Saturday, March 6, 2010

Review: Wagaya, Haymarket

'Tis been a long hiatus.

Sorry all, I've only just re-settled into the whole Uni+work thing so the blog has been neglected for a couple of weeks. Either way, as AY is still stuck trying to get his life in order, I'm going to resume the usual blog routine - first stop, WAGAYA!

"Oooooh, touch screen!"

A trip to Wagaya almost always involves the token "ooh"s and "ahh"s at the touch screen menu selection. This trip was by no means an exception.

Soft Shell Crab Salad - $10.40

WW was eager and jumped right into ordering before we had settled into our booth. First course - Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab Salad. While being a tad on the difficult side in terms of sharing (let's not even talk about the price), we happily divided the crab with our chopsticks and nommed away at the salad. The crab was fried in a light batter, and the crunch was evident as we sank our first bite into it with all the fresh vegetables.

Scallop Sashimi - $7.30

As Tetsuya would put it, always start with the cold and raw before moving onto the cooked. So next up was a selection of sashimi. Scallops for TZ and I, while a deluxe assorted sashimi was selected for everyone to feast on.

Assorted Sashimi (Large) - $42.50

I found the scallops on the night to not be as fresh as I would've liked them to be. There was no doubt a slight fishy smell and lack of sweetness to them that made me a little reluctant to go for seconds. Other selections, on the other hand, had little to be complained about, and the only piece that was left behind in the end was a sad little piece of raw prawn that nobody dared to try.

Eel Tempura - $10.40

Not long before the sashimi arrived, my absolute LOVE (and possibly the dish that brings me back to Wagaya time and time again), arrived at the table. Eel Tempura. You seriously don't need a very vivid and wild imagination when it comes to imagining the taste sensation when you bite into a piece of this stuff. It's light and crunchy on the outside, and melt-in-your-mouth on in the inside. All the while you have the creamy tang of Japanese mayo in the backdrop as you happily nom away.

Uni Chawanmushi - $9.90

TZ requested a serve of Chawanmushi (Egg flan), and I jumped onto this opportunity to request that it be a sea urchin roe (uni) chawanmushi so that I may have a try of the pieces of sea urchin on top.

Being my first time, I was a little hesitant at first and closed my eyes and hoped for the best as I took my first bite. Luckily it wasn't as fishy as I thought it would be - someone once told me that it resembled lobster brain. TZ claimed that the chawanmushi tasted "like the sea - I feel as if I've just been dunked by a wave." The egg was lightly salty and a little fishy from the sea urchin, but beautifully delicated and creamy.

Rainbow Roll - $10.30

We also had a serve of the Rainbow Roll. The dish very much lived up to its name and was briliantly coloured by slices of avocado, salmon and kingfish. It was difficult to decide which piece to take, but regardless, the sushi was fresh and full of flavour.

Dragon Rolls - $10.50

I must say, Wagaya does a pretty good job on its Dragon Rolls as well. The cream cheese in the centre was an absolute heaven to delve into - soft and creamy and very light in flavour. It provided the perfect contrast to the sweet and saltiness of the eel. Decadence at its best.

Agedashi Soft Shell Crab - $7.90

Not having been satisfied with just a small piece of soft shell crab, we delved into a second serve- this time in the form of Agedashi Soft Shell Crab. Personally I preferred this one over the salad as the agedashi had a good bonito flavour to extend the flavours of the crab. The pillows of tofu which the crab rested on were meltingly soft and totally more-ish.

Wafu Pizza - $8.30

Lastly, just as I had been introduced to the Wafu pizza on my first visit to Wagaya, I passed my knowledge onto the group of friends I was with. The Wafu pizza is a cheesy delight for anyone who likes their chicken and seafood. Sadly, more often than not, there's just not enough to go around and what you end up with is a chopstick fight if you're as immature as I am.

So there you have it folks! Team Nom is back in action after a wonderful holiday!
(P.S. I still don't have my photos from Vietnam, but I'll try getting them soon)

Wagaya
Level 1, 78-86 Harbour Street
Haymarket NSW 2000
Tel: (02) 9212 6068

7 comments:

  1. Touch screen menus make a dining experience so much more interesting :P

    When I was younger there used to be an alien themed restaurant at Darling Harbour called Zerts and I'd beg my parents to go there just because it was fun to order on a touch screen.

    The food at wagaya looks great :)

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  2. dude you went to wagaya but you didnt get the fried cheese?!

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  3. There's this item under the fried menu that's really yum. I can't remember what it's called but it's like katsu with tartare sauce on it. Certainly helps that it was only 8 bucks :)

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  4. @Kristy: I remember going to Zerts as well when I was in primary school! Loved the kids menu and the alien theme - but in retrospect I think it was the touch screen that made the food taste so much more awesome.

    @Suze: Fried cheese? Oh gosh Suze! Don't do this to me - I'm trying to cut down on how much cheese I consume! What sort of cheese is it?

    @Godders: You can show me when we go next time hahahahhaha! I'm still craving the Eel tempura.

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  5. wow all those dishes look (and sound) amazing
    are you using the 35mm 1.8?

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  6. wagaya is awesome for quick jap food its not the cheapest but i love the booths and especially the touch screen menu - not having to talk to fobby waiters lol..

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  7. @Blake: Nope, I'm definitely not, but AY's camera is. I'm not entirely sure what my camera settings are because I'm a total amateur when it comes to photography. I kind of just fiddle with it until I like the shot. AY's camera is the 35mm 1.8 and the shots are always beautiful - you should check out his posts =D

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