Watami is one of the newest restaurants from the Bistro Group. We've reviewed a couple of them in the past and obviously, they're getting bigger by the year. Watami as you may have thought is a neo Japanese restaurant with great interiors and lovely flavors. As a Japanese food lover, I always wanted to see what other restaurants are offering so I could compare them with the others serving the same dish. Although there are similarities, Watami had their menu configured quite differently so it's got the basics of a Japanese restaurant but have some other original items that you won't find anywhere else. We asked the kind server to get us their best sellers but I think he got his own personal favorites haha! Not judging though because it is VERY good!
Two drinks were served first. The one on the left is mine. It's the Passion Fruit Mango Tea. The one on the right is the Milk Tea with Black Tapioca Pearls. Both were good but I love the Passion Fruit Tea better, it's new, it's original and you won't see this that much on the menu of other restaurants. See what I mean by them being different from other Japanese restaurants? This isn't just the lone item on their menu that's very original, more reason to find and pay them a visit. We had more of it later on!
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| Watami Salad |
This is one of their best sellers. It's called the Watami Salad. We only got the half serving because we were watching our diet (I kid!) but you can get the whole serving for this one if you're in a group. It would be good for 4 I think but if you've got that vegetable loving friend who just decided to munch on greens, the Watami Salad provides a combination of textures that have been well thought of in its conception. The crunchy leaves, the crunchy fried wonton wrappers, the seaweed, the nibblets of corn, the slices of barbecued chicken, the scoop of tuna with Japanese mayo just provides the beautifully coordinated clashing of flavors and textures. The server was right, this is really good.
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| Watami's Beef Pepper Rice |
There's no shortage of rice, beef strips, corn, and spices on this stone bowl. This is Watami's very own Beef Pepper Rice. It's one of their best sellers too and I'm not surprised because if you compare this with other restaurants, they don't go easy on the ingredients. By the way, most of the restaurant's ingredients are not locally sourced. They import most of them from Japan hence you see a lot of ingredients that are bigger, even better in some areas. The meat in the Philippines they say is a little tough and they had to have softer ones for dishes like these. Price wise, they won't do overkill on you because I barely found anything above Php 500 on their menu. For those trying out the place for the first time, I strongly suggest you ask your servers for the best sellers but don't be afraid to try out other unfamiliar items on the menu.
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| The Watami Ramen |
The Watami Ramen I think is a hit and miss. It's one of their best sellers and I don't want to challenge that fact. This one was a little on the salty side that we had to ask our server if it was meant that way. He offered they can tone it down a bit but I think if they're doing this in a batch, the bone based broth shouldn't be this sharply salty. If asked if I should order this again, of course! I still love the ramen itself and the meat slices on top of it. Maybe they can improve on it somehow, but if it's a best seller there's really no reason why you shouldn't order it still. If it was a rainy day, then we would surely have this!
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| Spicy Salmon Tempura Roll |
It's a new item on their menu but I highly suggest you get this. If you love spicy stuff and cooked salmon, then this Spicy Salmon Tempura Roll is your best bet. It's a bit on the oily side because the whole thing is deep fried before it gets sliced. The Salmon also gets cooked in that process. Still, it's got that fresh center because they have the chives and chili there. If you're kinda tired about the California Maki, then this would be something different that you can order aside from that. Oh and yes! They've got their own California Maki too if you fancy that!
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| Assorted Skewers |
If you don't like the smoke on Teppanyaki plates, but would love to have something grilled, then Watami's Assorted Skewers would be your best choice. You won't smell like smoke when you're just around for lunch and got to go back to the office. It's a good activity though when you're out on the date so I'd prefer that instead of this. But really, how can you not love something like this no? I specifically love the Japanese mushroom wrapped in chicken and the bacon wrapped onion chives in skewers because of its intense flavor. It's a chance for you to taste everything on a single plate instead of ordering them separately. You can do that if you're got the menu mastered later on but if it's the first time you're dining in Watami, please do get this one! I loved it!
If you're fond of green tea, then get this Maccha Tiramisu. It's intense green tea flavor might confuse you if it's European or Japanese, but really it's the best of both worlds. You're getting that green tea flavor on a rich panacotta like dessert glass, where each spoonful will take you to green tea heaven in a few seconds. This is one lovely way to end the meal, but I bet they've got more!
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| Choco Parfait |
I don't know what they've put into these sweet treats but darn it I LOVE THIS Choco Parfait! It's a chocolate lovers dream dessert and you'll see why people enjoy and indulge on them when you get it on your table. It's pretty, it's sinful, it's got all the things you dream of on a sundae. If you miss ordering this, you won't complete your Watami experience so do me a favor and tell that young man taking your orders to get you one of these! Superb. I can't even explain it.
The Philippine International Pyro Musical Competition by the way will start at 7:30 PM on Saturday. So if you love fireworks as much as I do, please don't hesitate to drop by these restaurants before you get to the main show! The ones beside Manila bay will be offering really good seats, I suggest you get the ones there. The sunset is majestic, the fireworks display would be lovely to see from that area. Trust me on this.
For more information about their events:
SM Mall of Asia
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