Dylan Jenkins samples the 2012 Autumn/Winter menu for Wagamama in Mill Lane.

The welcoming face of the Mill Lane Wagamama, at home in the hectic city centre, is as appealing as the freshest additions to its burnished and warming autumn-winter menu. As I arrived, my expectations were reasonably high as, like most people, my previous visits to Wagamama have been consistently pleasant. The restaurant feels as welcoming and authentic as it does current and modern. After being guided to our table, being able to sit and watch the cold shoppers outside (and taking off our coats) seemed reasonable, especially on a day as cold as it was.

We were pleased to see the eye-catching additions the Wagamama menu, with new dishes springing up throughout the array of choices. We both decided to go for the new wakame seaweed salad, £3.95, and I ordered a blueberry, apple and ginger juice for £3.30.

The food arrived promptly, a quality that Wagamama can boast, in my experience. The juice was fresh, boasting a lively berry feel, mixed with the warmth and kick of the ginger. A similar contrast between sweet and spice belonged to the salad ÔÇô the sweetness of the house dressing and the seaweed against the soft crash of chilly and the bite of the sesame. The crackling of spring onion and carrot also added to each bite with vigour, the ingredients certainly worked well together, and complemented the theme that began to appear in the menu.

So far, so good. Still hungry, the main meals arrived. I had gone for the teriyaki salmon ramen ÔÇô a miso and chicken-based noodle soup dish coming in at an arguably lavish ┬ú11.35, while Gwenno had gone for the chicken and prawn Pad Thai for a reasonable ┬ú9.55, a dish which I regretfully had decided not to order.

Although the teriyaki salmon ramen featured a deliciously cooked salmon and tasty noodle soup base, the dish as a whole lacked any overwhelming flavour, whereas in the past I have been more than content by the ramens offered by Wagamama. The salmon teased perfection, lacking the sweet teriyaki flavours promised by the title ÔÇô pleasing but a little disappointing based on past experiences ÔÇô whereas the chicken and prawn Pad Thai exceeded expectations. Again, a blend of cooling and hot flavours became apparent, the spring onion, bean sprouts and especially mint battling the warmth of the chillies resulted in tremendously strong flavours mixing and brewing into an overall delicious taste. The dense, thorough texture of the rice noodles with the chicken and prawn was more than satisfactory, and made the dish an excellent all-rounder, ticking every box. Without a doubt, it was the dish that shone brightest for us, and in future, to avoid any form of arising jealousy towards my girlfriend, I shall order the dish for myself. We finished our mains, feeling satisfied and full after great portions.

We decided to share a taster platter of three mini desserts, a passion fruit and a white chocolate and ginger cheesecake and a chocolate fudge cake. The desserts were mediocre but fun, and came with two hot drinks; we went for their delightful vanilla and grapefruit tea and Earl Grey, for a dear but acceptable £6.75.

Overall, the meal proved just like I had expected. The dishes were overall: enjoyable. The juice worked excellently throughout the meal, complementing every dish, corresponding to a warming yet fresh feel that came to belong to the entire meal. A contrast between freshness and warmth, coloured in green, red and amber existed in each dish with the chicken and prawn Pad Thai coming out on top. Wagamama always reaches expectations, a casual yet flavour filled experience for anyone who enjoys Japanese food. They are successful for what they aim to be: easygoing and consistently pleasing, offering good casual food in generous portions, served in a laid-back and friendly environment, offering quality and quantity for a price that wonÔÇÖt break the bank, provided that you donÔÇÖt go there too often ÔÇô Wagamama will always be a satisfying choice.