A month or so ago I was asked if I would like to visit the new 'itsu' store in Reading to see what I thought of it, and I said I would be delighted to! Seeing as the opening was a little while away they also offered to send me a goodie box so that I could get a feel for the kind of food I would be trying when I got around to going to the restaurant.
When it arrived I was delighted to see a good selection of snacks, from chocolate covered rice cakes and skinny popcorn, to wasabi peas. I honestly haven't had a chance to try any of this yet but I can't wait to sink my teeth into these yummy treats!
Now onto my visit... I decided to go up to Reading on Tuesday and visit with my mum as we haven't spent a time together just the two of us for a little while, and I was already going to be in Reading for an appointment anyway.
On entering the store the first thing I noticed was how clean and neat everything way, there were fridges on the left hand side displaying all the yummy and very healthy food you could buy, including Sushi, salads and noodles.
The staff were so friendly and helpful and in no time we had decided upon what we wanted to eat. It was as simple as taking what we wanted to the counter, except the hot food items which you just order at the counter.
The decor in the restaurant is simple and clean, much like the food. There are round tables with stools where you can sit, and there are also plenty of sauces on hand that you can add to your food to enhance it further.
We got a fair amount of food for our money! We both had a Chicken and Coconut pot, then shared a Khobez bread to dip in the soup. I decided to have a smoothie, which had banana, strawberries and apple juice in it, it was delicious and filling. Then I couldn't leave without trying their chocolate mousse pot, even if it was a little naughty! Mum decided to pick up something healthier and went with the dark chocolate rice cakes.
Here are some close-ups of the yummy food! The pot was really good, it's honestly not normally the kind of thing I would go for, but I'm a big fan of chicken and noodles, and the broth that came with this was amazing! It was so full of flavour but at the same time simple (in a good way). It was also really filling, I often find that food that is healthier for me doesn't fill me up, but this definitely did. Thankfully I still had plenty of room for the chocolate mousse pot as this was hands down my favourite thing, and not only that but is probably the best chocolate mousse I have ever eaten. Normally I find chocolate mousse too rich, but this was just right, and the consistency was absolutely gorgeous.
Overall I had a really great experience at itsu in Reading, everything was delicious and I really felt like I was eating healthily (with the exception of the chocolate mousse), and my mum had a great meal too. The only thing was I ended up with a random giant splinter in my smoothie which took a nice chunk out of my tongue, and instantly stopped me drinking it. Obviously this was a freak accident, the only thing I can think of it being was the skin of the pineapple being left on and then blitz in the blender, which may have made it into a sharp splinter. I in no way blame itsu for this as it could literally happen to anyone, but I thought I would mention it anyway to cover everything.
If you want to give 'itsu' a try you can head on over to
their website to find the nearest store to you.
Have you visited an itsu restaurant before, if so what did you think?
**Disclaimer: I received a goody box, and £20 worth of vouchers to use in the 'itsu' restaurant so that I could experience their food. However this does not effect my writing, and all the opinions above are my own.