There are certainly more restaurants in the capital than there are people to dine in them so why not try something new this month. Wagamama’s World Vegan Month menu proves that comfort food is king.
Kicked off by World Vegan Day on November 1st, World Vegan Month is celebrated globally as a month recognising how far the vegan movement has come, how accessible living plant-based and vegan can be, and as a time to encourage veg-curious to adopt or explore veganism further.
While the capital’s options for the vegan-curious are few but growing, there’s one place that diners must try if they are curious about trying delicious vegan food, or just believe that “delicious vegan food” might be an oxymoron, and Wagamama is it!
#YallaEats dropped by to test the restaurant’s vegan menu to honour World Vegan Month, and we can say that even a carnivore won’t leave this spot disappointed.
First of all, the food is excellent, fast, and reasonably priced. If that’s not enough to get you in here, consider a menu that’s got something for everyone—conveniently located in the heart of the city in Abu Dhabi Mall.
We start with aubergine and mushroom bao, which were so good, we think many carnivores wouldn’t notice that they aren’t eating an animal at all; they’d simply focus on the fact that they are just eating something good and tasty.
Our mains were respectively yasai katsu curry and kare burosu ramen. We’d say the former would be a hit with any carnivore while the latter might fall better onto the plates of a vegetarian or someone a bit more familiar with meat alternatives as tofu can be a squishy proposition for meat-lovers.
The yasai katsu curry sweet potato, aubergine and btternut squash coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs and covered in an aromatic curry sauce was served with sticky white rice and a side salad. The curry is light and flavourful as is the Japanese curry tradition—the mildest of milds.
The kare burosu ramen, on the other hand, might still remain in the provenance of the true vegetarian/vegan as its composed of shichimi-coated silken tofu and grilled mixed mushrooms on a bed of udon noodles in a curried vegetable broth that’s finished with pea shoots, carrot, chilis, and sprigs of coriander.
Ordinarily, we’d opt out of desserts, but we highly recommend that you go for it at Wagamama if just to sample the mango “cheesecake” with pink guava and passionfruit sorbet on the side. We can assure you that no cows were harmed in the production of this cake, and that you will wonder why you ever thought it entirely necessary to use cow milk in this creation at all.
We’re not entirely certain how wagamama concocts this dreamy, creamy vegan magic, and if you ask, they won’t tell you—I tried, but you will leave dreaming about this light fluffy cake.
If you have yet to try wagamama, where’ve you been? This place is so good. Whether you are veg-curious or a carry a carnivore-club card, there’s something for you on this menu, but in the spirit of World Vegan Month, we suggest you splash out, spare an animal or two this month, and learn how tasty a meat-free lifestyle can be!
Wagamama, Abu Dhabi Mall, 02 679 7466
To learn more about Abu Dhabi Mall, visit www.abudhabi-mall.com
