I can't eat any more, Mama (Wagamama)

Member Name: thehonesttruth

Product:	Wagamama
Date:	19/10/08 (46 review reads)
Rating:

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I'd never been to Wagamama until yesterday - I seem to have a habit of always going to the same places to eat, and in an effort to get me out of my food rut, my mum decided to take me out for the day .

The branch I visited is located on the ground floor of the Cornerhouse, Nottingham. While it has no parking of its own, its a short trot of about 2 minutes to a big NCP car park, and its just around the corner from the main bank of bus-stops, theres also a taxi rank just across the road .

Opon entering, I was immediatley hit with a whiff of delicious food smells- sesame oil, ginger, garlic - a smorgasboard of mingling aromas assaulted my nostrils . Facing me was an open kitchen , with the seating area to the left . From what I could see, the kitchen was clean and tidy, and all the staff were wearing caps .

We were quickly seated by a friendly waitress, who gave us the menus, informed us that one dish was sadly unavailable that day, and left us to make our decision. She also told us where the loos were, and showed us an area where we could leave our coats . We were seated at a table with 5 other people - who had almost finished . While this was something I'd never experienced before, it was quite fun being able to talk to them, ask them what they were eating, and how good it was.

My mum and I decided to share two side dishes , Duck Gyoza and Negima Yakatori, with my mum choosing Wagamama Ramen as her main dish. I myself opted for one of the specials , Teriyaki Steak Soba . We also ordered drinks, Elderflower for my mum, and a 'raw' juice for me . We were informed that the dishes would come out as they were cooked, rather than in any set order, and our drinks were bought to us promptly .

It didn't take long for the first dish to arrive at the table , no more than 5 minutes , and this was the Duck Gyoza, five little deep fried dumplings, each mouthful sized, with a dish of sticky cherry Hoisin sauce. They were crunchy, and the duck filling combined with the sauce was very sweet . The sauce was served seperately in a little dipping bowl, and was a very generous amount.

Next out was my Teritaki Steak Soba - and my jaw dropped when I saw the size of the portion - only to drop even further when, mere seconds later, they then presented my mum with her Ramen, in a bowl the size of soup tureen!! Both dishes were attractively presented , and were brightly colourful. I didn't try any of my mums dish (it contained seafood, and I'm not keen on that) but she said it was wonderful .

My dish was great - streak that was still pink and juicy, soft yet slightly crispy noodles with a delicious sesame and ginger taste, fresh crunchy spring onions and ginger shards. It was fantastic, and as I ate it, it actually felt as though it was doing me good. I was full about halfway through the plate ... but I struggled on valiantly, no way was a single strand of my dinner being wasted!

We then waited for our second side dish , the yakitori-- after a few minutes we enquired with the waitress about it, and she apologised for the wait, and went to check on the progress, returning a moment later with it, and informing us that it would be knocked off the bill as it didn't usually take so long, and she thought perhaps ours had been delivered to another group .

I thought this was very kind of her - we weren't at all put out by the wait, and its very unusual in my experience when eating out for staff to take such a pro-active interest in keeping customers happy. Needless to say, the Yakitori was delicious - simple chicken and spring onion on a skewer with a sauce - moist and juicy yet perfectly cooked!

We went to the loo (spotlessly clean, pleasantly scented and with an abundance of loo roll!), We paid our bill ( a very reasonable £30 for the two of us) and left two very happy, and very full customers . Even though the waitress had kindly removed our Yakitori from the bill, we left a tip to cover the cost of the dish and a little more .

Overall, a great dining experience - simple decor, wonderful food in generous portions, exceptionally helpful and friendly staff.

Highly Recommended .

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