The new Wagamama in the Golden Mile Galleria is as of writing the most popular of the new restaurants to have opened, with its 160 seats if not always taken, certainly those outside, as well as those looking out towards Al Ittihad Park nearing so on most evenings.

The restaurant says it is the first to introduce Kaizan, a process of continual improvements, as well as the Chef’s Menu – Omakase. We had two dishes from the latter, one we loved, the other we could easily live without.

The first, tuna on a bed of quinoa and kale, is both super food and superfood, fresh and tasty, and guaranteed to be a fast friend for anyone wanting something low calorie and low carb and yet still be satisfied. The grilled teriyaki lamb with mushrooms, asparagus, kale and mangetout served on a bed of soba noodles in a pea, herb and wasabi dressing is however one of those options that sounds great, but in our case left a little much for any desire of a repeat performance. The sauce is tangy, sweet and inviting, but the lamb is overcooked, chewy and ended up in the corner of the table barely touched.

Wagamama’s staples clearly perform better. At the moment come sundown this restaurant is a hive of activity of people chowing down to Ramens (we had the chicken – a little dull, the chilli would probably have been a better option), tepenyaki, salads, donburi (big bowls of steamed rice stir-fried with chicken, beef or prawn and mixed vegetables) and curries, and pretty much everyone looks happy as they do so.

We were unfortunate perhaps in our choices, but we will revisit, and next time hope for more luck. In terms of the place (it’s fantastically designed), the service, the ingredients, and the pricing (150 – 200 AED for two) there is no argument, this is a very welcome new addition to the Palm.