Wagamama

South King Street, Dublin 2

www.wagamama.ie

Wagamama has been a staple for years. I’ve been to outlets in the Netherlands, around the UK, and countless times to their Dublin restaurant. I’ve also been to the not-Wagamamas: Lenuci in Zagreb, where they used to mix Japanese and Mexican in a not-always-successful attempt at Pacific Rim fusion cuisine, but have given up copying the Wagamama ethos and gone fully Mexican now; and the excellent Izakaya in Toronto, where the menu even uses the same styles and fonts, but where I had the head nearly eaten off me one day soon after its opening by daring to suggest it was like Wagamama. “We’re nothing like them, and anyway, we’re much better”. Hmm. Don’t know how much faith I’d have in that snippy opinion, as I have never found Wagamama anything less than excellent. Anecdotal evidence shows I am not alone – I have never heard anyone I know criticise it. Smacks of insecurity – a not unheard-of trait in Canada.

Frits had hardly set foot outside the office and the hotel since he started working in Ireland, so my inner social worker came to the fore and decided he was having a night out. Following a Harcourt Street beer garden, the Bailey and Market Bar, and skipping Café en Seine (too many old guys with big wallets buying drinks for meretricious girls) and Ron Black's (just because, basically, there was nobody there), and hearing Frits' need for “something Japanese, and not too heavy”, we headed for Wagamama. We descended the stairs under the St. Stephen’s Green Centre, past the John Rocha Waterford Crystal cow (Wagamoomoo. Surreal? You’re not even half-way there), and were seated at the Scandinavian blond-wood benches, where you eat in canteen-style as you watch the cooks in the open kitchen prepare endless food with gusto.

Wagamama is a display of consistent satisfaction in a world where mediocrity seems to pass muster more and more. The staff are still dressed in those funky T-shirts, the atmosphere is always both noisy and relaxed, and I usually know what I’m going for: 42, with a 103 and a 109. It makes sense to those in the know. The only thing changed is that they no longer seem to take orders on those radio devices that transmitted customer choices directly to the kitchen over the airwaves.

Being an izakaya-type restaurant, the dishes are served as they are prepared – no rota of starters and mains here. I did the usual of ordering what I liked and hoped my guest would enjoy the results. Here’s the list of usuals for the evening:

• 103 Ebi Katsu: five king prawns in fried breadcrumbs, with a chilli and garlic sauce, and lime wedges with which you drown the shrimp and awaken their taste.
• 106 Negima Yakitori: three skewers of chicken (3 pieces on each skewer), interspersed with scallion segments. These come in a caramel-like yakitori sauce which is superb as ever, though less generous than on any previous visit. Hope they’re not thinking of skimp on portion size.
• 42 Yaki Udon: where do I begin? Thick udon noodles, shiitake mushrooms, egg, leeks, prawns, chicken, red peppers, beansprouts, shallots, and Japanese fishcakes, with curry oil and fish powder. Great as ever.

I really never take anything other than the Yaki Udon or the Chilli Beef Ramen as a main course at Wagamama. But for some reason, last night I chose to leave the 42 to Frits, and order from the list of specials (they’re updated every two months or so). My #61 was delivered on a square black plate, of the type I’d never before seen at this restaurant. The dish consisted of udon noodles, marinated beef, plenty of well-cooked slices of red and green pepper, shallots, and a sweet, soy-based sauce. Very nice, but to be honest, I missed my 42. Becoming a creature of habit, perhaps – but when you have perfection, and you’re guaranteed it, there’s not much incentive to move elsewhere.

We took a flask of warm sake to accompany our meal, along with some water and green tea - which is free, but which Frits was convinced was actually seaweed juice. Maybe it’s big in Holland? I don’t know. Frits was also slightly disconcerted by the waiter writing the code numbers for each dish on the disposable paper placemats – or at least pretended to be enough that the waiter took it upon himself to explain his system to us, without a trace of sarcasm. His style was in keeping with the best traits of Wagamama. Good, honest food, served with politeness and humour, and always enticing the discerning diner back for repeat visits. Wagamama has high standards: you don’t expect anything less, and they never fail to live up to them. A worthy recipient of a 4.5.

P.S. One quibble, but which won’t dent the score unless the trend continues: the prices in Dublin’s Wagamama significantly outweigh those on their UK menus, even allowing for currency conversion and the prime real estate premium of the Grafton Street area. There is no need for this extra mark-up. On top of this, the prices have increased fast and noticeably in recent times. It just contributes in its own small way to the cancerous rip-off culture in Ireland.
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The Damage (EUR)

• 8.25 Ebi Katsu
• 7.25 Negima Yakitori
• 12.45 Yaki Udon
• 15.95 Beef Udon

Drinks

• 8.50 Sake (flask)
• 0.00 Green Tea
• 0.00 Water
  

Service 6.50
Total 58.90
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The Score
4.5 Food and Drink
4.5 Service
4.5 Décor
4.5 Ambience
4.5 Value
4.5 Overall Rating