Hello hello!
I’m starting to think I should vary my greeting a lot more... maybe one day... lololll... How are we today? I’m good and ready to share my latest discovery in Newbury and probably my first experience of Malaysian cuisine... Wau!!!
If you’re ever in Newbury and enjoy flavourful (as in full of flavour) food and can enjoy food across the pepper hot spectrum from no pepper to nice and peppery, you may want to stop by Wau and hopefully be Wow-ed as I was π
Location
I find the location of Wau interesting... because it’s pretty close to the train station and has a bus stop not far from it. I must be honest, I’m not sure where the Newbury bus station is, but I know that’s close as well.
Makes me wonder if you’d want to add it to a UK foodie road trip soon... lol... if I ever plan one, I’m pretty sure Wau would be right on the route... lol...
So the Google map link below would also provide opening hours so have fun getting there if you do some time!
Wau
49 Cheap St, Newbury, RG14 5BX
01635 528877
Ambience, Service and Cost
It’s cosy. And that’s not an understatement. It feels and looks pretty small on a busy night and since their patronage has gone up over the months, you’d probably want to book a table ahead of time. We didn’t and we wish we had.
It looks like there’s a private room at the back though, which looked more spacious from where I sat at the bar. Unfortunately I didn’t ask, but surely you can ask when calling to book seating before you get there. Remember, don’t forget to book.
Aside that, the lighting they use is warm and dimmed. Definitely bright enough to see your food and the people in the room, but also dim enough to be welcoming and feel private in a way, like the small office desk in the corner of a big bedroom with its table lamp on.
Overall, I love the ambience, and it’d be great to know what you think about it too.
With the service, I would say it’s alright. The general feedback and timing they give when you have to wait for your food is absolutely honest. You know how annoying it is to be promised 10mins and get it in 20? Well, no experience like that for me there.
On a busy night, the service is still alright. It’s not 5 star with a waiter or waitress at your beck and call but it’s decent. I think what came to mind when I was there was, restaurant workers are human too... lolllllll... There were some that went the extra mile to check if we could get certain requests met, others that just said things as they were (no filter, no offence) and others that asked polite questions that livened our mood. Overall, it was ok... just still wish we knew we had to book ahead of time π€¦πΎ♀️π€£π€£
You may want to also note that after you place your order, your food is brought to you as and when it’s ready. So you tend to eat your total order in batches if you ordered different stuff.
When it comes to cost, I’ll say budget £20.00 a head to be on safe side. On our visit, we spent £30.00 in total got all the meals mentioned below and a drink. That came to £10.00 a head for us, and because we wanted to share each meal, I’d say that shout up our value for money score brilliantly! Remember, you don’t need to order a drink if you don’t feel like it, just ask for tap water and you’d be good to go!
Taste and Texture
So, as usual, when I go to an eatery that has options, I’d talk about what we had... and my oh my... what we had was beautiful... especially when British food no longer fascinates you and home cooked food is just everyday home cooked food. So, presenting our night at Wau in order of appearance...
Stir Fried Noodles (chicken option)
I loved these noodles because of the different flavours in each spoon I had. You know when you have noodles and every separate element you see tastes absolutely different, with some even tasting absolutely bland, you kinda have to get each element in your mouth and chew a bit to get the full flavour? Or when you have noodles that has each element tasting exactly the same be it the noodles itself or the veggies you see in it? Well, this noodle dish was somewhere in the middle, beautifully balanced on soft, crunchy and meaty with each element almost uniquely tasty in itself. Also, whatever combination of elements you had in your mouth at a time, you could easily recognise you were eating the same dish but also could tell that you probably had missed that soft veggie with this mouthful or oh, there’s no chicken in that mouthful but it definitely was delicious! The menu description read: Stir fried noodles with sambal, egg, vegetables and a choice of chicken or prawns. It was my first taste of Malaysian food, and it definitely left a good impression on me, whilst setting a good precedence for the rest I had that night.
Satay Chicken on a Skewer
The menu description of this dish read: Flat grilled chicken on skewers marinated in spices and herbs, served with peanut sauce, cucumber and onion. I loved the peanut sauce. It was rich in flavour but at the same time not rudely overpowering. I literally saved it as a sauce for our other dishes. The chicken was juicy and slightly bouncy. I loved this; as soft textured chicken that isn’t dry is always a winner for me. Plus it was tasty, I definitely loved their Satay Chicken!!
Roast Pork Belly
And just like the Satay Chicken, this Pork Belly made me smile from the depth of my foodie heart when it came to texture. I think my only issue was it was rather salty. Unfortunately, I haven’t been back again to check if it was a one off flaw or if that was the usual salt level for their pork belly. However, the salt wasn’t overpowering enough to prevent you from tasting the deliciously matured flavours. If you are wary of fatty meat though, you may want to be wary of this dish. Overall, it was lush. Lush enough for me to ignore the soy sauce altogether. The menu description under the dish’s name read: Roasted with seasoning in a charcoal furnace at a high temperature. Crispy skin with juicy and tender meat, served with a light soy sauce. My opinion? This description nailed it!
Nasi Goreng (Chicken option)
The menu description read: Malaysian style wok-fried rice with sambal and soy sauce, choice of chicken or prawn, served with sunny-side up egg and keropok. Now I had no idea what keropok was but it reminded me of prawn crackers dipped in some tasty spicy juice and then fried. Plus it was crispier than all the prawn crackers I have ever had, deliciously brittle. I still don’t know what keropok is but I’d leave it to you and me to Google it later. For now, you have an idea what to expect if you are yet to have the keropok I had. π If you like your sunny side up egg yolk runny with the white well cooked, you’d like this. If not, you would want to prompt the waiter that you’d like the yolk well done. I’d personally be disappointed if that can’t be managed. On the whole, my co-diners that night loved it more than I did for sure, but of course, they are bigger rice lovers. Hint hint to my rice lovers out there! You may want to sink your teeth in this one!
My first ever Dumpling (Totally forgot the shot π)
This was my first ever dumpling and I loved the taste and the texture. The meat and fish were tender and sweet. It’s a shame I didn’t get a picture of it in it’s pretty woven container. But one thing for sure, if first impressions mean anything, this meant a whole lot. I am definitely ordering more dumplings in the future. My mouth is currently salivating within at the sheer memory of it. Two words: Yum yum!!!
Char Koay Teow (Prawn option)
Now this order came last the night we were at Wau because we ordered it way later. Long after we had enjoyed what we had planned to eat, we called for more. I’m not convinced it had anything to do with the portions they serve but more convinced it had to do with the cuisine we were enjoying. The menu description read: Stir fried flat rice noodles with sambal, soy sauce, beansprouts, egg, onions, pork sausage and choice of chicken or prawns. I feel I’ll be repeating myself over and over if I say it was tasty, and delicious and fresh but well, it was. Another unique dish in taste; glad we ordered it.
So finally! We’ve come to the end of my narration of my delightful experience at Wau... beautiful first experience of Malay cuisine, I hope it motivates you to try it too if you are yet to try it. Or convince you to head back to a Malaysian restaurant for a good meal! I hope if you do go, you go to Wau, and are wow-ed!
Till we meet here again, keep remembering to have beautiful foodie experiences... it’s one of life’s pleasant treasures ☺️
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With warm regards from the Ndudu Tales Team
