tl;dr: eating out has unlimited potential for fun with the ordering concept alone. but that alone is not the reason to come here; it also has a style that combines the old with the new. plus, the waitstaff is swift and professional. all of this ties together via some tasty fare. the fare is still steaming from the hotplate or deep fryer mere minutes before it hits your table. how can you go wrong?
by now, it is virtually pointless to give a rundown about wagaya since close to every gourmand - and even the casual food fan - would know about it. with a handful of outlets among the major cities, the brainchild behind it all has found a way to balance the casual, laidback approach to going out for a meal, along with still being stylish and knowing the place to be. brisbane's outlet is within its chinatown, which in honesty, is not one of the city's strongest outlets for food. nevertheless, putting aside a certain novelty value with the restaurant still has its place to be recommended.
the reason for trying to come here for such a long time - aside from the high ratings among brisbane's restaurants - was that allure of a wasabi roulette. it is time to get some fun into eating these days, and that roulette is one way to do it. that usual friend would have it booked time after time, only for life to happen, therefore deferring it. well, there is both bad news and good news. the good news, uncharacteristically coming first, i finally got her here. bad news, wagaya only does the wasabi roulette at dinner time, and it was lunch this time around. nevertheless, i have grown and learned not to let disappointment rain on my parade.
the first aspect that stands out with wagaya is how the tables' layout. modern meets classical. if you have seen pictures of traditional japanese architecture, details are likely to jump out. it is an instance that is hard to describe despite how much you know it when you see it. they have three different kinds of seating, which have differing levels of privacy; the good news is the standard seating has enough of a deal of privacy to allow clients to relax. my friend and i got the standard walk-in seating, which is a lot like your own private booth. after settling in, you get your chopsticks and plates, and the system boots up for where the kitchen becomes your oyster.
the idea of wagaya is one of genius. ordering is all done through an ipad system, and after selecting the desired item and clicking "confirm", it won't take long before it is on your table. because of this setup, clients can ripe properly go at their own pace. the entire menu is right at your fingertips, and for queries outside of ordering food, there is a separate button to press for it. here we come to another instance with critiquing where it is can't quite grasp the full potential quality. when business is low, it will be inevitably quieter; obviously, to save the energy for when there is more to do. that was the case then and there, in which i might have seen another couple of clients come through, but you could still throw a rock and not hit anybody.
i still believe in being fair; any small amount of effort is worth acknowledging. on top of the speed between ordering the food and seeing it on the table, the waitstaff keeps up a friendly and professional vibe. the example was with the wasabi roulette - press the button, question the query, and the waiter's answer was satisfactory. on top of that, the waitstaff still roams around the tables seeking out the small tasks that make up the big picture - the example being clearing the tables, or more so, taking any used plates. taking it all for what it is worth, i see the lunchtime hours as the practice right before the big game.
with the menu, it is vast - that is at dinner time. the lunchtime one does not precisely lack either. for these hours, they might be thinking solo diners or a few folks from nearby work offices are coming in; in this instance, the modus operandi is to order a little something, eat it, pay, and leave. that is where bento boxes, curries, and good old ramen come to play. on top of those, small morsels, including a sushi selection, make up the menu.
it gets more exciting at dinnertime, in which just reading them on the menu has me envisioning the experience in the flesh. the selection of nibbles expands, adding some bigger bites to the plate. essentially, if there was a selection at lunchtime, it gets an upgrade. it also has absolute newbies - to put it in a certain way: the grilled yakitori kind, bubbling hotpots, desserts! all that is just making me giddy with delight.
a meal out like this would be incomplete without the drinks. you do have the beers and the wines, which is par for the course. however, we are talking japanese cuisine; ergo, the natural choice would be sake. plus, proving there is always an opportunity for the first time still going - chu-hai, another popular japanese beverage.
it gets even more exciting with the cocktails, where the menu sections them out according to the beverage base. you could come back here dozens of times on that prospect alone. i can't vouch as we compare a touch screen to going up to a bar, but i reckon the staff would be nice enough to whip something up if nothing quite takes your fancy.
fellow teetotallers don't have to fret either. a range of mocktails are available, and the aforementioned sentence will likely apply here as well. that is on top of the usual suspects with sodas, fruit juices, and whatnot. if i were still drinking the sodas, the choice would be ramune which i believe is an option. all bases are covered, that is for sure.
i can't precisely remember each point for food since it was a while between eating here and writing up this piece. nevertheless, there was still an impression put forward that the food was top-notch. with the chefs preparing everything to order, that is a strong suit in its favour.
using the far reaches of my mind, the items that both of us ordered were chicken gyoza (which got two rounds), takoyaki, vegetable spring rolls, edamame, mixed tempura, lotus and some chicken namban. we all know by now that takoyaki is always a winner. regarding the sauce on top and the shavings, messier equals better. plus, once you have edamame, you know what it is. i can perceive it will not be for everyone; the same goes with the lotus root.
i found the real winners were the gyoza - hence two orders, but that is because gyoza rocks. then there was the mixed tempura which was a selection of vegetables plus prawns done in that characteristic light batter that i have found many places often attempt these days but don't quite hit that mark. and chicken namban, can't forget about chicken namban. it was fried chicken - which is enough to perk my attention - in which the cooks covered the pieces in a flavourful sauce that was either garlic or a sweet and sour type of sauce. either way, it will be a natural entrant to reorder upon returning.
the lunch menu was a mere sampler for what they have in store. when it gets to dinner, it is not only that wasabi roulette that becomes available but a whole range of goodies and meals, much of which you don't encounter in your typical japanese restaurant. for sure, you bet that i will ensure that i return to this place shortly. japanese is my king cuisine, as it hardly lets me down. when it is at this level, there is something even more special.
watch this space. a better (and likely longer) review will be coming on the horizon.
final rating: 4.0-4.5: it is teetering between them, and the proper experience, the director's cut will be that deciding factor.