I don't really understand how this chain has become such a large presence in the UK. Even by…read moreBritish standards where locals will often tell you that the historic impression of their food being bland and uninspiring is overblown and will recommend countless places to you that unfortuantely confirm the impression to be true, I have yet to meet one person here who enjoys Wagamama. "Oh that place is terrible - you should try Bone Daddies!" If you've been to Bone Daddies you'll know what an indictment that is of Wagamama. I mean what else can I say that probably has been written about countless times in other reviews? It's pan Asian (problem #1), some things are fried in a pan, there's noodle dishes you can get and all of it sucks. It has sucked for what, 20 odd years now? Every once in a while (~five years) I will have no other choice (e.g. airport, tagging along with colleagues, drunk, etc.) but to eat here and every single time I am in awe at how truly forgettable it is. How one company can render the tastes of cusines that are normally so delicious to be so bereft of flavor is truly a marvel in mass produced sludge. It must be the marketing right? The playful name? That the locations look inviting? It has to be something other than the reputation that gets people through the door.

Food is alright, Service is fine, but could be better. Atmosphere like in every Wagamama. I usually…read morego to this one when i am in area.

We were looking for a quality Japanese restaurant to celebrate a birthday dinner, and when I found…read morethis one it sounded great... but they were all booked up for the evening when I tried to book a reservation. We decided to stroll over in person and see if it was a possibility anyway, and they were friendly and accommodating -- offered us a table as long as we could vacate in 1.5 hours (after which we could move to the bar area if we wished, which has open seating and full menu.) We got cocktails (the geisha one was very good) and opted for the Hana menu, a pre-set chefs menu that was just perfect. Everything on the menu was delicious, beautifully presented, and a great variety of food: sashimi, tempura prawns and vegetables, wagyu beef, eggplant, miso, a variety of sushi rolls, and dessert. Perfect amount of food and very luxurious. The only reason I dock one star is because it is pretty expensive (but any high-quality Japanese place is going to be pricey... this one is just a little more than average, with the most overpriced items being the wine, sake, and cocktails), but the service, atmosphere, and food were great.

London Restaurant Month has come back around again so myself and some friends decided to take…read moreadvantage. This years venue for us would be Sake No Hana, the little sister of Michelin starred Chinese restaurant, Hakasan. Sake No Hana is modern Japanese cuisine done very, very well. I'd had plenty of "Japanese" food in my life; sushi, chicken Katsu etc. I had never been to a proper Japanese restaurant and had high end food. This was my chance. The deal was as follows: 5 courses from a set menu and half a bottle of wine per person. All for the princely sum of £35 (excluding service). As you can see from the menu you pretty much get a choice of vegetables or fish. For my choices I had the maguro tartare to fukiyose, the fish gohan selection and kisetsu tempura moriawase. First off was the best miso soup I had ever had. On the menu it is misoshiro - white miso soup. A great, light starter to get your appetite going. With small strips of inari and seaweed. The next course was 3 small portions; a tuna tartare, fried rice ball and vegetable crisp "salad". Much like an amuse bouche, it continued the theme of getting us ready for the main course. The vegetable crisps were lovely; earthy and crunchy. It included carrots and lotus root, which I had never tried before but very much liked. The tuna tartare was fantastic. It was peppery and brilliantly seasoned. The rice balls were a little stodgy but the accompanying sauce was sweet and rich. Next was the sushi course. 6 pieces, 2 each of spicy maguro maki (spicy tuna, tobikio and cucumber), chirashi maki (salmon, white fish and shiitake) and inari maki (fried tofu and caramelised onions). As you can see it was beautifully presented and it wasn't long before they'd all been polished off! The main for me was tempura prawn and vegetables. Crispy and not at all greasy, this was the best tempura I'd ever had. I especially enjoyed the squash which was nice and sweet with that perfect crispy exterior. Both of my friends had the salmon. There's not a lot to say about it other than it was served on a large leaf and cooked absolutely perfectly. Dessert was the same for all of us. A delicate sponge cake soaked in a syrup and served with preparations of peach; raw, sharp peach, raw, soft, sweet peach and peach sorbet. I was a big fan of this. So much so that when one of my friends wasn't keen I ate his too! Sake No Hana is a wonderful, modern restaurant with fantastic food and brilliant attentive staff. My glass, wine or water, never ran dry and they were always on hand to help. In fact, I don't think I've ever been to a restaurant that had such a high customer to staff ratio! It's definitely a dining experience I would recommend even if it's not one that I would probably do again. Nothing against the restaurant at all, more that I like to explore and try new things. If you can visit Sake No Hana on a tasting menu or similar you would be silly not to give it a go! Either that or at least go to their amazing bar!

The London portion of our European trip was coming to a close. We wanted to come to St. Paul…read moreCathedral before our shuttle picked us up to go to Gatwick. We took the tube right after we woke up, so we didn't have time to eat. We stopped by Itsu to pick up a quick bite. The kids got Sushi and baos, the wife got Udon, and I got the Chicken Teriyaki Rice Bowl. The kids loved the Sushi and Baos. I hate sushi, so I passed, but I did try the bao. The baos normally sit in a warmer, so they are not freshly steamed. This makes the bottom bun a little mushy. The top is fine. The Hoisin Duck meat in the bao was tasty, but like I said, you will probably need to eat this with a fork. I tried a little of my wife's udon, but I just didn't like it. I don't even know what flavor it was, because we just told the girl working the register to give us the most popular one. Now, my rice was the opposite. I loved it! It had a nice portion of vegetables and the teriyaki sauce was excellent. Be mindful that of course this isn't a Michelin-prized restaurant. It is what it is. A quick bite, that's not full of grease. Quick Notes: Make sure to get a bathroom (or as they say in the UK, toilet) code, if you need to use it. Also, they have charging plugs at the tables, so it's a good place to load up a little on your battery. Just make sure to bring your cord.

I find it ironic that the types of chains found most in London are all the food genres that London…read moremanages to crap up the most. It's like they've bastardized us with their contagious nastiness. Sushi is the most dangerous of the bunch, and the kamikaze of abundant sushi chains hurts my heart, and causes me to say things like "this is NOT sushi! This is just flabby old raw fish. Who wants to eat raw fish?" To be clear, good sashimi is the nectar of the Gods. Bad sashimi is like licking a sweaty old man. Or worse... Itsu was ... um... ok. Nothing that I'll be running back for, but I was pleasantly surprised by the abundance of fresh fish, organic juices, healthy side orders, and yes... FroYo. (Not so much by the abundance of prices.) But I the fact that I had to eat my sushi from a box? That it was pre-prepared, meaning sliced hours ago? I certainly had that not-so-fresh feeling... and so did my seaweed salad. I just don't think I could eat box sushi on a regular basis. It hits too close to home.

I love Wagamama generally and my first visit to the Croydon branch was pretty consistent with my…read moreprevious experiences elsewhere. For my main I had Yasai Yaki Soba - a rare vegetarian dish that didn't feature tofu (I don't like tofu). I substituted the soba noodles for the egg free udon option, and asked for no egg in the dish - leaving me with a tasty, satisfying vegan meal. On the side I had the wok greens (broccoli and bok choi). Good decision, as the garlic sauce on the vegetables was delicious! To drink I went for one of the new raw juices - the Blueberry Spice. It was ok, I wouldn't order it again. The taste wasn't bad and it had a nice ginger kick but I wasn't keen on the texture from the blueberry seeds. My companion tried another of the juices, the Positive which was much better - really refreshing and slightly tangy. Service was good and they now accept payment through the Qkr! app so no hanging around at the end!

Service was excellent! When enquiring about the food items and advising of my food allergies, the…read morewaitress went above and beyond. She brought out a binder with all the dishes and ingredients and advised which ones contained fish. She then suggested a dish. I ordered the fried squid and pad Thai. The fried squid with sweet chili sauce was excellent. The pad Thai was tasty but a little on the wet side. It was a little disappointing. Overall the restaurant was worth a try. I probably wouldn't return again.

Amazing service and delicious food. I love all of the entrees we ordered, everything was unique and…read morecooked to perfection.

I'm gonna rate the Chicken Katsu curry as it's what I usually get…read more The best thing on the menu surely! I've tried the udom noodles and other rice dishes which were OK but the katsu beats them all. Just an amazing dish. A must try for anyone visiting Wagamama! The service has always been great. I would love to see a lunchtime special some time soon. The place is always packed which gives it a nice atmosphere. I used to be but not anymore a big fan of the Japanese styles 'canteen' seats but after a nice big meal all I want to do is lay back onto my chair. Overall - Great place!!

Had TWO horrible lunches here. What is great about this place is how efficient their ordering…read moresystem is. Even with the huge lunch rush everyones orders were delivered quickly. That's about it. The staff are horribly rude and unpleasant to deal with. The food is atrocious. I tried the mushroom chili fried rice which was oily and the most bizarre texture. Another time I tried the ramen noodles with the lemongrass coconut broth. The broth was vile and the noodles were overcooked and mushy. I can't imagine why it's so busy because the food is really not worth it.

I've walked by Japanese Canteen many times on either end of the lunch rush and always thought it…read morelooked like a pretty poor effort. Spartan walls and seating, a menu that looks like it was slapped on as an afterthought with paper flyers adding a few new dishes that just didn't fit anywhere else, and staff that looked like they were just as likely to slap you upside the head as they were to serve you. But damn, this place comes alive during that magical 12-1pm lunch hour. You know those scenes in movies right before the 3 o'clock bell rings to let out school? It's eerily still and quiet, a random frog croaks in the distance, and the scene just screams out for something, anything to happen. Suddenly, BAM, there are people everywhere shouting, talking, and generally participating wholeheartedly in the chaos of everyday life. That's just what happens to Japanese Canteen during the lunch rush with every seat the slightly cavernous space taken, people propping their food on the smallest surface capable of supporting it, and lines out the door. And then as the hour ends, everyone just fades away. The staff are still a far cry from warm and friendly, but they are coldly efficient and mow through the line at rapid speed. The kitchen (hidden behind the wall with a small door the only connection to the dining area) is likewise filled with hyperactive chefs dishing out meals almost faster than the 4 person wide queue can order. I'm slightly concerned as to what goes on back there and I think the trend towards more open kitchens is the way to go. For lunch though, I'm content to get in and out as fast as possible so not much of a gripe. Price-wise, it's a bit expensive and slightly smaller portion than the nearby Wasabi when it comes to katsu curry. A regular portion will cost you £6.95 with a large portion requiring a £3 supplement. JC does offer a choice of chicken, pork, or prawn and sticks a good amount of veggies into their sauce which gives it a one-up on Wasabi. I wonder what else they put in though as I had a slight allergic reaction for a few hours after eating it and I'm not allergic to any food as far as I know... Thinking back, I'm not sure I'm really up for the mania and price of JC for lunch as £7 can buy you a helluva lot more food at Porterford Butchers just down the street. Still, if you are craving katsu curry it's likely to be your best bet in the area.

Nice food and good service. A lot of choice with different tastes, good for family din inread more

Unfortunately this branch has gone downhill in service since I last ate here. There was a queue on…read moreentrance and I guessed it was busy as usual on a Saturday evening with families and couples. Well, it was busy, but the queue was due to unprepared tables...and several of them. Staff were unwilling to take a full order at one time which I found odd. Waiter would only take the drink order and I had to wait a while for the same waiter to come back to take the food order (how strange!). I usually order one of the specials for mains with udon instead of the usual soba noodles. On this occasion my waiter said they couldn't accomodate my request as they were too busy! Very poor showing in summary from this usually reliable quick food joint.

A constant performer! I often come here for Blue Monday's for their cheap but amazing dishes…read more The staff are always friendly and happy to serve. It's never really packed and I always get a table when I go. Go wild and try new things - you'll be pleasantly surprised :)

My first ever visit to a Yo Sushi as I was always misled by the name thinking there is only Sushi…read moreavailable and how wrong was I and so a little embarrassed to say the least. Given this is chain and found all around the globe I don't think I need to explain the concept to anyone. I would say the staff at the Brent Cross branch are excellent and very friendly. Just the space is a little too tight for comfort and you cannot really move around a lot and everyone is seated a little too close for comfort. Now lets get down to the food. I had the following: Chicken Katsu Curry - Small portion size with only a small amount of actual curry but well cooked and the chillies were spicy but the chicken cooked with a nice crispy coating. Beef Teriyaki - A much bigger portion than the Katsu Curry and a great tasting sweet coating but not too sweet so really appetising. Kaiso Seaweed - First time for Seaweed for me. And i thought it would be dry and tasteless but I was very surprised and this is one of my five a day I would be happy to have. Salmon Sashimi - As I say not a fan of seafood but the salmon was not fishy in taste so it went down a treat. I could not eat a full portion as yet so will venturing to try more seafood so I can get more accustomed to it over time. Spicy Pepper Squid - I have had more squid over last 2 years than ever in my life so now I am used to it I will always try. Hey batter coating but a good size portion. Was piping hot and remained hot for a while but not so hot you could not eat it. Chillies it came with were hot and spicy so just right and loved the batter coating. Recommend this dish to all to try. I must say I was happy with all that I had and so many more options for me to try as a non-seafood lover there is still a lot of options here so I would never pass by again without consideration. As you will note as I write more reviews I will be trying news dishes time to time but I always try to take someone along who is either a Vegetarian or Vegan or Seafood Lover so I always get their opinion as well to give a more rounded experience. So hope you enjoy the various reviews from fine dining to street food and chain restaurants to give a full rounded approach.