With whom: The Vole and I - in full pre-opera mode...
How much?: £20 a head including a couple of beers
Since I started this blog, the Vole has got used to my incessant demands to obsessively plan our social life around food, go to new restaurants constantly, bitch about them and photograph everything I (and she) eats (actually, it's only the last one that's changed...)
In a poor attempt at a compromise, I try and bow to her preferences whenever possible (ie if there isn't somewhere I desperately want to go).
So prior to a trip to the new Rufus Wainwright ballet at Sadler's Wells - well performed but cliched and with some real issues - Vole really wanted sushi. I tried to talk her into Mexican (Chilango to be precise), Moro or steak, but sushi it was.
Didn't have the best of vibes as we walked in. The long, light wood panelled room was harmless enough, and the sushi counter to the right gave the hope of fresh preparation, but it was empty bar the chef, a brace of middle aged couples and the waiter I'd seen outside having a fag a minute previously. Still, it was only 6.30pm so not entirely surprised. People need to work harder if we're going to spend our way out of this recession...
We started with a fried combo, after all, raw fish and rice is healthy, so I needed a little fried to start with. The Harumaki, hot, greaseless and crispy rolls with a minced chicken filling worked well with a good, homemade dipping sauce and the veggie tempura tasted much better than they photographed.
A nice mix of veg too, firm but well cooked sweet potato, carrot and sweet shallot along with a particularly tasty aubergine that the pair of us fought over. Fresh and clean tasting batter and a good quantity, it made a sizeable dent in both of our appetites.
We shared the Sa Sa Deluxe Sushi set, and it arrived as soon as our starter cleared (though without fresh plates slightly annoyingly). We started well, with a perfectly prepared soft shell crab roll, so freshly cooked that the shards of crunchy crab gave a slight heat to the surrounding rice, balancing with a tiny, sharp roe.
After that, the nigiri was a bit of a let down for me, the rice came apart too easily and the sea bream was undistinguished and a little chewy. It didn't sit well next to several strips of bright coloured sashimi. I'd normally baulk at the idea of over coloured fish, but both the salmon and the tuna were meltingly correct, lovely fresh lozenges of sweet raw fish.
When food is this simple, it's easy to get it wrong by not focussing on the basics and I got the feeling from the dining room (and a few other reviews) that this wasn't the most consistent of joints. That being said, it served its purpose and we walked out satisfied. I'll be back, but next time we're in the neighbourhood and it's my choice, we're going to Chilangos...
In a poor attempt at a compromise, I try and bow to her preferences whenever possible (ie if there isn't somewhere I desperately want to go).
So prior to a trip to the new Rufus Wainwright ballet at Sadler's Wells - well performed but cliched and with some real issues - Vole really wanted sushi. I tried to talk her into Mexican (Chilango to be precise), Moro or steak, but sushi it was.
Didn't have the best of vibes as we walked in. The long, light wood panelled room was harmless enough, and the sushi counter to the right gave the hope of fresh preparation, but it was empty bar the chef, a brace of middle aged couples and the waiter I'd seen outside having a fag a minute previously. Still, it was only 6.30pm so not entirely surprised. People need to work harder if we're going to spend our way out of this recession...
A nice mix of veg too, firm but well cooked sweet potato, carrot and sweet shallot along with a particularly tasty aubergine that the pair of us fought over. Fresh and clean tasting batter and a good quantity, it made a sizeable dent in both of our appetites.
After that, the nigiri was a bit of a let down for me, the rice came apart too easily and the sea bream was undistinguished and a little chewy. It didn't sit well next to several strips of bright coloured sashimi. I'd normally baulk at the idea of over coloured fish, but both the salmon and the tuna were meltingly correct, lovely fresh lozenges of sweet raw fish.
When food is this simple, it's easy to get it wrong by not focussing on the basics and I got the feeling from the dining room (and a few other reviews) that this wasn't the most consistent of joints. That being said, it served its purpose and we walked out satisfied. I'll be back, but next time we're in the neighbourhood and it's my choice, we're going to Chilangos...
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