Monday 24 March 2014

WAYA Japanese Restaurant

- reviewed by L




Hey Guys! So today I will be sharing with you my experience at one of my personal favorite restaurants. Waya Japanese Restaurant, it's like a little slice of Japanese heaven located up in Glen Waverley. 

The store is usually crazy packed with people! They don't offer bookings for small groups, so most likely you would have to grab a ticket and wait for a table, but trust me it would be so worth the wait. Yesterday was actually the first time I didn't have to line up, probably due to it being a Sunday. Lucky us~

The first thing I think of upon entering the venue is: "love their interior design!" and the second thought is: "gosh there are so many staff people". Which I guess is a good thing, there will always be someone near by to help you. Is it just me or does anyone else feel awkward having to look around for staff, then try to make obvious eye contact as a hint that you need some assistance? 






The next winner for me; their menu! I am someone who; EATS. WITH. HER. EYES. The thing I love about menus with images is the fact that I would be more willing to try new dishes if I could see what it looked like. Generally; S and I are hesitant to try out new dishes, in fear that we'd feel like we've wasted our money one something that didn't taste good. So, Waya's menu, was a big TICK for the checklist! 

Lemon Lime Bitters - $4.00      Orion (Can) 500ml - $9.00
Ika Ring (12pcs) - $7.00
Deep Fried Calamari served with Mayonnaise Sauce
Waya Maki - $12.50
Inside Out Roll with Salmon, Cucumber and Avocado topped with Tobiko and Spicy Sauce

The Waya Maki; one of their signature dishes, was one of those 'eat with your eyes' order, the presentation looked absolutely gorgeous! Both in the menu and in person. Because I ordered the dish with my eyes; I didn't realize that it had raw salmon in it, a lot too. Personally, I don't really like to eat a lot of raw salmon, it's just something that my taste buds don't like. I did though eat one roll, it was quite amazing, filled with plump salmon, avocado and cucumber, could do with a little less salmon (for me though). 

Rating: 8/10 


Katsu Curry Don - $11.50

Their Katsu Curry Don would have to be, hands-down, one of the best Japanese Curries that I have ever had. And I think I can talk on behalf of S, and say that she would 100% agree with me. They are generous with the curry sauce, so there was more than enough to mix through the rice and plenty left over to just drink up (YES, WE LOVE OUR SAUCES). It comes with a piece of Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Crumbed Pork), the meat was beautifully moist and had an amazing crunch. The flavors are strong and rich and had that slight punch of spiciness.

Wait Time: 8 mins
Rating: 9.5/10


Tonkatsu Bento - $12.80


The Bento Box, a classic Japanese dish. One of the great things about bento boxes, is having that variety of different foods to try out. In this case, we had the Tonkatsu Bento. Consisting of; Tonkatsu (Deep Fried Crumbed Pork), Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Skewer), 2 California Rolls, Tamago (Grilled Japanese Omelette), Mixed Salad, Seaweed Salad and Rice. It is one of those dishes, where you want to dig in straight away but don't know what to start with first. Their salad could have had a bit more dressing on it, it was very plain to eat. The Tamago was served cold, which I believe is their traditional method of serving it (I'm not too sure), but it would have been something that I preferred eating hot. Overall, the flavors were great, everything worked will with each other. A very enjoyable meal. 

Wait Time: 5 mins
Rating: 9/10

Their main dishes are priced reasonably well, however, their side dishes are a little over-priced. The wait time for the food to come out is incredibly short, which is absolutely great! I do warn you though, that they are very busy most of the time, and the chances of having to wait for a table is high. But, I assure you; the food quality is really good. WAYA is a restaurant we would put on our regular go-to list. 

Have a browse through their website here.

Store Location & Information 
100 Kingsway, Glen Waverley, VIC 3150
Phone: 03 9561 3388

Trading Hours
Lunch - Dinner, 7 days a week

Waya Japanese Restaurant on Urbanspoon

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