One of my favorite restaurants in California is a Japanese yoshoku restaurant that serves things like mushroom spaghetti, hayashi rice, curry rice, hamburger steak, and other Japanese western dishes. So when I heard about the new Japanese pasta restaurant opening in our area, I was really excited to try it.
Pasta de Waraku is actually a Singaporean restaurant popular in Asia, but they've opened their first U.S. restaurant in Rowland Heights, in the Four Seasons plaza off Gale--the same plaza as J.J. Bakery and Cafe, Red Mango, and Tea Station. After much pestering, I was able to drag my parents with me to try it.
The restaurant itself is very stylish and modern-looking. We were originally seated at a table right in the middle, but the sun was directly in my eyes, and the waiters didn't argue when we requested another table, even though they were moderately busy. The service is excellent--a staff of mostly young 20-somethings, diverse (meaning not all Asian, and not all Chinese-speaking), and eager to please. They are very intentional about asking for customer feedback, which is a good sign.
The menu is huge, so we had a really difficult time deciding what to order. I think from the beginning, my parents were uncomfortable because it was a lot pricier for lunch than we're used to. Since we were trying a new restaurant though, we decided to go ahead an order a few different things.
Dad got the baked scallop rice (I can't remember the exact name at the moment). They only gave him two or three really small scallops, and he said they were undercooked. Usually my dad really likes the au gratin-type dishes, so he seemed really disappointed.
On the other hand, I was really pleased with the chicken and mushroom soup spaghetti that I ordered. I wasn't sure if I'd like having the soup, but I was surprised at how good it was. The noodles are kind of like ramen noodles, and the soup is not too thick, not too thin. It's actually similar consistency to the creamy nanchatte ramen soup at Foo Foo Tei. It was a little bit spicy, which means it was very spicy for my mom and not very spicy for me, but had a really nice flavor. My only gripe is that I would have liked more mushrooms. Mom ordered the bruschetta and stole a little from Dad and me. The bruschetta was good but nothing special.
Two out of our three dishes were pretty good, but I think the thing what's really prevented us from going back is that it's quite pricey. I think it'll be a good place to go back with some of my girlfriends, and we can split a dish or two. They have some unusual offerings, like their unagi teriyaki or potato mentai pizza, which I might be interested in trying.
Overall, a rather disappointing experience (for my dad especially) in light of my prior excitement. I hope they improve so that I can continue to try their different Japanese pasta dishes.
Pasta de Waraku
18508 Gale Ave Unit A
City of Industry, CA 91748
No comments:
Post a Comment