Billy & Me Quest for Eats

Umami: the fifth flavour! I just came across this idea today and had to mention it briefly in the blog. I won’t go on about it at any lenght (or even girth) as the wikipedia entry more than suffices.

It’s a wonderful idea; that there are essentially four kinds of flavour (much like the three basic colours) and a chef mixes these to create a meal much as a painter mixes paints. These are Saltiness, Sourness, Sweetness and Bitterness.

These four tastes and their endless variations composed all of Western Thought and Practice until the introduction of MSG…. Then came a fifth UMAMI!!!

What I find hilarious and wholly accurate about the choice of titles is that no word in the English language could adequately describe the no-taste and yet more-taste of MSG. It’s sometimes referred to as savouriness. I’d take issue with this as I think that’s probably a subset of three of the first four. UMAMI refers to something which, in my opinion, is entirely different… that odd, can’t quite put your finger (or tongue) on it flavour of all cheap Chinese food (and Pringles too of course).

Once you pop, you can’t stop. Why? The power of UMAMI, of course.

Wonderful.

(All I’m waiting for now is for Umami to duke it out with Godzilla for supreme power)

Link to gmap here

Wong Kei’s
41-43 Wardour Street
London
W1D 6PY

“No visit to London is complete without at least one visit to the Wong Kei.”: Rob - Monday, December 05, 2005

“I have been coming to this restaurant on and off for nearly 30 years. “: David Gower - Tuesday, November 15, 2005

“If you go to London, you can forget to visit Buchingam Palace, Trafalgar Square or Downing Street,but you can’t forget to visit Wong Key Restaurant”#: Andrea - Saturday, November 12, 2005

“The best chinese restaurant. I eat in wong key restaurant a lot of time when I lived in London”: Andrea - Saturday, November 12, 2005

(quotes taken from http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2971.htm)

“All of the above people are idiots” Billy. 12/01/2006

I’ve been told Wong Kei’s is something of a London institution. One of those famous places that you bring your out-of-town mates too as a London novelty. You know, like the Eye, or the Tate Modern, or Brick Lane, or some Soho back alley mired with cat urine, smelly leaking bin bags, and a plate of what could somewhere be termed food… ‘cause really you may as well go there rather than pay for anything in Chinatown.

The rudeness of the staff, I’m told with good authority, is an amusing side to eating here. I haven’t found the staff to be particularly rude; just as bored and dismissive as in most other establishments in Chinatown. Certainly not rude enough to be unique and definitely not enough to entertain.

The food is dull and tasteless. I do like my soya and chilli condiments, but shouldn’t have to rely on them so heavily. So why do I keep going back? There is a simple reason as to why I enjoy eating in Chinatown (and no, it’s never been the food); it’s that I get to rant and bitch about it for months after the fetid experience. Unfortunately, when I’ve had a few and I’m in the area and peckish (and for some unknown reason can’t find Misato) I forget this simple fact. Invariably, as soon as the first spoonful of moist msg-laden goo passes my lips I remember. Which isn’t altogether bad, as I can at least look forward to the meal ending and the bitching begining.

Link to gmap
Billy: 7
Eoin: 2

A very short entry; it’s not a particularly interesting story. It’s just to highlight a pub that we think is rather nice and serves rather nice food in an area that is largely devoid of such. Also it gets slated on beerintheevening and we think the entries are a bit unfair.

The menu is a fairly basic pub food menu; meat and chicken dishes. They do however succeed in that one criterion that so many fail to even realise is important; simple food is fantastic if you just use good ingredients.

We had:
Italiano Chicken. Described as “chicken breast wrapped in bacon”; it rather impressed our companion as being wonderful moist roast chicken wrapped in crisped parma ham.

Lamb shank was excellent; the meat strongly flavoured and waiting to fall from the bone and into my belly where Billy waited with great expectations.

It’s an area where it can very difficult to find anything at all nice to eat (unless you really do enjoy the endless mediocre tapas of Greenwich village). It can be difficult to find a nice pub where the television doesn’t blare out over your every word. It can certainly be very difficult to find a quiet table on a Saturday night. The Guildford Arms provided all of these and, for anyone living in the area, it’s a hidden treasure for doing so.

Eoin: 7
Billy: 8
Extra super new score for general niceness: 8
Link to gmap here