Bored of the regular 'authentic' Chinese fare half the restaurants claim to serve? The manchurians, the szechuan and the age old sweet and sour? While there is something insanely comforting about tried and tested recipes, it is a great thing for any food lover to learn to explore and chance upon something new (and yummy).
That is what Wokamama did to us. Nestled off the main road in DLF Phase III in Gurgaon, the restaurant is three years old and counting. Despite the crazy rains, the cosy interiors were just the place to be in. The USP of the restaurant is supposed to be the Pan-Asian cuisine on offer, the chef and the manager tell us proudly that the 'regular' Chinese dishes do not feature on their menu at all.
So if not 'regular', what is on offer? For starters they have quite an interesting sushi platter - Makizushi (rolled sushi with Nori layer), Nigirizushi (hand-crafted oval sushi with select toppings) and the Sushi rolls. You can pick a platter of vegetarian on non-vegetarian sushi and save yourself the tough decision of having to choose exactly what you want. You won't be disappointed.
The sea bass and prawn tempura is a must try. Served with a pineapple chilli sauce, the fish is fresh and the coating fluffy light. Another must try is the Balinese chicken satay that comes wrapped around a fragrant lemon grass stick. The soft meat is left with a wonderful after taste of lemon grass that doesn't over power the other spices.
If you want to bite into more meat - try the Canadian pork belly Yakitori or alternately the Butter Pepper Garlic Squids. The squids definitely get our thumbs up. If you are good with coconut milk, the Tom Kha soup is a good option or then there is the much loved Thukpa. For the main course the sticky rice is the top pick along with this exquisite Grilled Spicy Fish Fillet in Banana Leaf. The fish melts in your mouth with the perfect kick of the chilli at the end.
While Wokamama has quite a few excellent offers available for brunches and parties, the happy hour is on every day, throughout the restaurant timings. A meal for two would approximately come to Rs 1200 (without taxes and alcohol charges) - which seems to be an excellent deal considering the fare on offer. Head over. It is quite a treat.