Goldfish City (Gresham Street) review - Bank's Chinese karaoke and dim sum restaurant

Address: 46 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7AY
Tel: 020 7726 0308
Nearest Tube station: Bank

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £50 pp
Service charge: 12.5%
Taste: ***
Service: ****
Ambience: ****I was quite hesitant when I first received an invitation for Goldfish City, Goldfish's latest foray into the Square Mile at Bank's Gresham Street. The reason is clear - I didn't have the best of experience over at its flagship restaurant at Hampstead during my first and only visit. I had an issue with its so called dim sum buffet, which in my opinion, isn't really a buffet and its service that I would expect from staff at the the £4.95 Mr Wu's buffet at Leicester Square.



Not only that, the fact that Goldfish City does bento takeaways (£7) is also featured prominently in its opening press release. I couldn't help which market is Goldfish City targeting at. Its menu features exotic dishes like its award winning mocha ribs and chilean sea bass, yet it catered for karaoke parties in its basement and at the same time doing bento sets during lunch as well. But Wife helpfully reminded me that its location, a short walk from Bank station, means that there would be almost no human traffic during the weekends. That probably explains why Goldfish City is casting its net wide.

A polyester banner with the words "Modern Chinese and Dim Sum" hangs outside Goldfish City. Perhaps an oversight that not a great deal of people in the City heard of Goldfish or could read the Chinese characters (translated as Goldfish restaurant) embossed on its facade.



Truth to be told, I was rather impressed by what I saw when Wife and I stepped into the restaurant. An entire wall on its ground floor is dedicated to an old movie poster (Daydreams) adds to the nolstagia of the place. The wall opposite it had an entire poem embossed on it. Wife promptly mentioned that it was one that she came across as a kid. Nice one.



Denzel, the head waiter, who has been with the restaurant for a great number of years, helpfully went through the menu with us. It helps that the head chef Kevin Chow who hails from Johor Malaysia, was with Four Seasons and Grand Hyatt hotels in Singapore in the nineties and there is this familiar touch in his repatoire.

"Our award winning mocha ribs is a must try."

I was already eying the dish even before Denzel suggested that. For the starters however, we asked for a small dim sum platter, deep fried softshell crab and Chef's special pumpkin broth.



Pumpkin broth came with brocolli and mushroom bits. It was one of the most flavourful pumpkin soup that I have ever tasted and the coriander leaves on it added that much needed zest. Then again, I don't come across the pumpkin variety much, not in London anyway. But its thickness and richness would not disappoint fans of the late summer-autumn fruit.



Wife was impressed with Goldfish City's softshell crab. We have had this at quite a number of Japanese restaurants but its the five spice that is added that makes all the difference in Goldfish City's version. I thought the oil used was a tad old but it didn't spoil the crab at all. Not one bit.



Was a bit surprised (and Denzel as well, I guess) when Wife ordered the dim sum platter. "I just feel like having dim sum," was her response. I didn't quite like the dim sum over at Goldfish Hampstead and the fare served so late on a Friday night wouldn't really be fresh, would it? It wasn't as bad as I thought. Though the dim sum's skin was a bit mushy (from spending too much time in the steamer I suppose) but the prawns and other ingredients remained relatively fresh.



The mocha ribs finally arrived after the bout of starters. You can't really fault its presentation. Stacked up like a pile of campfire firewood topped with some whole almond nuts. To give Goldfish City some credit, its mocha gravy was thick and packed a punch and the addition of almond is nothing short of genius (imagine nutty mocha). I thought the mocha flavour could have been better infused into the ribs. Not alot of people can take the the ribs cooked in coffee - this is one of those dishes that you either hate or love.



Crispy prawns with passion fruit mayo was up next. The dish is essentially three battered prawns doused in succulent sweet passion fruit mayo. This dish was a bit underwhelming for my taste and I couldn't help but feel that passion fruit just didn't go together with the battered prawns, which has gone a bit soft.



Green fried rice with eggs and yuzi (pomelo) juice is a first for me. The rice wasn't exactly green but came with a very pale tinge of green due to yuzi. Apparently, Goldfish City's Chef Chow doesn't believe in using MSG and that is especially evident in this dish. If you have had fried rice served at any other Chinese restaurants, you would most certainly require gallons of water to quench the immediate thirst. That didn’t happen over at Goldfish City. Relying on the ingredients' freshness and their inherent taste, the rice was fried to perfection. One point to note though, yuzi is anything but subtle in this dish so you might like to share a portion to get a taste of it first.



The highlight of the dinner was undoubtedly the steam fillet Chilean sea bass. It came with deep fried ginger slivers at the top, which crispiness contrasted the rich milky texture of thick sea bass fillet. Unlike the sea bass that I am used to, the milky texture of the Chilean variety reminded me of the black cod (or Xue-Yu as its known back home). Interestingly, what made this dish special is its ‘superior’ (highlighted on the menu) soya sauce. Its subtlety yet richness in flavour makes this dish a must order at Goldfish City.

A mention must be made to the two karaoke large screen LCDs in the basement. With no private booths available, you would probably need to book the entire basement (it comes with its own bar) to enjoy some privacy. An ideal location for a karaoke party I would say.

Denzel mentioned that Friday evenings tend to be a bit quiet, which is perfectly understandable given its location. And like most restaurants in the Square Mile, Goldfish City doesn’t open during weekends. However, it’s definitely worth considering if you are looking for a proper sit down Chinese restaurant in the City. Definitely try out their mocha ribs (for coffee lovers) and Chilean sea bass. Oh, did I mention that Goldfish City serve Lobster Noodles at £32 per pop as well?

Read More......

Isarn review Islington Thai restaurant (revisited) - mango with black sticky rice still the highlight

Address: 119 Upper Street, London N1 1QP
Tel: 0207 704 7260
Nearest Tube station: Angel

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £10 pp (set lunch)
Service charge: N.A.
Taste: ***
Service: **
Ambience: ***We finally got the Little One to doze off way past our lunchtime and decided that we should make a mad rush outside for a quick bite. Then again, there aren't a lot of places in Angel that can fit an oversized buggy and we have to decide fast.

"Strada perhaps?" Wife suggested, all ready to print out Strada's 'two meals for the price of one' online voucher. I don't really fancy Italian for lunch as I would invariably end up with a huge pizza or a heavy pasta and feel sleepy for the rest of the day. "Something light perhaps?" I ventured. "Let's go Isarn then, I could do with a mango with black sticky rice."



Well, black sticky rice with mango isn't exactly a light dessert but that was all I could think about after our first visit to Isarn, and that was the only thing on my mind as I wheel the buggy into Isarn fifteen minutes later.

I couldn't help but notice that it was terribly quite at Isarn when we were there. In fact, we were the only customers there throughout the meal. That's probably the reason why Isarn serves a lunch set from 12pm-6pm during the weekends (12pm-3pm during weekdays) at very reasonable prices starting from £6.90. I went for the char-grilled beef lunch set while Wife opted for chicken green curry set.



The food arrived just in time as the Little One began to stir - a precursor to a post sleep tantrum. I must say that I was a bit disappointed at the presentation of the lunch set. Both lunch sets come in Japanese styled red and black bento boxes. I would have preferred the side dishes to come in smaller plates and shuddered at the thought that perhaps one day, Indian thalis would come in bento boxes as well.



My char-grilled beef lunch set came with tom yam, a huge chunk of juicy water melon and a sizable portion of Thai fragrant white rice. I must say that the beef, which came with a slight pinkish interior, tasted better than expected. While it couldn't be compared to the one that I had at Aqua Kyoto, Isarn did a decent char-grilled beef for a mere £6.90. The tom yam (without 'gung' or prawns) complemented the beef's smoky aftertaste.

Wife's chicken green curry turned out fine as well. Like most proper Thai restaurants, Isarn uses chicken thighs rather than chicken breast for this dish thus avoiding it turning out too tough. I thought that the two pieces of fish cakes that came with a side dish with chicken green curry were a bit bland and suffered from a lack of depth but Wife has got no issues with them.  Like the beef lunch set, this came with rice and a slice of watermelon.



We went ahead and asked for the mango with black sticky rice (£6.50) despite the Little One kicking up a fuss towards the end of the meal. That was what we came for, wasn't it? Once again, it didn't disappoint. The warm sticky rice with its glutinous texture went extremely well with cool coconut milk and of course, freshly cut mango. All that served on a slice of banana leaf, a fitting end to a rather satisfying meal.

While the Isarn's ala carte menu offers a wider variety, its lunch menu definitely offers more value for money. If you don't mind having an early dinner, it's lunch offer during weekends lasting from 12pm-6pm might just be the thing for you.

Read More......

The Junction Highbury review - sorry excuse of a pizza, good place to hang out though

Address: 2a Corsica Street,
London N5 1JJ
Tel: 020 7226 1026
Nearest Tube station: Highbury & Islington

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £10 pp
Service charge: N.A.
Taste: *
Service: **
Ambience: ***With the arrival of the Little One, it's a bit difficult to head out for a meal these days. Then again, opportunities do present themselves every now and then. We were heading to a nearby clinic in the Highbury area for the Little One's vaccination when my stomach growled. For the past weeks, our time has been dedicated to feeding the Little One, cajoling her to sleep and not to mention the endless diapers changing. So you could imagine how glad I was to be out on the streets when everyone else are slogging in the office.

"Shall we get a bite?" I ventured when the second growl came (a bit louder this time round). Wife pursed her lips. "Let's!" I quipped. I looked around. Well, there were some choices, Kentucky Fried Chicken, a dodgy Lebanese fried chicken place (with a boring looking chap stooping behind the counter) and a pub.



"Look," I pointed to the far end of the road. "The Junction", it read. "12" pizza and a drink for just £6.25". That got me. I pushed the buggy through the outdoor sitting area and down a ramp (I really appreciate ramps nowadays for obvious reasons), pushed through the doors and plonked myself down on a seat.

A multitude of 40" LCDs (maybe bigger) were distributed strategically around the entire dining area. Cricket was the game of the day. I would have been more interested if I could figure out the game but at that moment, I was more interested in figuring out which pizza to down with my coke.

Other than a couple of tables, The Junction has some booths (leather sofas no less) and some standing tables. The place was obviously meant for a much larger crowd and I wouldn't be surprised if it gets a bit crowded towards the evening. I mean, it sure looks like a place that I would want to hang out in. Anyway, I settled on a Romana and potato wedges.



Thank gawd that I went for the potato wedges. The first restaurant (well, close to) meal I had for a long time would be a downright disaster otherwise. Let's talk about the wedges first, shall we? It was surprisingly good, even though the 'spice' powder liberally sprinkled on that could be mistaken for the condiments that accompany your Maggi noodles. Thoroughly deep fried but not overdone. It would serve well as a finger food with a pint in hand.



The Romana pizza was a totally different matter. Prior to The Junction, I thought that nothing would taste worse than the frozen pizza sold at Tesco. I was wrong. The Romana served was a plain limp circular piece of bread with a sorry concoction of tomato base, cheese, onion and some slices of ham. Oh, there were two dollops of melted Mascarpone cheese on it as well. I admit that I finished the pizza and only because I realised the next meal wouldn't be until late into the night.

I made a mistake of heading to the loo after meal. The gents, which was on the first floor, had this long metallic urinal with a nest of flies, which was to be agitated at the slightest disturbance. Don't ask me how I found that out.

Read More......

Byron Burger Islington review - a stripped down facade with full service

Address: 341 Upper Street,
London WC1X 8PN
Tel: 0207 704 7260
Nearest Tube station: Angel

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £10 pp
Service charge: 10%
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: **Unsurprisingly, housing rental prices in Islington hardly dented at the height of credit crunch and for good reason too. Even after Borders has went bottom up, the area between Angel Tube station and Waterstone is still alive and kicking. With the numerous restaurants in the vicinity, you would be spoilt for choices. Guess what? There’s even this renewal of restaurants in the area as a result of Darwinian’s survival of the fittest.

The latest casualty in the area is Hamburger Union. It seems that the entire chain has joined ranks of Borders (UK) – the branch at Leicester Square has been rebranded as an uninspiring “Hamburger +”. There were barely a handful of souls in there the last time I walked past it during dinner time. Everything in the restaurant looks exactly the same as before so I don’t expect much to come out of it.



The one in Angel is a totally different story. “Byron” reads the paint stripped façade. I was like ‘what the…’ when I first saw it. The entire place looks as if the renovation contractor decided to go on strike with the job half done. There’s this Wild West feel to it and I could almost imagine a chap in a chequered shirt and a cowboy hat walking out of the restaurant.

What greeted us when I stepped in surprised us immensely. “Welcome!” a staff greeted us enthusiastically. There were a couple of baby strollers parked beside the door; it sure didn’t look like a family restaurant from the outside. “Table for two?” an affable guy showed us to our seat by the side door, which was incidentally where we used to seat at the old Hamburger Union.

The fast food styled Hamburger Union didn’t work too well apparently and Byron went for a full service burger restaurant, without the tablecloths that is. The side walls in the interior has been stripped down. Nothing wrong with that really. In fact, there’s this gritty feel to the whole atmosphere. In a bid to brighten up the ground floor sitting area, Byron further stripped away a sizable portion of the first floor thereby exposing the wire mesh on the ceiling of the ground floor. Nice.

Apparently, burgers will be grilled to medium by default. After an unpleasant incident earlier, I opted for my classic burger well done and immediately regretted thereafter. Well done patties are usually tougher, aren’t they? I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out much better than I expected. Much of the juice was retained as my knife cut cleanly through it and the soft bread. They didn’t go overboard with the salad dressing in the burger too.

Other than ‘fries’, Byron served skin on hand cut chips at £3 per portion as well. We doused that in tobaccos sauce. Not the way that it should be done but for some strange reason, the chilli hot sauce seems to go well with the roasted potato skin. I am almost salivating at the thought of that as I type this.

Byron is fast becoming a place to hang out in Angel for me, other than Tenshi of course. The last time I was at Byron , there was a short queue building up. Who knows? Perhaps they would have to start taking reservation in the near future.

Read More......

Bahn Mi Bay review - Theobald's Road Vietnamese cheap bite

Address: 4-6 Theobald's Road,
London WC1X 8PN
Tel: 0207 831 4079
Nearest Tube station: Chancery Lane

Ratings (out of 5 *)
Price: below £10 pp
Service charge: N.A.
Taste: ***
Service: ***
Ambience: ****Banh Mi Bay is a new Vietnamese cafe which recently opened at 4-6 Theobald's Road. It is simply but tastefully decorated with soothing green walls and flower motifs. I went into the cafe expecting limited choices but found that there was an interesting variety of choices with starters including spring rolls and rice paper rolls and main dishes from the ubiquitous pho to the less heard of pho banh canh (which is described as home made noodles with rice flour and tapioca starch in pork broth served with pork and seafood). Vegetarian options are available too. Of course they have the dish for which they are named after - banh mi, the tasty Viet style sandwiches as well.



I had the beef pho and shared a spiced pork banh mi with my friend. The broth for the pho was rich in flavour but I found the beef servings and the usual accompanying sprouts and condiments to be of a miserly portion for the price. According to the menu, banh mi could be made with either French baugettes or home made Vietnamese baguettes freshly made on the premises each morning. I was looking forward to having my banh mi with the fresh baguette option but apparently they have not yet commenced production of it as yet. I must say the French baguette did not disappoint - it was crispy and went well with the spiced pork and pickled carrots. Again, the portion of spiced pork was minimal, but at £2.80, I guess I can live with that.

A welcome addition to the area which was sorely lacking in Asian cuisine. I just wish that they are more generous with their portions!

The author, TT is a regular contributor to Singaporean in London and London Chow. She adores the cheap and cheery offerings spotted all around London. 

Read More......