Wagaya - Sydney

Wagaya. New. Innovative. Chic.

As I stepped in, I was hit with strong Japanese flavours which made my mouth water. The decor was modern and each group got their own little "cubical" space complete with an ordering LCD touch screen. That is, in addition to the menu, the LCD allows you to browse through the available foods, complete with pictures and descriptions. Ordering is self-service, and simply pressing the enticing pictures of food on the screen brings delicious realities to your table in no time!

LCD order menu.

Menu for the less technologically oriented.

The first thing that came to my mind was scallop sashimi ($6). and coming in a flash, I was not disappointed. These were very fresh and really really sweet. I could eat bucket-loads of this, but there were just so many more enticing food pictures on the menu.

Super fresh and sweet scallop sashimi - $6.

Another favourite of mine, and also a recommended Wagaya dish, is the soft shell crab salad ($9.90). The soft-shell crab came lightly battered and not too oily. Mmm...yum. The salad was also fresh and a welcome contrast to the deep-fried crab.

Soft shell crab salad - $9.90

My partner was intrigued by the eel chazuke ($7.50). This was quite an interesting dish comprised of eel and rice, soaked in green tea. It tasted a bit like asian congee... but I do prefer congee. My partner didn't take well to this type of rice dish and ate no more than a few spoon-fulls. But, I reckon that this is a dish you have to try and decide for yourself, if this is a dish for you.

Eel chazuke - $7.50

Close-up of this wierd dish.

Next thing I happily ordered on the LCD screen was the crab chawanmushi ($6.50). This is a savoury egg-custard with egg, shitake mushrooms, and broad beans. This was nice, but not particularly spectacular. The egg custard was smooth and silky, but when three-quarters of the cup was just egg custard without the other fillings, it does get a bit boring.

Crab chawanmushi - $6.50

Although my partner was coughing, I could not refrain from ordering the takoyaki gratin ($6.90). This was simply takoyaki (octopus) balls with potato and cheese melted on top. Nice tasting, but yet again, quite average.

Takoyaki gratin - $6.90

Lastly, we debated between the 'salmon roulette' sushi (where one of the sushi on the plate is loaded with wasabi) and the rainbow roll. As my partner was scared that I'd make him eat the loaded sushi even if I picked it, we decided to order the rainbow roll ($9.80) to fill our stomachs. The sushi was fresh and delicious. But, we have seen better.

Rainbow Roll - $9.80

Close-up of rainbow roll.

Wagaya is a fun and innovative Japanese eatery. I love ordering on the touch screens and I love how the food comes within minutes. The food is fresh, and although some dishes are better at other Japanese restaurants, Wagaya is not bad for the price required.

Definitely a restaurant worth visiting, even if your not computer savvy.

Ratings:
Food - 7/10
Service - 9/10
Ambiance - 8/10
Value for money - 7/10
+ 1 for innovative menu
Overall - 32/40


Wagaya
Lvl 1/ 78 Harbour St
Haymarket NSW 2000
Tel: 9212 6068