Wagamama's is a pan-asian noodle restaurant chain which opened it's Nottingham branch in 2001 and has since been a resounding success in the city. Situated quite handily in the centre of the city and part of the Cornerhouse complex adjacent to the bars, theatre and cinema it is a frequent haunt for me and my friends. Reasonably good value and excellent food (including veggie choices), i really like it.
Unfortunately your first impression can be tainted - unimaginably busy on the weekend and in the evening you can expect to wait up to a good half an hour to be seated, and you will be waiting stood up. However, the waiters do give you a menu to look at whilst you're queuing and you can watch the delicious smelling food being cooked.
Once seated you will be sharing a bench with around 10 other people so it can get quite noisy and there's not much room/privacy although the benches do have shelves underneath where you can store your bags and there is a spacious coat hanging space at the back of the restaurant.
These first two elements can put many people off eating at wagamamas but don't let it because once you've ordered your food and settle down to tuck into the gorgeous dishes you'll forget all about it.
There is a wide choice on the menu from noodles, rice, salads and even a fair selection for vegetarians like me. My usual is the Yasai Cha Han (£6.50) which is stir fry rice with marinated tofu, egg, mangetout, mushrooms, sweetcorn, spring onions and sides of pickles and miso soup. The first time I had the dish it was an absolute revelation - my favourite eating out veggie dish by far and even led to attempts to recreate at home!
The selection of drinks is also pretty good with beer, soft drinks, juices etc. I normally go for an Asahi (Japan's number 1 beer and reminds me of my trip to Tokyo) or Tiger beer at £3.40 each.
Sometimes we choose to order a side too - more often than not Yasai Gyoza - veggie dumplings but at £4.80 this is something of a treat.
Whilst the prices aren't incredibly expensive for sitting down at very crowded tables the price may seem a little high but keep an eye out for offers - local cinemas/newspapers and some websites often have 2 for 1 vouchers for wagamamas which makes it excellent value for money.
I would highly recommend wagamamas as the quality of the food raises it somewhat above some of the other chains in my opinion and don't let the initial factors scare you away - it's well worth a try! Perfect for a pre-cinema meal but probably not for a romantic/family meal. Just keep an eye out for offers.
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