Dining

Wagamama on Queens Wharf has possibly one of the best views of the harbour in the city. 

Sitting next to your dining companion on long, refectory style tables you can watch the lights of Oriental Bay glittering on the water as tug boats chugs out into the harbour from the berth next door.

It’s pretty romantic - the loft-style interior and energetic bustle of an open kitchen add to the feeling that you’re not in the grey, old windy city anymore.

But you’re not here for the ambience. You’re here for the three jewels of Asian food – ginger, lime and chilli. 

And it’s with the delicate balance of these ingredients in mind that Wagamama's chefs create fusion style dishes you’re not likely to forget.

We started our meal with tempura chilli squid, ebi gyoza – little fried dumplings of prawn filled delight – and yasai gyoza, the vegetarian version.

The squid was buttery soft, the texture perfectly complimenting the bite of the chilli and the crunch of the tempura. A sweet syrup dipping sauce cut through the flavours to create a moreish combination. It’s an ideal size for sharing too.

Gyoza are a real art, and sadly, not one that Wagamama have fully perfected yet. The yasai gyzo were just not what they could be. 

The ebi gyoza, however, were far superior.  Hot, chewy, nuggets of flavourful cilantro infused prawn nestled in a crispy pocket of pastry.  A warm ginger flavoured soy sauce complimented them. Divine.

My dining companion chose seafood menrui – Wagamama's version of the ubiquitous Pad Thai with delicious butterfly cut prawns and curls of soft squid.

But the absolute star of the evening, the dish I will return again and again for, was the Chicken Itame.

Coconut, ginger, chilli and lime infused soup – an ideal resting place for the tender cuts of steamed chicken breast – shot through with red pepper juliennes, sprouted beans and coriander, crisp and bursting with flavour. 

Desert was sure to be an anticlimax after that, but we loved the ginger and white chocolate cheesecake, and were charmed by the banana katsu – deep fried tempura battered banana slices with a dollop of homemade vanilla ice cream.

Even if the view was worth the price of the meal alone ($45 per head without alcohol), Wagagmama deftly created dishes earn it a well deserved eight out of ten.