Food review: Wagamama, Birmingham
It was a busy day off work. While the rest of the city it seemed was facing the nine-to-five, we were racing around attending various appointments. We had places to go and people to see so what we really needed was a quick ladies-that-lunch kind of meal.
There were loads of options, everything was on the menu, Italian, burgers, pub grub, but we decided to go for something wholesome and a brand that was a firm favourite for both of us.
Wagamama’s has been going for 25 years which goes to show it is doing something right – it started out with one restaurant but now lays claim to more than 140 with 120 being in the UK.
The menu is varied with lots of little nibbly bits, ramen (broth) noodle dishes, teppanyaki (sizzling noodles), donburi (steamed rice) curries with drinks including fresh juices, Asian beers and traditional Japanese rice wine sake. And while it has added to its menu over the years it has kept some of the original dishes that first appeared when it started out.
The concept is truly Japanese: it’s all open plan eating in minimalistic surrounds you get ushered in and seated at long tables with benches.
And, for some odd reason they always seem to seat people in clusters even when the restaurant is quiet and diners could be spaced apart making the experience a little more private.
Despite being so close to your next door diners, as long as they’re not too loud or vocal you can tune out their conversations.
We spotted the relatively new Wagamama’s on New Street and decided to drop in. From the outside it seemed fairly quiet but that’s because everyone was seated at the back. There were tables outside and for a Tuesday lunchtime, it was just the right amount of busy.
I already knew what I’d be having before I even stepped in the door but happily perused the menu just in case something different jumped out at me.
My friend opted for lots of smaller plates and a diet Coke whereas I went for edamame beans and a chicken katsu curry with a glass of Prosecco.
There are no set starters or mains when it’s cooked it’s delivered to your table, this is the concept that your food comes out as and when it’s ready so anything goes.
We were sat on our own to started with and had placed our orders when a gaggle of ladies appeared right next to us. They were quite vocal but we edged to the middle of our bench and carried on with our own conversation. We both ordered the edamame beans and had both gone for normal salt rather than the chilli option. They arrived before our drinks which the waitress apologised about.
It did feel a little hectic despite there being a fair few staff buzzing around and not too many diners. It wasn’t a problem and as soon as the drinks came the food started arriving with edamame beans arriving first.
The idea behind the beans is that you pop the beans from the pod into your mouth and enjoy the salty soya flavour. It always seems like a healthy option and gives a virtuous feeling especially as I was enjoying my glass of fizz, although I must say it was lacking in bubbles a little bit so perhaps the bottle had been open for a while.
We both ploughed our way joyfully through the bowl of beans, ooohhing and ahhhing while waiting for the other food to arrive.
My curry was up next. A gorgeous mould of perfectly cooked rice, boiled and not at all sticky or stodgy with the Panko breaded sliced chicken smothered in the gorgeous katsu curry sauce. There was a lovely side salad with a fiery ginger garnish on the side which added some refreshment from the heat of the curry. The sauce was thick and smooth and there was lots of it so the it was great to mop up with the rice and the crunchy chicken pieces.
My friend couldn’t decide what to have so went for the chilli squid, ebi katus and a raw salad. She picked at her dishes as they each arrived, devouring bits from each with a content look creeping into her smile.
The crispy fried squid was dusted with shichimi, which is a spice. It also comes with a chilli and coriander dipping sauce. She loved the squid and and said it was perfectly cooked and not at all rubbery like it can often be.
The ebu katsu was crispy fried prawns in panko breadcrumbs, served with a spicy chilli and garlic sauce, The perfect soft fishy pieces were a delicious contrast to the crunchy coating of breadcrumbs and the chilli dip added a bit of fire to the light flavour of the prawns.
The raw salad was a lovely healthy option with mixed leaves, edamame beans, baby plum tomatoes, seaweed and pickled mooli, carrot and red onion and all of it topped with fried shallots and the wagamama house dressing. She ate the lot saying it was fresh and zingy and very well dressed and by the time we had finished we were full to bursting.
There were desserts on offer but none really took our fancy and besides we had dresses to try on so didn’t want any extra unnecessary bulges!
A waitress was even coming round with samples of a new dessert which we both unusually passed on.
We requested the bill which came to £44.05 which is reasonable for the amount of food we had ordered.
It was a great experience and the staff were friendly and smiley throughout making the meal all the more enjoyable.
Having been to several branches of the chain I’ve always had a pleasant encounter, long may it continue.
