A note about the Bang Bang Cauliflower

The Bang Bang Cauliflower is actually part of the vegetarian menu at Wagamama’s and not vegan, and this is because the orange juice used in the sauce is from oranges that have been externally waxed with shellac.

Though some plant-based eaters wouldn’t be put off by this (as it doesn’t directly involve or use animals in the cooking of the dish), it is for this reason Wagamama decided to leave it off the vegan menu, which I am actually impressed by. Though I did have a taste of the dish from Chris’ plate, it is not a dish I would order myself for this reason.

Chef Muthu explained that they are currently trying to source the orange juice from a more vegan-friendly supplier, and that as soon as they have done so, it will become part of the vegan menu.

As expected, the vegetable gyoza (steamed asian dumplings) were yummy. I fully believe you can rarely go wrong with veggie dumplings as they are such a basic yet delicious dish!

The real star of the show, however, HAD to be the mixed mushroom and panko aubergine hirata buns. Both Chris and I concluded that they were our favourite dish of the evening, and he doesn’t even like aubergine! From the light fluffiness of the hirata bun itself, to the tanginess of the pickled shiitake mushrooms and the warm crispiness of the aubergine, these little things are a must-try for anybody – vegan or not! Honestly, we couldn’t get enough…and we were lucky because the chef brought us an extra plate!

Mains

Wagamama has done a fabulous job of bringing more vegan-friendly main dishes to the table. Though the chain has always had strong vegetarian options, many of the noodle dishes contained egg noodles, so therefore weren’t suitable for vegans.

Not only has Wagamama revamped some of the vegetarian dishes to omit the egg (such as the Yasai Soba and the Pad Thai, both now available with rice or udon noodles), they’ve also introduced some exciting new additions, like the Samla curry, the Kare Burosu and the Tofu Harusame glass noodle salad.