Wagamama, Park Row, Leeds
Some places look great from the outside, but on entry... not so good, as we found in a nearby bar before we approached Wagamama's splendid Park Row exterior.
But this restaurant does live up to its billing. Described as "combining fresh and nutritional food in an elegant yet simple setting with helpful, friendly staff and value for money," Wagamama is based on the popular Japanese ramen bars.
Ramen is the Japanese name for a noodle dish and the cuisine in this popular chain is described as 'Pan Asian' (in the all-encompassing sense, not the kitchen utensil).
Booking here is not required. You are shown to a long bench-like table and the practice, if it's crowded, is to sit right up next to other parties of diners. This does make for a good atmosphere, unless you want a more intimate romantic setting or you have things to say you maybe don't want to be overheard. We fell into neither of those categories that night, so sallied forth into choosing from the rich and varied menu.
I like lagers to match the cuisine, so stuck to Asahi (described as Japan's number one premium beer) for the rest of the night and my partner followed suit.
For starter I had duck gyoza (4.95), five deep-fried duck and leek dumplings served with a spicy cherry hoi sin sauce. Really lovely, just the job for a starter, very tasty and left me wanting a lot more.
My partner had ebi katsu (5.80), deep fried tiger prawns in panko breadcrumbs, served with a spicy red chilli and garlic sauce with a wedge of lime. She described it as a failsafe bet for a starter, saying the prawns were huge and provided a satisfying mild flavour.
It's not all noodles here you know (my ham-fisted attempt at an ad slogan for Wagamama), as I discovered in my long analysis of the menu.
So, I chose chicken katsu curry (8.05) for the main course – chicken fillet deep-fried in panko breadcrumbs, with lightly spiced curry sauce, sticky white rice with mixed leaves and pickles. My enjoyment of this excellent food was slightly tarnished by my partner being underwhelmed by her dish. But I just relished the combination of subtle flavours and the wonderful moistness of the ingredients.
My partner had chicken kare lomen (8.55), and was disappointed that the taste of lemongrass, the first ingredient listed for this spicy soup, was not in the abundance she expected.
"A bit bland and boring" were the words she used to describe the mixture, which is not what you'd expect from something containing coconut milk, shrimp paste, chillies, ginger, galangal, with ramen noodles with marinated and grilled chicken breast, beansprouts, cucumber and coriander.
But, she found as she got nearer the bottom of the dish there was more flavour, so recommends giving the dish a big stir first. Perhaps it should have come with instructions...
For dessert, I had white chocolate and ginger cheesecake (4.40), which I found I still had plenty of room for, as the dishes were not quite as filling as I hoped, but I do have a large appetite.
My partner loved her choice: mango with lime zest and lychee sorbet (great value at 3) with a hint of rosewater. "Delicious", she said.
The whole bill, with several beers, came to 45, which we thought was very good value for money.
I'd probably have an extra side dish if I came here again for maximum satisfaction: after all, there is no set sequence in which you are meant to have your portions at Wagamama. The food is brought to you in no particular order, even though I described the side dishes we had first as starters.
I would recommend this restaurant to anyone, even if it were just to sample this unique and refreshing way of dining.
Wagamama, 31-32 Park Row, Leeds LS1 5JD
Tel: 0113 243 3468
Opening hours : Mon-Sat: 12-11pm. Sun: 12-10pm
star rating
FOOD 3/5
VALUE 4/5
ATMOSPHERE 4/5
SERVICE 4/5
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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