It’s been
a good few years since I last ventured into a branch of Wagamama. That would change following a recent email
from their PR handlers inviting us to a tasting of the new Autumn/Winter menu at the Liverpool One branch. This is the first meal that was fully comped by the
restaurant in the short history of this blog, but that won’t influence our
opinions. Feeling slightly awkward with
not having to pay at least the choice of what we were served was made for us
with predetermined dishes being delivered from the kitchen.
Billed as
a bloggers and press event we were all sat together along two of the benches,
around 20 in total. First up was pork
gyoza with Chinese BBQ pulled pork, cinnamon, star anise. The accompanying sauce we felt was too sweet especially
against the sweetness of the pork. Everyone
else seemed to love it, but maybe we are used to more savoury gyozas with sharp
vinegar dips.
An
opinion dividing juice was next of beetroot, carrot and orange. Although refreshing and different, personally
I prefer my juice to have more fruit than vegetables. One I probably wouldn't order again. You could tell who enjoyed this on the table
by seeing who left the most.
The first
of the mains was introduced by the chef next, a Mahi Mahi fish curry. The white fish had a texture similar to mackerel;
the curry was sweet with a little kick. However
I found it a bit boring and just lacked something for a main dish. Next up was
vacuum packed duck slow cooked to remove all of the fat in a citrus ponzu
broth, chilli, ramen, coriander and spring onion. The broth was fragrant, spicy and light but
the depth was missing. The duck was tender
and shredded like a dream.
Another
ramen dish was next, a vegetarian option with 5 different types of mushroom,
king oyster, enoki, close cup, shiitake and chestnut. The broth was peppery with sesame, garlic,
soy and chilli. The mushrooms were woody
and well cooked with some bite. If the
duck from the dish before was served on top of the mushroom ramen then I would
be very happy. The ramen from both
dishes was quite soft and I would have liked the option to have them a little
firmer.
A prawn
curry noodle dish was next, apparently a return of an old dish to the
menu. The curry was bright and inviting with
lemongrass and coconut adding to the fragrant and beansprouts and cucumber to add
some coolness. Mrs Nom found the dishes
too hot so far but I thought the opposite, this one was just right. I was apprehensive as to the noodle
combination and thought maybe rice would be a better accompaniment. However the noodles soaked up the rich curry
with a deep intense prawn flavour throughout.
We heard someone ask if they had just eaten calamari or prawns which we
amused by.
Oddly the
next dish was exactly the same as the prawn curry but with chicken
instead. By now we were getting bored of
ramen and noodles and the chicken slices were a tad dry and boring. The dessert for the night was red date and
fennel pancakes with star anise and cinnamon ice cream. This was different and delightful, it went
down well with everyone it seemed, although to be hyper critical they were
slightly too thick for my liking.
The
restaurant was very hospitable laying out wine and also providing a tasting of
a green tea and yuzu pale beer. As far
as chains go Wagamama at least try and freshen things up rather than sticking
to tried and tested formulas, a mixed bag overall but if presented with a
choice of chains for a meal it would certainly be near the top of the mix.
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