Wow. This place is madness. I came here for an impromptu mini-supper club, and what a night! Firstly, before you get lost, walk around Sandinista and down the steps - it may feel a little odd, but you'll know you're in the right place when you open that door, and walk across the fish pond bridge. (Which is beautiful, might I add.) Cheesy as it sounds, it really feels like you're in Tenchu (a computer game, if you're not a geek) when you walk in - the lighting, the space. It's cool! But I wasn't playing ninja on this evening.
We got seated alongside two other couples, and handed menus, so began perusing what treats we'd consume. We all ordered, and I chose the closest to my favourite from Wasabi T (steak rolled with garlic and mushrooms, and the other gubbins) and the proceedings began. We realised that our waiter was also our chef - but this made sense, as the rest of the place was empty. Why have more staff than you need?
There was a bit of a kafuffle, as both couples had come to dine on a High Life card (or something) and weren't allowed to order what it said they could. This involved one chap, holding his mobile with the deal on the screen in one hand, then being handed a mobile to the other, to talk directly to the manager - presumably on a night off - who reiterated what deal they could(n't) have. Confusing, but us plebs were spending full monies, so it was nowt to do with us.
And that's where the fun started. The chef was lovely, and fun, and began the proceedings of bantering and cooking the rice with the eggs. Cajoled by the couples, I took a punt at flicking the egg, and of course missed. It then quickly became apparent that couple number one, dangerously close to my friend, were getting supremely amorous. A little over-amorous, considering we were all strangers at a shared dinner table, but there's no shielding the view at a table like this. Couple number two were filming every waking minute of the show (the chef, not the couple) on their iPad, which was also intriguing. I settled for taking a photo.
After much weirdness, and random behaviours, our food was served up by the talented Teppanyaki chef. The soup, rice, and such were all a delight - really beautiful and well cooked. Sadly, the beef and lamb slices were a little over cooked and tough. Dang it! Even so, having had a few drinks and being rather ravenous at this stage, I devoured much of it. As the night drew to a close, we bid adieu to couple number one, who stepped out hand-in-hand, and watched couple number two empty their sapporro cans (Japanese lager) onto their plates, before depositing the empty cans in a handbag. I don't even know.
We paid up, and stepped back next door to Sandi's for a nightcap, and mulled over quite what had happened. Lastly, our chef for the night waved goodbye, as he wandered down the road, complete with portable casio keyboard strapped to his shoulder. Amazing. Who are these people?! I love them all.
I mean, by all accounts, this was an excellent night. Supremely odd, beautifully strange, but we'd definitely had our fill by the end. Whilst I didn't rate the food as much as across the way, I'd come back for a second try. Only, I'd definitely make it a random Tuesday. read more