r a m e n i a c . resource . review

wagamama: england's dreaming once again

by rameniac | 05 Dec 2006

Before I was a Japanophile, I was an Anglophile. I swear. In junior high school, my favorite band was the Sex Pistols. I had a postcard set of the English royals that I got on a family vacation to Walt Disney World. You know, Epcot Center, with that little corner of the theme park made to look like the England of my imagination. During the recent World Cup, when I wasn’t rooting for the impossibly incompetent Japanese soccer team (or the slightly-less-incompetent Korean Red Devils) I was cheering on Becks and Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry and the rest of the gang.

These days, I sometimes find myself in that other island nation, and it’s about as far as one can get - both physically and psychically - from a decent bowl of ramen. Subsisting on fish, chips, and sheperd’s pie is the old cliche, but in truth, England is a bounty of positively delectable Indian restaurants, doner shoppes, and vegetarian and alternative cuisines. Should Pret-A-Manger ever invade our American shores, Starbucks and McDonald’s would be driven out of business and the average Yankee waistline slimmed by quite a few inches.

Wishful thinking perhaps, but any attempt at a British gastronomic invasion should most certainly exclude Wagamama ramen. For the love of God and Queen, keep that one to yourselves. Send over your Pot Noodle instead.

To be fair, Wagamama is about as British as it is… Japanese. I forget the backstory printed on the menu, but the chain was started by a bloke from Hong Kong or something like that. In much the same way KFC had to change it’s name because it technically wasn’t “chicken,” Wagamama and “ramen” ought not be mentioned in the same breath. It’s noodles in soup, yes. But the similarities end there. “Seafood ramen” is served in a bland chicken (shio?) stock with some fresh spinach and assorted toppings - an overcooked egg, an imitation crabmeat stick, and um, some grilled teriyaki chicken. The noodles are floury - cropped short - and have a chew more akin to Hawaiian saimin than any sort of ramen I can think of.

What’s truly sad, however, is that after weeks of doner kebabs and South Indian daal, I usually wind up craving a mediocre bowl of Wagamama “ramen,” some of their perfunctory gyoza, and the odd side dish or two. It certainly doesn’t help that their franchises boast astounding minimalist decor worthy of the Tate Modern - a welcome respite from rain-soaked cobblestone walks and row houses, as romantic as those may be. It’s just a shame that one has to sit down and eat something in order to enjoy the environs.


is it canned chicken stock? is it shio? does it really matter? it's... soup noodles! cheers.	2
short, curly and floury. more akin to hawaiian saimin than ramen.	1
aargh. teriyaki grilled chicken might be halfway decent on its own or over a bed of rice. fresh baby spinach is... healthy i guess.	2
gyoza was passable. yakitori (?!) was sweet with a thick tare sauce. freshness counts.	4
beautiful, modern minimalist cafeteria spaces are wagamama ramen’s real draw.	10
contrary to stereotype, england is a country filled with exemplary cuisines from many parts of the world. unfortunately, japanese ramen is not one of them. that wagamama exists is something of a blessing, i suppose. it’s right up there with yo! sushi. the less said the better.	3
the argus building, off north road 30 kensington street brighton, BN1 4AJ +44 (0)1273 688 892 mon - sat: 12pm - 11pm sun: 12pm - 10pm	5

tagged: new forms 新スタイル • UNITED KINGDOM • brighton •

Comments

Oooh, colorful~! So wait, the rating is out of 10 right?

Posted by pirikara on 12/05 at 04:53 PM

10 per category. 30 max in the bowl. this one was… so good it made me cry ;;

Posted by rameniac on 12/05 at 04:59 PM

Hmm, shame that the bowl of ramen above resembles what it should be. Yet it tastes like absolute sh!te. British punters who’ve never had proper ramen in the Land Of The Sinking Sun (TM) are truly missing out. That wagamama place reminds me of this sushi joint called ‘Katsu’ or something in Brentwood, SoCal.

Posted by Okama bin Ramen on 12/05 at 06:03 PM

mwahahahaaa… thank God i’m going home tomorrow! what ONE place should i go to to get my ramen fix??

Posted by on 12/12 at 06:51 AM

Pret A manger has made it’s way to NYC, although reception was a little chilly when they first started. Not sure if it’s still the case.

Posted by on 01/04 at 10:27 PM

i fuckin hate this place and yo sushi and all the other terrible trendy garbage including nobu london…

Posted by on 01/05 at 02:27 AM

I use Wagammama regularly and I find that the majority of the time, they are well situated for a filling and speedy meal. They also undoubtedly provide much healthier meals than most outlets who serve food in a similar fimeframe!
All in all, I give them a high score.

Posted by on 09/13 at 05:51 PM

From experience I think wagamama is great. I guess you will be real disappointed they have done so well in the 2 Boston restaurants that they have now signed for another 4 sites, not bad since launching in USA in April. Not everyone feels the same way as you.

Posted by on 09/19 at 01:28 PM

if you like it, more power to you! it doesn’t quite do it for me, though. i merely wish there were more alternatives in the UK.

Posted by rameniac on 09/20 at 12:51 AM

I went in there last Sunday and there was not one East Asian face in there out of over 200 people—except in the kitchen, and only one or two there. Nuff said?

Posted by on 09/25 at 05:57 AM

I ate at the new Wagamama in Harvard Square (in Cambridge, MA) a few days ago and it was horrible. First of all the ambiance was loud with no privacy and reminded me more of a high school dining hall than a restaurant. The minimalist design didn’t allow for any sound-absorbing material and the bench seating meant I was overwhelmed by the food (and BO) of the man sitting next to me. The food was mediocre, which normally I’d excuse, except it was ridiculously priced. $11.00 for katsu chicken? I could get the same thing for half the price down the street at the Japanese cafes in the Porter Exchange. There really isn’t anything special about Wagamama. They are simply taking Japanese fast food: ramen, udon, nabemono, etc. and giving it a hipster-spin in order to charge exorbitant prices. Their “gimmicks” such as no appetizers, only “side dishes” (I’m sorry, edamame and gyoza are appetizers, I don’t care whether you serve it with the meal or not), food being delivered as it’s made (so the rest of your party can sit and stare at their food while you wait for your dish to arrive), and bench seating are more annoying than they are helpful. No thanks.

Posted by on 10/04 at 04:45 PM

Being from LA it is far and few between that I get to eat the chicken ramen at Wagamamas, but I crave it every week. I totally disagree with the review, but maybe I just don’t know what a good ramen is. I am OBSESSED with Wagamama.

Posted by on 10/27 at 05:09 PM

Perhaps the fact escape you whilst writing your review that wagamama is not intended to be a restaurant of any kind but more of a fast food outlet. The pricing is perfectly acceptable for the food provided and the quality far surpasses say, Chinese take away food that you could buy for a similar price.

If you did some research you would learn that the founder of wagamama, Alan Yau owns two high-class Chinese restaurants, Hakkasan and Yauatcha in London. Both of which have won Michelin stars.

In my opinion it is unfair to compare wagamama with authentic Japanese food and instead it should be compared with fast food outlets such as McDonalds or KFC. Meals are similarly priced (wagamama is understandably slightly more expensive) and the ambience, quality, nutrition and general healthiness of the food far surpasses your average American export, hamburger and fries.

How about next time you are in London reviewing a REAL restaurant such as Hakkasan or Yauatcha instead of talking about, what is in effect, a fast food joint.

Posted by on 12/06 at 11:25 AM

Um, perhaps the fact escapes you that I review RAMEN shops on this site, not Chinese restaurants, starred or not. That is all. I could care less if Yau was behind El Bulli, can turn bangers and mash into a lollipop, and has six stars from a tire company to his name; if his noodles blow, I’m going to call him out on it.

That Wagamama serve a relatively healthy and nutritious meal is great, but that’s not exactly my focus. Ramen, especially in Japan, is considered to be “fast food,” so that the Wag sucks (at whatever price point) is really no excuse. As such, I fail to see how a comparison can be made to American corporate chains; it would be highly unfair, especially to KFC, which has great hot wings!

Posted by rameniac on 12/06 at 11:45 AM

Wagamama is priced higher than McDonalds and KFC (at least in London) and there is no reason why it should be—the ingredients are dirt cheap and there’s nothing painstaking about the way they’re prepared. Added to which the place has all the atmosphere and style of an IKEA cafeteria.

Posted by on 01/02 at 10:22 AM

I´m in Copenhagen, Denmark right now. There´s a Wagamama at Tivoli, near my hotel. I´m somewhat morbidly curious to try it. But I think I won´t. I´ll try one of the many other horrible faux-Japanese restaurants instead.

Posted by on 04/25 at 08:30 AM