Wakame review

Wakame has been around for a while now. I have reviewed it before, but that was quite a long time ago and things have changed. Since they have opened Wafu upstairs, I have been spending a lot more time there and have eaten there several times this summer.

Wafu is great for sundowners, the view is as good as it gets, add the big wooden deck with the comfy couches and it’s a hard to beat combination. They are definitely going to need some of those power heaters in winter because it’s already getting chilly when the sun has set. It seems to be busy most nights of the week and the weekends can actually be a bit crowded. I haven’t eaten at Wafu yet, the menu is different from Wakame apart from the sushi and wine list. The style is ‘Asian tapas’, but having looked at the menu it is not in the same league as Haiku. I can’t move on without saying that the name ‘Wafu’ is really not great.

Now, back to Wakame. The sushi is excellent. It’s fresh, with some out of the ordinary creations like my favourite, Junior’s Heat (R65 – find it on the chef’s specials page at the back of the menu). They describe their food as Pacific Rim blended with Asian fusion and a hint of French and Western influence. Not sure if that means anything to you, to me it just means a variety of tasty dishes. I have also tried some other options which were fantastic, like the prawn, cheese & coriander spring rolls starter (R30 – small but tasty). Then there was the red Thai chicken curry (R78), which was very tasty. There is duck, lamb shank, seafood and much more to choose from. I’ve promised myself I will have the chocolate and banana spring rolls for dessert next time I go. Interestingly the set menus are more expensive than ordering the same items off the menu, weird.

The wine list, to be honest, is a blur. By the glass there is a selection starting from R29 and going into the R40’s, which is quite a hit. But from what I can remember of the wine list, there were some nice wines and the prices were not ridiculous, but there are not many cheap options if you were hoping to tame your bill.

Service is adequate, the staff is very busy so the service can sometimes lag. I don’t know why they have to have 2 hostesses though.

Most complaints about Wakame have had to do with the second sitting. Sometimes you will arrive for your 9pm booking and have to wait up to an hour for your table. Then, you will find that a lot of the menu options are now not available because they were depleted by the first sitting. I don’t know if these issues have improved, so maybe aim for a table at the first sitting.

I’ve been enjoying my visits to Wakame, it’s a beautiful restaurant with a beautiful view. I often recommend it to overseas visitors and have received much positive feedback. Go forth and enjoy.