Popular Asian Fusion Chain Adds Expansive Vegan Menu

Popular United Kingdom-based chain Wagamama recently announced the debut of an expansive vegan food and drink menu at locations across the region. Wagamama developed the new Japanese-inspired menu—with input from vegan staff members—after noticing that many customers would remove animal-based ingredients from the dishes, changing the intended taste of the meal. Some of the new vegan menu items include Yasai gyoza (vegetable-filled dumplings), Yasai yaki soba (noodles with mushrooms, peppers, bean sprouts, and white and spring onions), Yasai pad Thai tofu, bean sprouts, leeks, chilli, and red onion), and Kare barosu ramen (udon noodles, silken tofu, and vegetables in a vegan broth)—with a vegan seitan-based katsu curry currently in development. Along with the menu launch, the chain added a “vegan portal” to its UK website where it posts all information related to its vegan offerings—including a call for customer feedback to help the company continue to develop more vegan dishes. Wagamama has several locations in the United States but a similar menu has yet to launch stateside.