Galway’s Wa Café are upping the game, in terms of a new interior design and their new Wild Atlantic Way sushi board, and the result is that it’s no surprise that Wa understand how to run a humble – yet formidable – home for Japanese food. Yoshimi Hayakawa’s ‘pocket rocket’ approach to Japanese food is what truly defines an authentic way of eating.
A miso soup ice-cream has also been developed, giving us an incredibly smart way to satisfy a sweet craving on a visit. This dolce dish can be compared to salted caramel, but with a vast array of crunchy, spongy, and silky textures. I would argue that if this dessert featured in an edition of Lucky Peach it would cause a revolution amongst those who respect the contemporary innovations of funky Asian food.
On a previous visit to Wa, tribal Japanese art was the key feature in the curation of how the restaurant was arranged visually. Today, a soft pale pink, reminiscent of cherry blossoms or a dress on a little Geisha doll, gives a feminine and gentle atmosphere to the restaurant. There was an allowance for a transition to something a little more modern, similar to how the Japanese understand visuals, quite like a Geisha deciding that she would like to go Harajuku now.
Highlighting the importance of the Wild Atlantic Way to those visiting Galway, this particular plate of sushi bestows fish caught off the Northern half of the coast, such as salmon from Clare Island.
The great thing about Wa Cafe is that one has a choice between hearty meals with a dollop of soul, or a certain platter of sushi. There is no denying that this pocket rocket of a place lives up to the Japanese translation of ‘Wa’, meaning both ‘harmony’ and ‘circle.’
13 New Dock Street, Galway 353 91 895850 wacafe.net
