After a hard hour (yes, hour - I'm male) of Christmas shopping it was time for some refreshment…read more The city centre did not appeal so I took a trek through Garnethill to Charing Cross, arriving at St. George's Road outside Satu Satu.
Satu means 'one' in Malay. Satu Satu translates exactly to 'One One' or, more correctly, to 'One by One'. The brand speaks Malaysian Chinese. It's one of a few Chinese restaurants in what's becoming (or become) Oriental Row.
It's informal, a largely open plan space with 18 covers, informal decor in good order. A third of the floorspace is given to the open plan kitchen. It's warm and, because of all the wok activity, a bit smoky at times, despite the industrial extraction hood. Don't go in your tuxedo if you're attending the Opera after.
There is the aroma of nice things frying and the happy clatters of blenders punctuating Chinese pop music. A couple of small Chinese children amused themselves with electronica while their carers worked. All in all a homely feel.
The welcome was fine. I was seated quickly. The two-course lunch deal appealed to the wallet.
The soup of the day was sweetcorn chicken, that staple of Chinese restaurants west of New Delhi. Not a dish that gives the chef to demonstrate his ability so I opted for the sambal tofu instead. A pot of Chinese tea filled the space while I waited. Service is speedy and the food cooked to order. The alarming flash of flames from the wok is proof if you need it.
The sambal tofu was disappointing. It's not a complex dish and, much like the soup, only requires correct assembly. The tofu had been fried too long and was charred on the outside though edible. The samba was cold, in contrast to the hot tofu. Though laced with translucent onions, it was oily, too sweet and lacking the chilli bite of proper Malaysian sambal. That last, in its proper avatar, is all heat and no sweet.
Pork hor fun, on the other hand, was the high point. This would be fried char kway teow to Malaysians: the flat hor fun rice noodle stir fried over immense heat with soya, blacan, seafood, egg and meat, depending on your taste. Satu Satu's version was not comparable (perhaps not meant to be) since it had, apart from noodles, only beansprouts and slices of pork. Not an issue - you can't expect the the real deal as part of a value lunch deal. What it did have was good texture (proper hor fun noodle bite), the smoky aroma and crispy bean sprouts. It lacked a certain depth of flavour that frying in lard (the Malaysian way) gives. It took a smattering of chilli oil (freely offered) and a bit of mixing to improve it.
Overall, for five pennies short of a tenner, it was satisfying and reasonably good value.
What could be improved? Well, what distinguishes the simply good from the truly excellent is detail and consistency. Make your own sambal. It's not difficult. We like authentic. Don't make what you think people want. Make what you want to eat. And warm it.
Would I go back? Yes but this time I would go for one of the 'Signature' dishes.
