The Sun Is Shining, Eat Something…
The fine people at Wagamama invited us to come down and try their new menu.
They’re calling it ‘Wagamama Summer’ (proving that there’s at least one poet on this Pan Asian chain’s payroll).
It launched on the 30th April and boasts 9 new dishes. I would like to try all of them at once, on a large wooden table, as an old Asian man plays a lament to the food on a koto beside me. Alas, this is neither reasonable, nor finically/physiologically possible – but I went anyway, tempted by semi-Japanese treats and the fact that there’s a Wagamama about 5 minutes from my house.
The Food
Every new dish we tried was particularly good – so whoever’s calling the shots at Wagamama HQ, we commend them.
Here they are below, listed below on order of preference…
Lobster Super Salad (£10.45)
Despite the hidden Mooli (or my unrefined tastebuds…) this was undoubtedly my favourite of all of it. They’re generous with the lobster pieces and the sheer volume of vegetables consumed in the eating makes you feel like a truly virtuous person.
Grilled Pork Bulgogi Wraps (£5.65)
OK, it’s not really a build your own meal type scenario but I don’t know of any meat eating person who doesn’t like to put teppan grilled pork belly (which is better than normal pork belly) into lettuce leaves and then try and pile beansprouts on top of it. The pickled red onions evoked that East Asian taste sensation, and were a nice touch.
Coconut Seafood Broth (£12.95)
OK, this one’s hard to finish as the broth itself fills the stomach quite amply, but within those murky…coconutty waters is an ample number of salmon, scallops, squid, a few mussels and a shitload of rice noodles. I tried to eat all of it but the noodles beat me.
oh look a tea stained egg
Some uninvited sake feedback
Another idea – Wagamama only have one kind of sake on the menu. – the Kyoto Fushimizu Shitate. It is good, very mild and well suited to many things. However, as one of the most welll known, and trusted puveyors of fine Asian cuisine, we feel they should add a few more.
After all, sake is delicious. Sake is life. #justsayin
Sake is life.
Verdict / Social media?
Oh, and speaking of hashtags, they’re using the #wagamamasummer hashtag for the new menu. So if instagramming, tweeting, facebooking or taking photos of your dinner are your thing – go to town!
All in all this might be one few ‘Pan Asian’ meals you complete in where you feel that your body is actually happy with your food choices. Lots of vegetables and seafood on offer, the stuff that’s kept the Japanese thriving for the past few millennia…
Normally I try to offer more constructive criticism in a review setting, but I can’t find much to fault here.
Thank you and well done Wagamama!