Ahhh, Wagamama. There are a few staple chain restaurants that will always work in a pinch if you need something and Wagamama is definitely on that list. Unfortunately they don't have one in NYC (although I heard a rumor there is one coming soon) yet but I have had it in Sydney and London before and always knew that it was a solid go-to if you really couldn't think of any place else to go. It's like the Spice or Republic equivalent in NYC. It's fast, relatively cheap Asian noodles of all varieties - ramen, udon, curry, donburi, with a bunch of Asian appetizers. I generally don't love it when restaurants cobble things together and call it "Pan Asian" but in a more of a casual setting, who cares?
I had spotted a Wagamama when I was running around the shopping mall under Canary Wharf. I was determined to eat there before I left London since I needed a decent place to have lunch and over my dead body was I going to Pret a Manager again (twice is more than enough). I ran into Wagamama and told them that I need to be in and out in less than 45 mins to catch a plane and they were great about it. The hostess whisked me to corner of a communal table and had the waiter come over in less than 5 minutes. I got the chicken ginger udon (who doesn't love a good udon dish?!) and a ginger beer - apparently I was on a ginger kick. The food came out quickly and it was as expected - nothing mind blowing or terribley unique but after all the really not-so great food I had been having in London, it really hit the spot. It was basically udon noodles stir fried with ginger chicken, egg, chilies, beansprouts, and red onion. But it was such a comforting dish at that moment and I was so happy while I was eating it. I finally was able to take-in the fact that I was in London for the first time since I had gotten there. It was nice to see all the hustle and bustle of the workers coming in for lunch - the area is the financial district of town so there were lots of people milling around and I kind of felt like a local having lunch during work. Sadly I had to bust a move to the airport but I was happy to have ended my trip on a pretty satisfying note and I can't wait for the first Wagamama to open in NYC. Total bill: 14 GBP
Photo Credit: Yelp
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