I hadn't been down to Fanueil Hall in over a year. I truly detest visiting this tourist mecca of Boston, but that's where Wagamama was located. So on a pretty sunny Sunday morning, Tom, Leah, Patrick (Leah's friend) and I all headed down there to check it out.
We were worried that there'd be a line out the door (that's what people had been describing), but when we arrived at about 11:45, the place still hadn't opened. I doesn't open until noon on Sundays. I mini line had started, so we stood in it for a few minutes. Someone came by with menus and we browsed them as we waited, but soon the doors opened. The restaurant is very light, with huge floor to ceiling windows, and has a modern cheap chic about it. (Think Ikea). We were seated at one of the many communal tables, which had helpful little shelves underneath for our stuff. As we were seated, you could see the line outside ebbing and flowing. The line mainly existed because they had only one person seating people, not because there weren't enough seats.
Our waitress came by pretty quickly to take drink orders and explain the concept. Despite using a handheld computer, she still wrote down our individual orders on our paper placemats. Leah and Patrick started off with carrot juice, and I got a very yummy concoction of apple juice, passion fruit and orange juice. The fruit drinks were fresh and delicious. 
We then turned our attention to the acutal food. The menu is quite extensive, and it was hard to decide what to get. The waitress explained that they don't have traditional appetizers, since they make the food fresh and bring out food whenever it's ready (like at Chinese restaurants). So I ordered a side of fried duck gyoza. Huh, this is kinda funny, but I'm looking at their menu online and they don't list duck gyoza as an option. At any rate, here's a pic of them.
We then turned our attention to the acutal food. The menu is quite extensive, and it was hard to decide what to get. The waitress explained that they don't have traditional appetizers, since they make the food fresh and bring out food whenever it's ready (like at Chinese restaurants). So I ordered a side of fried duck gyoza. Huh, this is kinda funny, but I'm looking at their menu online and they don't list duck gyoza as an option. At any rate, here's a pic of them.
I thought they were pretty good. The fillings had plenty of duck, but I expected them to be panfried, not deep fried. And I wasn't a fan of the actual wrapper. It was too thin and didn't have a great texture. Tom had an order of Ebi gyoza (with shrimp) and I thought it was much better than my duck. The filling was more flavorful and juicy.Then it was onto the noodles. I wavered for a while deciding what I'd get. Tom's order of teppan-fried udon noodles with chicken marinated in ginger, garlic and lemongrass. Served with mangetout, red onions, beansprouts, chilli, egg and spring onions. Garnished with pickled ginger and fresh coriander came out first. He was surprised at how juicy the chicken was and enjoyed it.
I was expecting the broth to be sweeter (due the addition of coconut milk) than it ended up being. The broth was slightly spicy, but not too much, and I liked the use of fresh ingredients. However, the noodles were overcooked, and didn't possess that nice al dente bite.
We skipped dessert and opted to go to Modern Pastry in the North End instead. Overall, lunch was ok. The service was efficient, and not what had been reported online. (The restaurant wasn't full when we went, though.) It's a popular place for families and we were surrounded by children. But it was quite expensive, at nearly $20/person, and it wasn't all that spectacular. I've been comparing it to Penang, just cause it's another highly successful Asian eatery that has a large menu, many locations and a loyal following. But the food at Penang is just so much better and less expensive, it doesn't even compare. Perhaps people in the U.K. go here because a $20 lunch is cheap. London is known for being super expensive, but for me, I'd rather get my ramen elsewhere at a lower price. They'll be opening a second location in Harvard Square, and when Leah asked if I'd go back, I said, if I were a Harvard student, and I'd exhausted most of the options in Harvard Square, I'd eat there. So I guess that means I won't be going back any time soon.
We skipped dessert and opted to go to Modern Pastry in the North End instead. Overall, lunch was ok. The service was efficient, and not what had been reported online. (The restaurant wasn't full when we went, though.) It's a popular place for families and we were surrounded by children. But it was quite expensive, at nearly $20/person, and it wasn't all that spectacular. I've been comparing it to Penang, just cause it's another highly successful Asian eatery that has a large menu, many locations and a loyal following. But the food at Penang is just so much better and less expensive, it doesn't even compare. Perhaps people in the U.K. go here because a $20 lunch is cheap. London is known for being super expensive, but for me, I'd rather get my ramen elsewhere at a lower price. They'll be opening a second location in Harvard Square, and when Leah asked if I'd go back, I said, if I were a Harvard student, and I'd exhausted most of the options in Harvard Square, I'd eat there. So I guess that means I won't be going back any time soon.
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