Fit Foodies – Chop Chop
So far, we Fit Foodies have stuck to restaurants offering European cuisine in our quest to find healthy and not overly-calorific ways of eating out. We decided it was time to voyage a little further, so we trekked all the way to... London’s Leicester Square.
Chop Chop is a Chinese restaurant within the famous Hippodrome Casino at the junction of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road. Actually, we call it a casino but the Hippodrome styles itself as ‘the UK’s largest and most popular entertainment and casino venue’. This is no idle boast as, across its seven floors, it is also home, amongst other non-gambling things, to nine bars, and Magic Mike Live. At the latter, physically perfect gentlemen (clearly devotees of the Fit Foodies - it’s the only plausible explanation for their uber-buffness) remove most of their clothing to delighted audiences.
If that doesn’t give you an appetite, nothing will. Enter Chop Chop, a friendly and relaxed restaurant with none of the bling or tawdriness you might expect from a gambling joint add-on. We westerners tend to associate Chinese food with large group blow-outs full of carb- and calorie-heavy dumplings, deep-fried delights and sweet, sticky sauces. This is terribly unfair; pretty much all cuisines have their naughty elements, and we found it as easy to order healthily here as at French or Italian restaurants.
We feasted on steamed sea bass fillets simply dressed with ginger and soy; equally sinless scallops, still on the shell; wonderfully crunchy, lightly dressed vegetables; simple, steamed rice; tofu. We did allow ourselves a bit of naughtiness with a few tempura prawns and a jewellery box of different coloured steamed dumplings but easily adhered to the Fit Foodies’ 80-20 rule (80% healthy food, 20% naughty stuff). If you fancy coming off the culinary rails a wee bit more than we did, there’s quite an extensive dessert menu for a Chinese with intriguing treats like yuzu cheesecake and ube (purple yam) ice cream sandwiches.
The staff were attentive and charming, not always the case in the many oriental eateries a short stroll away in Chinatown. Prices were fair too, and our fellow diners relaxed and civilised. This is a hidden, handy little place to know which would impress a date. And, of course, you’re under no obligation to visit the blackjack or roulette tables. Whether you like gambling or not, it’s a safe bet.
