Guest post by Lisa Farrell
Chain restaurants. They can be a dirty word amongst us ‘foodies’, routinely shunned in favour of independent eateries. I hold my hands up, I’m as guilty as anyone of this, but it can be foolish to tar all chains with the same brush. Especially in the case of Wagamama.
A long-standing feature of the Leeds restaurant scene, Wagamama specialises in fast-food, Japanese style. It lays nestled amongst Leeds’ biggest concentration of chain restaurants – Greek Street – which has led me to overlook it in recent years in favour of sampling Leeds’ ever-expanding range of top-notch independent restaurants. Until now.
For the Wagamama newbies amongst you, its proposition is simple, albeit a little different to what you may be used to. Long benches fill a bustling room, framed by a coat-rack lined wall that’s more akin to a work canteen than a restaurant. You’ll most likely share your dining experience with a whole host of fellow diners, so don’t expect romance by candlelight. Service is fast, friendly and frantic, and your paper place settings will be scribbled on with pencil as you relay your order to your waiter or waitress. You’ll also be warned that your food will come out in any order, so you may end up finishing your main course before your partner’s starter has materialised.
Fine dining it is not, but this approach allows Wagamama to put their focus into the food, cooking it to order and bringing it out when it’s ready rather than allowing it to sit on a pass whilst the rest of the party’s food is finished. And what a reward this reaps.
Conquering the difficult decision of choosing between a vast array of tantalising options on offer, I started with the Yasai Gyoza, which arrived within minutes to the delight of my rumbling tummy! Glistening, perfectly sized parcels encased in a silky smooth wanton wrapper protected a tantalising taste of fresh vegetables, served with a tangy sauce of chilli, garlic, sesame and soy. To accompany this I couldn’t resist the beguilingly named ‘tea-stained egg’, which in fact emerged as a boiled egg with a brown tinge. It was tasty enough, but definitely a case of novelty value over revolutionary flavour!
My taste-buds are still dancing after experiencing my main event, the Yasai Katsu Curry. Deep-fried, panko-crumbed sweet potato, squash and aubergine were served with a perfect helping of sticky rice, topped with a thick blanket of tangy Katsu curry sauce. Bursting with perfectly balanced and moreish flavours, it was impossible to leave a single morsel, no matter how much my expanding stomach tried to protest!
Washed down with a bottle of crisp and refreshing Asahi beer, I genuinely couldn’t fault a thing and the experience taught me a valuable lesson. Whilst supporting independents is important and usually very rewarding, why should we neglect quality restaurants like Wagamama just because they have successfully expanded? The same, of course, cannot be said for all chains, but I’ll be opening my mind a little more from now on (and definitely returning to Wagamama to sample some more!).