Reflections on Japan: Zamira & Nick share their favourite moments
27 October 2023
Following their return from the British Fair at Hankyu Umeda Department Store in Osaka Japan, we sit down with our Head Fry Chef Zamira Beqiri and Head Chef Nick Clough to chat about their experience frying up Fish City’s award-winning fish and chips in Japan.
The British Fair took place over the course of two weeks in October 2023 at Hankyu’s flagship Umeda store and showcased produce and merchandise from iconic brands synonymous with the UK. Being the UK’s national dish, fish and chips are amongst these isles’ most cherished culinary traditions, and following dual wins – as Restaurant of the Year and the Environment & Sustainability Award – at the National Fish and Chip Awards in 2023, the team at Hankyu very generously invited Fish City to open a pop-up shop in Japan to share our signature product. Amongst those in our delegation were our head fryer and head chef, who were buzzing when they got back from a very successful trip bringing Belfast’s Fish City fish and chips to one of Japan’s great cities.
Zamira Beqiri, Head Fry Chef
Can you describe what it was like and how you felt when you first arrived?
I felt really welcomed. As soon as we got out of the terminal at the airport, Keiji who organized our trip was there waiting for us and waving hello to us. After taking us to the hotel, letting us get settled, and waiting for us downstairs after getting refreshed, he gave us a tour of the Hankyu Department Store where we made our fish and chips that week. The next morning, he took us on a trip to Kyoto, which we really loved. We went to shrines and temples there, which were beautiful.
That sounds amazing! Did you learn anything food-wise whilst you were out there?
On the fish and chips, we probably shared more of what we know. I got tips from our Japanese team members for Japanese food, and they got tips from me, from us on fish and chips, which is not as easy to find there. I got so many ideas for dishes for the restaurant whilst in Osaka.
And did you meet anyone of interest?
Yeah, we hired out a tiny restaurant one night for dinner, and the chef, the Japanese chef who cooked for us, he was so fascinating and had so many great stories to tell. A lovely woman named Megumi gave us an amazing tour when we arrived in Osaka, which was so helpful in helping us to get orientated for the week. She took us to local shops to get little things we were after and also to see local things that we probably wouldn’t have seen if it weren’t for her.
Last question: Would you do it again?
Yes, I would do it again, but I would love for somebody else from our team to have this experience as well, to enjoy it as much as I did. It was an unforgettable trip and an honour to be there with John and Grainne bringing Fish City to Japan.
Nick Clough, Head Chef
Can you describe what the trip was like?
It was brilliant. We got there. We were very excited to arrive. Couldn't wait to get started. It was a long trip and we were tired, but we rolled up early the next day raring to go. It was it was brilliant.
When you were there, did you have time to see the place to check it out, to experience Osaka?
We had quite a lot of time in the evenings, and because of the way we worked it, we all got some time off to experience the place. So we went for loads of great meals. We tried one of the best Kobe beef restaurants, which was absolutely fantastic. We had tempura every day. On my day off, I got up early, went to the big fish market, and had a look around the fish market. I saw loads of species I'd never seen before. They had big yellowfin tuna in there, abalone, huge oysters… that was brilliant. And while I was there at the fish market, there was a really great little sushi restaurant that I'd heard about, so I went to that. It was a great experience, a proper old school sushi restaurant. The chefs had obviously been there for years. There were pictures on the wall of them from the 70s, and it was still the same chefs. It was only like three tables plus four seats at the bench. It was just a totally authentic sushi experience. You could tell that that restaurant had been there for a long time. It was really well-known. The food in Osaka was just amazing.
So you went to Japan to showcase Fish City’s food and left even more impressed by the local food?
Yeah. That food was so good. Really healthy. Everything was really fresh. We went to an area of the city with lots of different street food stalls and restaurants. It was just amazing. The busiest places I'd ever been. On the Saturday it was just packed. The streets were absolutely rammed, yet everyone was really polite and so respectful.
Sounds incredible, really! And how was the setup for the British fair at the Hankyu Department Store?
The setup was really professional. It was done up like a pop-up with different booths across the shopping area. We had quite a prime spot on one corner where a lot of space and we were there with our three little fryers. We were only doing our fish and chips, so it was pretty straightforward for us. The Friday, the Saturday and the Sunday were the three busiest days. The the department store opened at 10 a.m. and at 10:01 we had queues, and the queues would remain the entire day until we ran out of fish. Just constant.
So there was a lot of love in Osaka for Fish City’s fish and chips?
Yeah, everyone was really excited to see us. Some were coming up to the window of the booth taking photos with us, and it felt a bit like we were celebrities. It was a bit surreal coming down the stairs and towards the station and the big mall, and there was a big, huge electronic billboard with our little faces on there. It was great. People in Osaka really responded well to our shop. They loved the fish and chips. It was just brilliant.
I’m assuming then that you would do it again?
Oh, absolutely! Absolutely. In a heartbeat. It was brilliant. I absolutely loved it. The big thing for me is I've always wanted to go to Japan, and you go to Europe, America, Australia even, but the cultures aren't vastly different from here. The culture in Japan is so, so different to ours and incredible at the same time.
I’m sure! You've worked in a lot of very accomplished restaurants in the past. Have you had a similar experience of representing a restaurant in another country like this?
No, never. I think we all felt how great an opportunity this was, and something that doesn’t happen often if at all for many. I think everyone who went was just so grateful to be there and you felt that. Just to go and to make the most of it and enjoy the experience as much as possible, it was amazing to be representing Fish City in Japan.
