Long rows of tables with bench style seating in a cavernous room decorated in minimalist pine and brightly lit. So to the meal. Wagamama has made one aspect of Japanese food accessible to the masses. An inspection of the menu showed that there had been developments since my last visit. There was a greater variety of drinks, new noodle dishes and the addition of Tempura based dishes.
Most dishes cost just over a fiver, with many of the side dishes considerably less.
Also, the green tea was no longer free, but just amongst many Eastern teas available for the princely sum of one pound. So it was to be a bowl of the Wagamama Special Ramen for me, while my wife had the Ebi Udon and we shared a portion of Ebi Tempura. I think it was the rather feeble soup stock and the fact that the noodles might have been a tad undercooked that signaled a kitchen under undue pressure and not coping as well as it could do. That and the fact that the dishes, whilst warm, were not piping hot. Still, full marks for presentation and value for money, with each bowl of noodles containing plenty of interesting bits, from shitake mushrooms to tasty slices of teriyaki chicken.