Tampopo

Tampopo has opened a new outlet in the basement of the Triangle. Or the Bermuda Triangle, given the mysterious disappearance of so many businesses there.

This one is positively slick, almost lush. There’re red bits, expensive pebble decorated walls and groovy light-fittings. The service is efficient.

This won’t happen to Tampopo. The mini-restaurant group is now all-grown-up. It knows its strengths, knows what it’s about, it’s all very professional. It’s confident too, opening contrary to received wisdom in a basement. But then Tampopo is used to this having began life in an Albert Square basement in those long ago nineties.

Since then other Tampopos have opened in Leeds and Fulham. The group was even one of the first to bring light to the dark horror of microwaved food in the Trafford Centre.

The style, well-known to many readers, is comfort fusion food but don’t say that to the owners, Nick Fox and David Jeffery. Their dishes come from Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines, and each is particular to its country of origin, not a fudge of elements from them all. They argue that fusion doesn’t fit these individual styles. They have a point.

They’ve also invented the best excuse for a ‘research trip’ you can find. The boys regularly journey East checking out ingredients and recipes and seeking inspiration. It’s work and pleasure and tax deductable.

At the Triangle you can see how things have moved on with Tampopo. The original in Albert Square was a squashed cube with benches and a few artworks. It looked as though it cost 47p. Almost. This one is positively slick, almost lush. There’re expensive pebble decorated walls, wallpaper covered in group messages and groovy light-fittings. The service is efficient and knowledgeable and comes with a smile. The training programme is clearly successful.

The food has moved on too. The prices might be as reasonable as ever but the food is more sophisticated, more nuanced. The best of the dishes was perhaps the Chicken Adobo (£7.50) from the Philippines. This was excellent despite the chilli I found which was so hot I forgot who I was and all the people dear to me in a dazed search for something to cool down the oven masquerading as my mouth. I also got chunks of chicken breast, sweet potatoes, broccoli and choi sum in a sauce rich with spices, bay leaves and those call-999-for-the-Fire-Brigade chillis. I loved the thing. Sturdy and full-on flavour is always a winning combination.

The Pho (£8.50), which in Vietnamese means ‘the only short, simple word on any Far Eastern menu’ was a revisited much loved favourite, although again, it seems to have been updated. It comes as a massive noodle soup with flat rice noodles and sliced rump steak (you can have it with chicken too), plus lime, herbs and star anise. Careful with the latter of course, the liquorice flavour divides people as much as Marmite. But if you’re pro star anise then you’ll be pro Pho. Another Pho, the Xao Bo (£7.95) of noodles, rump steak, lemongrass, mint and coriander was good but a notch down from its cousin in cheerful complexity.

Other memorable morsels include the Japanese gyoza dumplings (£3.95), five pork, bamboo shoot and onion lovelies, with a soy dip and the sturdy pickled cabbage (50p) and the home-made lemonade with the mint leaves (£1.95).

Other drinks include smoothies, wines at good prices (max of £13.95 a bottle) and Tzu, ‘an Eastern health drink’. There are several beers from breweries set up in Japan, Laos and so on by wandering Teutons over the last century.

There were two problematic areas. The water needs to be served in big bottles not the present silly one and a half cup numbers for a ridiculous £1.60. Ask for a jug of tap water. The other problem lies in the unisex toilets. Speaking as a man, does any woman like these?

All in all though an enjoyable visit. We went early on a Friday evening and the place had a buzz about it. It’s a good family venue as well. If you’ve got kids, Tampopo has crayons, activity sheets and special menus. This place works well. If you’re in the area pop in and have a go.

Venues are rated against the best examples of their kind: fine dining restaurants against the best fine dining restaurants, pizzerias against the best pizzerias and so on.