SQUID’S an unforgiving beast. Cook it a moment too long and its chewier than munching on a tennis ball with rubber dentures.
I’ve eaten some spectacularly badly-cooked versions at some very well regarded restaurants.
But, treated right, the humble cephalopod has a pleasing texture and good flavour.
Here, at the city centre branch of a national chain, came one of the best examples I’ve scoffed in a very long time.
I ate it as a side dish with my 14-year-old son Ewan and it was wonderfully tender with a slight hint of chilli and, alongside, sat a dipping sauce that tasted like honeyed vinegar.
Top marks to the kitchen for producing such quality, especially on a night when the restaurant’s communal tables were full and people were queuing.
I was less impressed, however, by the dish that followed.
The stir-fried soba noodles that formed the base of chicken chilli men were fine things – yielding but retaining enough softness to entice.
And the various vegetables – mange tout, red onions, courgettes and peppers – retained their texture, colour and flavour.
Good chunks of chicken also pleased.
But there was a rather sloppy tomato sauce, aggresively spiced, that wouldn’t have been out of place in an Italian restaurant at the cheaper end of the market.
Ewan, though, thoroughly enoyed a rather more tradional dish – a steaming bowl of udon noodles with prawns and a liquor rich with coconut.
It was a dish he enjoyed very much indeed.
Though the main courses were generous in size, we both progressed to desserts.
The lemon and cheesecake that I ordered was tasty and lightly textured.
The toffee sauce that decorated the plate was spiked wth enough chilli to refresh but not assault the palate.
Ewan scoffed a hefty slice of chocolate fudge cake with a chocolate sauce to which had been added wasabi – though I could not detect its influence.
He supped a couple of soft drinks while I drank a couple of bottles of Japanese beer that were slightly under-chilled.
Service throughout was friendly and helpful, though sometimes a little slow.
This wasn’t food that wowed me. But Wagamama’s a good place to grab a meal when you’re shopping or passing through town.
* Verdict
How much? £42 for two
Vegetarians? Choices
Child friendly? Yes
Disabled access? Good
Parking? Nearby
Go back? Happily
Value: £££
Food, decor, service: ***
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