Wagaya – My new Kitchen
Situated in downtown Sydney, opposite the Entertainment Centre is an amazing Japanese restaurant.
Those of you who know me, know that I love my Jap food. Yet, having stumbled upon this restaurant takes my expectations to a whole new level. Whether it is the fact that you order food through the interactive touch-screen menu, or the cheap prices, or the fact the food is absolutely oishii!! (yummy!!), Wagaya has become my new favourite place of residence.
The place is always packed. Whether it be a Monday night, or a Friday night, you need to book ahead, or be prepared to wait for a while for a table. The beauty part is that you can book via SMS (don’t bother trying to book on the same day, they’ll likely be booked out), as well as conventional phone. Or you can rock up and just wait. We waited around 10mins for a table when we came at 6:30. They’re open 5pm to 2am, so it sounds like a great place to have a bite to eat late at night.
The atmosphere is really nice, combined with the spacious tables, having a slight Japanese vibe, which is only compounded by the excellent service. Their response times are amazing, and the food comes out quickly. I ordered a hotpot, and within a minute, they had brought out the stove, and within a few minutes after, my meal. The touchscreen menu makes it really easy (perhaps too easy considering the prices) to order, and the novelty hasn’t worn off yet.
The food is scrumptious. For my entree, I ordered Kimchi Tofu, which was VERY nicely portioned. It was about 2-3 times what you get in other restaurants, for the same price ($5.50 from memory). It had lots of tofu, kimchi, as well as some beef. The prices are very reasonable, around $6 for entrees, and $8.50-$14 for most main dishes, and then more for the big sushi/sashami etc.
I was super impressed by everything. Awesome food, prices, service, atmosphere. Wagaya has become my fav jap restaurant in Sydney =)
Address – Level 1, 78 Harbour Street, Haymarket
Phone/SMS - 0416 200 223
Hours – Seven days, 5pm-2am
