Wagamama

Wagamama Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant & décor: Global executive chef Steve Mangleshot’s Manhattan outposts of the popular group of Asian restaurants from the United Kingdom offers carnivores and vegans alike a wide array of small and large plates in a setting that encourages conviviality. Décor is warm and inviting with wood, brick and graffiti murals setting a modern tone. The open kitchen encourages interaction with the cooks. Communal tables are meant for making new friends and possibly sharing interesting dishes.

Likes: Social atmosphere makes for a fun dinner.
Dislikes: Noise levels are high and can make conversation difficult.

Food & Drinks: Small plates present a mix-and-match choice of starters ranging from Korean barbecue beef bao to Japanese noodles and gyoza. Heftier plates come next and are intended for family-style dining, including ryokucha noodle teppanyaki and donburi rice bowls. In conjunction with British chef Gaz Oakley, a separate menu has been designed for vegans with a welcome variety of noodle-based selections and barbecued seitan. For dessert, the chocolate cake with wasabi sauce is a must-have. Brunch and lunch are equally popular among the youngish set who don’t mind the noise level that often ensues. An extensive list of Asian-inspired cocktails is featured. Try the lychee martini for a refreshing take on an Asian standby, here made with saké, vodka, vermouth and sweet lychee liqueur. The flight of two-ounce sakés is an enlightening intro to unfiltered, clear and sparkling variations, and there is an expansive lineup of Japanese whiskeys. Happily, no plastic straws are allowed.