You may not know the name Julian Metcalfe and you probably have not met him. But if you live in London or Paris or New York [and other cities, too], you may well have eaten at his food chain Pret a Manger. My French tells me that is literally “Grab and Go and Eat.” Julian started the chain in 1986 with a college friend and has expanded across Europe, North America, and Hong Kong.
Julian describes the mission of his chain: to make “proper sandwiches using natural, preservative-free ingredients.” I like that word “proper.” Definitely a British guy.
And restless. You might think that with one worldwide chain Julian would stop. He hasn’t. Itsu is a second venture, now in its secnd decade, with two real restaurants in London and 50+ “low-fat salad, sushi and noodle health food shops across London.” Expansion continues and I look forward to Itsu coming across the Atlantic.
In the meantime, we have Itsu: The Cookbook, a crisp preview of what is in store for us. Pret a Manger was decades ahead in that quest for fresh, local and healthy. Itsu goes the next step. Each dish in the book is 300 calories or less per serving and each dish can be made in 30 minutes or less.
Healthy and fast. And eye catching. Itsu: The Cookbook is superbly photographed by Anders Schonnemann with full-page, top-down shots that vibrantly announce “good food is here.” Chapters in the book are devoted to:
- Soups
- Rice, Noodles, Sushi & Eggs
- Vegetables & Salads
- Meat
- Fish
- Dressings and Sauces
- Desserts and Drinks
The Asian influence is not subtle here. It’s evident in every recipe and photograph. Personally, when I eat Asian food, I think — fried rice aside — that I have just done something healthy. The recipes on these pages confirm that. What is intriguing about Itsu is that the recipes are not just the “normal” ones repackaged or renamed. As part of making them quick and healthy, there’s been serious work here to make delightfully different. So, will find:
- Hot and Sour Soup with Pork and Noodles
- Chicken, Mushroom and Coconut Soup
- Hot Soba Noodles in Mushroom Broth
- Crab California Maki
- Scrambled Eggs with Shrimp and Nori
- Beef Salad with Green Beans and Lime Marinade
- Spinach Balls with Sesame Sauce
- Chicken and Leek Yakitori
- Pan-Fried Salmon with Wasabi Peas
- Quick Watermelon and Lime Sorbet
- Baked Bananas with Caramel Sauce [made with tofu!]
Itsu is an inviting book that shows care, not just in the recipes and photos, but in the layout and readability. The header for each recipe is short, in a big font, and directly worded: you can tell in a flash if this recipe is the one you want to try. The list of ingredients is mercifully short — Asian cuisine can have recipes with 20 or 30 things you need, which is an intimidation barrier I have never overcome. The instructions are simple: remember, this food is ready in 30 minutes or less. So, typically in about 5 paragraphs of 1 or 2 sentences, you are told everything to do in simple fashion.
The pictures in Itsu will motivate you. The ingredients you may well already have on hand — and Itsu does tell you how to stock up your pantry, as well as how to make that sushi roll. And the instructions are easy. Once you start using Itsu, you’ll find yourself easily becoming a “regular.”
If you are bored with your current recipe portfolio, if you want to eat healthier, and if you “don’t have time to cook,” then you are just the person Julian has been looking for. And you should look for Itsu: The Cookbook.