Waya Japanese Restaurant

We arrived at Waya on a Friday night and had to line up using their ticketing system - so remember to walk in and ask to be placed on the waiting list! Despite that, the wait wasn't too long and we were seated within half an hour.

The mixed large sashimi (15pc - $14) was deliciously fresh; the salmon and tuna were so sweet and tender, the scallop and surf clam were succulent. This is what Japanese dining is all about.

The Agedashi Tofu ($6) here is good, but nothing spectacular. The tofu is crispy on the outside and silken on the inside, and the broth plus bonito flakes finishes the dish off. Always a favourite of mine.

The Ebi Wasabi Mayonnaise ($9) deep fried prawns and mixed salad served in special wasabi mayonnaise were delicious if only for the saying “if it tastes good it’s bad for you”. Crunchy prawns drenched in bitey wasabi mayonnaise –need I say more?

Iced Matcha with Vanilla Ice-Cream ($5) super delicious and could have stood as a dessert alone. Think of it like a green tea milkshake, but not as thick.

The Geso Karaage ($7) is deep fried octopus tentacles served with mayonnaise and though it may sound delicious, I found Waya’s version to be slightly dried out and a little too crunchy without any real taste of the octopus underneath. Worst dish of the night, I would skip it next time.

I love Japanese croquettes (I fondly remember stumbling upon a tiny shop dedicated to croquettes – needless to say we went to town). These Deep Fried Crab Cream Croquette ($7) served with Japanese Vegetable Sauce were satisfactorily creamy and thus ticked my croquette box, but the vegetable sauce they were served with seemed a bit out of place and a bit too tangy for my liking.

The Takoyaki ($6.5) is one of my staples in a Japanese restaurant (and is kinda how I judge them, among other things). These takoyaki were pretty good, well done on the outside, not too soggy or squishy on the inside and with enough chunky octopus inside to satisfy.

Waya Maki ($12.5) essentially an inside out roll with salmon, cucumber, avocado, tobiko and spicy sauce. This is another of the greats of sushi rolls. Everything goes together so well, but really it’s the creamy sauce that brings this all together – and the pop of the roe tops it off!

The Chicken Skewers ($7) are tender and barbequed well, but are essentially just grilled chicken.

The Waya Chips ($6) with wasabi mayo are just some chips, nothing special.

TL;DR A nice Japanese establishment in Glenny, but beware the line.