Food Review: Wagamama Finally Lands In Mumbai—Was It Worth The Hype?

The English meaning of the term Wagamama (Japanese word) can be a little misleading if taken literally. It means “as I please”. However, most often, it is used to express ‘self-indulgence’, and the new restaurant at Churchgate might just make you indulge.

The global chain Wagamama arrived in Mumbai couple of months ago, not with a bang, but with a deliciously soft padfoot. Simple, well-lit place, this place too serves Korean and Japanese food. Ramen being its bestseller in Mumbai as well.

The new Wagamama way of confirming the order is to scribble the dish number from menu on your paper tablemat. Sinoul Khan, their floor manager, quickly scribbles a few numbers on my tablemat after recommending a few dishes. Thankfully, Wagamama has a ‘no nut’ policy. So, my allergens are taken care of.

One notable thing about this outlet is that they have a good choice for vegetarians. Guess that’s their offering to India. Also, they do not serve pork or buff.

Sinoul recommends I start with the Refresh juice – carrot, orange and ginger. The freshly squeezed combo is truly refreshing. Firecracker Cauliflower Bao is the bao that I choose. Fried cauliflower is tossed with red and spring onions in their signature firecracker sauce and stuffed in the bao. Homemade fresh bao makes the difference. Slight spiciness of the stuffing is mellowed by the soft bao.

In Mumbai, everything is made in-house and fresh – all sauces, gravies, baos, ice-creams – everything. And that is the biggest difference between their outlets in London, Dubai and Mumbai. That’s their USP and their road to success as well.

Next on the table are the Corn Ribs. Well marinated in a miso sauce and steamed to perfection, the slight saltiness that comes from miso delights the palate.

I choose Classic Koyo Bowl with salmon from their Soulful Salads options. The steamed salmon rests on bed of lettuce at centre of this big bowl surrounded by edamame beans, radish slices, grated cucumber, beet, and carrot. A drizzle of red chilli and miso sauce on the salmon adds the spice. You have a choice of adding the creamy tofu and mustard dressing if you want before tossing the salad to mix everything. If you like spice, I would suggest you add housemade chilli oil on table to add a little zing to the salad.

Teriyaki Renko is the next choice. Crispy lotus stems tossed with caramelised onions and sticky teriyaki sauce are garnished with onion, chillies and dusted with red chilli and sesame powder. Result is crispy, sweet, sour with a little zing.

The mains are very easy to choose - Suri’s Curry. I choose Chef Surendra’s signature dish over the traditional Katsu or Raisukaree. Delicious coconut base curry green chillies and a definite turmeric fragrance can be had with chicken, pumpkin/sweet potato or tilapia fish. I choose chicken. The curry comes with sweet potato shaving garnish and sticky rice. A delicious one dish meal that will suffice for one person.

You can’t go to Wagamama and not have ramen. So, I decide to finish my meal with their signature Chilli Tantamen Ramen with mushrooms. Huge bowl of rich broth with noodles topped with mushrooms, khimchi, menma and garnished with spring onion and drizzle of chilli oil. The portion is big enough for two. It’s the khimchi that gives the umami.

To round off the meal you can have the Matchmisu or the Caramel ice-cream, both made in-house and absolutely delectable.

Average cost for two: ₹ 3,000

Where: Wagamama, Churchgate, Mumbai