Doing a supermarket run these days means a rare meal outdoors. With social distancing protocol and all, it's not always easy to find an eatery or restaurant that can accommodate you.
So when we did our weekly supermarket run at TEC Erfurt yesterday and saw available seats at Asia Food Sushi Bar, the hubs said we'll take it 😄 By local standards, this is considered fast food, as in the food comes in 10 minutes or less. Considering the fact that I cook a helluva lot of Malaysian food at home, I know it's odd for me to also eat Asian food when I'm out but when the hubs is a fan, I'll just go along with it. Besides, I have an excuse to eat food cooked by someone else so I ain't complainin' 😬
I do make it a point to order stuff I don't cook at home, though. And by these, I mean stuff that's too time-consuming, messy or with ingredients that aren't so easy for me to find.
Which means I ordered my deep-fried shrimps (we call them prawns where I come from) in batter, served with rice and vegetables on the side.
First of all, the shrimps were done very well. Kudos to the cook. I loved how the batter was lifted away from the shrimps at just the right distance - not sticking too closely to the shrimps that they appeared flat and yet, not so far away that each bundle felt empty. The batter, too, wasn't flat in texture or flavour, so I didn't feel like I was eating flour. Plus, they were generous, I had about 7 nicely-sized shrimps (all piping hot!) and when they're all done well, made a satisfying meal.
The rice, too, was cooked well and fresh. I love how this detail is taken care of. In a land where rice is not a staple, there are Asian eateries where rice is not considered a big deal. So I am thrilled that in this fast food outlet, rice is not overlooked.
The vegetables, on the other hand, were a trifle bit disappointing. Mostly bean sprouts, slices of Bombay onions and cucumbers, probably because they're the easiest to get here and cheapest (in comparison to other vegetables). The broccoli and cauliflower were sliced so thinly I could hardly recognize them in the vegetable mix, almost as if they were added in as an afterthought. Like the food was ready to be served and the cook went "oops, I forgot to add broccoli and cauliflower, better see what I've got leftover and dump them in now" (am I being a little harsh?). If they're so thin they could hardly be "found", then maybe just leave them out altogether, instead of appearing overly economical. The only non-disappointing part was that they were hot.
Maybe I'm being a little ambitious with fast food but I do think that even if a dish is a SIDE, it shouldn't be so dull. After all, if we wanted to hook up with a hottie on a night out on the town, we won't want our wing man/woman to be too undesirable now, would we? After all, wing people do have a job to do as well.
On a lesser note, I have no complaints against the sauce the vegetables were doused in. For my very Asian taste buds, it could be a little less salty but I have learnt that Germans generally have a much higher salt threshold. This detail could just be a local customization of the original recipe, which, living here now, I don't really have a problem with.
Overall, my Asian lunch was pleasing enough. For this particular dish, I would return for the shrimps but I really hope they fix their vegetable sides soon. They didn't commit the crime of compromising a recipe, but they do appear like they're compromising on ingredients. And that is just, well, stingy.
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