You look at Wagamama and its big, noisy, and busy... so some part of you has to be thinking "this can't be that great." Yet surprisingly, Wagamama can be a diamond in the rough.

On a recent date my lady friend and I found ourselves hungry, near Leidseplein, and with time to kill before the concert would begin. After running down the short list of places to eat, she asked if I wanted noodles, and when I said yes, she said - let's go to Wagamama. Now I've been there a handful of times, and have been pleasantly surprised on occasion... so I agreed to go. And indeed, it was perfectly fine.

No it is not authetic asian cuisine. Yes it still feels like a shopping mall in there. BUT - if you like noodles or what we like to call "asian fusion", then Wagamama provides a tasty meal and pretty dam fast if you're in a hurry. Vegeterians will see their options labelled very clearly with a red star... the list isn't endless, but it is enough to keep life interesting or at least.. your stomach entertained.

Price-wise you could easily do worse.. which means that no matter how you slice it, Wagamama isn't as bad as you might think at first glance. As for my date -- fantastic.