Kiyoto Restaurant, Hatch End, Middlesex. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
The Kiyoto sushi restaurant in Mill Hill was already a favourite of one branch of our family for a treat. Another couple have lived in the far east and eat sushi regularly as a lunchtime snack. So we were all agreed that the new restaurant branch, opened in July 2023 in Hatch End, north west London, would suit all of us.
How do you remember the restaurant name, to look it up on public websites or in your own computer files? Kyoto is a pretty city in Japan, a former capital of the country. The word kyo (京) means capital (capital city) as in Kyoto. Kiyoto, spelled with the added vowel i, is a boy's first name.
The restaurant menu has changed slightly this year, 2023. For those of us, like me, new to this chain, that made no difference.
What did I like? Smiling service from two or three girls who helped us and beaming from the manager who came past to ask how everything was three times.
Which food did I like the most? And least?
Starters - Seaweed!
My seaweed starter was luminous, moist, translucent green strings. Not the crunchy dried seaweed I used to get in Chinese restaurants. This Kiyoto version is probably fresher and healthier but I have not yet acquired a taste for it. However, another member of the party loved it and finished it off. He said, "It's like cucumber."
Fortunately, the duck dumplings, soft and traingular pasta parcels with minced duck inside, a bit like ravioli, were served at the same time, enough to share. These suited me. They were my favourite and a favourite all round.
Main Courses
The thick cut raw salmon. Pink.
All our three set meals were on one large platter so that it looked large and appetising and suitable for sharing.
Delightful Desserts
The novelty desserts. The biggest success were the oval twisted deep fried fritters - with chocolate sauce.
Disappointing Desserts
The three ice creams were mango, which did not taste of mango, strawberry which did not taste of strawberry, and chocolate which tasted less of chocolate than the chocolate sauce.
All three were small, one or two bite size. Not melting like the ice cream I expected. Instead, solid, and, I frown at the thought, were encased in a rubbery, tasteless covering. Japanese food is famous for having subtle tastes. However, I like teriyaki and soy. But when I was expeting melt in the mouth ice cream I was not excited by something so subtle and small and chewy. However, I didn't like yogurt the first two times I tasted it. And when I was younger I did not like tomatoes, pickles, nor olives. Who knows? One day they might be my favourite and yours.
Even so, both desserts were a novelty for me. Satisryingly, the chocolate sauce was a good, sweet end to the meal.
Toothpicks, unwrapped, were provided on request.
What more could they have done?
Something sweet with the bill.
Something memorable to take home, such as a fancy shaped address card. Explaining the namee of the restaurant on the menu or in a frame on the wall.
A glossary.
Good Toilets
The toilets are on the ground floor, which is the case everywhere in Hatch End, which suits me. Modern, bright, black and white, gleaming and clean. Spacious. With plants. And wonderful sweet-smelling hand gel and lotion in two bottles. Full marks for the toilets.
Noise Level Helps Privacy
The restaurant was echoing and noisy. That suited us because it meant our two-year-old did not cause any annoyance or distraction to other diners. We had the circular window seat which was quite private and isolated with a partition. The tables are down both sides of the long restaurant with a wide space in the middle near the front door.
Happy Hatch End
They were busy. So was Hatch End, teeming on a Saturday night. Another pearl in the necklace of restaurants circling the high street. A short downhill walk from Hatch End station which is on the Euston line in NW London. Several of the restaurants extended with outside tables for smokers. Then, some of them encased the outide area in glass sides and roofs. The result is double size restaurants, more happy people.
Frontage
Looking back at my photo, I see the phone number on the restaurant fascia.
The front also shows a pair of chopsticks. You are automatically given disposable chopsticks. Good to learn how to use them. Watch out for splinters. Two of our group of five got splinters in fingers.
Lessons Learned
1 Check chopsticks for splinters
2 Check Soy Sauce for salt and thickness
Soy Suace bottles come in two colours. Green top for less salt. red top for more salt.
When buying sushi, you might get free sachets of soy sauce. The sachets given to you might contain watery soy sauce.
The short pour on bottles contain thicker soy sauce.
The huge gallon type containers contain a different thickness again.
When buying or using soy sauce, check the label. Decide if you want the more flavoursome salty soy sauce, or if your diet requires you to choose less salt for health reasons.
Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi
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