Shall we just go to Wagamama? A sentence I’ve said many times. And not meant like ‘it’s ordinary food’, but meant like ‘the food is always so good’! Since I’m vegan I always order the same. What means I probably had the ‘Yasai Itame’ over 50 times. So you could say I’m quite an expert when it comes to this delicious dish.
Ok, I did try something else once, just because I thought I might be missing out on other very good dishes. But no, though it was an ok dish, it didn’t even come close to my beloved number 38! I just love my Itame! The pak choi, mushrooms, the bell peppers, chilis and the lovely pieces of tofu.. and not to forget the most delicious coconut based sauce(or shall I say soup?) ever. Now normally it comes with rice noodles, which are delicious, but I discovered that it’s even better with brown rice. So lately I ordered it like that.
When I’m not alone I sometimes like to order their Edamame beans(I esp like the chilli one) or the vegan dumplings as a starter/side. They are very yummy!
To drink I always order the green tea. For 3 reasons. It’s free and I’m Dutch, haha.. Because it’s not so big. The ‘Yasai Itame’ is very filling, but I still like to sip on something. Also it’s very good for your digestive system to drink green tea after you ate something. So the green tea is perfect. Very sometimes I order a lovely juice. This is only when I’m very hungry and I’ve got a lot of time. The juices are amazing btw!

Wagamama opened their first restaurant in 1992 in London’s Bloomsbury. Nowadays there are 150+ Wagamama’s all over the world. Most of them(100+) are in the UK though.
Their ‘modern Asian’ dishes and the whole atmosphere is inspired by the Japanese ramen bars. Their interior is all very similar. It’s all long tables with benches to sit on. Not the romantic dinner at candle light type of restaurant. So overall I go to have lunch or occasionally for a fast dinner.

Now one of my favourite Wagamama’s is the one in Hammersmith, for nothing more than the building itself. It’s an old fire station! And I love the way they’ve done it. The building from the outside is high and has a lot of character, but it’ when you go inside.. because they left as much as possible intact. The huge red doors(!) and the tiled walls, I just absolutely love it! They also have quite a big bar, what is quite unique as I don’t know another Wagamama who has this. So if you’re in the neighbourhood and you fancy a warming ‘Yasai Itame’ for lunch? Don’t hesitate to get it here!

Check out their website to find your nearest Wagamama restaurant, the menu and for more information!

Did you go to this Wagamama before? Or do you have another favourite? Are you going to try the amazing ‘Yasai Itame'(nmbr 38) after reading this? Please let me know! You can also share this on Instagram and use #PlanetManel so I can see it. Thank you!