My objective was simple. Go out and find somewhere to get a decent sit down lunch for two, costing around £20. Easy?
As you walk the streets of Manchester, thereâs a plethora of sandwich boards and window posters promoting special lunchtime meal deals. âCredit Crunch Lunchâ is such a blatantly obvious play on words, Iâm surprised all restaurants are not taking advantage of the current economic crisisâ softer side and putting on money savings offers just to look clever. I wonder what rhymes with depression?
Tokyo Season had been suggested to me by a friend a few weeks ago, recommended with a promise of the most authentic Japanese food Iâd eat in Manchester. What exactly makes food authentic Iâm not sure? Iâve not been to Japan. I have eaten Japanese food, which I assumed was authentic. I mean, Teriyaki Eel is hardly local, is it? Clearly Iâve been living in ignorance, so to get a flavour of the ârealâ Japan I opted to give it a try.
Through a Portland Street doorway and down a short flight of stairs, I was greeted by an empty, rather minimalist restaurant, kitted out with the usual Oriental dining decor. Thereâs something about an empty restaurant that usually sets me on edge, the fear of bored and over attentive waiters watching me stuff my face perhaps? However, the relaxed and friendly manner of the staff eased any tensions I may have had and the restaurant soon filled out with custom.
The menu offered few notable surprises to tempt me from the beaten track (steamed Japanese custard sounding curious if somewhat unappetising), and sticking with the brief, I turned attentions to the set menus. Both my companion and I selected the same meal deal, miso soup followed by a bento box to bring a bit of variety to the table.
The miso soup was great; healthy with clean and subtle flavours. I loved the textures and colours too, with the soft white tofu and dark green wakame seaweed which had a real slurping quality to its slippery, long, leafy strands.
The bento box was quite sizable with five trays containing: Rice sprinkled with onion seeds; salmon sashimi, thickly sliced pieces of very fresh raw fish; yakigyoza pan-fried meat dumplings; Tonkatsu, crumbed and fried pork with a drizzle of thick brown Tonkatsu sauce. Finally, lurking in the corner was a dollop of some kind of mushy yellow food matter, containing cubes of processed meat.
I can only describe this last item as tasting like a ready made sandwich filling available at the supermarkets. My initial thought was that I was eating egg and ham drowning in mayo. There were pieces of cucumber peel and thinly sliced carrot mixed in, but the vaguely meaty cubes I just found offensive. âWhat exactly is this?â? I enquired, usually skilled at identifying exactly what Iâm eating. âJapanese potato saladâ? was the fateful reply. So, it seems, this was mashed potato mixed with Japanese mayonnaise, which incidentally tastes a lot like salad cream.
Ok, so this may be authentic but as a famous food critic once said, authentic doesnât mean that itâs any good. It was reasonably priced. For £8.95 per head considering the quantity, and in general the quality, I think it was a pleasant lunch venue. The sushi was all half priced therefore costing just £1.50 for two pieces, which makes me wonder why we didnât just eat that. The bento box was on the whole a nice combination, but I canât get that mushy mix of potato, spam and âHeinz 57â out of my head.
Next time, and there will be one, Iâm going to explore the a la carte menu. However, on this occasion, I left disappointed.
Quality: 2.5/5
Quantity: 4.5/5
Price: 3.5/5
Service: 4/5
Atmosphere: 3/5
Total: 17.5/25