Wagamama Restaurant

[the-e-dealer]

Wagga could never behave as badly as McPoisons

[Otta]

Wild stab in the dark here, but are you not a Maccas fan then?

[LondonLogCo]

Not sure ted likes much of anything

I'm still in awe of the old Pizza Express offer. Sometime ago they came up with a 30% reduced carb/kcal pizza

Essentially, they took a large round dough cutter and cut out the centre of the Pizza. Hey presto! a pizza with a hole (filled with rocket)

Genius no?

If Wagga could come up with something as good as that, then they'd deserve a place on "the strip"

[the-e-dealer]

Found Guilty of Pandering to Children

and Deforestation in the Mc Libel trial.

[Otta]

"Found Guilty of Pandering to Children

and Deforestation in the Mc Libel trial."

I don't for a second think that they are the good guys, but I still enjoy the occasional chicken legend.

[the-e-dealer]

Yeah I like to go to Bada Bings !

[LondonLogCo]

Is it me, or does ted speak in code?

[*Bob*]

What do we have at the moment?

Ah yes - 104 identikit curry houses.

Even a Wag would be a welcome relief.

[the-e-dealer]

The Beatles your Honour are a popular Beat Combo

[LondonMix]

How successful does Honest Burger have to become before we consider it a chain and ban it? Is Brixton, SoHo and ED the limit before we consider it a chain? No chain starts out that way. Saying you don't want a shop simply because its managed to grow to multiple branches as so many people on here are arguing is rediculous (though not the post below I acknowledge!). If you don't like the quality of a specific restaurant then fine but there are loads of horrible indie shops too.

lane lover Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I cant stand Wagamamas or GBK for that matter. I

> would prefer some of the independent "pop up"

> restaurants from Brixton Village to open up a

> second restaurant on LL. For example, Honest

> Burger would be a great replacement for GBK; they

> have already opened up a second store in Soho.

>

> Also, I think we need a decent sushi restaurant.

> And not Yo Sushi!

[DulwichFox]

E.D does not specifically Need a Sushi Restaurant.

Need implies a Nesscessity. It is not a Nessessity.

We will not all die if we do not get one.

Some of us lived here when there was only 1-2 Indian Rests. A few pubs (not selling food)

Kebab & Wine was a nice quiet place with Oilskin Table cloths and candles.

A few Cafes. (for builders and workers.) open at 6.00am

No Cocktail Bars. North Cross rd was virtually derelict.

No parking problems. No red Routes. Very little crime.

There is nothing E.D actually Needs.

Fox.

[LondonLogCo]

I think a chain is, when those who set it up step back a let go of control

Then the beancounters scrape every modicum of joy out of the offer. Prices are tweaked, suppliers go, portions shrink & they open in Bromley or Bluewater

Byron Burger is rapidly going this way, in fact it's gone already. Take a look at Northcote Rd for the possible future of LSL. Some good, some bad.

[LondonMix]

No offence but no one has any idea how most establishments they go into are run. Your statement basically amounts to, if I like it, it?s not a chain even if it has multiple branches and if I don't like it, it is. This is why the debate about chain stores is always so ridiculous.

The people who are involved with TGE have something like 40 pubs. A large proportion of the shops and restaurants in ED that you wouldn't suspect have branches elsewhere throughout London (Le Chardon, for instance).

I like the whole shabby-chic, aren't we just so bare bones and indie aesthetic that pervades shops here but don't kid yourself: it?s marketing, just of a different sort.

LondonLogCo Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think a chain is, when those who set it up step

> back a let go of control

>

> Then the beancounters scrape every modicum of joy

> out of the offer. Prices are tweaked, suppliers

> go, portions shrink & they open in Bromley or

> Bluewater

>

> Byron Burger is rapidly going this way, in fact

> it's gone already. Take a look at Northcote Rd for

> the possible future of LSL. Some good, some bad.

[woodrot]

Can someone define the boundaries for what is good & what is bad retail wise? Just for future reference like.

Its just getting a bit confusing on here , what with opaque definitions of what is a chain ( bad ) and what is independent ( good) - even though both may have multiple outlets & both are motivated purely by profit over any other consideration & both would jump ship from ED should the profits not materialise.

ta

[Huguenot]

LondonMix, you've nailed it!

It's a debate hinging on conflicting meanings of the word 'chain'. At the one end it means two or more connected commercial establishments, at the other it just means 'rubbish'.

UDT was famous for this over the subject of 'commercial music'. In his view 'commercial' simply meant terrible. Therefore he could insist with impunity that all commercial music was shit, and if someone identified some quality popular music, he could prove that by definition if it was good it wasn't commercial.

You can see that in this confusing context, a debate about whether 'chains' are bad is meaningless.

On a similar note I'm impressed by those that argue that the replacement of Iceland by M&S is bringing 'chains' into Lordship Lane. With over 800 stores, Iceland is clearly a world beating chain! In this context 'chain' doesn't even mean 'bad', it simply means 'shops that I don't like', with no attempt at objectivity at all.

[the-e-dealer]

Hugeenough talks sense!

[maxxi]

Huge also introduces the first "Back when UDT was among us..." post, this will now become an accepted tactic in arguing on the EDF, eg:

"Huh, that's rubbish! UDT used to say..."

or

"Quite right, you know how UDT used to go on about it..."

Until it becomes a verb ? la Godwin and whole threads come crashing down on the observation that they have been UDTed.

*(pron.you-dee-teed)

[El Pibe]

Goudtwin?

[*Bob*]

The man.. The myth... THE LEGEND

[Cassius]

Re chains vs independents - to me some of it is knowing that the money I hand over is going to the person in that shop/bar/restaurant, or to their immediate boss and not to faceless stockholders anywhere in the world.

[El Pibe]

That faceless stockholder might be your underperforming pension fund.

Nando's hot chicken wings now sudddenly looking a bit tastier?

[DaveR]

As a generalisation, I expect proper chain outfits to deliver standardised products cheaper and more efficiently than non-chains, and 'independents' to do a better job with non-standard stuff. Because standardised products usually only work up to a certain level of quality, the easiest niche for independents to operate in is top end bespoke type goods/services. Unfortunately, although you can make high margins doing this, you make more profit from the same square footage by piling high and selling cheap, hence even successful independents getting priced out.

On the other hand, chain operators have higher ultimate overheads to pay (head office etc.) and so have less flexibility and tolerance of underperforming units, so if it ain't working they will close down and bugger off - sharpish. Worth remembering if you're a commercial landlord.

Back on topic, Wagamama is mediocre at best IMHO, tho' I'm not that keen on ramen anyway. I like pho (but haven't tried 'PHO' - is it any good?), but if I had a free choice for a new resto on LL I'd go for Middle Eastern - tagine, brochette, cous cous etc.

[El Pibe]

Wagamamas is fine.

I first went there in '97 and as a very poor struggling young chap found it very affordable.

The food hasn't changed much in that time but I do think it's rather pricier these days.

But then every establishment does one or a combination of four things as economic realities bite.

1. reduce quality

2. reduce portions

3. increase prices

4. Go under

File Wagamama under 3.

Pizza Express went 1,2 & 3!!!

What's wrong with ramen. Spicy broth with stuff in it. It's hardly world shattering but it's far from 'bland'.

Given a choice of chains we could do worse.

[LondonMix]

I also found that comment within the M&S debate a sad testament to how difficult some people find it to make a coherent argument.

I'm not a fan of Waga, I like the feel of ED and the aesthetic of its shops but I don't hate chains by definition and prefer to vote with my wallet

Huguenot Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> LondonMix, you've nailed it!

>

> It's a debate hinging on conflicting meanings of

> the word 'chain'. At the one end it means two or

> more connected commercial establishments, at the

> other it just means 'rubbish'.

>

> UDT was famous for this over the subject of

> 'commercial music'. In his view 'commercial'

> simply meant terrible. Therefore he could insist

> with impunity that all commercial music was shit,

> and if someone identified some quality popular

> music, he could prove that by definition if it was

> good it wasn't commercial.

>

> You can see that in this confusing context, a

> debate about whether 'chains' are bad is

> meaningless.

>

> On a similar note I'm impressed by those that

> argue that the replacement of Iceland by M&S is

> bringing 'chains' into Lordship Lane. With over

> 800 stores, Iceland is clearly a world beating

> chain! In this context 'chain' doesn't even mean

> 'bad', it simply means 'shops that I don't like',

> with no attempt at objectivity at all.

[DaveR]

"What's wrong with ramen. Spicy broth with stuff in it. It's hardly world shattering but it's far from 'bland'."

Agreed. But as noodles in soup go, it's almost always less interesting/tasty than Vietnamese or Malaysian/Singaporean offerings. My particular favourite is Assam Laksa - officially the 7th most delicious food in the world!

http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-067535?page=0,1

And to anyone who says chains are never as good as independents, two words. Richer Sounds.