One location of Wagamama, the British restaurant chain serving Asian food based on Japanese cuisine, is across the street from City Center where we were heading to see “Golden Shield,” playwright Anchuli Felicia King’s new work about loyalties, intrigue and the art of translation. Nothing to to out of your way for.

My go-to dish is always their spicy bang bang cauliflower ($8.50) as the well-seasoned florets never disappoint.

I expected their bold and fiery firecracker chicken to be spicy. Not spicy, yet flavorful. The small chunks of chicken with bell peppers, chilies and scallions surrounded a serving of white rice, were missing the menu-stated snow peas ($18).

My friend had the vegetarian version, the yasai katsu curry with both sweet potato, eggplant and butternut squash rounds coated in crispy panko breadcrumbs then fried. All that was covered in an aromatic curry sauce and served with sticky white rice and a side green salad ($16.50). She’d recommend.

I do recommend a visit to any of wagamama’s locations.

wagamama
Midtown
100 West 55
New York, NY 10019
332-900-6111
wagamama.us