Dish of the Week
Wagamama – Duck gyoza with cherry-hoisin sauce, chili-garlic salt edamame and chili-beef ramen

We apologize for jumping the gun a bit here, but today’s Dish of the Week is not yet available in our area. However, U.K. transplants may be happy to hear that Wagamama, the popular Japanese-style noodle house found across the U.K., is planning to open shop in the D.C. area late this year or early next, according to the Washington Business Journal. The 5,800-square foot location on 7th St. will be Wagamama’s third U.S. location – the other two are in Boston – and the first of several planned sites in the area. Modeled after Japanese ramen bars, Wagamama offers a variety of ramen noodles and side dishes, quickly served to your table and easy on the pocketbook – a favorite of frugal students.

Last year, DCist Jamie had a chance to try out one dish at the Wagamama located in Boston’s Faneuil Hall.

The edamame was… edamame. Meanwhile, the chili-beef ramen came out with onions, cilantro, bean sprouts and lime. I found myself expecting it to taste like pho, but the broth didn’t have the richness of pho and no matter how much lime juice I squeezed in I couldn’t get it the way I liked it. But the ramen noodles were fresh and tasty.

Jamie also tried their Duck gyoza cherry-hoisin sauce, commenting on the hearty amounts of meat and calling it, “a slight riff on Peking duck.” If the food doesn’t impress, then maybe the speed at which you receive it will. Wagamama has set itself apart by having its servers use PDAs, which magically beam your orders to the kitchen and gets your food to you in a flash.

A quick spot for a hearty bowl of steaming noodles is just what D.C. needs.

Jamie Liu contributed