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.