By Alona Valuieva
Our First Time: Lunch at Wagamama
There’s always a first time for everything. In search of inspiration, our Union Media team opted to spend our lunch break at an Asian cuisine restaurant. We chose Wagamama in Aberdeen’s Union Square, convenient as it was just a short journey from our office.
Wagamama: An exotic Japanese cuisine restaurant. Hospitality is a serious matter. Everything counts: customer orientation, a classy interior, quality of the food, high-quality Japanese tableware, and top-notch service. A well-crafted menu with a diverse and constantly updated assortment is also essential. Today, we’ll share our detailed experience with you all.
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Location and Ambience
Choosing a location inside a large shopping centre is a smart move. Alongside numerous boutiques and ample parking, there’s a cinema and other attractions that can draw in potential customers. The constant flow of visitors guarantees a steady clientele for the restaurant. Tired but satisfied shoppers will find a welcome respite in this Asian cuisine restaurant, where authentic Japanese tableware and a refined menu await.
Interior Features
The space was both spacious and yet… cosy. The interior blends Japanese aesthetics with European comforts. Yellowy-White light fixtures created a warm ambience and were designed to resemble origami—simple yet stylish.
We settled into a comfy booth, and a friendly waiter offered us green tea, which is served free of charge—a pleasant bonus while you wait for your meal. Unlimited refills too!
Restaurant Menu
There aren’t many world cuisines recognised as UNESCO intangible cultural heritage, and Japanese cuisine is a rare jewel in that collection. We expected petite portions, as is typical in Japanese cuisine, and were pleasantly surprised by the grander-sized portions and very reasonable prices.
My colleagues started with appetisers including crispy squid and chilli mushrooms, meanwhile, I opted to save room for some sweet treats at the end. The food was served on beautiful dishes and was very flavourful, true to the Asian cuisine tradition. I chose the hot pot, which was spicy and hot but thoroughly enjoyable. The heat from the dish lingered, and I had to cool it down with the complimentary refreshing green tea.
My colleagues opted for chicken & prawn pad thai, vegatsu curry, and Shirodashi Pork Belly Ramen. Our chatty table fell quiet once all the mains had arrived as everyone was chowing down on the delightful dishes.
Desserts
The desserts were quite interesting. I chose the dough chi, a mix-and-match cookie dough ice cream with three different flavours on one plate: berry lemon, coconut, and matcha. Although there were other options, I was pleased with these flavours. My colleague opted for the smoked chocolate salted caramel cake and kindly shared it with me. It featured a fascinating combination of caramel, nuts, smokiness, and ice cream—a definite yes for chocaholics!
Overall, we were quite satisfied. In terms of price-to-quality and taste ratio, we can honestly give it an 8 out of 10. Our server was friendly and attentive, this combined with the ambience and decor gave us a fantastic first impression. We certainly could have done with a bit of relaxation after such a feast but of course, we had to return to work afterwards.
Do we recommend a visit to Wagamama in Union Square? Zettai ni! Or absolutely as we say here.
