It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

There are no better books for soup lovers, 16 Aug 2008
I've had this book (the older edition) for almost 10 years now and I'm still using it. The recipes always work perfectly, the short little stories over each recipe are fun to read and I've never made any soup from this or the other two books without people asking for second, third and in one case even fourth helpings (and most of the time the soup was supposed to be the starter!). Normally, I make at least double the quantities because of that. Can you say more to show just how yummy the recipes are? This definitely is a book I couln't live without. Everybody should have it!

Best ever soup cookbook!! Buy now!!!, 28 Oct 2007
I absolutly love this soup cookbook. Every soup I have made (about half of all in book) turn out fab and there are several that I have made over and over. Definatly one I would recomend to everyone.

I have now also purchased the soup & beyond cookbook and made my first soup from that the other day...Parsnip, leek & Lemon. It was superb.

One of the best cookbooks I have ever owned.

The best book of soups in 10 years, 10 Jun 2007
I've owned this book for about 10 years and it is still the only book I use for making soup. My favourite is the Tuscan Bean soup, but I've made most of them over the years.

The only thing that stops me giving it a 5/5 is the print which still annoys me and has done since I bought it. The black on green is difficult to read, and sometimes the lettering all blends into one. If they made a reprint with standard type I would be the first to buy it!

super soup book, 11 Jan 2007
I can only say that any foodie will be delighted and inspired by the soups in the book. You can take the theme and develop it and produce tailor made specials to suit you and your family. My favorite is the spicy peanut soup, it is a real winner. My best tip is to make a large pot of stock and freeze in meal size bags. then when you want to make a soup it only takes a short while with not too much preparation. My children love the soups and keep trying to persuade us to try new ones.
A real winner!

New Covent Garden Soup Book, 08 Jan 2006
I have owned this book for... ooooh... well it seems like forever but I'm guessing since 1996! This is esily the most used recipe book on my shelf, and I have a few. Never have I offered a soup from this book without a chorus of praise, I've altered some of the recipes, I object to buying a chicken just to make stock for a soup for example, so I've used Chicken Oxo. Where I've made a predominantly vegetable soup which has asked for Chicken Stock I've used Green Oxo. So appreciative have my friends been of the soups from this book that I must have bought 6 or 7 copies of it just as presents. Buy it, use it, love it... but be adventurous and change the odd thing here and there and see what you think of the alterations, the book even has a grid at the back for you to record the changes you have made and your verdict on the outcome.

It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

There are no better books for soup lovers, 16 Aug 2008
I've had this book (the older edition) for almost 10 years now and I'm still using it. The recipes always work perfectly, the short little stories over each recipe are fun to read and I've never made any soup from this or the other two books without people asking for second, third and in one case even fourth helpings (and most of the time the soup was supposed to be the starter!). Normally, I make at least double the quantities because of that. Can you say more to show just how yummy the recipes are? This definitely is a book I couln't live without. Everybody should have it!

Best ever soup cookbook!! Buy now!!!, 28 Oct 2007
I absolutly love this soup cookbook. Every soup I have made (about half of all in book) turn out fab and there are several that I have made over and over. Definatly one I would recomend to everyone.

I have now also purchased the soup & beyond cookbook and made my first soup from that the other day...Parsnip, leek & Lemon. It was superb.

One of the best cookbooks I have ever owned.

The best book of soups in 10 years, 10 Jun 2007
I've owned this book for about 10 years and it is still the only book I use for making soup. My favourite is the Tuscan Bean soup, but I've made most of them over the years.

The only thing that stops me giving it a 5/5 is the print which still annoys me and has done since I bought it. The black on green is difficult to read, and sometimes the lettering all blends into one. If they made a reprint with standard type I would be the first to buy it!

super soup book, 11 Jan 2007
I can only say that any foodie will be delighted and inspired by the soups in the book. You can take the theme and develop it and produce tailor made specials to suit you and your family. My favorite is the spicy peanut soup, it is a real winner. My best tip is to make a large pot of stock and freeze in meal size bags. then when you want to make a soup it only takes a short while with not too much preparation. My children love the soups and keep trying to persuade us to try new ones.
A real winner!

New Covent Garden Soup Book, 08 Jan 2006
I have owned this book for... ooooh... well it seems like forever but I'm guessing since 1996! This is esily the most used recipe book on my shelf, and I have a few. Never have I offered a soup from this book without a chorus of praise, I've altered some of the recipes, I object to buying a chicken just to make stock for a soup for example, so I've used Chicken Oxo. Where I've made a predominantly vegetable soup which has asked for Chicken Stock I've used Green Oxo. So appreciative have my friends been of the soups from this book that I must have bought 6 or 7 copies of it just as presents. Buy it, use it, love it... but be adventurous and change the odd thing here and there and see what you think of the alterations, the book even has a grid at the back for you to record the changes you have made and your verdict on the outcome.

Oodles of Noodles for Everyone!, 17 May 2006
Wow! What an amazing book! I had my first Wagamana experience on Saturday when I was in Birmigham as we don't have any in Cornwall. The restaurant has been on my "places I must eat in" list and after such wonderful food and service, I just had to buy the cookbook!

Well, it arrived yesterday and I made the Spicy Beef Noodles for Dinner and then made a noodle salad for my packed lunch for work! Roll on lunch time!

It is an amazing book with lots of information and pictures. The recipes are easy to follow and the food that you create is authentic! Some ingredients you do have to look for, but it is worth it! Especaially if you are a foodie and appreciate cooking!

This book would be good for newbies to noodles (like me)!

Buy it, learn to slurp and enjoy oodles of noodles!
:-)

Simple, tasty food that's easy to prepare., 14 May 2006
This book is even better than the first Wagamama book, as it provides a far greater variety of things to try.

There are plenty of exciting recipies, ranging from easy five minute fare to more elaborate meals. Even the more complicated dishes are easy make however, and the results are always tasty and nutritious.

Whether avid carnivore or veggie, adept stir-fryer or yet to be chopsticked, you will be sure to find something of interest within the pages of this book. There are flavours to suite every palette, and plenty that will take your taste buds in new directions.

Some of the dishes do require a few special ingredients; though none that can't be found with out a little effort, and such experimentation only makes for intriguing culinary adventures.

If you are in need of a solid, speedy cook book that does for both the everyday and added indulgance, look no further. This is an excellent contemporary cookbook, and a great base from which to start composing your own noodle cuisine.

Noodle fans, get this book!

It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

There are no better books for soup lovers, 16 Aug 2008
I've had this book (the older edition) for almost 10 years now and I'm still using it. The recipes always work perfectly, the short little stories over each recipe are fun to read and I've never made any soup from this or the other two books without people asking for second, third and in one case even fourth helpings (and most of the time the soup was supposed to be the starter!). Normally, I make at least double the quantities because of that. Can you say more to show just how yummy the recipes are? This definitely is a book I couln't live without. Everybody should have it!

Best ever soup cookbook!! Buy now!!!, 28 Oct 2007
I absolutly love this soup cookbook. Every soup I have made (about half of all in book) turn out fab and there are several that I have made over and over. Definatly one I would recomend to everyone.

I have now also purchased the soup & beyond cookbook and made my first soup from that the other day...Parsnip, leek & Lemon. It was superb.

One of the best cookbooks I have ever owned.

The best book of soups in 10 years, 10 Jun 2007
I've owned this book for about 10 years and it is still the only book I use for making soup. My favourite is the Tuscan Bean soup, but I've made most of them over the years.

The only thing that stops me giving it a 5/5 is the print which still annoys me and has done since I bought it. The black on green is difficult to read, and sometimes the lettering all blends into one. If they made a reprint with standard type I would be the first to buy it!

super soup book, 11 Jan 2007
I can only say that any foodie will be delighted and inspired by the soups in the book. You can take the theme and develop it and produce tailor made specials to suit you and your family. My favorite is the spicy peanut soup, it is a real winner. My best tip is to make a large pot of stock and freeze in meal size bags. then when you want to make a soup it only takes a short while with not too much preparation. My children love the soups and keep trying to persuade us to try new ones.
A real winner!

New Covent Garden Soup Book, 08 Jan 2006
I have owned this book for... ooooh... well it seems like forever but I'm guessing since 1996! This is esily the most used recipe book on my shelf, and I have a few. Never have I offered a soup from this book without a chorus of praise, I've altered some of the recipes, I object to buying a chicken just to make stock for a soup for example, so I've used Chicken Oxo. Where I've made a predominantly vegetable soup which has asked for Chicken Stock I've used Green Oxo. So appreciative have my friends been of the soups from this book that I must have bought 6 or 7 copies of it just as presents. Buy it, use it, love it... but be adventurous and change the odd thing here and there and see what you think of the alterations, the book even has a grid at the back for you to record the changes you have made and your verdict on the outcome.

Oodles of Noodles for Everyone!, 17 May 2006
Wow! What an amazing book! I had my first Wagamana experience on Saturday when I was in Birmigham as we don't have any in Cornwall. The restaurant has been on my "places I must eat in" list and after such wonderful food and service, I just had to buy the cookbook!

Well, it arrived yesterday and I made the Spicy Beef Noodles for Dinner and then made a noodle salad for my packed lunch for work! Roll on lunch time!

It is an amazing book with lots of information and pictures. The recipes are easy to follow and the food that you create is authentic! Some ingredients you do have to look for, but it is worth it! Especaially if you are a foodie and appreciate cooking!

This book would be good for newbies to noodles (like me)!

Buy it, learn to slurp and enjoy oodles of noodles!
:-)

Simple, tasty food that's easy to prepare., 14 May 2006
This book is even better than the first Wagamama book, as it provides a far greater variety of things to try.

There are plenty of exciting recipies, ranging from easy five minute fare to more elaborate meals. Even the more complicated dishes are easy make however, and the results are always tasty and nutritious.

Whether avid carnivore or veggie, adept stir-fryer or yet to be chopsticked, you will be sure to find something of interest within the pages of this book. There are flavours to suite every palette, and plenty that will take your taste buds in new directions.

Some of the dishes do require a few special ingredients; though none that can't be found with out a little effort, and such experimentation only makes for intriguing culinary adventures.

If you are in need of a solid, speedy cook book that does for both the everyday and added indulgance, look no further. This is an excellent contemporary cookbook, and a great base from which to start composing your own noodle cuisine.

Noodle fans, get this book!

Great food, poor writing., 03 Jul 2004
My first impression, having bought this book, was enthusiasm. All these great recipes, great ideas. But as I read through the recipes I found the lack of advice and explanation disapointing. I re-read the instructions for jointing a chicken about four times, and I still don't understand them. Why not illustrate the steps for something like this?

Anyway, I came away wondering if I should have got Jamie Oliver instead.

This is the most outstanding cook book ever!, 02 Feb 2000
I agree with the other reviewer - the Winter Minestrone is fabulous - but so are all the other soups - the Sardinian fennel in Book 2 - and the stocks are so simple to make, yet taste SO GOOD! The vegetable recipes are a yum, the meat and poultry superb and the desserts, delicious! Absolutely brilliant. Try their Estate Olive Oils too!

absolutely fabulous darlings!, 12 Oct 1999
Despite the embarassing associations of this book - polenta eating, virgin olive oil drizzling Southern yuppies - when you get past these understandable feeling and pick one up, you will have bought one of the best cookbooks you will ever own. The chicken stuffed with mascarpone and rosemary is a favourite, but most of the recipes are incredible. Use the ingredients you can get hold of and don't use the amounts suggested if they seem ridiculous - and you are confident.This book improved our cooking 100%. Buy it, you won't regret it.

Do try it if you are not a skilled cook!!!, 06 Oct 1999
This a is a lovely cookbook to read with colourful photos. It can give you an idea about what you can find in River Cafe. A lot of the recipes are just for those who have mastered the cooking technique to try. You need to adject the recipe with you experience, even the cooking time.

Italian food like you've never tasted before, 23 Aug 1999
Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray's The River Cafe Cook Book and the follow-up River Cafe Cook Book Two changed my life. The recipes are easy to follow and yield consistently sensational results. After the first bite of their Panzanella--Tuscan summer salad--you'll think you're in heaven. And the Winter Minestrone--sublime. It's better (and a whole lot cheaper) than a holiday in Tuscany!

Tetsuya Wakuda is a true artist. Inspired by the ingredients native to his adopted country (Australia), and the techniques and flavours of his birthplace (Japan), Tetsuya combines them to complement and highlight each other in the simplest ways to bring out the most complicated flavours. For those of us unfamiliar with his reputation, Tetsuya comes with a glowing forward by Charlie Trotter that refers to Tetsuya in the same breath as Alain Ducasse, Daniel Boulud and Thomas Keller, and rightly so.

Tetsuya's presentation is perfection. Details such as minute brunoise and matchstick julienne are beautiful to behold, but it's his ethereal marinades, and his thoughtful use of Asian influence with ingredients such as fresh ginger and garlic, soy, mirin and wasabi, that make his dishes so memorable, and which allow us mere mortals to follow his recipes successfully. At Tetsuya, meals are presented as numerous small dishes, but you can multiply any of his recipes to work as main courses. "Linguine with a Ragout of Oriental Mushrooms" is simple to prepare, and bursts with the rich, earthy flavour of exotic mushrooms brightened by hints of garlic, sake, mirin, tomato and chile. "Tartare of Tuna with Goat's Cheese" requires sushi-quality tuna, but if you can get it, this dish is quick and easy and luscious with fresh, creamy goat cheese, and lively with cayenne, garlic, ginger, white pepper, and anchovies. Not all of Tetsuya's creations are Asian-influenced. There are many magnificent European-style dishes such as "Salad of Sea Scallops with Asparagus and Beans", "Venison with Roasted Shallots and Morels" and "Granny Smith Apple Sorbet with Sauternes Jelly".

Stunning photographs of dreamy dishes and delightful bits of commentary separate recipes laid out like poetry to make this a culinary page-turner and a gift-worthy coffee-table book. Without a doubt, Tetsuya would make an exciting addition to the kitchen collection of gourmets who love to cook with such ingredients as market-fresh produce, sushi-quality fish and shellfish, fresh venison, squab and guinea fowl. --Leora Y Bloom

It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

There are no better books for soup lovers, 16 Aug 2008
I've had this book (the older edition) for almost 10 years now and I'm still using it. The recipes always work perfectly, the short little stories over each recipe are fun to read and I've never made any soup from this or the other two books without people asking for second, third and in one case even fourth helpings (and most of the time the soup was supposed to be the starter!). Normally, I make at least double the quantities because of that. Can you say more to show just how yummy the recipes are? This definitely is a book I couln't live without. Everybody should have it!

Best ever soup cookbook!! Buy now!!!, 28 Oct 2007
I absolutly love this soup cookbook. Every soup I have made (about half of all in book) turn out fab and there are several that I have made over and over. Definatly one I would recomend to everyone.

I have now also purchased the soup & beyond cookbook and made my first soup from that the other day...Parsnip, leek & Lemon. It was superb.

One of the best cookbooks I have ever owned.

The best book of soups in 10 years, 10 Jun 2007
I've owned this book for about 10 years and it is still the only book I use for making soup. My favourite is the Tuscan Bean soup, but I've made most of them over the years.

The only thing that stops me giving it a 5/5 is the print which still annoys me and has done since I bought it. The black on green is difficult to read, and sometimes the lettering all blends into one. If they made a reprint with standard type I would be the first to buy it!

super soup book, 11 Jan 2007
I can only say that any foodie will be delighted and inspired by the soups in the book. You can take the theme and develop it and produce tailor made specials to suit you and your family. My favorite is the spicy peanut soup, it is a real winner. My best tip is to make a large pot of stock and freeze in meal size bags. then when you want to make a soup it only takes a short while with not too much preparation. My children love the soups and keep trying to persuade us to try new ones.
A real winner!

New Covent Garden Soup Book, 08 Jan 2006
I have owned this book for... ooooh... well it seems like forever but I'm guessing since 1996! This is esily the most used recipe book on my shelf, and I have a few. Never have I offered a soup from this book without a chorus of praise, I've altered some of the recipes, I object to buying a chicken just to make stock for a soup for example, so I've used Chicken Oxo. Where I've made a predominantly vegetable soup which has asked for Chicken Stock I've used Green Oxo. So appreciative have my friends been of the soups from this book that I must have bought 6 or 7 copies of it just as presents. Buy it, use it, love it... but be adventurous and change the odd thing here and there and see what you think of the alterations, the book even has a grid at the back for you to record the changes you have made and your verdict on the outcome.

Oodles of Noodles for Everyone!, 17 May 2006
Wow! What an amazing book! I had my first Wagamana experience on Saturday when I was in Birmigham as we don't have any in Cornwall. The restaurant has been on my "places I must eat in" list and after such wonderful food and service, I just had to buy the cookbook!

Well, it arrived yesterday and I made the Spicy Beef Noodles for Dinner and then made a noodle salad for my packed lunch for work! Roll on lunch time!

It is an amazing book with lots of information and pictures. The recipes are easy to follow and the food that you create is authentic! Some ingredients you do have to look for, but it is worth it! Especaially if you are a foodie and appreciate cooking!

This book would be good for newbies to noodles (like me)!

Buy it, learn to slurp and enjoy oodles of noodles!
:-)

Simple, tasty food that's easy to prepare., 14 May 2006
This book is even better than the first Wagamama book, as it provides a far greater variety of things to try.

There are plenty of exciting recipies, ranging from easy five minute fare to more elaborate meals. Even the more complicated dishes are easy make however, and the results are always tasty and nutritious.

Whether avid carnivore or veggie, adept stir-fryer or yet to be chopsticked, you will be sure to find something of interest within the pages of this book. There are flavours to suite every palette, and plenty that will take your taste buds in new directions.

Some of the dishes do require a few special ingredients; though none that can't be found with out a little effort, and such experimentation only makes for intriguing culinary adventures.

If you are in need of a solid, speedy cook book that does for both the everyday and added indulgance, look no further. This is an excellent contemporary cookbook, and a great base from which to start composing your own noodle cuisine.

Noodle fans, get this book!

Great food, poor writing., 03 Jul 2004
My first impression, having bought this book, was enthusiasm. All these great recipes, great ideas. But as I read through the recipes I found the lack of advice and explanation disapointing. I re-read the instructions for jointing a chicken about four times, and I still don't understand them. Why not illustrate the steps for something like this?

Anyway, I came away wondering if I should have got Jamie Oliver instead.

This is the most outstanding cook book ever!, 02 Feb 2000
I agree with the other reviewer - the Winter Minestrone is fabulous - but so are all the other soups - the Sardinian fennel in Book 2 - and the stocks are so simple to make, yet taste SO GOOD! The vegetable recipes are a yum, the meat and poultry superb and the desserts, delicious! Absolutely brilliant. Try their Estate Olive Oils too!

absolutely fabulous darlings!, 12 Oct 1999
Despite the embarassing associations of this book - polenta eating, virgin olive oil drizzling Southern yuppies - when you get past these understandable feeling and pick one up, you will have bought one of the best cookbooks you will ever own. The chicken stuffed with mascarpone and rosemary is a favourite, but most of the recipes are incredible. Use the ingredients you can get hold of and don't use the amounts suggested if they seem ridiculous - and you are confident.This book improved our cooking 100%. Buy it, you won't regret it.

Do try it if you are not a skilled cook!!!, 06 Oct 1999
This a is a lovely cookbook to read with colourful photos. It can give you an idea about what you can find in River Cafe. A lot of the recipes are just for those who have mastered the cooking technique to try. You need to adject the recipe with you experience, even the cooking time.

Italian food like you've never tasted before, 23 Aug 1999
Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray's The River Cafe Cook Book and the follow-up River Cafe Cook Book Two changed my life. The recipes are easy to follow and yield consistently sensational results. After the first bite of their Panzanella--Tuscan summer salad--you'll think you're in heaven. And the Winter Minestrone--sublime. It's better (and a whole lot cheaper) than a holiday in Tuscany!

Tetsuya is an exciting cookbook for serious food enthusiasts, 25 Oct 2001
Testsuya Wakuda has put together a refreshingly modern collection of dishes that are at once simple and focused, while sure to be challenging enough for even the most sophisticated food enthusiasts. From the prominent influences of japanese cuisine to the direction and tradition of french cooking, the recipes show a keen and expert coming together of styles, well above the level of the usual fusion cuisine. All of this is interspersed with beautiful photography and extremely informative additional notes. It is an instant classic cookbook which is on par with others from greats such as Blanc, Trotter or Keller. Not to be missed!

River Cafe Cook Book Green is the latest instalment in its authors' quest for perfection. (That this austerely high-minded project should be taking place in one of London's more expensive restaurants only adds a pleasing Zen-riddle quality). In the first River Cafe Cook Book, illumination was achieved through the wood-fired grill. That was OK, because one of those ridged grill-pans would do at a pinch, though we were left in no doubt it came a very poor second. By the time River Cafe Cook Book Two came out, the famous wood-burning oven had been installed, to the despair of many. In the new volume the focus is on the ingredients, specifically fruit, vegetables and herbs. Quality, freshness and seasonality, of course, have always been paramount at the River Cafe, and are now boosted by, wouldn't you know it, the adjoining organic vegetable garden. Combined with the Cafe's unbeatable network of organic suppliers, this may make some readers wonder whether it's worth trying to keep up any more.

Emphatically yes, must be the answer. The River Cafe phenomenon has always been inspirational, if not aspirational; and the new book is packed with astoundingly good, simple recipes and ideas. It is constructed round the appearance of individual fruits and vegetables in the garden or the market. Perhaps in part to distinguish themselves from the rather many cookery writers who have previously adopted this approach, Gray and Rogers work through the year month by month rather than by season. Thus May brings apricots (Apricot, Lemon and Almond Tart, Apricot Jam Ice-Cream), asparagus (in Risotto, with Anchovy and Milk Sauce, in a salad with gulls' eggs), broad beans (in a Minestrone), melons (Melon and Lemon Sorbet, Melon Marinated in Valpolicella with Vanilla), spring carrots (Braised Spring Carrots and Artichokes, Carrots Marsala) and spring onions (Peas Braised with Spring Onions, Spring Onion and Thyme Pizza). So it goes on, beautiful, simple, delicious. And if our carrots aren't quite perfect, well, we can have a word with our greengrocer, or join an organic box scheme. Or we can just aspire. Not the least achievement of Gray and Rogers is to restore to this simple food the magical allure it possessed when most people knew it only through the early books of Elizabeth David. --Robin Davidson

It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

There are no better books for soup lovers, 16 Aug 2008
I've had this book (the older edition) for almost 10 years now and I'm still using it. The recipes always work perfectly, the short little stories over each recipe are fun to read and I've never made any soup from this or the other two books without people asking for second, third and in one case even fourth helpings (and most of the time the soup was supposed to be the starter!). Normally, I make at least double the quantities because of that. Can you say more to show just how yummy the recipes are? This definitely is a book I couln't live without. Everybody should have it!

Best ever soup cookbook!! Buy now!!!, 28 Oct 2007
I absolutly love this soup cookbook. Every soup I have made (about half of all in book) turn out fab and there are several that I have made over and over. Definatly one I would recomend to everyone.

I have now also purchased the soup & beyond cookbook and made my first soup from that the other day...Parsnip, leek & Lemon. It was superb.

One of the best cookbooks I have ever owned.

The best book of soups in 10 years, 10 Jun 2007
I've owned this book for about 10 years and it is still the only book I use for making soup. My favourite is the Tuscan Bean soup, but I've made most of them over the years.

The only thing that stops me giving it a 5/5 is the print which still annoys me and has done since I bought it. The black on green is difficult to read, and sometimes the lettering all blends into one. If they made a reprint with standard type I would be the first to buy it!

super soup book, 11 Jan 2007
I can only say that any foodie will be delighted and inspired by the soups in the book. You can take the theme and develop it and produce tailor made specials to suit you and your family. My favorite is the spicy peanut soup, it is a real winner. My best tip is to make a large pot of stock and freeze in meal size bags. then when you want to make a soup it only takes a short while with not too much preparation. My children love the soups and keep trying to persuade us to try new ones.
A real winner!

New Covent Garden Soup Book, 08 Jan 2006
I have owned this book for... ooooh... well it seems like forever but I'm guessing since 1996! This is esily the most used recipe book on my shelf, and I have a few. Never have I offered a soup from this book without a chorus of praise, I've altered some of the recipes, I object to buying a chicken just to make stock for a soup for example, so I've used Chicken Oxo. Where I've made a predominantly vegetable soup which has asked for Chicken Stock I've used Green Oxo. So appreciative have my friends been of the soups from this book that I must have bought 6 or 7 copies of it just as presents. Buy it, use it, love it... but be adventurous and change the odd thing here and there and see what you think of the alterations, the book even has a grid at the back for you to record the changes you have made and your verdict on the outcome.

Oodles of Noodles for Everyone!, 17 May 2006
Wow! What an amazing book! I had my first Wagamana experience on Saturday when I was in Birmigham as we don't have any in Cornwall. The restaurant has been on my "places I must eat in" list and after such wonderful food and service, I just had to buy the cookbook!

Well, it arrived yesterday and I made the Spicy Beef Noodles for Dinner and then made a noodle salad for my packed lunch for work! Roll on lunch time!

It is an amazing book with lots of information and pictures. The recipes are easy to follow and the food that you create is authentic! Some ingredients you do have to look for, but it is worth it! Especaially if you are a foodie and appreciate cooking!

This book would be good for newbies to noodles (like me)!

Buy it, learn to slurp and enjoy oodles of noodles!
:-)

Simple, tasty food that's easy to prepare., 14 May 2006
This book is even better than the first Wagamama book, as it provides a far greater variety of things to try.

There are plenty of exciting recipies, ranging from easy five minute fare to more elaborate meals. Even the more complicated dishes are easy make however, and the results are always tasty and nutritious.

Whether avid carnivore or veggie, adept stir-fryer or yet to be chopsticked, you will be sure to find something of interest within the pages of this book. There are flavours to suite every palette, and plenty that will take your taste buds in new directions.

Some of the dishes do require a few special ingredients; though none that can't be found with out a little effort, and such experimentation only makes for intriguing culinary adventures.

If you are in need of a solid, speedy cook book that does for both the everyday and added indulgance, look no further. This is an excellent contemporary cookbook, and a great base from which to start composing your own noodle cuisine.

Noodle fans, get this book!

Great food, poor writing., 03 Jul 2004
My first impression, having bought this book, was enthusiasm. All these great recipes, great ideas. But as I read through the recipes I found the lack of advice and explanation disapointing. I re-read the instructions for jointing a chicken about four times, and I still don't understand them. Why not illustrate the steps for something like this?

Anyway, I came away wondering if I should have got Jamie Oliver instead.

This is the most outstanding cook book ever!, 02 Feb 2000
I agree with the other reviewer - the Winter Minestrone is fabulous - but so are all the other soups - the Sardinian fennel in Book 2 - and the stocks are so simple to make, yet taste SO GOOD! The vegetable recipes are a yum, the meat and poultry superb and the desserts, delicious! Absolutely brilliant. Try their Estate Olive Oils too!

absolutely fabulous darlings!, 12 Oct 1999
Despite the embarassing associations of this book - polenta eating, virgin olive oil drizzling Southern yuppies - when you get past these understandable feeling and pick one up, you will have bought one of the best cookbooks you will ever own. The chicken stuffed with mascarpone and rosemary is a favourite, but most of the recipes are incredible. Use the ingredients you can get hold of and don't use the amounts suggested if they seem ridiculous - and you are confident.This book improved our cooking 100%. Buy it, you won't regret it.

Do try it if you are not a skilled cook!!!, 06 Oct 1999
This a is a lovely cookbook to read with colourful photos. It can give you an idea about what you can find in River Cafe. A lot of the recipes are just for those who have mastered the cooking technique to try. You need to adject the recipe with you experience, even the cooking time.

Italian food like you've never tasted before, 23 Aug 1999
Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray's The River Cafe Cook Book and the follow-up River Cafe Cook Book Two changed my life. The recipes are easy to follow and yield consistently sensational results. After the first bite of their Panzanella--Tuscan summer salad--you'll think you're in heaven. And the Winter Minestrone--sublime. It's better (and a whole lot cheaper) than a holiday in Tuscany!

Tetsuya is an exciting cookbook for serious food enthusiasts, 25 Oct 2001
Testsuya Wakuda has put together a refreshingly modern collection of dishes that are at once simple and focused, while sure to be challenging enough for even the most sophisticated food enthusiasts. From the prominent influences of japanese cuisine to the direction and tradition of french cooking, the recipes show a keen and expert coming together of styles, well above the level of the usual fusion cuisine. All of this is interspersed with beautiful photography and extremely informative additional notes. It is an instant classic cookbook which is on par with others from greats such as Blanc, Trotter or Keller. Not to be missed!

One of my all time favourite cookbooks, 05 Dec 2007
I love this cookbook! It is not a cookbook that you would whip out on a weekday - although it is a mix of really easy dishes and more time consuming and advanced ones. Because of the latter I would probably not recommend it to a beginner. Some of its recipes have definitely become regulars with us.

We love the 'seasonal' approach & the recipes are all a treat to those who like Flavour with a capital F. What I mean by that is that most recipes taste like the basic ingredients/vegetables, and not like a mix of tons of ingredients (if that makes sense). What I also mean by that is that it also provokes you to taste something you may not have come up with yourself (within the Italian kitchen realm), such as a lemon salad... which isn't as sour as it sounds. Or spaghetti with tomato, ginger and ricotta. (This dish is definitely our all time favourite, and the recipe has been passed on to many of our friends, in our view it combines the Italian kitchen with a distinct Asian ginger influence. By the way: we usually replace the ricotta with parmesan, and the ginger & tomato sauce can easily be frozen & reheated.)

Complaints in previous reviews have been that ingredients are sometimes hard to come by. I don't agree. First, you have to wait until the right season, that is the whole point of the book! In addition, what Gray and Rogers do is give us their choice of the best ingredients (such as maldon salt, or puy lentils) and using those ingredients would give the beste taste experience. However, with more regular ingredients (sea salt or lentils etc. ) you will come a very long way too.

I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as we do!

A Bit of a Disappointment, 12 May 2003
I've not found this book as useful as I had hoped - a lot of the recipes seem to be rather unbalanced - flavourings too crude and heavy handed. One in particularly, a spaghettis sauce that is an interesting twist on an ordinary tomato sauce as it has ginger in it. If you use their proportions the ginger virtually blows your head off - it really needed drastic toning down to work. I've tried some other recipes in the book with similar results. It almost feels like they have only 'tasted' the dishes rather than having actually sat down to eat a whole plate. A finger-tip taste is fine, but the whole effect can be overpowering. I think this is a trap a lot of chefs make - cooking for effect rather than satisfaction.

Tastey, 17 Nov 2002
I have had this book for some time, and have to admit I have not cooked a single thing it covers. I think it is mainly due to the fact that almost every recipe calls for at least one ingredient that I am having great difficulty to get my hands on, unless I plan days ahead, and unfortunately I am not that type of person. That does not mean the book is not inspiring and appetising. In fact, the one thing it does for me the most is making me want to visit the restaurant!

The book focuses on vegetables and fruit, and each recipe is sectioned according to season of the year, the motivation being that fruit and veg is best when harvested in their own season. The idea is to promote a concern for how food is grown, with focus on organically grown produce, and with that, I would imagine, promote the concern about transport and year-around harvesting issues.

All recipies are Italian, covering soups, pasta, antipasti, salads, deserts, sauces, pizzas, drinks, and more. How about a chickpea pancake with rosemary or a bruschetta with puffball and field mushrooms with tomato and thyme for starter, Penne with asparagus carbonara or a focaccia stuffed with gorgonzola and marjoram? Melon marinated in valpolicella with vanilla or red wine sorbet with crushed strawberries? Or, mmm, Chocolate ginger cake?

The book has over 200 recipies, and if you have access to a good farmer's market where you can get things like a variety of cabbages and mushrooms, fresh herbs, artichokes, figs, and pumpkins, this book will come in handy. The pictures promise greatness without being overly fancy.

I think I will go make some rosemary bruschetta, or perhaps figs, buffalo mozzarella and basil...

Another invaluable classic from Rogers and Gray, 08 Aug 2001
If you, like me, adore Italian food and have, again like me, had access to and loved Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers previous books don't think that there is nothing further that they can add to their third Italian cookery 'bible'.

In 'River Cafe Green' (aptly named and you'll soon understand why), Rogers and Gray divide the book into 12 sections, one for each year. In each month there are sub-sections featuring whatever fruit and vegetables are best around that time and how you can use them to their full potential. Never have I found such pleasure in cooking as I have this year, not just because of the standard of food the duo enable you to produce, but also because of the enjoyment I have had in using home grown, seasonal ingredients.

Basics such as stocks, sauces, rich pasta, and crispy pizza dough are given as in the last two books but many of the dishes have very novel ideas and flavourings. Try the spaghetti with tomato and ginger and you'll see what I mean. The risotto recipes (particularly if you use homemade stock) will enable you to produce a rice dish worthy and often better than a lot of what you will get in a restaurant. The puddings are, as usual, wickedly wonderful. The recipe for cherry foccacia (an unusual variation for a summer pudding dish) is garaunteed to WOW your friends over a picnic lunch.

Having said this, some of the ingredients are slightly obscure and hard to access (unless you live in Italy or very near a good Italian delicatessen!!) but hunt around as if you can get hold of such treasures as aged balsamic vinegar, it is worth it, if expensive.

Verdict: a great follow up to the other books, and speaking for myself I hope they come up with a red, pink, purple, and orange book as well!

Excellant...., 28 May 2000
Another wonderfull book, by some very talented people. With great ideas and recipes which are delicious, it is definately one for the shelf.

Excruciatingly chic to the highest degree, the playground of film stars and supermodels, the restaurants of the Nobu chain are among the hardest to get into on three continents. They are the personal inspiration of a Japanese sushi-trained chef, Noboyuki Matsuhisa, who, with unusual experiences in Peru, Argentina and Alaska behind him, was fortunate enough to open an establishment in Los Angeles into which part-time restaurant entrepreneur Robert de Niro happened to wander. During those years on the Pacific coast Nobu had begun to experiment, combining the pure, fresh, uncomplicated flavours of sushi with the Western flavours of garlic, chilli and coriander. As his clientele moved upscale, these were complemented by luxury ingredients such as truffles and caviar. Nobu the Cookbook represents the current state of play. Exquisite, expensive and breathtakingly stylish, this is food designed to impress with its artful simplicity. Perhaps the two most representative dishes are the most celebrated: the "New-Style Sushi", in which dressed raw fish is given a sizzling dressing of hot oil; and the beautiful "Black Cod with Miso", marinated in sake, mirin and miso for three days then grilled and baked and served with a single ikebana-like spear of pickled juvenile ginger.

There are aspects of this cooking, however, which for all its glamour may require the turning of a blind eye. How many home cooks will be prepared to disembowel a live octopus (rather more challenging than dropping a lobster into boiling water)? And eyebrows may be raised among environmentalists at Nobu's championing of Arctic sea bass, a fish known before its cosmetic rechristening a few years ago as Patagonian toothfish and which is likely to become extinct within three years through illegal overfishing in the southern oceans. Food for thought. --Robin Davidson

It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

There are no better books for soup lovers, 16 Aug 2008
I've had this book (the older edition) for almost 10 years now and I'm still using it. The recipes always work perfectly, the short little stories over each recipe are fun to read and I've never made any soup from this or the other two books without people asking for second, third and in one case even fourth helpings (and most of the time the soup was supposed to be the starter!). Normally, I make at least double the quantities because of that. Can you say more to show just how yummy the recipes are? This definitely is a book I couln't live without. Everybody should have it!

Best ever soup cookbook!! Buy now!!!, 28 Oct 2007
I absolutly love this soup cookbook. Every soup I have made (about half of all in book) turn out fab and there are several that I have made over and over. Definatly one I would recomend to everyone.

I have now also purchased the soup & beyond cookbook and made my first soup from that the other day...Parsnip, leek & Lemon. It was superb.

One of the best cookbooks I have ever owned.

The best book of soups in 10 years, 10 Jun 2007
I've owned this book for about 10 years and it is still the only book I use for making soup. My favourite is the Tuscan Bean soup, but I've made most of them over the years.

The only thing that stops me giving it a 5/5 is the print which still annoys me and has done since I bought it. The black on green is difficult to read, and sometimes the lettering all blends into one. If they made a reprint with standard type I would be the first to buy it!

super soup book, 11 Jan 2007
I can only say that any foodie will be delighted and inspired by the soups in the book. You can take the theme and develop it and produce tailor made specials to suit you and your family. My favorite is the spicy peanut soup, it is a real winner. My best tip is to make a large pot of stock and freeze in meal size bags. then when you want to make a soup it only takes a short while with not too much preparation. My children love the soups and keep trying to persuade us to try new ones.
A real winner!

New Covent Garden Soup Book, 08 Jan 2006
I have owned this book for... ooooh... well it seems like forever but I'm guessing since 1996! This is esily the most used recipe book on my shelf, and I have a few. Never have I offered a soup from this book without a chorus of praise, I've altered some of the recipes, I object to buying a chicken just to make stock for a soup for example, so I've used Chicken Oxo. Where I've made a predominantly vegetable soup which has asked for Chicken Stock I've used Green Oxo. So appreciative have my friends been of the soups from this book that I must have bought 6 or 7 copies of it just as presents. Buy it, use it, love it... but be adventurous and change the odd thing here and there and see what you think of the alterations, the book even has a grid at the back for you to record the changes you have made and your verdict on the outcome.

Oodles of Noodles for Everyone!, 17 May 2006
Wow! What an amazing book! I had my first Wagamana experience on Saturday when I was in Birmigham as we don't have any in Cornwall. The restaurant has been on my "places I must eat in" list and after such wonderful food and service, I just had to buy the cookbook!

Well, it arrived yesterday and I made the Spicy Beef Noodles for Dinner and then made a noodle salad for my packed lunch for work! Roll on lunch time!

It is an amazing book with lots of information and pictures. The recipes are easy to follow and the food that you create is authentic! Some ingredients you do have to look for, but it is worth it! Especaially if you are a foodie and appreciate cooking!

This book would be good for newbies to noodles (like me)!

Buy it, learn to slurp and enjoy oodles of noodles!
:-)

Simple, tasty food that's easy to prepare., 14 May 2006
This book is even better than the first Wagamama book, as it provides a far greater variety of things to try.

There are plenty of exciting recipies, ranging from easy five minute fare to more elaborate meals. Even the more complicated dishes are easy make however, and the results are always tasty and nutritious.

Whether avid carnivore or veggie, adept stir-fryer or yet to be chopsticked, you will be sure to find something of interest within the pages of this book. There are flavours to suite every palette, and plenty that will take your taste buds in new directions.

Some of the dishes do require a few special ingredients; though none that can't be found with out a little effort, and such experimentation only makes for intriguing culinary adventures.

If you are in need of a solid, speedy cook book that does for both the everyday and added indulgance, look no further. This is an excellent contemporary cookbook, and a great base from which to start composing your own noodle cuisine.

Noodle fans, get this book!

Great food, poor writing., 03 Jul 2004
My first impression, having bought this book, was enthusiasm. All these great recipes, great ideas. But as I read through the recipes I found the lack of advice and explanation disapointing. I re-read the instructions for jointing a chicken about four times, and I still don't understand them. Why not illustrate the steps for something like this?

Anyway, I came away wondering if I should have got Jamie Oliver instead.

This is the most outstanding cook book ever!, 02 Feb 2000
I agree with the other reviewer - the Winter Minestrone is fabulous - but so are all the other soups - the Sardinian fennel in Book 2 - and the stocks are so simple to make, yet taste SO GOOD! The vegetable recipes are a yum, the meat and poultry superb and the desserts, delicious! Absolutely brilliant. Try their Estate Olive Oils too!

absolutely fabulous darlings!, 12 Oct 1999
Despite the embarassing associations of this book - polenta eating, virgin olive oil drizzling Southern yuppies - when you get past these understandable feeling and pick one up, you will have bought one of the best cookbooks you will ever own. The chicken stuffed with mascarpone and rosemary is a favourite, but most of the recipes are incredible. Use the ingredients you can get hold of and don't use the amounts suggested if they seem ridiculous - and you are confident.This book improved our cooking 100%. Buy it, you won't regret it.

Do try it if you are not a skilled cook!!!, 06 Oct 1999
This a is a lovely cookbook to read with colourful photos. It can give you an idea about what you can find in River Cafe. A lot of the recipes are just for those who have mastered the cooking technique to try. You need to adject the recipe with you experience, even the cooking time.

Italian food like you've never tasted before, 23 Aug 1999
Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray's The River Cafe Cook Book and the follow-up River Cafe Cook Book Two changed my life. The recipes are easy to follow and yield consistently sensational results. After the first bite of their Panzanella--Tuscan summer salad--you'll think you're in heaven. And the Winter Minestrone--sublime. It's better (and a whole lot cheaper) than a holiday in Tuscany!

Tetsuya is an exciting cookbook for serious food enthusiasts, 25 Oct 2001
Testsuya Wakuda has put together a refreshingly modern collection of dishes that are at once simple and focused, while sure to be challenging enough for even the most sophisticated food enthusiasts. From the prominent influences of japanese cuisine to the direction and tradition of french cooking, the recipes show a keen and expert coming together of styles, well above the level of the usual fusion cuisine. All of this is interspersed with beautiful photography and extremely informative additional notes. It is an instant classic cookbook which is on par with others from greats such as Blanc, Trotter or Keller. Not to be missed!

One of my all time favourite cookbooks, 05 Dec 2007
I love this cookbook! It is not a cookbook that you would whip out on a weekday - although it is a mix of really easy dishes and more time consuming and advanced ones. Because of the latter I would probably not recommend it to a beginner. Some of its recipes have definitely become regulars with us.

We love the 'seasonal' approach & the recipes are all a treat to those who like Flavour with a capital F. What I mean by that is that most recipes taste like the basic ingredients/vegetables, and not like a mix of tons of ingredients (if that makes sense). What I also mean by that is that it also provokes you to taste something you may not have come up with yourself (within the Italian kitchen realm), such as a lemon salad... which isn't as sour as it sounds. Or spaghetti with tomato, ginger and ricotta. (This dish is definitely our all time favourite, and the recipe has been passed on to many of our friends, in our view it combines the Italian kitchen with a distinct Asian ginger influence. By the way: we usually replace the ricotta with parmesan, and the ginger & tomato sauce can easily be frozen & reheated.)

Complaints in previous reviews have been that ingredients are sometimes hard to come by. I don't agree. First, you have to wait until the right season, that is the whole point of the book! In addition, what Gray and Rogers do is give us their choice of the best ingredients (such as maldon salt, or puy lentils) and using those ingredients would give the beste taste experience. However, with more regular ingredients (sea salt or lentils etc. ) you will come a very long way too.

I hope you'll enjoy this book as much as we do!

A Bit of a Disappointment, 12 May 2003
I've not found this book as useful as I had hoped - a lot of the recipes seem to be rather unbalanced - flavourings too crude and heavy handed. One in particularly, a spaghettis sauce that is an interesting twist on an ordinary tomato sauce as it has ginger in it. If you use their proportions the ginger virtually blows your head off - it really needed drastic toning down to work. I've tried some other recipes in the book with similar results. It almost feels like they have only 'tasted' the dishes rather than having actually sat down to eat a whole plate. A finger-tip taste is fine, but the whole effect can be overpowering. I think this is a trap a lot of chefs make - cooking for effect rather than satisfaction.

Tastey, 17 Nov 2002
I have had this book for some time, and have to admit I have not cooked a single thing it covers. I think it is mainly due to the fact that almost every recipe calls for at least one ingredient that I am having great difficulty to get my hands on, unless I plan days ahead, and unfortunately I am not that type of person. That does not mean the book is not inspiring and appetising. In fact, the one thing it does for me the most is making me want to visit the restaurant!

The book focuses on vegetables and fruit, and each recipe is sectioned according to season of the year, the motivation being that fruit and veg is best when harvested in their own season. The idea is to promote a concern for how food is grown, with focus on organically grown produce, and with that, I would imagine, promote the concern about transport and year-around harvesting issues.

All recipies are Italian, covering soups, pasta, antipasti, salads, deserts, sauces, pizzas, drinks, and more. How about a chickpea pancake with rosemary or a bruschetta with puffball and field mushrooms with tomato and thyme for starter, Penne with asparagus carbonara or a focaccia stuffed with gorgonzola and marjoram? Melon marinated in valpolicella with vanilla or red wine sorbet with crushed strawberries? Or, mmm, Chocolate ginger cake?

The book has over 200 recipies, and if you have access to a good farmer's market where you can get things like a variety of cabbages and mushrooms, fresh herbs, artichokes, figs, and pumpkins, this book will come in handy. The pictures promise greatness without being overly fancy.

I think I will go make some rosemary bruschetta, or perhaps figs, buffalo mozzarella and basil...

Another invaluable classic from Rogers and Gray, 08 Aug 2001
If you, like me, adore Italian food and have, again like me, had access to and loved Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers previous books don't think that there is nothing further that they can add to their third Italian cookery 'bible'.

In 'River Cafe Green' (aptly named and you'll soon understand why), Rogers and Gray divide the book into 12 sections, one for each year. In each month there are sub-sections featuring whatever fruit and vegetables are best around that time and how you can use them to their full potential. Never have I found such pleasure in cooking as I have this year, not just because of the standard of food the duo enable you to produce, but also because of the enjoyment I have had in using home grown, seasonal ingredients.

Basics such as stocks, sauces, rich pasta, and crispy pizza dough are given as in the last two books but many of the dishes have very novel ideas and flavourings. Try the spaghetti with tomato and ginger and you'll see what I mean. The risotto recipes (particularly if you use homemade stock) will enable you to produce a rice dish worthy and often better than a lot of what you will get in a restaurant. The puddings are, as usual, wickedly wonderful. The recipe for cherry foccacia (an unusual variation for a summer pudding dish) is garaunteed to WOW your friends over a picnic lunch.

Having said this, some of the ingredients are slightly obscure and hard to access (unless you live in Italy or very near a good Italian delicatessen!!) but hunt around as if you can get hold of such treasures as aged balsamic vinegar, it is worth it, if expensive.

Verdict: a great follow up to the other books, and speaking for myself I hope they come up with a red, pink, purple, and orange book as well!

Excellant...., 28 May 2000
Another wonderfull book, by some very talented people. With great ideas and recipes which are delicious, it is definately one for the shelf.

5 stars for beauty, but only really good for reading, 15 Sep 2006
I have to admit that I love this book purely for the beauty of the content. I know that I will rarely be able to make the recipes to the standard that the book sets. However, I don't care on this one, as I love to pick it up from the shelf, sit back with a glass of wine and dream.

Maybe one day I will be able to save up enough and then get a reservation, which can be very difficult at the London one on an evening.

'ingredients problems' you say?, 24 Aug 2006
you should be able to find most ingredients if you try the japan centre in piccadilly or walk around china town in soho.

Fabulous coffee table book, 05 May 2005
Like the other reviewer, I purchsed this book over a year ago, and still havent tried any of the recipies. I remember going throught the book, and thinking "Why did I buy it,I will never be able to find the ingredients" I think thats the problem with some restaurant cookbooks, they assume that the average Joe Soap will be able to find all the exotic ingredients that they source. However, it is a lovely book, well laid out with classy pictures. The different marinade and sauce recipes are lovely, even if all you can find to put with them is monkfish. If anything, this book will give you ideas.

Great shots ... daring recipes ... little to try, 04 Nov 2003
In the past year I did manage to buy quite a few cooking books. This one was one of the very first. The book making is fantastic: beatiful pictures of the plates and ingredients. Great details about the cook (in line with this new trend of life used to explain the why's of the recipes). Gorgeous recipes ... but ... ingredients are very difficult to find where I live. More so for the most interesting recipes. As ingredients are fundamental to this book, this results in frustation. I have so far not tried a single recipe in almost 6 months. I bought the book as a memory of Nobu in London where I had one of the most memorable dinners. The recipes seems faithful, so they should be also memorable.
Before buying, check if you can find the ingredients. If so, but it immediatly ... otherwise, look elsewhere.

An extremely user friendly and entertaining cook book, 16 Jan 2002
Nobo is a fantastic cook book. Its content marks attention to detail throughout. Recipes are beautifully illustrated and easy to follow. Also, loved the anecdotes! Truly, a culinary connoisseurs delight and absolute must-have

If Rosemary Shrager is roaring with laughter on the cover of Rosemary, Castle Cook (and she is), you can understand why. She has what must be the almost unalloyed pleasure of running a summer cookery school in a castle overlooking the Sound of Taransay on the Isle of Harris, in the Scottish Hebrides. Rosemary, Castle Cook is as much a tribute to this magically beautiful place as a record of her cooking. The cooking, in any case, is guided and coloured by the seasonal availability of the local ingredients. And what ingredients! Blessed with the best fish and shellfish in the world, feathered and furred game, fine beef and lamb, and soft fruit of unparalleled quality, Harris has much to offer the cook. Rosemary Shrager's cooking is fairly straightforward, allowing the superb quality of her raw materials to emerge. She cooks pretty much in the French tradition (she has worked for Pierre Koffmann and Jean-Christophe Novelli), with results that are at once robust, elegant and subtle. Her Crab Risotto is flavoured with leek and shallot and garnished with mussels and peas; she pairs, sumptuously, turbot and lobster in a cream sauce. Seared medallions of venison sit on a bed of spinach surrounded by a deep fawn morel mushroom sauce: the visual effect is as ravishing as the flavour must be superb. Puddings range from exquisite raspberry soufflés to that crowning marvel of Scottish cookery, the Clootie Dumpling. If this book gives a true flavour of Rosemary Shrager's qualities as a teacher, then she must be inspiring indeed. The only pity is that we don't all have the same first-class produce on our doorsteps. That is hardly her fault, of course, so there is no reason to withhold an unreserved recommendation for the Castle Cook. --Robin Davidson

It's all in the prep!, 18 Feb 2008
This book changed my life!! OK, slight exaggeration but it did wonders for my cooking confidence, which means i cook a lot more now, and that can't be a bad thing. First of all the recipes are very varied & delicious. Also importantly (for me at least..!), all the 'work' is in the prep, which of course you can take all the time you like over (though it needn't take long). The actual cooking tends to be pretty quick and easy stir frying, so no panicking during cooking. The ingredients needed are pretty easy to come by (fresh vegetables; chillies, lemongrass; soy & fish sauce; soba noodles; dashi etc.). The final reason i love these recipes is that you feel really good for having had such a healthy meal, without it tasting 'too healthy'..!

Good, but a couple of printing errors...., 16 Jan 2008
I love Wagamamas food so I bought this to try my hand at cooking it.....

At my first attempt I discovered that there is no explanation of what Mikku powder is. Nor was it mentioned in the ingredients in my dish. So when I was asked to add Mikku powder I was a little cheesed off that I didn't have any. My work collegue also got this book and has just mentioned a similar problem with one of the chilli sauce recipes....Hmmmmm

Be warned, you need Mikku powder!!

Worth to have ot, 25 Jun 2007
When i lived in Johannesburg, Wagamama was one of my favorite restaurants for delisious and not expensive meal. Having the fondest memories of the place, purchased this book in London a couple of month ago. Wasn't disappointed at all, despite that some of recipes do not work exactly the way you want them too.
First few pages of the book devoted to souses, including a famous Wagamama one. It's gorgeous, tastes like haven and easy to make. Other souses as good.
The rest of the book holds a great deal of good recipes, worth trying.

Definite buy.


Better than the real thing., 06 Feb 2007
I used this book before going to Wagamama: my food tasted great, whereas I was disappointed with Wagamama. I followed the recipes and found that they didn't need altering at all, which is great for those who want to cook something new for friends without doing a trial run.

If only I had enough time, I'd use it every day. Now I'm feeling hungry!

Good But Not Simple, 21 Dec 2006
If you like Wagamama's and like cooking then you'll like this.

It is difficult though to find recipes with only a few ingredients. If you want simple cooking then this isn't it.

I like my oriental food and cook now and again, and there's a few recipes here that I try. The recipes seem to be relatively authentic (I do have some experience) but seem over complicated at times. If you do follow the recipe though, then it does seem to turn out something like what you get in the restaurant...

You might not find all your favourites here as I think their menu varies from city to city. I would though be willing to get another of their cookbooks to find my favourites based on my experiences of this version.

There are no better books for soup lovers, 16 Aug 2008
I've had this book (the older edition) for almost 10 years now and I'm still using it. The recipes always work perfectly, the short little stories over each recipe are fun to read and I've never made any soup from this or the other two books without people asking for second, third and in one case even fourth helpings (and most of the time the soup was supposed to be the starter!). Normally, I make at least double the quantities because of that. Can you say more to show just how yummy the recipes are? This definitely is a book I couln't live without. Everybody should have it!

Best ever soup cookbook!! Buy now!!!, 28 Oct 2007
I absolutly love this soup cookbook. Every soup I have made (about half of all in book) turn out fab and there are several that I have made over and over. Definatly one I would recomend to everyone.

I have now also purchased the soup & beyond cookbook and made my first soup from that the other day...Parsnip, leek & Lemon. It was superb.

One of the best cookbooks I have ever owned.

The best book of soups in 10 years, 10 Jun 2007
I've owned this book for about 10 years and it is still the only book I use for making soup. My favourite is the Tuscan Bean soup, but I've made most of them over the years.

The only thing that stops me giving it a 5/5 is the print which still annoys me and has done since I bought it. The black on green is difficult to read, and sometimes the lettering all blends into one. If they made a reprint with standard type I would be the first to buy it!

super soup book, 11 Jan 2007
I can only say that any foodie will be delighted and inspired by the soups in the book. You can take the theme and develop it and produce tailor made specials to suit you and your family. My favorite is the spicy peanut soup, it is a real winner. My best tip is to make a large pot of stock and freeze in meal size bags. then when you want to make a soup it only takes a short while with not too much preparation. My children love the soups and keep trying to persuade us to try new ones.
A real winner!

New Covent Garden Soup Book, 08 Jan 2006
I have owned this book for... ooooh... well it seems like forever but I'm guessing since 1996! This is esily the most used recipe book on my shelf, and I have a few. Never have I offered a soup from this book without a chorus of praise, I've altered some of the recipes, I object to buying a chicken just to make stock for a soup for example, so I've used Chicken Oxo. Where I've made a predominantly vegetable soup which has asked for Chicken Stock I've used Green Oxo. So appreciative have my friends been of the soups from this book that I must have bought 6 or 7 copies of it just as presents. Buy it, use it, love it... but be adventurous and change the odd thing here and there and see what you think of the alterations, the book even has a grid at the back for you to record the changes you have made and your verdict on the outcome.

Oodles of Noodles for Everyone!, 17 May 2006
Wow! What an amazing book! I had my first Wagamana experience on Saturday when I was in Birmigham as we don't have any in Cornwall. The restaurant has been on my "places I must eat in" list and after such wonderful food and service, I just had to buy the cookbook!

Well, it arrived yesterday and I made the Spicy Beef Noodles for Dinner and then made a noodle salad for my packed lunch for work! Roll on lunch time!

It is an amazing book with lots of information and pictures. The recipes are easy to follow and the food that you create is authentic! Some ingredients you do have to look for, but it is worth it! Especaially if you are a foodie and appreciate cooking!

This book would be good for newbies to noodles (like me)!

Buy it, learn to slurp and enjoy oodles of noodles!
:-)

Simple, tasty food that's easy to prepare., 14 May 2006
This book is even better than the first Wagamama book, as it provides a far greater variety of things to try.

There are plenty of exciting recipies, ranging f