Wagamama is giving away free dishes to mark the launch of an exciting new menu at the iconic test kitchen, Noodle Lab in the heart of London's Soho.
The selection of delicious and innovative food, inspired by the street markets of Japan, will be handed out at the creative test kitchen on Dean Street, Soho on Tuesday 4 Feb from 12pm to 2pm.
Foodies can sample one of three new dishes - vegan corn ‘ribs’, moreish tori kara age (Japanese fried chicken), or the iconic matcha bao-nut (a bao doughnut with vegan matcha ice-cream).
Noodle Lab is where all the magic happens for some of Wagamama’s ground-breaking dishes designed and refined over months by a team of top chefs led by Executive Chef Steve Mangleshot. In the last year, Noodle Lab has successfully launched the world’s first vegan egg, vegan katsu curry and most recently the watermelon vegan ‘tuna’.
Of this most recent trial menu, Mangleshot said, “Test menu 10 is one of our biggest and most exciting noodle lab launches yet. Featuring fresh plant-based innovation, our version of a Japanese classic and an iconic vegan dessert, we want to transport people to the food markets of Tokyo with this latest menu. It’s street food, with soul.”
The giveaway at Noodle Lab is to celebrate the launch of its latest exciting new menu, Street Food with Soul, which officially launches on Wednesday 5 February.
The free dishes are:
BBQ corn ‘ribs’ (vegan) - miso & barbeque sticky glazed corn on the cob slices, wok-fried and topped with toasted sesame seeds.
Tori kara age - crispy panko-coated teriyaki chicken fried until golden, topped with sweet okonomiyaki sauce & japanese-style mayonnaise.
Matcha bao-nut (vegan) - a lightly fried & sugar-coated bao bun filled with creamy matcha ice cream & sweet miso glaze. topped with toasted coconut flakes.
The rest of the noodle lab trial menu, available from 5 February, is:
Starters:
- Sticky sweet potato (vegan) - sweet & spicy sweet potato. topped with crispy okra, & toasted sesame seeds
Mains:
Build your own bun;
– Tori Kara Age - teriyaki chicken in crispy panko breadcrumbs fried until golden. served with three hirata steamed buns, pickled slaw + sriracha mayonnaise
- Kinoko Donburi (vegan) - wok-fried teriyaki mushrooms, edamame, red onion + plum tomatoes in a sweet + spicy barbeque sauce. served on brown rice with kimchee + pea shoots. topped with spring onions + sesame seeds
- Pulled Lamb Mokutan Soba - ponzu dressed lamb, bok choi, mangetout, red + spring onions in a teriyaki sauce. served on charcoal noodles. topped with ginger + fresh mint
Dessert:
- Matcha Bao-Nut (vegan) - lightly fried & sugar-coated bao bun filled with creamy matcha ice cream & sweet miso glaze. topped with toasted coconut flakes.
The new menu follows in the footsteps of Wagamama’s commitment to innovation after they introduced the world’s first vegan egg and new versions of the ever-popular Chicken Katsu Curry (hot Katsu curry, Naked Katsu and Vegatsu).
The noodle lab #10 menu was born out of the rise of premium east-meets-west fusion soul food and contains a number of dishes that might one day be a regular part of the national Wagamama menu.