wagamama edinburgh st andrew square — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I am not from this area but my partner loves wagamamas so we thought we would go somewhere that he likes. First impression was great the girl who served us was lovely polite and listened to everything we had to order. My order was very specific as I have stomach issues upon which I cannot tolerate or handle any chilli so I asked my server which dish did and didn't contain chilli so based on her knowledge she told me a few dishes so i chose the pork belly ramen being told it had no spice what so ever on this dish. I also asked to remove the egg from this dish as I am unable to have this item as well. So once ordered everything was fine we got our drinks and our dumplings and shortly after my partners ramen (gyoza ramen) had arrived which he said was lovely, as I was waiting I was watching the chefs cook the food as we were sat right next to the kitchen and I saw my server go to collect a ramen and I realised it was mine as it wasn't busy and she didn't have many tables. The chef had put an egg in the ramen which I specifically said I couldn't eat and when my server told them this, the chef got their hand and scooped it out with their hand (no gloves either) which already is a big no go as I could have been severly allergic too the egg and therefor the ramen would have already been contaminated which is disgusting but I decided to shake off what I saw when she brought it too me and try it. My first bite almost blew my lips off. It had doses of chilli oil on top of my ramen and even my partner had tried it and said it was really spicy so i sent it back apologising for the inconvenience of the chefs and the server said that she would get me a new one made immediately. I waited 10minutes and told my partner not to stop eating his food as it will only get cold if he waited. Half an hour had passed and all i got were stares from the chefs and my server which made me feel extremely unwelcome and uncomfortable. 50minutes had passed still no sign of my ramen or server coming to check in with the chefs or me still whilst being stared at. My partner at this point had finished his meal and with disgust, uncomfort and disappointment i said just pay on your phone so we can leave as I'm not interested anymore. So after an hour of sending my dish back and we had paid for the meal we ate my server came to us knowing we were getting up to leave with my ramen. I said I don't want it. Nearly an hour i waited no updates only uncomfortable stares from you and the rest of the staff. I won't be returning ever to your branch or wagamamas until they get better staff with better manners. Disgusting behaviour, disgusting service and i will not be returning or recommending this chain to anyone. Absolutely beyond disgusted with this service and I hope the chef and my server who were having a good laugh when we were leaving get punished for this...

My partner and I originally had a booking at another restaurant, however when we turned up for our booking they told us we had to wait 20 minutes for our table to be ready - but we had to wait outside, in the rain .... no chance!

We walked round the corner and into old faithful Wagamama.

Greeted at the door by a very friendly guy who showed us to a comfortable table booth.

Our waiter was extremely attentive (Vidra or Vidrus I think he was called, it is difficult to hear people talk sometimes when they have their masks on).

We had vegan sticky ribs which came piping hot and delicious, vegan "squid" - first time trying this and whilst it was ok, it seemed there was more batter than "squid" so probably wouldn't have this in the future, a power juice and a ramen bowl.

The food as always arrived hot, tasty and just perfect. We had some time to kill so we decided to order a desert to share. We opted for the white chocolate and ginger which was TO DIE FOR!!! Deliciously creamy cheesecake and a lovely ginger base, with sweet toffee sauce - whilst pricy at over £6 for this slice, I would not have it so often, but certainly worth the treat every once in a while.

So for 3 starters, one ramen, one juice and one desert we were around £40. Which I do feel is quite pricy for a lunch, however given the service and the quality of the food, it does make swallowing the bill a bit easier.

They offer a QR code where you can just scan it on the menu and pay for your meal - we did try to do it, but there are lots of boxes with personal information etc to fill in that we just requested to use the card machine instead. It is definitely a good idea though for some people who wish to have as minimal contact as possible.

The bathrooms were clean with plenty of hand wash available.

We were treated exceptionally well on our visit and the staff there are really an asset to Wagamama.

Thanks guys and we will definitely be back if we return to...

Good service and ambience; ingredients were fresh and portions generous. But I have to be honest, the dishes themselves were really below par. Maybe cause I'm not a regular or familiar with the style of fusion cuisine they serve up at Wagamama but if you came here expecting solid, Asian food, you will be sorely disappointed.

We had the katsu curry, chilli prawn + kimchee ramen and the chilli chicken ramen.

Japanese curry should be both sweet and savoury with thick gravy - the katsu itself was passable but the curry that came with it was neither sweet nor savoury and instead was overpowered by a strange perfume-y aftertaste. We couldn't wrap our heads around what exactly this perfume-y aftertaste was. The ramen noodles appear to be over-processed due to a strong kansui aftertaste and the ramen broth was perhaps the most unfortunate - it tasted like boiled water with some soya sauce, maybe very little vinegar and chilli flakes thrown in to add flavour. Shouldn't kimchee broth be pungent and distinctive (garlicky and spicy)?

It just seemed like whoever came up with the menu has never tasted Japanese or other Asian food/dishes and decided to throw a few things together based on whatever they thought that dish should taste like. Granted, cuisines can evolve (after all, Wagamama serves fusion food) but whatever you 'fused' together should at the minimum echo a part of the Asian taste palate and of course, be tasty. Boiled water with soya sauce doesn't do either.

I know this is a rather scathing review but I was very disappointed and am leaving this review so that Wagamama will do better. Asian food shouldn't taste like this, because it is so much more. What with all the spices, ingredients, and how the food is prepared so as to release the flavours of the ingredients ... Asian food is just so much more. Please do...