Wagamama's, Leicester

Wagamama's is hands down one of my favourite places to dine with friends. It's got a lovely atmosphere about it, as well as some incredible food. I was asked by the team at my local Wagamama's branch in the Leicester Highcross to pop down to have some of their food and do a little review. I obviously took my partner in crime Kirstie (Behind The Scent) along with me so we could enjoy the food, have a well needed catch up and a pit stop during a spot of shopping.

This visit to Wagamama's wasn't like the visits I've had before, we were challenged to not order the usual dishes we would usually have when we visited (Waga's do a killer of a Chicken Katsu Curry if you are alien to the restaurant, it's my regular order in the restaurant) and try something different.

With the days getting brighter and slightly warmer there is nothing quite like quenching your thirst with sampling some of Wagamama's fresh juices on their drink menu. Freshly made in the restaurant and all containing as much of the good stuff as you possibly can. Both me and Kirstie sampled their Positive Juice, a combination of pineapple, lime, spinach, cucumber and apple (so plenty of green stuff!). We both agreed the juice was definitely refreshing, blended together with different flavours that came together well and perfectly sat alongside our meal choices too.

To kick off our dining experience we decided to try some of their starter/side style dishes available, especially how only previously ordering their pork ribs.

We opted to give their crunchy and fresh Wok-fried Greens consisting of stem broccoli and bok choi stir-fried in a garlic and soy sauce. A dish which was generous on it's serving portion so not to deter room in your appetite for the main course. As well as enjoying some of the Lollipop Prawn Kyhiyaki which are skewers of grilled prawns marinated in lemongrass, lime and chilli, served with a caramelised lime on the side. As an avid prawn lover these were perfectly cooked in their marinade and with 3 skewers on the plate again it wasn't a huge portion ahead of the main meal.

Next up came our main dishes, we both went for things we had either heard were delicious or had completely took us outside our usual orders. Kirstie opted for the Firecracker Chicken. The curry styled dish is a fiery mix of chicken, mangetout, red and green peppers, onions and hot red chillies served with steamed rice, sesame seeds and fresh lime. Kirstie decided to have her dish with noodles instead of the steamed rice, the team at Wagamama's are happy to make alterations like that to your meal so it's definitely something to keep in mind when your next there and maybe do fancy noodles and not steamed rice with the dish. 

Kirstie wasn't wrong when she warned me that my choice for the main dish would be messy. I've heard a lot about Ramen dishes in the past, they always look delicious with their traditional black bowls full to the brim with fresh ramen noodles, various toppings and garnishes so I thought I would give one of them a go. 

I decided to go for the Wagamama Ramen, a dish made up of grilled chicken, barbecue pork, prawns, chikuwa on top of noodles in a miso, ginger and chicken broth. The Ramen dish was topped off with pea shoots, wakame, menma and half a tea-stained egg. This dish does also come with mussels but as I'm not a fan of those I decided to have my dish without them. I loved the variety of flavours within the bowl, as well as being able to combine a few different toppings to really experience their flavours. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the Ramen dish, it would definitely be something I would sample more of again in the future.

To complete our meal we were introduced to Wagamama's dessert menu, something I know I haven't sampled during my previous visits. Wagamama's are really developing this menu at the moment with a whole host of new and exciting products to conclude your dining experience with enough options to suit everyone's needs.

The Chocolate Layer Cake was perfect for fellow chocolate lovers myself, the layers of chocolate sponge, dark chocolate parfait and hazelnut cream served with vanilla ice cream. It wasn't as heavy and filling as I had expected it to probably be. The Pink Guava and Passion Fruit Sorbet was really refreshing, balanced two very quite different flavours and would be the perfect option for a dessert in the summer months.

I would definitely recommend that you head to your nearest Wagamama's branch restaurant to check out some of their menu, sample something different and give some of their delicious puddings on the menu a go too.

*I was invited to dine at Wagamama's, Leicester in return for this review. All opinions and photos are my own.