Pl, London W1H 5BE