I had a great evening on Friday, after a slightly rushed tube journey to the Barbican, where I tucked into some delicious sushi at Pham Sushi, before seeing some extraordinary mime at the Barbican Theatre - Du Goudran et des Plumes.
I'd never heard of Pham Sushi before, but it had some great food, and was just tucked away a road or two from The Barbican Centre.
We started off with some nigiri - sea bream, mackerel, ebi (sweet prawn), and toro (fatty tuna). They were all great, especially the mackerel, which had a great texture and subtle taste, and the sweet prawn, which was deliciously sweet. The fatty tuna was slightly disappointing - a bit chewy, but the rice was fantastic. It was both sweet and acidic, and of perfect stickiness!
The tempura was also lovely, with a light batter, and tasty veg and prawns. I wasn't particularly impressed with the nasu dengaku (miso and aubergine), which was a bit soggy, and although the presentation of the hot dishes was poor (we went to the bar, so they took the hot dishes from the main restaurant in foil boxes, and served them as that), the soup made up for it.
I had the vegetable tempura soup, with soba noodles, absolutely fantastic. The broth had a great tang to it, and the soba noodles, which I normally don't have (ramen are my favourite), went very well. All in all, it was a lovely meal, and I'll certainly consider going back next time I go to the Barbican.
As for the play, that was also fantastic! The best piece of theatre I've seen for a while, certainly. The skill and acrobats were marvellous - it was even tiring to watch! I also admired the symbolism of human impact on the Earth, and the sounds were gripping and intense!
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Hi Theo, I've not come across Pham before, but that's probably because I work at the other end of the city and don't get to the Barbican side too often. I haven't dined at many Japanese establishments, but I have come to realise they do fall into two main camps. The first is the cafe style, just off the high street place that just gives you good ol' trusty dishes that taste great and the second is the highly crafted sushi that is so carefully prepared with the utmost precision and focus on presentation. I get the impression Pham is of the former variety, but that's fine, at least you know what to expect.
ReplyDeleteAs for mime theatre, I'm not sure if it would be my thing to be honest but you seemed to have had a good time all the same! I'm always open to try new things so if I ever get the opportunity I'll be sure not to pass on it.