It was my 25th birthday recently and I knew exactly where I wanted to go. I have a list of restaurants and cocktail places I want to try now I have moved to London and they were all pushed aside for the new vegan menu at Wagamamas. Their "veganatsu" curry was all over my social media, especially from influencers like Fat Gay Vegan who had tried the tasting menu earlier in the year.
So jealous
Fast forward to me dragging Joah past all the newly-opened restaurants and trendy, independent places to squeeze into the corner of one of the most overcrowded Wagamama's in London in hopes of shoving some delicious vegan food into my mouth.
Along with our classic sharing starter of edamame beans, Joah and I also ordered the mixed mushroom and panko aubergine hirato steamed buns to share, along with two katsu curries - one chicken and one vegan.
The buns themselves were light, fluffy, slightly sweet - exactly what you would expect from a bao bun. The fillings, however, split the room. Although the mushroom and aubergine pairing definitely makes for a meaty texture, the lack of mayo or sauce or any kind meant that they were dry and a little flavourless. I am also not certain what makes them "hirato" either.
Now for the main event, the "veganatsu" curry.
Yikes.
According to the Wagamama's website, the veganatsu is made of a seitan coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs, covered in thick curry sauce and white rice. The curry sauce was thick, slippery, and lacking in any kind of flavour and, honestly, a little upsetting (I am a girl who likes her curry sauce).
Rice = fine.
Worst of all was the seitan.
Seitan is one of those wonderfully transformative materials that can absorb the taste of whatever it's cooked in - look at how the Temple of Seitan makes it taste almost exactly like chicken for example.
The seitan in the veganatsu however, was dry, tough, and again bizarrely flavourless, in frustratingly thin slices.
In short, if it wasn't clear, I am pretty disappointed with what I have tried from Wagamama's new vegan menu. My social media feed lied to me (or none of those influencers has had a decent curry sauce before - helpful hint, try it with chips next time you are in Wales)
Is that going to stop me going to the ubiquitous Wagamama's? Obviously not, you can't avoid the clown at the fair after all. But I will definitely be avoiding the veganatsu - and not a moment too soon.
It is annoying to spell.
Hiya just started on a vegan menu and can't agree about the veganatsu. Really liked it! :) each to their own.
ReplyDelete