WHERE: 29 Nuffield St, Newmarket (09) 524 4975
OUR MEAL: $95 for two beers, two mains, two desserts, three side dishes.
THE WINE: Modest list, half a dozen beers.
VERDICT: The safe but ultimately bland face of Asian eating in Auckland.
OUT OF 10
FOOD: 5
SERVICE: 5
VALUE: 6
AMBIENCE: 7
KEY POINTS:
A few months ago a university in Michigan came up with its annual list of words and phrases which it says should be banished from the language. I'm sure we can agree that "organic", "random" and "sweet" are all past their use-by date. And that "past their use-by date" could also go.
But on the list was a phrase which, while I concede is overworked by sports coaches and commentators, does actually have its place: it is what it is.
For me, that very neatly encapsulates what you want to say when there is very little to say. It is economical, doesn't understate or exaggerate for effect and lets listeners draw their own conclusions.
The phrase came to me the other night as we ambled past the frock shops and interior design stores on Nuffield St after a meal at Wagamama's Newmarket outlet.
Wagamama is an international restaurant chain that has spread across the world and this city in the past few years - three outlets in Auckland now and our receipt said restaurant 542 - offering an innocuous pan-Asian, noodle-based, healthy menu in an environment which evokes a traditional noodle bar but with much more light and much less happy chaos and atmosphere.
Quite why Wagamama has proven so popular in Auckland, where you are spoiled for choice by much more homely, genuine and idiosyncratic Asian places, is somewhat of a mystery, but maybe people like the obviousness of Wagamama: the long tables, open kitchen, clear menu with its recommendations and most popular dishes noted, the brisk and efficient if somewhat soulless service and so on.
The young man who first ushered us towards a table by the door which opened onto a cold night, then moved us without fuss when we pointed out the obvious, had to say they couldn't offer Kirin beer (it had been quite some lunchtime crowd apparently) and that there were also none of their juices because the machine had broken. Not the best start, but we worked around it without difficulty.
Because the staff use handheld computers networked to the kitchen, you can guarantee orders are filled quickly, although to be in and out in around 50 minutes did come as a surprise.
Megan was tempted by the ebi kare lomen (a spicy soup with lemongrass, coconut milk, shrimp paste, prawns and so on) and I went for the seafood curry.
Along with this we topped up with edamame (steamed soya beans to pick at), ebi gyoza (deep-fried dumplings stuffed with ground prawns and water chestnuts), three skewers of grilled chicken and pickles.
The curious thing about the mains was the more we ate, the more bland they became, and that was the overwhelming feeling about efficient, clean and friendly Wagamama where strangers seated next to each other would engage in conversation and students mixed with seniors. Enjoying those happy interactions were a pleasant diversion.
The desserts of handmade icecream and cheesecake were quite ordinary, as you might expect when such things are made as bulk orders.
Wagamama's appeal for many could lie in its familiarity and consistency - perhaps another way of saying its lack of surprise. Despite the messages about positive eating and a menu with a desire to please, Wagamama's dishes have always come off as sterile to me, especially when smaller, more intimate and equally cheerful places exist all over the city these days.
As we left, Megan offered that at least on a cold night the meals came fast and hot.
