Blue Ginger

We’ve all seen those cute little black Smart Cars zipping around the city with the Blue Ginger logo on the sides. But… Blue Ginger? What is it? My, if I found a piece of blue ginger in my food I’d be a little worried. I’ve only just managed to get my head round the bright orange ginger atop the food in Wagamama.
Don’t worry though, it’s just a cute name. I have a friend who ‘doesn’t do Chinese food’ because she hates MSG. Well, she hasn’t an excuse any more. After extensive research (thank you, Google and Wikipedia) I still can’t figure out exactly what tangible symptoms this additive is supposed to invoke, however the main thing is that Blue Ginger prides itself on not using monosodium glutamate. Rejoice!
There’s no doubt about it — Blue Ginger’s delicious. It has its flaws in the expensiveness of the dishes and lack of late opening times (come on, Domino’s is open until 5am! And I have firsthand knowledge of the fact that it uses delivery people who could quite easily star in The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Deliverance… I don’t want to be told I have a ‘purdy mouth’ in the wee small hours but hey, we all need pizza), but it’s worth it. It’s the sort of takeaway that makes you want to get into your sweats, put on a DVD and just indulge in the cosiness of your city apartment.
But Blue Ginger should be a treat unless you’re a CEO or MD or Client Services Director or maybe even a celebrity. I think it breaks the bank a little with soups and starters ranging from £3.70 to around £7, or more if you opt for crispy duck pancakes. The online ordering service is a gem though, it’s so simple… choose your sauce, then opt for beef, chicken, pork, prawn, king prawn, char sui, a combo, mixed veg, mushrooms or tofu. This means that the veggies don’t miss out on great sauces, something I find happens often in Chinese takeout. You can simply pick and choose. Remember that these don’t include rice and noodles which can make for a costly meal. Because there’s so much choice you might find yourself gazumped, so the set meals and the chef’s selection offer a solution to any difficulty in deciding.
You can even order a bottle of wine to be delivered, the cheapest at £6.95 (and a Chardonnay too — bonus for me) or beers at around £1.70 each. Blue Ginger just about has everything covered. The food may be pricey, but the quality speaks for itself. It’s fresh, it’s hot and it’s tasty. Some say you can’t put a price on the perfect takeaway, so surely there’s nothing wrong with paying a little extra for something special?