Wagamama is always reliably delicious and reasonably priced, just don't expect all of your dishes to arrive at the same time.

The Venue
The building is positioned on the corner of North Street and Kensington Street in the hustle and bustle of Brighton life. A pretty much bog standard Wagamama layout which has a school canteen feel with long benches and tables is reflected in the Grange Hill style open kitchen that sits proudly at the centre of the restaurant. It's a clever touch as you can pretty much see and smell what’s going on at all times. Dull grey stone tiles and clean, crisp white walls give Wagamama its unique clean yet homely look and perfectly complement the comfort food that's piled high on the plates.

The Atmosphere
Wagamama diners tend to be a pretty young crowd but due to its location, tasty food and reasonable prices most Brighton residents will squeeze up at the communal tables at some point during any given week. Service is snappy and efficient as is synonymous with this chain of restaurants but if you're a first timer don't complain if your food arrives at a different time from your friend's - it's the Wagamama way to ensure speedy service. And it works. As quickly as the dishes you've ordered are scrawled down on the paper place mats, the dishes arrive, piping hot.

The Food
Based on the popular ramen bars that have been around in Japan for hundreds of years at Wagamama all of the food is inspired by culinary dishes and techniques from the whole of Japan. Starters include richly filled gyozas or dumplings and the crispy duck gyozas are particularly recommended - deep fried parcels of tender duck and leek accompanied by a potent cherry hoi sin sauce. However, the grilled chicken dumplings are also delicious and contain a mixture of cabbage, Chinese leaf, Chinese chives and water chestnut. Again, the sauce on the side comes with a kick - in this case chilli, garlic, sesame and soy sauce. If dumplings aren't your bag, opt for the spears of asapragus grilled with chilli garlic salt and glazed until they're appetisingly glossy with a zesty citrus yakitori sauce and finished with a sprinkling of black and white sesame seeds.

For main course you can take your pick from five different types of dishes. Ramen is the signature style of a meal in a bowl with accompanying noodles but there are also kare noodles (noodles in a soup with influences of coconut), rice dishes, teppan (noodles cooked on a hot, flat griddle) and chilli men (noodles in a spicy sauce) to choose from. Chances are you'll find your favourite dish and find yourself ordering it every time but it is worth looking at the specials too as they tend to be incredibly creative. Regular dishes worth trying include the chicken ramen (noodles in a pork and chicken soup topped with a large, succulent marinated and grilled chicken breast). The aromas from the soup will hit your nose as soon as the dish arrives and they infuse the chicken beautifully. Wagamama is also incredibly veggie friendly and one of its star dishes is the Yasai Itame (stir-fried bok choi, fried tofu, red onions, red peppers, portobello mushrooms and beansprouts mixed with rice noodles in a spicy coconut and green chilli soup and given a delicious freshness from its garnish of coriander and mint.

Desserts offer up mango with zest of lime and a refreshing lychee sorbet, a coconut reika, three scoops of coconut ice cream topped with a fresh, tangy mango sauce and toasted coconut flakes. The coconut is subtle and doesn’t ruin the accompanying sauce. Also worth trying is the unusual tamarind and chilli pavlova which has a kick as strong as Wayne Rooney’s right foot.

The Drink
The fresh juices are whizzed up to a foamy consistency and are a fantastic way to chase away a hangover. As you'd expect there is also a good choice of Japanese beers including Japan’s number one premium beer, Asahi Super Dry with its clean, crisp and refreshing finish and Asahi Premium Black Lager, a super premium dark lager with a rich, smooth and creamy taste.

The Last Word
Complex flavours and fragrant healthy dishes, it’s no surprise there are new chains opening up as far away as Greece. As for Brighton, the Wagamama concept is definitely here to stay.