I like foods from all over the world. In fact, I would go so
far to say I love cuisines from all parts of the world, more so than the drab
offerings we have here. Fish and chips? No, fish and Rice, get in me. I guess
you’d then call me an international man of the people, and carry me like
Ghandi. No? Well fuck you then.
I guess that was a reach.
But in reality, a cracker of a question (but I’m sure boring
to receive for some of you) is always “What’s your favourite cuisine”. It’s a
tough one really, especially to those who can handle spice, and aren’t fussy,
the possibilities are plentiful, yet one always jumps to the forefront of my
mind – Japanese. Not even just Sushi, but the whole overall Japanese cuisine.
In fact, I really like their diet generally, not in a creepy way, just the fact
that they don’t really do Dairy, and they don’t have a huge tendency to get
involved with red meats, or generally super awful foods. Dashi, the Japanese ‘stock’
which differs from chef to chef and is used in almost everything, including
Miso Soup as well as various sauces and marinades, isn’t nearly as bad for you
as most other standard stocks or baselines cooking necessities.
The Japanese (And now this is all from either memory, a book
I read, or a little guesswork) seem to have fairly low obesity levels, higher
average age, and low cancer rates than most countries around the world, and it’s
in no small part to their rather sensible diet. In fact I highly recommend a
book called ‘Sushi and Beyond’ by Michael Booth – it’s really interesting and
very amusing, like Bill Bryson mixed with, I don’t know, Richard Osman.
Which brings me to what I wanted to write about, the food I
actually eat. Down here in Brighton we have a really decent Sushi restaurant
called Moshimo. It’s got the conveyor belt, a fantastic half price offer on
Monday/Tuesdays, and very friendly staff with a good selection of food. If you
live in Brighton and like Sushi, and don’t go/haven’t been, then perhaps we
need to have a little chat. There is probably better quality to be found
elsewhere, with a few others springing up, but for value for money I’m not sure
anything else rivals it. I’m a regular frequenter and am often found raving
about it to no one in particular, or certainly no one who cares to hear, and
infrequently ranting (bring back my healthy salad you bastards!), but I’m a
loyal customer who doesn’t really go anywhere else, aka I’m a lazy creature of
habit.
Well, my mate who lives in London, knew of my love for all
of the above, so invited me to try a place he and his other half discovered in
Covent Garden of London Town. I naturally jumped at the chance (after about 3
months of moaning about coming up due to said laziness). However it came with a
stark warning – this place isn’t like Moshimo, there’s no belt, and the menu
is, for want of a better word, intimidating. Not a problem for this connoisseur,
I laugh in the face of such things. What he didn’t tell me is that you can’t
find said menu online to pre-browse. Because it’s just a big plastic book. But
more on that later.
So we arrive at said location, after a couple of pints en
route, and my first impression is ‘what the fuck’. So it is called Eat Toyko,
and is a little tucked away place on a road somewhere near Covent Garden. We
didn’t book (LIKE THE FUCKING MAVERICKS WE ARE) but rocked up willy nilly, and
the waiter looked at us like we’re maniacs who had just insinuated a rude
gesture with his next of kin, yet then simply looked to his left, saw a conveniently
empty table and suggested we take that (assumedly quickly before his wrath put
us all in a difficult position). My mate got us some beers in quick and a starter
whilst we perused the menu, since he knew how long it would probably take me to
make up my mind. He wasn’t wrong. Though firstly the starter of fried bread
crumbed spicy squid was unreal. A portion probably larger than I’ve seen served
in some pubs and restaurants and for £3, I basically just giggled to myself at
the madness. Whilst his foresight was wise (don’t tell him I said that) since
this menu is like nothing I’ve looked at before. It’s about 40-50 pages, I kid
you not, and it’s ridiculous. The choice is just bonkers. Everything. No
seriously, EVERYTHING, is in it. Including a lovely Japanese take on sea
snails, I think. I basically took a beers length of time to go from one end to
another, let alone actually choose things. I was sensibly pointed to look at
the Bento boxes on offer, which if you don’t know is essentially like a mix up
of a few dishes in smaller portions – I obviously chose the largest one they
had because I’m a fucking lad. (I just eat a lot, it seems). I actually got
really angry twice because I found the whole thing so frustrating, as I eat
anything, I wanted to really try and pick out some things, but I just got too
lost and was too hungry, BUT, if you know what you like then you should be
fine, it’ll be there and it’ll be bloody glorious.
So the food arrived, and my word it was good! The menu
proudly exclaims about the award winning chef’s, and the various accolades they’ve
achieved, but it’s a disservice to the overall quality of the food. And it’s
not tiny portions either. My bento box was £18 and for a gent of my appetite,
by the end I felt like I might vom. That didn’t even include rice, and came
with Miso. Though I did get a side of Chicken Liver’s, as we decided to all
order something weird ‘for the bantz’ yet apparently I was the only one to
actually end up ordering it, such is my life. But even they were awesome!
I managed to get a few rubbish pics I’ve included below to
give you an idea of what’s what, but my overall opinion is, if you like Sushi,
go for it. Really just try it out, especially if your experience mainly
consists of Yo Sushi, Itsu or Wasabi. Don’t be put off by the menu, the staff
are patient and helpful, and the bento box selection should satisfy most for a
first time attempt – maybe just get a ‘fun’ side like me, or don’t, see if I care.
(I do.). And the price is incredibly
reasonable, so for 3 of us to have what seemed like a ridiculous amount, as
they had a bit of stuff from my box (oi oi) and I pinched a couple of their
rolls, excluding the beers and the service charge, came to £22 each. Now I’m
not even living in London these days but know good value when I see it!
So go, I urge you, or battle me in a Sushi-off (that should
so be a thing), whilst I then will select another place from my list on my next
visit. In fact it’s been selected, and it’ll be a very different story –
bottomless brunch in London…..
Thanks for reading and here are some awful photos, including
the weird water tank we sat next to!
No comments:
Post a Comment