Hidden upstairs (well an escalator and lift right at the back of the building) in the MidTown Building between Breadtop and 7/11, Wagaya is hard to find as Jas discovered. I may have cheated and read Mon's instructions on how to get there. But at the end of this post there's a picture walk through. 

Upon arrival we were greeted in Chinese. Which leads me to assume that it's a Chinese operated Japanese restaurant? A bit of research and the owners are a Japanese & Chinese Couple. Someone must have forgotten to switch languages, I do have friends who when they're speaking to one person and then to me they forget to change languages. 


Wagaya means our home in Japanese, one door and so there's only one entry to the restaurant (other than emergency exists) and the door to the balcony is not also a door to the outside world.



There's two areas, upstairs and down. Downstairs is only used during lunch and both areas are open on the weekend. For weekday dinners you'll be dinning upstairs. There's the option of open plan seating or booths, which we were offered.  



Booths great for an intimate dinner for two perhaps on a Monday night to avoid the crowds and noise, or a group anytime. I'm leaning more towards a group as the booths were set up for groups of 4 and 6, the reserved ones.



Lighting was great for a date, and you could still see quite well, though I can't say the same for the camera. There was a glare from the ipad screens you use to order, though if they went to sleep in between uses you'd notice the light a lot more. 





We started with drinks, the Birthstone Drinks looked interesting and so I ordered the pink one (feb) which oddly was Amethyst, because that stone is purple. Rose quartz is the pink one.

A refreshing twist on strawberry milk made fun. As that person who ordered a milkshake at the bar I really enjoyed this drink. 

Calpis/Calpico is a Japanese non-carbonated soft drink it tastes like a yoghurt drink but without the creaminess and more like Yakult. "light, somewhat milky, and slightly acidic flavor" You can buy them for $2.80 in a four pack from Diaso in the fridge. 

Later on we ordered the Opal from the Birthstone Series $5.90 to get to the $20 eftpos min.
It consisted of Lychee, Calpis, Grapefruit & Tonic. She says it wasn't as good as the Amethyst, the main note was bitter grapefruit, with scents of lychee and the calpis Yakulty aftertaste. But it was flat, basic without the layers of flavours.

He says it tasted like grapefruit juice the light cheese and milk just slightly softened the bitterness, but to me tasted pretty much like grapefruit juice 

Everytime we go to a Japanese restaurant Jas orders a sake and this time he had the house sake, like a Western "I had it cold, which probs was not the correct idea, drinkable, I like it but I don't love it" - Jas. This is why I will be editing all his comments.


Lets take a moment to admire the menu. Check out those tabs, aren't they perfect, just like my law notes. :P The colours match the ones on the ipad screen that we would use to order.



In 2008 Wagayu was one of the first (clarification required) to operate the “Touch panel ordering system” which not many places use. It's a great idea for places were the ordering process is progressive, in that you order one dish after the other instead of your 3 step entree, main, dessert style. 

Wagaya is part of the 'Yes Food Group', a series of Japanese restaurants, including the Sushi Hotaru, and so you'd find some similarities between them, for example the ipad ordering system, karaage chicken and miso soup. 



Some of the drinks/dishes aren't explained in the book though Judy showed us the descriptions on the onscreen menu. The menu is huge! All 12 pages of it. You can view it online, but not the drinks menu, and there aren't any descriptions. 





We love miso and so always order it. This one was just right (not a code word for average, that's more like when we say something was good and no further comments) and not too salty. With cubes of tofu and seaweed. Jas said it was very flavorsome, and had carrot and bean shoots in it, which wasn't in mine, at least not the shoots. From this angle it looks like a bowl, but if you scroll up to the first it's a cup, perfect for drinking.  




Jas says the dragon roll, pricier than most of the other sushi was well worth it as it was delicious. A sushi roll with cucumber and a bit of cream cheese in it and a piece of smoked fish on the top. Fernando would like to reword this part as "Jas says the dragon roll, pricier than most of the other sushi, was well worth the extra cost, stating it was 'simply delicious' and would have it again in a heartbeat." (I modified his words to be not a 12 year old) - Fernando aka My Grammar & Spell Checker.

Meanwhile I had the Salmon handroll. Seared salmon lies somewhere between cooked and not (sashimi) think of it as lightly grilled. Salmon, avocado, sauce and rice wrapped in seaweed wrap. It was average, but it wasn't bland. Though the seaweed was a bit tougher to bite off than usual. I wouldn't recommend this. 





Everyone loves chicken, and there's nothing better than deep fried chicken thigh! Served with a dollop of Kewpie (a brand) Mayo and lettuce this one was good. She says it's slightly above average, not too oily but just right. He says excellently cooked, very moist chicken without being oily and thin crunchy batter was nice. I'm biased as I prefer my chicken battered, but I would recommend this as part of essential Japanese entrees.






Next up was an assorted set of skewers. The chicken was average, not dry which was good, and the salmon was very good though a bit dry in terms of the seasoning, needs more marinade or a dipping sauce. He said the ox tongue which he was so looking forwards to was ok but a bit chewy and  a little weak in flavour, while the prawn was delicious but exactly what you'd expect from a grilled prawn, lacking a special something.





For our main we shared a hotpot, delivered fresh and cooked over the hotpot station on the table. The beef was very good, though the soy based soup was a bit salty. But it was designed to good with noodles (udon) to balance it out. The beef was quite good. He says the meat and the veggies were all nice but the liquid was far too strong and salty to have very much of.





Unlike most Japanese places the dessert menu here varies quite a lot, from your vanilla, standard desserts that your fussy toddler would pick, to dishes with a Japanese influence. Though for us you can't order chocolate cake at a Japanese restaurant. It should suit the theme. And so we ordered green tea cheesecake and black sesame ice cream. 

I've only had black sesame ice cream from three places and this one was unlike any other. It was icy rather than creamy, with no presence of seeds, and it was not nutty. It was different. I prefer the nutty one though. Someone suggested that one would be great with steak. 





With a dollop of freshly whipped cream (not in the picture in the menu because it's behind the cake). The cream was fresh, not canned, was paired with the cheesecake. The cheesecake was disappointing, as it was bland and dry. It maybe green but there was no green tea in it. Which served a contrast to the green tea ice cream, more like matcha, with lots of flavour but without being too strong. 

He says matcha ice cream was sweeter than the normal matcha (he means green tea). And the green tea cheesecake was rather bland, but had a very nice texture.

We should note here that Matcha is a type of green tea, and to me I use it to describe a stronger green tea flavour.  



The design of the restaurant with the contrast of bright cherry blossoms trees and that dark cherrywood used for tables booth had a traditional Japanese inspired. 



Overall we had a great night, and sampled many different dishes with a highlight on the Amethyst Drink, Karrage Chicken and Dessert. The bill came to $90, making it $45 a person which is much more than I'd normally pay for a meal out, which may/not include drinks. As we dinned as guests of SD Marketing Global & Wagaya, we were offered $70 credit to spend on the night, and so only paid the $20 difference. 

Service was good though I noticed that we have a couple of different waiters throughout the evening and meet the entire waiters team by the end of the night, due to a hiccup. Service was very fast, even when they go busy and it was loud.

On prices it's pricier than your average Japanese place but we'd recommend Wagaya for dates and group dinners, they have karaoke too! Especially if you get a hot pot and ad ons to share. It'll be a great experience especially with the secret location of the restaurant. 

If you're after a quick meal and prefer bar seat, or you're just after miso soup and karaage chicken then go to Sushi Hotaru. But do know that they often have long waiting lines, if you go around lunch/dinner even at 3pm of a weekend. Wagaya has no lines and a lunch special.

Note - The kitchen closes about 30mins before they close, so the latest lunch would be 2.20-ish for the last order. And they don't do take-away.








Now for the walk through. Wagaya is located in the MidCity Center next to Breadtop if you're coming from Swanston, it's on the left side, same side as Target. Go up the escalator.












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Monday 16th February

We're late. I am not a morning person. Shortly after arriving at the desk I may have taken a nap while waiting for an email...

Off to lunch at QV, surely Roll's rice paper rolls aren't always like this? 90% noodles, tint bit of chicken on the side, a stick of cucumber and a couple leaves. The skool cafe does a better one, and my expectations for them are at a food court level. 

It was a nice cool breezy day and there were lots of cute McD chip eating birds around :P

A truck ran into the bridge and so it took us 1.5hrs to get to showgrounds for the caravan show. I have no intention of going on a roadtrip, but it sure does making camping fun. Not cool with scary toilets though. There was building dedicated to air cons for caravans :P The way I see it is you start with a basic and have add-ons. This is one expensive hobby. 

There were so many food stalls O.O for a not food based event. $2 boxes of strawberries we bought x2 and then got a $4 waffle on the way home. Popped it in the toaster, added whipped cream, strawberries and sprinkled with icing sugar. It's good but not $7-$9 good. Probs wouldn't get it again.



Dancing. We're missing someone to run into during the quickstep :P I'm at a height where I run into people's arms. Wonder what happened to sushi chef, haven't seen him in a while either. 

Wednesday


Life is designed to be lived, books to be read, journals to be filled. And as a stationary collector I collect rather than use a lot of it, particularly pretty notebooks. We all save it for something special, a scrapbook of our adventures as a couple, or perfect sketches. But we're saving it, rather than experiencing it now. Who knows if you'll still around that one day you saved it for? 

And therefore I have opened two new books, one from Christina Re for little quotes, notes and to work on fancy writing. And another from Kikki purely for notes on food, when we go out.



Today failed, I am not a day person. But we did go dancing, and talk too much... It's funny when you find yourself lost in the woods and you have no idea what the road you took to get there was. I think, morman asked me what I do, I said events, but I'm so much more than that, my job doesn't define me. O.o I didn't tell him what my blog was, but he was curious and asked me to till his wife. It's quite amusing. It's like he has a vague idea of things and the top exec. who refers everything to his secretary/personal assistant. 

I may not be a people person, but something they are the most fascinating creatures if you watch them over time. I can't seem to get him to say more than a few words at a time, and he ain't shy. He's just quiet, possibly more than Lucy and Lucy doesn't talk - she's a bunny. So he isn't into the arts, though not many people around me are. Not into history either. Though I really struggle to have the same interests as the young people around me. 

How do you get someone to talk about themselves? "Tell me about yourself"? That sounds like a job interview where you cover the relevant things. "Tell me what you're passionate about." Because not everyone is passionate about their job, some are just in it for the money. I sure know that's pretty much the only reason I'd do accounting/IT. I really struggle with databases and from day one everyone was on the ball and knew what to do.





Thursday



Today started with a photoshoot, I'm not sexy I'm just silly :P corsets, top hats and red lipstick. No riding crop but we did wear crystals. Air con is a wonderful thing. There was  low pressure to buy the pictures which were $250+ no at all tempting. But it was challenging to pick from my top 3.




Friday



I don't like cooking. I used twice as much water as the box said so lost half the egg white part. The macaroons come out of the oven as the same texture as they enter. So mine weren't smooth. The ganche, once again too much cream so I it turned into many milkshakes. No ingredients were wasted. But I still try again, as we do have a silicon macaroon mat.



Saturday



It's too hot to function. Presentation on water safty, don't touch the animals. Sharks *cue Jaws Theme* hang out in the big waves where surfers go. You'll be fine. If you see a stingray freeze, it's more scared of you than you are of it

 A day of firsts, I do not walk around without shoes - ever. Who knows what you could step on? Actually I do. Yesterday we walked on grass and sand - and not the smooth damp part near the water, I mean the part right up to the stone fence.

We spent the afternoon in the water, from which I conclude I can't swim or balance, on a board. Staying on the board is a pretty good achievement, paddling and kicking for me doesn't get me very far if I can't stay on. :P Met an interesting guy, but since we were in the water I didn't have my phone and get him on fb. In the process of finding him, most people are pretty googleable. e.g. I found morman because we knew where he worked (he told us) and which area he's from (assumed).





Dinner at a place where I'm a regular-ish, well as regular as someone like me could be. Chicken Spring Rolls with Fine Vermicelli $13 Served with not chili fish sauce (available on request) was very good. I'd recommend it and order it again. You can order things that aren't on the menu if they have the ingredients for it, it'll happen. The Indian place we go to does that too.





Onto work where I feel asleep twice, I was tired and bored. Some days events are soul sucking, mainly positions where I have to entertain myself. Handing out flyers no one wants because a. they're on their way to another event b. they just came from the event. Then onto counting how many people interact with the exhibition. When I study and do are two entirely separate things/levels. I plan and organize, that is what I actually do - in theory.  



Was going to go home though le beau wanted to meet up after his concert to go for ice cream at midnight. That didn't happen. One way entry, change in the subway (underground). Fully packed train to the point that you cant fall if the train suddenly stops - there was no room to fall. But now's a great time to use your selfie stick!

Near the coffee place above Coles there was a guy playing the guitar. And he played 'The Tide is High'! Opening scenes for the ''Lizzie McGuire Movie' which was replaced by Hannah Montana before she became Miley Cyrus. Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire) grew up and became an adult and stopped acting I think. It was a pretty cool series that we (Tiffany & I) used to watch in middle school (?), we still have the books. 


We finally made it to Melb Central, for hot chips and bk sesame & green tea ice cream. We also had lemon iced tea from Rice Workshop.  Caught the 2am train home, because it was White Night things were running late, and there were no trams in the city. We didn't actually go to White Night because it was so crowded when we did go a couple years ago. But if we were going to I would have liked to see the giant glowing lotus flowers on the rowing side of the Yarra towards BM, and the show at Hamer Hall.






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