Randomness Guide to London - Differences between Version 18 and Version 17 of Pacific Plaza

Version 18 Version 17
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The first tenants moved in just before the end of 2009, and by mid-February 2010 the opening had progressed far enough for the centre to host a Chinese New Year celebration. In addition to the businesses mentioned below, there are plans for a supermarket, a bookshop, a clothes shop, and a martial arts hall offering classes and demonstrations. The supermarket has been fitted out since January 2010 <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4287525913/ photo]</small>, and word as of early June 2010 is that it will open at the end of June, but since the opening has been announced and then put off a number of times already, it remains to be seen whether this will actually happen.
 The first tenants moved in just before the end of 2009, and by mid-February 2010 the opening had progressed far enough for the centre to host a Chinese New Year celebration. In addition to the businesses mentioned below, there are plans for a supermarket (already fitted out <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4287525913/ photo]</small> and due to open in mid-May 2010), a bookshop, a clothes shop, and a martial arts hall offering classes and demonstrations.
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As of the start of June 2010, seven of the thirteen units in the food court are open for business (more are marked as coming soon, including a fresh juice bar, an Indian vegetarian stall, and a Darjeeling momo stall <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/tags/darjeelingmomo/ photos]</small>):
 Also as of mid-March 2010, eight of the thirteen units in the food court are open for business (four more are marked as coming soon, including a fresh juice bar, an Indian vegetarian stall, and a Vietnamese stall):
* <b>Sawadee Thai</b> &#8212; this will eventually have a Thai massage side, but only the food side is open so far. April 2010 update: Sawadee is now closed <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/aris1234/4375335365/in/pool-1276344@N25 photo], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4440648041/ menu p1], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4441426462/ menu p2], [http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4441425912/ menu p3]</small>.
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[[Kake]] tried the dim sum at the China House stall in January 2010. King prawn cheung fun (&pound;3.80) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4287536271/ photo]</small> was OK, though the wrappers were a little thick and the prawns a decent size but unremarkable in quality (and perhaps very slightly overcooked). Pan-fried turnip cake (&pound;2.60) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4287532739/ photo]</small> was good, with decent, not-dried-out chunks of roast meat, obvious shreds of turnip, and a decent amount of browning on the outside. Siu mai (&pound;2.50) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4288281428/ photo]</small> were pretty good too, with large chunks of prawn to complement the pork, and a well-judged fat-to-meat ratio. Jasmine tea (80p) came in a 300ml polystyrene cup with the teabag still in.
 [[Kake]] tried the dim sum at the China House stall in January 2010. King prawn cheung fun (&pound;3.80) was OK, though the wrappers were a little thick and the prawns a decent size but unremarkable in quality (and perhaps very slightly overcooked) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4287536271/ photo]</small>. Pan-fried turnip cake (&pound;2.60) was good, with decent, not-dried-out chunks of roast meat, obvious shreds of turnip, and a decent amount of browning on the outside <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4287532739/ photo]</small>. Siu mai (&pound;2.50) were pretty good too, with large chunks of prawn to complement the pork, and a well-judged fat-to-meat ratio <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4288281428/ photo]</small>. Jasmine tea (80p) came in a 300ml polystyrene cup with the teabag still in.
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[[Kake]] visited again in June 2010 and tried the salmon sashimi bento box from Shan (&pound;9.50) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4666048244/ photo]</small>. This included one gyoza dumpling, one skewer of teriyaki chicken, a large handful of edamame, a generous helping of salmon sashimi, a leaf and cheery tomato salad, rice, and miso soup. The gyoza was freshly fried, with a nice crust on the bottom. The chicken was very tender, and its sauce nicely balanced and not too sweet. The edamame were served at room temperature, so not freshly cooked, but this was done competently and the texture didn't suffer too much. The salmon sashimi was fairly thinly sliced, and some of the pieces were a little irregular, but it seemed fresh enough. The salad was properly dressed with a well-balanced dressing. The rice was fine, neither undercooked nor mushy, and nicely presented with a sprinkling of black sesame seeds, and the miso soup had a pleasant if not particularly complex flavour.
 [[Kake]] visited again in March 2010, and tried the som tam (papaya salad; &pound;6.50) <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4441450414/ photo]</small> from Sawadee Thai. It was made fresh to order, and they asked me if I wanted it "authentic" or "Westernised" (apparently Westernised is sweeter), and also what level of spice I'd like. I went for authentic-style with medium spicing, which was about the right heat level for me ([[bob]] would probably have preferred it hot). The flavours were well-balanced, the peanuts nicely roasted, the dried prawns and anchovies gently fishy, and the vegetables fresh and crunchy; sadly, one of the three large fresh prawns that came with it tasted a bit muddy.
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Initially the food court also had another Thai place called Sawadee Thai (see <small>[http://www.flickr.com/photos/kake_pugh/4441450414/ photo of som tam with more info in the comments]</small>), but this only lasted a few months and as of June 2010 the unit where it used to be is empty and clear of all signage.
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<div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]], 2 June 2010.</div>
 <div class="last_verified">Last visited by [[Kake]], March 2010.</div>
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Reasonably-sized East and South-East Asian shopping mall and food court in Wembley very near Wembley Stadium. It's very similar to (and is touted as the replacement for) the now-closed Oriental City, and the project is in fact the brainchild of a former Oriental City tenant.

The first tenants moved in just before the end of 2009, and by mid-February 2010 the opening had progressed far enough for the centre to host a Chinese New Year celebration. In addition to the businesses mentioned below, there are plans for a supermarket (already fitted out photo and due to open in mid-May 2010), a bookshop, a clothes shop, and a martial arts hall offering classes and demonstrations.

As of mid-March 2010, there are six businesses trading on the ground floor:

  • 8AM Healthcare Ltd photo, offering acupuncture and Chinese medicine.
  • Doki photo — this is the Japanese crockery shop that used to trade as Utsuwa-No-Yakata in Oriental City. It's open 10am-6:30pm Mon-Sun.
  • Tetote Factory photo — a Japanese bakery open 10am-7pm Mon and Wed-Sun. It also sells hot drinks, and although there's no seating in the shop, it's fine to take your purchases upstairs and eat them in the food court.
  • A beauty salon.
  • A ceramics shop photo.
  • A tat shop photo.

Also as of mid-March 2010, eight of the thirteen units in the food court are open for business (four more are marked as coming soon, including a fresh juice bar, an Indian vegetarian stall, and a Vietnamese stall):

Kake tried the dim sum at the China House stall in January 2010. King prawn cheung fun (£3.80) was OK, though the wrappers were a little thick and the prawns a decent size but unremarkable in quality (and perhaps very slightly overcooked) photo. Pan-fried turnip cake (£2.60) was good, with decent, not-dried-out chunks of roast meat, obvious shreds of turnip, and a decent amount of browning on the outside photo. Siu mai (£2.50) were pretty good too, with large chunks of prawn to complement the pork, and a well-judged fat-to-meat ratio photo. Jasmine tea (80p) came in a 300ml polystyrene cup with the teabag still in.

Kake visited again in March 2010, and tried the som tam (papaya salad; £6.50) photo from Sawadee Thai. It was made fresh to order, and they asked me if I wanted it "authentic" or "Westernised" (apparently Westernised is sweeter), and also what level of spice I'd like. I went for authentic-style with medium spicing, which was about the right heat level for me (bob would probably have preferred it hot). The flavours were well-balanced, the peanuts nicely roasted, the dried prawns and anchovies gently fishy, and the vegetables fresh and crunchy; sadly, one of the three large fresh prawns that came with it tasted a bit muddy.

Accessibility: Step-free to get in. There's a large car park just outside. There are steps up to the food court on the first floor, but there's also a lift (though the lift is quite well-hidden and it may be that you have to find a staff member to use it). Toilets are on the first floor too, including a dedicated accessible toilet.

See also:

Getting here: It's about 5 minutes' walk from Wembley Park Station on the Jubilee Line. Come out of the exit signposted for Wembley Stadium, and at the bottom of the steps carry on through the underpass directly towards the stadium. Continue over one road and then turn left onto Engineer Way just under the ramps leading up to the stadium. Wembley Retail Park is a little way along on the left. Alternatively, buses 92 and P92 stop directly outside.
Last visited by Kake, March 2010.

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