Japanese Canteen (Watling St)

I've just returned from the Japanese Canteen on Watling Street. It’s somewhere that in the past I have eaten quite often. I haven’t lately because the last few times have left me thinking "I used to eat here all the time - it must have been better than this?

Today I had one of their seasonal specials - yakatori (something like that) chicken. On opening the box I was greeted with 5 or 6 big lumps of carrot (ok) and a few quartered new potatoes (seasonal where exactly? - certainly not the UK or Japan for that matter) perched on overcooked rice (it had burst) & coated in a watery insipid drool. Rather than break the chefs heart by pointing out his creation was rubbish, I plopped it into the nearest bin and started again (so I’m back at the counter about 2 minutes after last being there -and it was before 12, so was very quiet, i.e they could see it was me back again).

I pointed out that it was terrible and said that I was going to try again, paying this time for a Pork Katsu. I did suggest that they might like to throw in a complimentary chili sauce - considering that their last offering only found its way to the bin. This concept proved difficult for the tall gangly chap on the till. Clearly overwhelmed by the responsibility of having to make an executive decision over a 20p bottle of chili oil, he finally concluded that “on this occasion; just this once” he was “going to make an exception”.

Hardly overwhelmed with joy at the momentous news, a few moments later I opened my Pork Katsu, and at that moment I finally remembered why I hadn’t been back in a while.

The pork had been cooked to near desiccation and the rice (what little there was) had been drowned in the barbecue sauce (imagine getting a plain rice from your local Chinese, remove 2/3rds of the contents and then pour half a bottle of HP sauce over the contents, and you are about there). I picked off and ate the ultra chewy pork, much of the rice fed the bin.

When done well very good. So, are you feeling lucky?
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Richard Hammond
2 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, January 18, 2011