Ikkyusan

Ikkyusan
39 Gerrard Street
London
W1D 5QD



I have a totally love-hate relationship with Ikkyusan. First setting foot on the premises in 2005, they offered a 'buffet' meal which allowed punters to order from three separate menus, with rather eclectic options, and very good value sushi and sashimi course. That unfortunately went downhill, with prices steadily increasing, more restrictions being placed on diners, and the quality of food went south rather quickly as they cut corners to increase profits.



What brought us back, on New Year's eve, no less, was the promise of good hotpot.



Brought up to the secret top floor, reserved exclusively for hotpot, we were rather impressed by the format. There were large round tables for groups, but as a couple we were led to a high table with rows of induction hotplates. Just like in China, we thought.



We should have smelt a rat, when, 10 minutes in we hadn't been greeted by either of the waitresses on duty. We tried to flag one down to order drinks (it was New Years, after all!), but were told to wait. Another 15 minutes of watching her fill up little bottles, we were brought the condiments above. Why she thought that this was more urgent than bringing menus, or selling us high-markup drinks, escapes us.



Half an hour into the sitting we managed to get our paws around a Sapporo and a Kirin. I was being greedy with the larger serving Sapporo, but really I would have preferred A's option of the Kirin Ichi-ban (number one!). If the service wasn't so intermittent, I might not have had such an urge to horde.



These happy punters were all eating, but we had trouble flagging down our waitresses, and when they did stop could not help us (!?).



Finally presented with a complex menu (this was their set buffet for hotpot), it became apparent that they were up to their old tricks. The first section of the 'buffet' included the high-value items, and were 'order once, only'. The poorer stock was in section two, from which we could pick more options, but again, only once. The final, and largest section contained the plebeian foodstuffs that fill the stomach but leaves the palate wanting.



First, which came reasonably quickly (a mere quarter hour after ordering) were the surf clams and tuna sashimi.



Sweet and crunchy surf clams, these were the mainstay of their old buffet menu. Very good value, and not commonly seen in many sushi joints around here. Alas this was an order-once.



Tuna sashimi: the fish was fresh, but slices razor thin, which denuded the dish of its usually creamy, fleshy mouthfeel.



Would you believe that it took another half hour after they cleared our entrees to bring on the stock? We chose the chicken gizzard and watercress, and the spicy broth as the two options. The chicken gizzards were incredibly tender and tasty. Why it took so long is anybody's guess.



Meats and fish piled high. It turns out that the salmon was sashimi quality, but due to some miscommunication, it was mixed in with everything else, meaning that we couldn't eat it raw. We were also served: beef slices (actually quite tough), spinach, doufu puffs (which were great, soaking up the broth like little tasty sponges), doufu skin (a lovely chewy texture), sea bass (very fresh and lovely), the salmon, prawns, and baby squid.



Traditional sesame sauce, but without the fragrant kick one would expect. The condiments that arrived oh-so-early did help to add flavour.



Silky doufu, this was excellent, and not the usual supermarket stuff. It held together, but was crisp and refreshing as well.



Fresh Chinese mushrooms. Yum.



From the order-once menu was also the delicious razor clam, that left us wanting more.




It was an enjoyable meal, despite the slow start.



The damage: four or five beers and two set hotpot menus came to £70. The service was atrocious in not only the usual Chinese-restaurant way, but exemplified here and treated as an artform. The food was good, but not worth the pricetag. Also be aware that they add on a service charge, but do not list it, then ask for additional tips when they bring the bill. If you want good hotpot in London, you would be better off around the corner at Red 'n' Hot.

Galleria Gdansk - mall food in Poland

Galleria Mall

Gdansk, Poland



Mall food! Is there anything better, or worse, than mall food? In Asia, this is often a collection of the best streetfood around, moved indoors because of massive state-sponsored cleanup programmes. In the UK and USA, this is generally pre-boiled plastic regurgitated by homeless people, reformed into turd shapes, battered, and deep fried.



In this particular mall, there were a couple of traditional Polish food outlets, serving up stews, roasts, grills and a variety of salads. Absolutely brilliant, if you aren't vegetarian. Which, if you're sensible, is no problem. Aside from the polish fare, pizza, kebabs and randomly 'ethnic' food, world-wide cuisine is well represented by MacDonald's and KFC.



Crumbed schnitzel, chicken and stewed pigs' knuckles. Yum.



Around 6-8 meat options, four salads and plenty of potato: yum!



I opted for a freshly made 'de volaille', which is what the Poles call their version of chicken Kiev. Why they use the French for chicken, and we allude to Iron Curtain origins, I have no idea. The Polish version is a chicken breast that has been opened up, and wrapped around a cold stick of garlic-herb butter, battered/crumbed and fried.





Yummy, yummy chicken and buttery goodness.



The chicken was freshly cooked (we having lucked out with a fresh batch), and hence the crispy batter crunched deliciously against tender chicken, bathed in garlicky-buttery goodness.



A opted for the schab, a beaten out and marinated pork loin, grilled to order. Also served with chips, but with a healthy of serving of kapusta salad.



The pork was perfectly cooked with nary a bit of gristle, and tender enough to work through with plastic child-proof cutlery. The marinade, I am told, is generically Polish, with sweet paprika, marjoram etc, but tasted delicious. The fries were competent, and the coleslaw-style salad was amazing. Tasting very similar to KFC coleslaw in New Zealand (which uses a mayonnaise with more acidity), the salad cut through the meat flavours nicely, and was incredibly light.



All washed down with a couple of pints of Zywiec: Polish lager.

The damage: for two hot mains, two serving of chips and a salad, plus two tins of Poland's finest lager: 28 zlote, which is around £7 by current exchange rates.

Postscript:

While poking around supermarkets in the area, we found these:



If you look closely, the food is shrink wrapped to give a 3d effect. You can literally see every nook and cranny of your meal.



The colours are vibrant, and not the usual TV-dinner mush. You can see distinctive and separated vegetables, as well as the protein component. On the other hand, it looks exactly like the plastic food model/toys you see in Japanese restaurant windows. Hmm.

Chop Chop - London

Chop Chop
1 Euston Rd
London, NW1



This isn't the view from Chop Chop. Rather, we were wandering around Leicester Square, and it had been invaded by Santas. Rather shabbily dressed Santas who looked like they had been dressed by Primark in their papier-chic range. Cans of lager and cider were being consumed in copious quantities. The Santa on the left rushed over to give a very surprised A a hug.



Around the corner now, just outside the greengrocers on Newport Court in Chinatown (directly opposite the Baozi Inn), is this little stand that has for the past couple of years been purveyors of northern style baozi (steamed meat buns), soy milk, and more recently zhongzi: a rice ball wrapped in bamboo leaves.



At the princely sum of £1, you are provided a genuine street-food item the size of a very large first, filled with either chicken, pork, or vegetables. The bread if fluffy and faintly sweet, with a (usually, although on one occasion cold) filling. Definitely to be recommended. [Since the time of writing the price has increased to £1.20: it may not seem much of an increase, but does represent a 20% rise.]



And on to the main feature: Chop Chop noodle bar. Placed conveniently opposite King's Cross tube and train stations, Chop Chop is a sizable locally run noodle house that serves very cheap and very good one-bowl meals.



Fans of the quick and dirty (in this case fairly clean) hot meals on the run will recognise the style: laminated menus divided up into the usual options of starters, noodle soup, rice with saucy stir fry, fried noodles. Wagamama and their ilk managed to turn this into a trendy upmarket pan-asian (read mishmash) experience.



Starters such as satay skewers, etc, are priced around £2, while mains hover between £3 and £4 at a stretch. Incredibly reasonable, but is the food passable?



Ordering via the tick boxes, a la yum cha, there is no question of mishearing your order in this bustling and busy restaurant. As we were ushered in, the waitress had addressed me directly in Mandarin, and so we cannot evaluate whether there may be deficiencies in their use of English. Perhaps the ordering system is to overcome any potential confusion.



Having ravenously consumed our utterly delicious beef satay starter without giving pause to document the event, we moved on to A's seafood ho-fun noodle soup.



The food is unpretentious, and true to its roots: quick, tasty, cheap, and nourishing. Brimming with fish cake, squid, fish balls, mussels, prawns and fish sticks, they certainly weren't skimping on the quantity or ingredients. The soup was a clear but rich broth with strong lemongrass flavours.



My laksa was rich with coconut cream, and the requisite layer of chili oil floating above the noodles, soaking every bite with delicious pain. Too mild for me, but I'm sure that the average punter would have enjoyed its bite. The flavours were authentic, and even had the authentic grittiness of unstrained coconut, which I personally do not like. The portion was again ample, with scatterings of fish cake, fried doufu, prawns, etc.

The damage: After consuming a couple of beers, a starter and two mains, the bill came to just a tad below £15. For those on a tighter budget, or a regular lunch that is quick, hot and delicious, the bill could be as low as £3. Highly recommended!

Covered Market - Christmas time

The Covered Market
Oxford



Just prior to Christmas, and the gluttons are out in full force. The Oxford covered market has been open since 1774, and showcase a range of boutique clothing and home ware stores, as well as cafes, florists, butchers and a fishmonger.



Turkeys, pheasants, oh my!



The recent cull of deer in Wytham woods provide the butcher, and thus the populace, with venison.



A quarter of beef and two wild pigs are hung up ready to be dismembered.



The hanging animals usually elicit looks of disgust, wonderment, and general chatter. Whatever else they do, they certainly provoke interest.



Beautiful pheasants aging and waiting to be plucked.