21 Aug 2023
James Cameron boasts about one of the city’s hidden treasures and a firm family favourite…
We were hosting visitors at the weekend, and when this happens I feel the need to show off St Albans as much as possible to try and make everyone admit the truth that is to me self-evident, that it is the best place in the world to live. I wasn’t helped in this endeavour by the constant driving rain that has been the leitmotif of the summer holidays so far, so I turned to the secret weapon in our arsenal, lunch at local Japanese restaurant Kimaya.
First impressions were not encouraging as the restaurant was empty, with other punters
possibly not as willing to brave the rain for sushi as we were. The feeling of eerie abandonment was enhanced by the empty fish tanks that lined the walls.
One wonders if the absence of any fish was due to desperation following a failed sushi order but it’s many years now since they were populated and the time might have come to remove them.
Beyond the empty tanks the decor is largely functional, accommodating long tables with benches and a mural depicting such famous St Albans landmarks as, umm, Tower Bridge and the Gherkins.
However, we weren’t there to gaze at the walls, we were there to eat and that’s where we knew Kimaya would deliver.
It has long been a family favourite, so much so that we even have a Kimaya song (basically the supporting vocals to ‘The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane’ by Dean Martin but singing ‘Kimaya’ instead of ‘Papaya’ in case you’re interested).
The menu covers all the main enclaves of Japanese cooking, with a range of Sushi on offer as well as Ramen and Katsu, but also takes a roam around Asia to also feature Thai curries and Singapore noodles.
Everyone found something to suit their tastes although the vegans had to work a bit harder to pull together something from the smaller range of dishes.
The food arrived sporadically as and when it was ready, in the Wagamama manner, but each appearance of the waitress brought fresh delights.
Sticks of Chicken Yakitori were succulent and the sauce, although initially too sweet, soon became irresistible. Sesame Prawn Toast disappeared basically as soon as it arrived. A well-balanced seaweed salad gave a lovely mix of salt and sesame.
The highlight of the starters, though, were the spicy edamame. Served in a bamboo chest, inside was a treasure trove of tiny hits of spice and protein.
Once you had one they were addictive and it was difficult not to plough through the whole lot. The only slight let-down were the vegetable spring rolls which could have done with a few more vegetables.
When it came to mains I faced a dilemma. There is a dish that I absolutely love at Kimaya, and I have never been disappointed by it. If I only ever order this when I visit, though, I run the risk of missing out on even finer dishes elsewhere on the menu.
As always I stick with what I know, because who can resist the Jalapeno Hot Roll? Delicious salmon, avocado and cucumber Sushi taken to the next level by being deep-fried and covered in jalapenos and a fantastic sauce.
Even better, my visitor was envious of my menu choice as he had gone for sushi that was not deep-fried, though still full of flavour.
Full disclosure, the visitor was my brother so there might have been some unresolved childhood issues behind my desperate attempts to impress him with a Japanese restaurant. Conversely my son has his similar go-to dish, the Spicy Singapore Noodles, and every time I try a bit of his and wish I’d gone for that instead.
Not only are there delicious and generous chunks of duck, chicken and prawns, but the noodles themselves are amazing and packed with flavour, like the Super Noodles you would buy from the Tesco Local in heaven.
Thus are we trapped all trapped in our own personal and self-defeating patterns of behaviour.
Everyone was very happy with their dishes, despite the occasional rueful glances at their neighbours.
Other standouts included a Tofu Salad with perfect Tofu, crispy on the outside with a silken smoothness on the interior, and a Chicken Katsu that hit the exact sweet spot between sweet and salty.
The pricing is remarkably reasonable as well. There are a number of special deals that you can go for at lunchtime including a main course and a drink for £8.99, or for the same price you can go for a Bento Box featuring a starter and a main, as well as a side salad and some pickles.
We largely went a la carte but still the bill for seven very satisfied diners with drinks and service was £110.
The drinks on offer were not extensive, Pepsi or Lemonade, and if they could manage to serve green tea it would complement the dishes amazingly.
Kimaya really came up to the bat when it came to defending St Albans honour today.
In fact I was so impressed with the food that I actually used the phrase “My compliments to the chef!” for possibly the first time ever. I was aware of the unseen figure, the only other person in the building other than us and the waitress, slaving away in the basement to deliver dish after dish that delivered on exactly what it was seeking to achieve.
Like our very own Jiro Ono, only instead of a Tokyo subway station he plies his trade slightly outside of the city centre but very convenient if you happen to be seeing something at The Odyssey.
Kimaya is one of those mainstays of the St Albans restaurant scene that we should every so often try to look at with an outsider’s eye and realise how lucky we are to have it.
