Wagamama

Love the food here, love how cheap it is, the service is nice and efficient and the waiters are all smiley (and very attractive). For those who have never been to Wagamama, then you MUST go! Every time I think of the yaki soba I had there yesterday, my mouth waters. Free green tea is a bonus. Only downside to this particular restaurant is that the queues were long and slow-​moving, meaning you have to wait quite a while before you get the chance to enjoy your food.

Corporate sales pitch means decline of food
2 sales pitches before we even had food. My steak tasted like liver. One always causes the other.

It is nice to have a new restaurant in the mix, especially at the outlet since there wasn’t much selection for lunch during most of the renovation. As I approached the entrance from inside the outlet, there was quite the queue, with people leaving because the queue did not seem to be moving. As people left, I got a better view of inside the restaurant and I couldn’t see why people weren’t being seated as there were a number open tables/​seats. I think the problem was that they have two entrances and one person seemed to be running back and forth between the entrances to seat people. I am sure that when they get more experience, this will hopefully remedy itself.
Of course, remember that Wagamama has communal seating like traditional noodle houses, so if you aren’t a fan, it could be difficult, but for those of us dining solo, it is actually perfect as we can fit in anywhere! However, there was a mother and daughter that asked for a takeaway menu and decided to take their food to the seating in the food court since it wasn’t as crampt. Really it is a brilliant idea if you don’t want to wait for a table. The service was very friendly and it was quite efficient as I didn’t wait very long for food or my drink. I had the Ramen Soup with Duck. It was delicious and perfect for a chilly day as it had a bit of spice to it. I also find Wagamama’s food, filling, but not rich, which is nice for a day of shopping :).
A downside to its location is parking. While there is plenty of parking for lunch time or early dinner, both car parks for the outlet close at 8:30 p.m. while both Wagamama and Pizza Express stay open for a few hours after. So if you are looking to have dinner at either, you’ll need to walk or take public transport as the car park will be shut. I know it isn’t Wagamama’s fault as it is ultimately the outlet’s decision, but I guess if I had been in planning and deciding whether or not to go into the space, parking would have been something that would have been negotiated, otherwise the restaurant is losing money by being open late, with no parking as there won’t be as many customers.