Wagamama's sleek and streamlined arrival on Dublin's South King Street is more proof of how the city's diners are turning Japanese in search of tastebud titillation. It seems like only yesterday that our palates were as unadventurous as what was on the plates in front of us, and we associated Japanese cuisine with raw fish and nothing else.
Now, with the Wagamama operation lining up alongside the Yamamori noodlehouse on South Great George's Street, O Sushi in Temple Bar and the Ayumi-Ya branches in Blackrock and on Baggot Street, we have succumbed with considerable enthusiasm to the lure of noodles, bento boxes and tempura.
Wagamama's entry marks a new stage in Dublin's yen for Japanese food. A staple for London diners since founder Alan Yau devised the concept in 1992 based on the ramen bars popular throughout Japan, Wagamama has set trends since day one. Aside from the no-smoking and no-booking policies, there's the very individualistic, minimalist fit-out, turning the dining room into a clean and sparse cross between a fast-food experience and an austere refectory.
Add a brisk waiting staff to get the food from the high-tech kitchens to your canteen-style bench in the same time it takes other establishments to open a bottle of wine and it's little surprise that Wagamama has been a hit from the start. The menu also helps, demystifying noodle culture and not charging exorbitant prices for what is simple, healthy and wholesome food. With a full range of zingy freshly-made juices and plenty of other options besides noodles to choose from, Wagamama may well be the success story of the 1999 Dublin dining year.
The man who has brought Wagamama to Ireland is Ronnie Delaney, one of those behind the Captain America's restaurant for the last five years. "I have been chasing Wagamama since the first day I saw it four or five years ago," Delaney explains. "But this man Alan Yau was very hard to get in touch with - I used to fax him, phone him, go to London and even call to the door but I couldn't get to him. Then I got talking one day to Paul O'Farrell, the financial director, and we hit it off and it developed from there and we agreed a deal in April or May 1998."
While they have three central London branches (a fourth opens in Camden later this year), this is Wagamama's first outside venture and the attention to detail has been considerable. "It's a unique concept so there's not much room for change like putting posters or flags or memorbilia up on the wall," says Delaney. "There is a Wagamama look, it's fine lines, wood, stainless steel. This is the first time Wagamama have ever done a franchise or even moved outside of London, so the whole experience was totally unique for them and for us.
"It's the same as London in every sense. The same microprocessors to take the orders, the same no-smoking policy, the same menu, the same no booking policy - and hopefully, with time, the same queues! Prince Charles apparently came down and he sent his driver in to queue for him."
Delaney sees a market here not just for what Wagamama has to offer, but for the other restaurants serving food and style from southeast Asia. "Everyone has travelled more, we're more educated in terms of what we want and what we like and what we've tried. The whole notion about food has changed, we eat out more now as well, and we are not prepared to put up with poor quality food or service. The restaurants that were here already like Yamamori and O Sushi are excellent, I think Mao is a particularly excellent operation. But Wagamama is unique. It's a creation, there's nothing else like it, from the fit-out and the minimalist look to the bench seating, the kitchen equipment and the whole system behind preparing the food - I've never seen anything like it. To start it from scratch, you'd have to be a genius."
Certainly, the flow in orders and service between dining area and kitchen is impressive, if slightly overwhelming for some diners, perhaps used to more laidback establishments. Some people seem bewildered at the speed in which the food arrives in front of them so soon after their order is taken. And, with no coffee or dessert menu to prolong the visit, there is little tendancy to dally after the meal has finished. "Wagamama is a westernised noodle bar, a canteen," points out Delaney. "It's food which is made to order and served when it's ready, so your food may be on the table a few minutes before mine, that's the way it is. The prices reflect this. You can have a sideorder, a main course and a beer, and you're getting out for 10 or 11 quid."
Since opening in early December, Wagamama has attracted many curious customers through word-of-mouth, but also vast numbers who have experienced and enjoyed what the restaurant's London branches had to offer. "We're getting a real cross-section of people - students, grandparents, business people, kids. There's an amazing word-of-mouth in Dublin about Wagamama, there are people who have brought their kids to Wagamama over in London and the little kids love it. Why wouldn't they? All that slurping! And they love the taste."
There's an active encouragement to make plenty of slurping noises when eating, the menu referring to this as "the way of the noodle" with the extra oxegyn adding to the taste. Of course, it could also have to do with the fact that the ramen soup is ideally served boiling hot and this cools it, but there's nothing wrong with adding a little Zen philosophy to the mix.
The menu in Dublin is the same as the original London template and there has been no tampering with the ingredients. Delaney is adamant about this: "You don't mess with the food. If someone has an idea about an addition or a change, it goes through the lines. Our head chef has been told this is it, don't change it, but if he has an idea for an improvement, it goes to London and it is discussed with them and if it works, we'll do it. They're open-minded in that way, but if something is working, why change it just for the sake of changing it?"
Wagamama, South King Street, Dublin 2, Tel: 01-478 2152