Em and I have decided to catch up for date night once a month without the boys. It means we can go to the restaurants they don't want to go to, and coincidentally, it's tough to get either of them into Japanese restaurants, so we decided to do that last month. I'd eaten at Wafu, a reasonably nondescript, cheap and cheerful place in Surry Hills, with Jamie about a year ago, and I quite liked it. I've been trying to drag him back since, but he hasn't wanted to, so Em and I decided we'd go. The place was less than half empty, but we were immediately waved away. Immediately. We thought it was odd, but upon doing some further research, we came upon this article from the SMH. The woman who runs the place is clearly mad. You can't book - which we can deal with, this is Surry Hills after all. However, before you are allowed in the restaurant, you must read a list of extensive roles on the door, which includes the fact you will be charged 30% extra if you don't finish all the food on your plate INCLUDING garnish (the definition of garnish excludes wasabi, pickled ginger and slices of lemon). And if she doesn't like you she tells you to go somewhere else (her ex husband's restaurant). If she likes you and you finish all the food on your plate, you are invited to join the wafu club, the only benefit of which appears to be that you are allowed to book a table in future. But you still have to eat everything or be charged an extra 30%.
So, while slightly trepidatious about having to jump through that many hoops, we also think it's hilarious. And if she doesn't let us in the club we are going to tell her we don't want her in our club.
When we are out Jamie is having left over Rick Stein stew with macaroni. We made it on Saturday night, and it's delicious. Can't belive I'm leaving the club that serves this to try and join the Wafu club.
Hil.Arious.
ReplyDeleteSo many questions...
Do you remember if you & Jamie ate all the food on your plates when you were there a year ago?
Where did you go to eat after being waved away?
How strictly does she adhere to the definition of "everything"? Does one leftover grain of rice disqualify you from the club? What about two? What about five?
- CP xx
The policy of eating all the food on your plate wasn't in place when Jamie and I went last... it's a new rule since the restaurant got a good review and people started flocking to it, which clearly was to the displeasure of the owner.
ReplyDeleteEm and I just went around the corner to a Moroccan place called Mint. The food was good!
We are off tonight to Wafu, so I will report back on the strictness of the crazy owner. Even if we eat all our food and she doesn't like our "bad energy" we may not be invited to join the club... I'll definitely post about the experience though. It's quite tempting to just go in and order food for 10 people and pick at it to incense her. But I'm scared she'll yell at us!