Work Snacks: Itsu's frozen duck bao buns and vegetable gyoza are a hot choice

6 November 2019, 09:05 | Updated: 6 November 2019, 09:06

By Emma Gritt

@emmagritt

Whether it's a payday treat or you're a more frequent visitor, there's more to sushi restaurants than just fish and rice - and now you can enjoy two traditional Japanese dishes after just a few seconds in a microwave.

Like thousands of other office workers across the UK, every now and then the Heart Digital team love to treat themselves to a fancy lunch from Itsu.

So when we were told we could now have their pillow soft bao buns and tasty vegetable gyoza on tap at work, we were thrilled.

Duck bao buns are the latest product joining their frozen range, and we were sent some in, along with a couple of bags of vegetable gyoza (which are also vegan friendly).

The initial response to the microwaveable snacks was one of bemusement - normally we’re sharing out popcorn, Pringles and chocolate buttons.

Firstly, the meat eaters of the Heart team tucked in to the bao buns.

Overall the verdict was a thumbs-up, with people impressed with how hot and fresh they were after just 40 seconds in the microwave in their special cooking bags.

Read more: London's best Asian restaurants, including Thai, Chinese and Japanese

#ReadySetGyoza - Chicken Gyoza Dinner Dumplings

The gyoza however failed to match up to the delicate pastry parcels found in Itsu’s high street stores. This might have been as our office microwave is less powerful than the 800 watt cooking recommendation, or just that my cooking skills are so poor I can’t even turn a microwave on for 2 minutes without something going awry.

Regardless of them being a bit chewy, they were still eaten - and the included sachets of dip were a welcome sight for colleagues worried about having to eat them without any sauce.

There are also chicken and prawn ones available, and you can stem them over a pan of boiling water, or fry them.

If your office has a freezer, frozen hot snacks might be the autumn treat you need as the days get longer, and colder.