CHECK OTHER REVIEWS FOR THIS PLACE:
I have been introduced to Wagamama from my new friends who love this contemporary Japanese cantina. As I like to try the Armani's around the globe, for them the Wagamama is their favorite.
The special thing about it starts with the nice red and black logo, the active waiters, the open kitchen and the long tables where everyone sits together. After ordering, waiters write down the plates numbers on the paper in front of each one like they do it at the "Entrecôte de Paris" marking how the client wants there meat to be cooked.
On my second visit to Istanbul, Wagamama was my favorite restaurant during this trip and on my third visit as well, I wanted to make sure my wife tastes it with me again completing a large number of choices from the menu. Wagamama is located at the entrance of the Kanyon Mall, couple of minutes from downtown Istanbul.
It is a Japanese restaurant indeed but do not expect to eat sushi. As sushi is not in the menu expect to savor lots of other Asian choices with rice, soup and noodles as main ingredients.
The favorite signature dishes are chicken katsu curry, chicken breast deep-fried (or grilled) in panko breadcrumbs, served with a curry sauce and sticky white rice; the teriyaki steak soba and other unique dishes like the chilli beef ramen, yaki soba and ginger chicken udon to name a few.
The big plates, artistically decorated, smell so nice. The colorful combinations make you want to say "yummmmm".
Chicken, safran, curry, beef, noodles, duck are few of the ingredients prepared differently than you ever experienced them before. With their rice prepared specially to be eaten with chopsticks, time is enjoyed to the most especially when you are accompanied by funny friends.
Unfortunately, for me, desserts were not the best experience that day: very heavy and creamy and not much to what I expected specially after seeing the decorated plates that activate all your taste buds.
Wagamama means a 'naughty child'. Willful and determined, the child that is said to be 'wagamama' demands constant attention and is unable to comprehend why its desires cannot be instantly gratified. At Wagamama, the experience takes you maturely back into childhood.
With me, the story started in Istanbul and will surely continue all around the globe. Wherever there is a Wagamama, expect me to be there.
Suitable For:
Casual Dining
