Which restaurant in Cheltenham immediately drew my attention? It could only be the blossom-adorned Japanese crown of Kibou, in the town centre. My friend and I had determined that we must experience this culinary retreat at some point, and without haste I booked our seats. I expected that this would be a treat not only for our appetites but for all our senses.
I had never ventured inside this restaurant before - I had only seen its amazing floral exterior walking by. Inside it certainly didn't disappoint - the pink blossom that teased us outside chased along the ceilings, and the space was punctuated with LEDs that gave it an urban, yet tasteful, Japanese street vibe. Murals painted on the walls lent to this oriental city feel. It felt upmarket, too, with wooden floors and smart upholstered chairs.
We were led to our seats, and I was excited by this alone, as we were sat not on traditional backed chairs but what my later research found were zabutons. These are traditonal Japanese cushions, and was my first grasp on the new culture we would be embracing that evening.
There were dipping plates and chopsticks laid out for us, and we had a look through the menu. After I took copious images of our surroundings, we ordered our food and drink. I had an iced apple juice, which was four pounds. It was very nice and refreshing, but I felt it didn't taste much different to ordinary juice. It felt a bit expensive for what it was. My friend had a hot chocolate, for the same price, which had a positive review.
I had already looked at the menu before booking, and I chose an item I'd already laid my eyes on: a crispy tofu poke bowl. They had plenty of vegan options to choose from thankfully, so I was appreciative of that. My friend also chose this rice bowl option, which to quote from the Kibou menu, included- 'mango, avocado, radish, spring onion, crispy onion, grated carrot, edamame, sesame, and goma wakame.' I later found out that the last ingredient was a very nutritious edible seaweed.
While we waited for our food, the atmosphere was wonderful to sit and converse in. As I had only been in traditional Western chain restaurants before, rarely independent ones, this certainly was a nice and much-needed change of scenery. I hesitantly tried a wasabi pea, but it was thankfully not as spicy as I expected - a brief pulse of heat which quickly subsided to satisfaction.
We weren't sure how deep the poke bowls would be for our £11.90 each - but I was pleasantly surprised by the portion size when it arrived. The taste infusion was incredible, unlike any home-cooked stir fry I had bought from the aisles of Tesco. This was great, proper, Asian cuisine: warm and flavoursome. There were varied textures and tastes: from the almost egg-like silken tofu, to the crunch of its coating, the sweet notes of mango, and softness of the edamame beans and avocado. I couldn't begin to fathom all the different tastes in the sauce of the rice. I really enjoyed my poke bowl, and so did my friend.
I left Kibou feeling inspired, thinking how I could add some gourmet elements to my own cooking at home - maybe I could liven up my rice and veg dishes with some fruit, avocado, or even some seaweed? There are a myriad of paths to take with cooking, and I feel like I have just found the next one to walk down on my humble culinary adventure.
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