http://blog.japancentre.com/2010/07/14/recipe-japanese-korokke/

Put a twist into your croquettes or croquetas.

E

July 2010

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/11/nigel-slater-roast-tomatoes-thyme-lemon-cake-recipes

E

July2010

Address: 59-63 Queensway, London W4 4QH

Telephone number: 0207 229 6065

Website: N/A

Date of visit: 13 June 2010

Approximate cost per head: £10

Comments on wine list/beer: basic wine list, Tsing Tao beer £2.90 per bottle

Summary:

This restaurant has been around for over 30 years. I used to eat here on a regular basis in the 80s as it’s one of the few decent (authentic) Chinese (Cantonese) restaurants outside Soho that served dim sum. It was easy to park in the evenings and at weekends along Hyde Park.

At the beginning of 2008, the place suddenly closed down – was it a tax or debt problem? It re-opened some three months later under “new” owners. The staff were exactly the same. (Updated on 27 July 2010 http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100727/tuk-mouse-jumps-from-bowl-in-restaurant-6323e80.html .Well, that was bad news!)

I have not been for a few years and was looking forward to visiting it again.

The place looked nearly the same – the only change being at the back near the staircase – there is a new bar/serving counter.

The menu  looked different to what I remembered.

We had spring rolls (£3.80) and deep fried won ton (£6) , chicken with onion and ginger (£7.20), mixed meat BBQ (char siu, belly of pork and roast duck) (£8.00), choy sum with garlic (£7.20), special fried rice (£5.20), crispy noodle with chicken (£5.50 and Ho Fun Malay Style (£6.50). With a couple of beers, coke and tea, the bill came to £70.20 with service.

Let start with the positives, the service was efficient, friendly and quick, the food cheap and some of the dishes were very good – mixed meat BBQ, choi sum, fried rice and noodles.

However, the starters were poor, the deep fried won ton hardly had any fillings within the skin – we were paying £8 for a plate of deep fried won ton skins. Fresh won ton skins are £1.50 for 50 sheets in a Chinese supermarket.

The spring rolls used to be good here but its now the frozen type that you get in a Chinese supermarket. How can I tell? Factory prepared samosas and spring rolls have a somewhat mushy interior – this allowed the machine to pipe the content into an envelop (skin). Hand made ones are dry inside and the ingredients are shredded not chopped. The next disappointment was the Ho Fun. According to the Chinese characters in the menu, it’s chow kwai tu. This is seafood ho fun cooked in a curry paste – similar to Singapore noodles. However the version we got was dry fried ho fun (normally with beef) with a few prawns and chillies added. The colour should be yellow because of the turmeric but this version was brown. When I asked the manager he said that this is their version. Well, I hate it when restaurants sell you bastardised version of something and did not clearly state it in the menu.

Was the meal overall all right – I guessed so but this is not the restaurant I used to know.

 By the way, they still serve dim sum during lunch time.

E