Wagamama is a modern Japanese style noodle bar. The first store opened in London 18 years ago and the UK now have over 60 Wagamama’s nationwide. However, only in the last three years has Wagamama opened branches overseas, but in that time, nearly 40 restaurants have been opened in over 15 countries.

The Japanese are famous for their non-vegetarian dishes, yet Wagamama has done well to produce some exquisite and unique dishes for us veggies. My personal favourite is the Saien Soba, which is a big bowl of whole wheat noodles in a vegetable soup topped with fried tofu and a mouth-watering selection of vegetables. You wouldn’t have tried noodles like it before. The tofu and soup in-one mixture is hard to get right and taste nice, and Wagamama have mastered it, so they must be must be recognised for this. I have a BIG appetite, but this meal definitely filled me up!

The Saien Soba is healthy and enjoyable and to go along with it; the perfect starter is the Yasai Gyoza, which is a portion of steam grilled vegetable dumplings, served at the perfect texture along with a unique sweet ginger soy dipping sauce. (I’m not a big fan of the taste of ginger, however I thoroughly enjoyed the delicious taste of this appetizer.)

Wagamama has created a unique way of serving their customers; they write what each person orders on the individual’s paper place mat, and order to the kitchen wirelessly via PDA’s, which adds to the interesting experience. And they also bring out the food as soon as it’s ready so it’s served hot, in comparison to most other restaurants, who bring out the food when everything is done, which isn’t as fresh and in most cases has probably just been kept under a hot light.

Using innovation and tradition, Wagamama has created an exciting fusion of food that must be tried.  I definitely suggest one the fruit juices to go along with your meal, as all of their juices are freshly made, they’re cool, very refreshing and really bring out the strong fruity flavour. My recommendation is the apple and lime juice, you won’t be disappointed.

My Rating: ✰ ✰ ✰ ✰ They could provide more choice for vegetarians, however the taste of the few veggie dishes they have, are very nice.

My Recommendation:

Starter: Yasai Gyoza

Main: Saien Soba

Drink: Apple and Lime juice

Average Price: The average price per person is around £15, including a starter, main meal and a drink.

My Tip: Use chopsticks, it really does add to the whole experience. And prepare yourself for a delicious meal, filled with strong traditional flavours, guaranteed to make your taste buds go wild!

Check out their website for more details http://wagamama.com/