Hyper Japan 2013 Special: Yaki Japanese Bakery

Yaki (meaning 'grilled' or 'baked') had a street-food feel to its stall, with the spectacle and aroma of takoyaki-making drawing a long queue of people.

How should I describe takoyaki? Octopus...batter...balls? They may not sound particularly appealing put that way but these creamy, fried delights are a staple snack on the sides of busy Japanese streets. Although taiyaki (sweet, fish-shaped waffle snacks filled with read bean paste) were also on offer, I opted for some good old takoyaki and a matcha latte.

Open the box and...Ta-da! Pockets of mystery deliciousness promised within.

  OK, they look a little messy but that's street food for you. Octopus-batter mix gets contact-grilled in a dedicated contraption (similar to a waffle iron), leaving it soft inside with an easy-to-handle skin on the outside. Then mayonnaise,  seaweed flakes and a sweet, brown sauce are generously slathered on top to create a satisfying, saucy mess (ahem) where each piece is perfectly sized to pick up with chopsticks.

So how did they taste? Well, it was a pretty decent effort. Retaining the details of having two sauces plus seaweed was a nice touch, but the mayonnaise wasn't as creamy as the kind used in Japan. I think that Helman's or something similar would have worked, but the giant tub of whatever they used wasn't quite there. This is important because when it's right, the mayo matches the texture and mouthfeel of the soft batter inside, accentuating the creaminess - which I did miss. What octopus was there was great; firm without being chewy, but I definitely wanted more.

The basic idea is there but the balance could use work to make the them delicious. If you've never tried takoyaki before then by all means do give Yaki a visit for the novelty - it's an unusual food find and I loved the way their stall gave a street food feel. I hope that their store follows a similar idea  in that respect.

You can find Yaki in London at 53 Goodge St, or online at yaki.co.jp

Hyper Japan 2013 Special: Bento Ramen

It took some effort to figure out something to write for this entry; my initial reaction was, 'well, what can I really say about the ramen?' and I suppose this says something about the unremarkable nature of it. It's not bad, but it doesn't have any hugely stand-out qualities either.

The soup is based on miso, not MSG-laden packet stock - which is a definite plus - but the flavour of it was rather weak. The few bits of spring onion in there didn't bolster it enough to stop it tasting a bit watery. Points for using real ingredients, but the ramen soup is crucial and should be robust. Despite the humble status of ramen outlets in Japan, ramen chefs take pride in the soup and it plays a large part in the signature of the house.

2 ebi tempuras and 4 fish balls in ramen

The fried fish balls were the flavour highlight, and plump and juicy with a satisfying spring in the texture. The ebi (prawn) tempura was of a decent size and the breadcrumbs held together despite being subjected to the soup for a good few minutes. The noodles were cooked well; soft but firm in texture, slick without being slimy. The problem was, it felt like they were just floating around lost in the watery broth. Even the added ingredients didn't impart enough flavour to make the soup satisfying.

Perhaps the idea was to customise the soup using the available soy sauce, but that shouldn't be at the expense of base flavour. Perhaps the demands of catering for hundreds of patrons at Hyper Japan lowered the standards for the day; but as it stands my experience with Bento Ramen was distinctively mediocre and for £7, I was disappointed.

Hyper Japan 2013 Special: Beschle Chocolate

It takes hard work to get noticed amidst the bustle of London's biggest Japan-themed event, with a plethora of stalls and people dressed in all manner of outlandish costumes vying for your attention. However, I met my match in the deadliest weakness of every foodie - free samples. That drew me to Beschle's stall nicely.

£20 worth of chocolate. I don't really need electricity, right?

As I gazed over the shelf of products on display one thing caught my attention. In quietly understated lettering, the word 'Criollo'. Until last year, this wouldn't have meant anything to me - but until last year, I hadn't discovered the delights of the criollo cocoa bean in artisanal Mexican chocolate. The criollo is the king of cocoa beans, far rarer, more expensive and complex than its brethren. Think deep, intense flavour, nuttiness and a complexity that leaves your palate satisfied (exhausted?) after just a small piece. Simply put, criollo is chocolate taken to the next level.

Since finishing my treasured Mexican bars I had been looking without success for chocolate in the UK that uses these incredible beans, to no avail. Now I found that Beschle's bars used these little-known gems. Think how much more they had my attention now, and how high my expectations suddenly were!

First I tried the matcha (a form of high-grade powdered Japanese green tea). I will say this now: You will not find a higher quality matcha chocolate in the U.K. Just take a look at this packaging - detailed, exquisite.

A work of art in itself.

The contents are suitably premium, with enough matcha to bring out the pleasant bitterness that pairs so well with sweets. Personally, I am a matcha fiend and I would have preferred more matcha and less sugar in the balance to hit the sweet spot, but this is far ahead of anything you will find in import shops.

The pistachio flavour, lightly salted, really brought out the savoury aspects of the bean which is where much of the delicious complexity lies. My favourite of those sampled though was unusually a bar of white chocolate in the lassi (an Indian yogurt drink) flavour. I love dark chocolate but this knocked my socks off. Creamy and mellow with the grounding, satisfying depth of cocoa, mildy citrus and lightly spiced with cardamom all at once, it was everything an adventurous flavour should be.

Brand Manager David with his treasure.

The U.K. manager of the brand has a clear passion for the brand, and I can see why. I have no hesitation in recommending it, especially for criollo first-timers. Pay them a visit at Hyper Japan, or pick some up at Fortnum & Mason's. You might find your chocolate matcha made in heaven.

       

Paddington, this one's for you.

Treatz Dessert Parlour

When I was a child I had a Paddington Bear book in which he pined after a knickerbocker glory. It instilled in me a reverence for the dessert as some kind of ultimate exercise in reckless, childish sugar-abandon. Before now, it had existed merely as an idea in my mind; this day it would become reality. As soon as I saw it on the menu, I knew it: I had a date with destiny.
 

You don't get named 'glory' for nuthin'. 

And so I introduce to you 'Treatz' in Slough, complete with localised spelling (how considerate of them). The decor of the place is in an upbeat, funky purple, with everthing from the soft-backed chairs to the lampshades giving off a modernised 1950s diner effect. As well as various ice cream-based desserts they serve waffles, crumbles, crepes and more.

When the Knickerbocker Glory I'd ordered arrived (minus the trumpet fanfare I had been expecting) it turned out to be a bit of a behemoth. Layers of sauce, various ice creams and cream, slathered with seemingly every sauce they had on top as well as sprinkles and strawberries, with a couple of wafers thrown in for good measure. Glorious indeed. I was going to need that long spoon. My first, incautious mouthful led to a combination of sauce flavours that clashed a bit. Undeterred, I picked my spoonfuls more carefully, chiseling away at the beast like an artist and exploring every bit. Mango, strawberry, chocolate. Taking a deep core sample brought up several ice cream flavours all at once. And then, just when I thought I'd seen it all, a hidden piece of juicy, sugared fruit in the jam-like base ambushed me. Delicious. Could the good run continue with the next dish?

The raspberry and apple crumble was bit different to a traditional type, having an interesting granola-like topping. I suppose it was less 'crumbly' for this but it provided a wonderful varied texture between the oats and other toppings, held together in a slightly sticky way -perhaps with honey or treacle. The apple inside was perfectly balanced in softness and the raspberries were fantastically plump; though I would have liked a few more of them. The topping was a little oversweet alone so the slight tartness of fruit without excessive sugar balanced it nicely. Unfortunately the custard was unremarkable and lacking in depth of flavour which makes me suspect it was from instant powder. Thankfully it wasn't too sweet but with such a nice crumble it could have done with an upgrade to match. 

Because warm custard and crumble helps digestion of ice cream. Obviously.  

 

Mint tea in lovely dainty glasses 

The mint tea was a great palate-cleanser and in itself was really quite tasty with a wonderful aroma. Opening the pot we found a couple of bags of Lipton yellow label mixed with plenty of mint leaves. Light and refreshing, it was definitely the right choice to have with rich desserts. 

There is a TV playing films, there are lots of kids around and some of the kitchen machines are rather loud so it can get quite noisy in there. It's a fun little date place but not intimate or romantic. It has more of a bustling, energetic vibe, bordering on overload. Still, you can have a conversation, most of the time. 
The desserts with two mint teas came to £12.24 which I would say is mid-range for town. All in all, definitely a place worth visiting and I'll be going again. A child on his way out emphatically said, "thank you very, very, very, very, VERY much!" He's not the only satisfied customer (and possibly not the biggest kid there either).

1 JUN 2013

Layer upon layer of sheer childish glee. The mint tea makes it all grown up (and helps with the cream moustache left after tackling this beast). 

Short Xiao Long Bao

Not exactly homely but it gets the job done.

I stopped for a quick dinner at a Chinatown favourite of mine - Dumplings Legend - and as per usual I left well satisfied. You pass the kitchen on the way to the seating area and it has glass walls so that you can appreciate the spectacle of pastry-making and huge, stacked bamboo baskets in towers, billowing steam. The interior is simple, clean and modern though crowded.

 

Whilst the food in Chinatown is generally authentic, the making of xiao long bao is a rare and fine art seldom done well. It's commonly found on dim sum menus, but even in China - outside of their culinary home of Shanghai - you'd be hard-pressed to find ones of truly high quality. 

There are two main components to a good xiao long bao: a delicious soup, and a pastry casing in which to hold it. The soup varies in quality from place to place but a pleasing one is not difficult to find. The pastry however is where most chefs fall short. There is a delicate balance to getting the thickness of the pastry perfectly right; it must be thin enough so as not to be chewy or obtrusive, yet strong enough to be able to hold the weight of the soup without splitting open - even when handled with chopsticks. This is not an easy task. Given that the soup is so integral to the flavour, keeping the dumpling intact is usually prioritised. Thus most pastries err on the side of being too thick, giving a tough texture that gets in the way, with poor mouthfeel. Conversely, others are too thin and rupture before you can get them to your mouth, losing the soup. Of course, you could use a spoon but the 'chopstick test' is a good way of gauging the quality.

Now for the purpose of this lengthy preamble: appreciation of the elusive perfect balance. As you can see in the photo the weight of the soup is supported very well even with chopsticks - I didn't have a single one break on me. Just look at that sag! It can only mean one thing: epic quantities of soup! Now you're just showing off, Mr. Chef! If you look closely you'll see that the pastry is actually a little thicker at the top to enable easy handling; a thoughtful touch.

So much soupy goodness within, it should be illegal.

I wish you could smell these. Go and order some, now!

The basket of classic pork xiao long bao was brought to us with the dumplings still fresh and hot; the skin still supple and moist. You dip the dumpling into ginger-infused Chinkiang vinegar and pop it into your mouth whole. As soon as your teeth break into that delicate pastry skin the soup floods out and the flavour hits you. This is a complex broth with a wonderfully deep flavour. The vinegar, which in itself has a deep malty flavour complements it perfectly. The moment that soup takes over it's like an explosion of warmth and heady comfort. The first one is the best; savour it because it's all about that initial blanket of intoxication falling over you. Yes it's loud, yes it's cramped, but the food is worth it. Go on a cold day and you will see exactly what I mean. 

Find Dumplings Legend on Gerrard Street in Chinatown. Their website can be found here.

Brownies!

Kitchen and Pantry

There are two types of homemade brownie to choose from; white chocolate-topped and walnut. I opted for the former but also tasted the latter. I had originally opted for a clotted cream flavour ice cream but unfortunately they were out and I had the honeycomb one instead. The ice cream is from a dairy farm brand and is noticeably milkier than the standard fare, though not as creamy as I would have hoped - and certainly not a patch on the gelato available at the nearby Zaza. The sweetness of the honeycomb is not overpowering and the milkiness gives the flavour a mellowing quality that is for the most part a good foil for the brownie. 

The brownie itself (heated on request) is homely and comforting with a moist centre. As it cools the surface just hardens, providing a satisfying spoon-crunch with each piece that gives way to a soft interior paired with a gooey centre. The main body of the brownie, as with almost all of them, is a little dry and better when complemented by either a mild tea or ice cream. The cumulative effect of the ice cream did eventually become rather too sweet, though perhaps a different flavour (such as the clotted cream I initially wanted) would be a better pairing.
All in all the brownie felt as comforting as something homemade should - the perfect antidote to a freezing winter's day!

25 FEB 2013

Warm, moist brownie with honeycomb ice-cream.

Cake...ice cream...and a hot drink!

Zaza gelato

PORTOBELLO RD., LONDON

Pieces of real Strawberry were marbled throughout the ice cream cake, giving a refreshing slight fruity sourness that nicely balanced the sweetness. As a result it wasn't sickeningly sweet but pleasantly light on the palate for a whole milk dessert, with the strawberry pips adding a satisfying crunch to the mix. The single ice cream scoop was like Ferrero Rocher in ice cream form, down to the delicious ground hazelnut within.

10 FEB 2013

Pieces of real Strawberry inside... tasty!