Reviews Watami

Zomato
PigOutSundays
+4
Celebrate the Love Month with The Bistro Group's new branch in Nomo /North of Molino. WATAMI is set to open or is opening at that part in the south as we speak....
7 months ago
Zomato
Myzyl Choi
+4
I ordered Beef Rice Hot Spring Egg and it was all right. We also got sukiyaki for sharing. Serving size is just right but taste isn’t anything too special. I should probably try other things in their menu to give a better review.
9 months ago
Zomato
Ruthe Lindsey
+5
I loved the food! Makes me wanna come back.
Aug 24, 2019
Zomato
Annesha Bhattacharya
+4
So I was craving for shashimi after my workout this Saturday and went to Watami and ordered the Fatty Salmon Shashimi (Php 395) - I think I gained back whatever I sweat out earlier but who’s complaining 😛!! We also ordered the Spicy Miso Ramen (Php 395) , Chasu Rice in stone pot (Php 245) and topped it off with the pretty little green tea tiramisu! Loved all the dishes - my picks are the spicy miso ramen and salmon shashimi. Attentive servers and fair price point for me since I’m a Bistro card holder but reasonable price point nonetheless.
Aug 11, 2019
Zomato
Michelin Guy-d
+4
Saturday night in rainy Manila and I’ve got a “Jones” for Japanese food. Tonight brings me to the Shangri La Mall and Watami which is owned by the Moment Group. Tonight’s order is the chicken teriyaki (and a side of sea urchin (oo-nee) sashimi. The uni could have been presented on a nicer plate as well as the salmon sashimi which I tried. I also sampled some some salmon aburri which was served on a nicer flat stone plate. It tasted pretty good. I’ve visited Tokyo and Osaka and tried some excellent Japanese good. So while the quality is no where near as good, the food still hits the spot. Though it’s a little noisy, this restaurant caters to families. I didn’t mind the noise though. I highly recommend Watami if you’re looking for good Japanese food at a decent price.

Food: Good
Service: Very good, server accommodated us quickly.
Interior Design-Ambiance: Nice but table tops look a bit worn.
Aug 10, 2019
Zomato
Ferron Ocampo
+4
Availed of the 50% discount by Citibank last Saturday.

Place: nice layout, lots of table

Service: attentive, OK

Taste
Sushi rolls and maki are great
Rice bowls are so-so
Beef sukiyaki hotpot is good but nothing outstanding
Nori nachos: yummm

Value for money, especially with the citibank discount!
Jul 28, 2019
Zomato
AlwaysTheFunnyGirl
+4
oh mh friggin’ gee, this jap restos rocks yumminess as iiin! our orders were finished clean and i didnt mind the fact that i couldnt hide my belly fats after eating a whole lot!
Jul 17, 2019
Zomato
No2badFood
+4
Food 4: ambience 4; price 4; service 3. It’s good value for money. Food tastes great but not a 5 as servings could be more. The Yakitori could be improved. Best to avoid the spring onion wrapped in beef since the onions tasted really strong. For what you pay and the size of the order, maybe a plate of curry katsu is far more satisfying. Price reasonable given expensive rent inside malls. We paid around P500 each which is very affordable. If servings were bigger, I would have given a 5 for price. But here’s the issue. The food took some time to arrive and we had to follow up twice. It was a busy Saturday lunch and there was a queue outside. My take on this issue, it’s not the fault of the servers and I still tipped them well. There’s just too many tables (yes, even outside) and too few servers and/ or a small kitchen. We loved our server as she reminded us which orders were still missing. if the place isn’t packed, its a great place to eat. But expect service to struggle on a busy day.
May 04, 2019
Zomato
Chadi
+4
It was my 2nd time eating here but I can't recall how my experience was the first time. Guess we can consider that forgettable. This time around though, my order was really good. Tried their curry udon with tonkatsu served in a stone pot. It was delicious. I like that the heated bowl kept the food hot until I finished it. Serving size could have been bigger but it was still ok. Their mango passionfruit drink was good as well. It was kinda hard to drink though since it had pearls and nata bits in it and their straws are not big enough for the sinkers to pass through them. I also had a taste of my sister's ramen. Thought it was a bit bland but it might also be because I already tried the curry before it which had a more powerful flavor. Maybe? Overall, my experience was good at least with the dish I ordered.
Apr 04, 2019
Zomato
Iamjulienne
+5
LOVE watami!

What we love to order:
- nori nachos
- beef pepper rice stone pot
- tuna OR salmon aburi
- spicy tuna OR salmon maki
- chicken teriyaki
- skewers: chicken thigh, wagyu, pork enoki
- watami salad

Pair this with the Bistro card of 20% on regular days and 30% on Mondays, it’s so sulit.
Mar 09, 2019
Zomato
Issa
+5
We loved the sushis and ramen so much! Mackerel was okay. The chicken katsu was also good! It comes with unlimited cabbage as well. Staff was very friendly but it was kind of hard to get their attention- probably because of the layout of the resto. Place is very cozy and modern!
Jan 31, 2019
Zomato
Eurika Bustamante
+4
Masarap!! Sobrang sulit. We went there around 3pm for late lunch, pero marami parin kumakain. Service was good! But they forgot our order of fries, so it was served late. Pero the ambience is good 🤗
Jan 25, 2019
Zomato
Ted
+4.5
Salad. Tempura and Rolls. Loo is available. Cards are accepted. Wide selection of Japnese booze. Watami Salad is a must try. Serving is good and food is entertainingly delicious. Awesome dining experience.
Oct 14, 2018
Zomato
Chi Kupie
+5
The service was excellent as well as the food. My daughter saw that they serve ramen so she asked if we can eat here and we were very pleased. The ebi dynamite roll is super delicious, I can have it any day. Pepper beef, shoyu and spicy ramen are yummy as well.
Sep 01, 2018
Zomato
Alvia
+4
Most of the items on the menu are pricey but everything we ordered tasted really good. The restaurant lighting is bright and has a lively vibe. They have excellent service too, the staff were really accomodating during our stay 🙋‍♀️
Jul 24, 2018
Zomato
Mamaimaiiii
+4
The food is pricey but worth it! Fresh and delicious I must say. The place is a bit small. Well, maybe because it's dinner time when we got there but no biggie because of their friendly staff and great food.
Jul 22, 2018
Zomato
Budz Tuazon
+5
We’ve known Watami years before they opened branches here in Manila. This Japanese restaurant is quite popular in Singapore and we dined a number of times when we were living there. We ordered our all-time favorite - beef sukiyaki. It was not in exactly the same presentation that we remember but it’s still very delicious. We ordered some extras - pepper beef in stone pot, squid, cali maki and fried pork cutlet for our little guy. Everything was delicious. The staff were very nice and accommodating though we entered the resto about 45min before closing. We’ll definitely come back at Watami.
Jul 14, 2018
Zomato
Lesley Anne Gan-Red
+4
July 7, 2018, 3:00pm
THE PLACE
Clean and organized.
We went on non-peak time so there were only a few tables occupied.

THE STAFF & SERVICE
We were greeted with a smile, very courteous. They immediately served water and tea while we were deciding what to order. Our food were served within 8-10minutes. Bill was processed very quickly!

THE FOOD
We have eaten at different Watami locations several times. So I wanted to compare.
• Ebi Dynamite Roll - as always, this was tasty. However, it was spicier than usual.
• Watami Fried Chicken on Hot Pot - I was expecting a different karaage, but this tasted good. Not entirely sure what the hot pan was for. :) i think that was unnecessary.
• Bacon Asparagus & Chicken Balls - a good compliment for the fried chicken.
Jul 07, 2018
Zomato
MonkeyManila
+5
This is in shangrila mall branch. Great food. Or maybe gutom lang ako that time hahahahaha! Quick service. Good place to eat with family and friends. If you’re craving for Japanese food, eat here!!:)
Jun 28, 2018
Zomato
LizDWong
+4
For the location, taste and serving size of food, ambience, I can say that prices are right for their dishes. We ate here like twice only because we choose restaurants which specialties are ramen but as for their appetizers, rice toppings and main orders I can give them a 👍🏻
Jun 12, 2018
Zomato
Katrina Gomez
+3.5
A quick look at history shows that, Watami has around 700 branches within the Asia Pacific region. According to their facebook page, it actually opened its doors here in the Philippines on 2012. Six years later, they now have four branches in the country. (Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 2, Shangrila Mall, and Uptown Mall)
May 07, 2018
Zomato
Robi Lorenzo
+4
Last April we passed by this eye-catching Japanese Restaurant at the East Wing of Shangri La Plaza. It was right before dinner time around 6pm so the place was starting to get busy. One would think that it’s probably another of those run-of-the-mill Asian place but it’s not. A bit costly than your average Japanese fast food joint, we could say that the food is authentic as they can get. As far as I could remember, we sampled quite a number of dishes since we have a promotion from the Bistro Group card. Anyway, the food - mixed tempura set was not too oily but has that well-known taste of tempura that we are all probably accustomed with. The smoked salmon was the one which really tasted great. It was really tender & the smoked aroma was really appetizing. We also had the sashimi plate which was tuna with mangoes, providing fresh contrast to the seafood while my friend had the beef bento box set, which was also quite a big serving. Other items that we had included dalandan juice, some side salad, a matcha ice cream & a bottle of sake. It was really a gastronomical feast if you’d check out our pictures and it was worth visiting. The service speed was relatively acceptable as the entire place was quickly filled up with people, but the staff was able to maintain their friendliness & composure. Overall, it’s a thumbs up.
May 05, 2018
Zomato
Two
+4.5
A good place to have lunch with friends/family. It's affordable and super worth it 💛 The Spicy Tuna Maki is to die for!! I can't wait to go back!!
Aug 24, 2017
Zomato
Evan Rustia
+4.5
It's always nice to eat here when craving for Japanese meal is strong. Takoyaki for entree, then pork katsudon top in hot steaming rice, and of course my table wouldn't be complete without chicken. 
Thumbs up for the house tea!

Recently we tried the pepper beef rice well just because it's in a stone pot..but for me it's 3 out of 5.
Must try: Spicy Tuna Roll
Aug 16, 2017
Zomato
Kamille Anne Dimatalo
+4
Ordered Special Curry Udon with Cutlet and Volcano Roll and Matcha Ice cream. The ambience is ok, service is ok, food is ok, value for money a bit pricey. Overall 👍🏻👍🏻
Jul 09, 2017
Zomato
Orange Pesto
+5
Our go-to Japanese restaurant especially during special occasions. They have a wide variety of Japanese dishes that are not as expensive compared with other Japanese restaurants at their level.
Apr 03, 2017
Zomato
Maan Bantayan
+3.5
All i can say - i love their Pepper Beef Rice! And thats the only thing i order here. Lol. But ive just been here twice so..

Anyway, for their service they take too long to give my order and also takes too long to give the bill!! Nawala na yung busog ko wala pa rin yung bill.
Mar 18, 2017
Zomato
Janna Valencia
+3.5
Yakiniku fans will surely love Watami. Their meat were very tender and juicy. Aside from their yakiniku, a must try also is their gyoza and takoyaki balls. We have tried their different ramen sadly I find it a bit salty. We ordered the non-spicy ramen. You can ask the server to split the ramen for 2-3 because its quite large serving. We also tried their milktea which was good but their pearls were a bit uncooked / hard.
Prices of food items was a bit high range but its worth a try.
Oct 29, 2016
Zomato
Mhara
+3.5
Assorted Skewers
Salmon Sashimi
Gyoza
Watami Salad
Pork Belly Yakiniku
Deep Fried Pork Cutlet
Sirloin Steak
Sliced Beef and Onion in Yakiniku Sauce

The menu was a bit intimidating but the servers were happy to help and assist.

Cannot give a thorough review because it has been over a month since I ate there and i cannot remember a lot about my experience in this restaurant, which is a good sign becaude it means there wasn't anything bad that would make me remember.

All i remember was being so full and satisfied after eating. Nothing stood out other than their service.
May 12, 2016
Zomato
Justmebibe
+4
It was my 1st time to eat at Watami with my friends at the new wing of Shangrila Mall. We ordered chicken teriyaki, california maki, watami salad and tempura. Food was great! Service was superb! This is going to be one of my favorite japanese restaurants. Ambience is recommended for small group get togethers as weIl as group celebrations. I will definitely come back soon!
Apr 11, 2016
Zomato
Johnbunag
+4
I am craving for Beef Sukiyaki. 🍜 My friend and I went to WATAMI Japanese Casual Restaurant to have a bowl of Sukiyaki. For starters we had Spicy Salmon Tempura Roll ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 and Omatsuri Takoyaki ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4/5 🍡🍣 . After 5-10 minutes our Beef Sukiyaki ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5 reaches the boiling point, the soup was too strong and sweet. But we're happy because the server assisting our table accommodate us well. For our sweet ending we had Matcha Parfait with Azuki Beans ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5.

To have a great deals in our final billing, I used my Premium Bistro Card to get 20% off and to have Free Americano and of course the P300.00 off voucher. Isn't great? 😜😍

#ilovetoeat ❤️😃 #TheBistroGroup #WatamiPh
Feb 28, 2016
Zomato
Janix Lo
+3.5
If you’re looking for top-of-the-range Japanese food in the city, Watami in Shangri-la mall won’t disappoint. My first visit at Watami is at their Glorietta branch back in 2014. It is traditional in Japan to enjoy a number of different dishes during a meal, often light and delicate dishes. Every mouthful should be savoured and there is no rush in eating.

And whenever I'm out with a large group of friends, taste and price are equally important. Watami has a vast range of the usual Japanese dishes – ramen, tempura, yakitori, katsu and sushi boxes – and as I was out with a few friends, I forced everyone to take photos of their meals for Zomato! I sometimes wonder how tolerable I am when eating at Japanese restaurants.

While I usually gravitate toward pure sushi, I found some of the most inventive (and delicious) dishes to be cooked ones; the Takoyaki and Pork Katsu az well as the Gyozas. Crisp, thin, bubbly cases cocooned a juicy meat & chive filling. Best meal of the day? Spicy tuna rolls! I could taste every layer of ingredient including every crumb of pepper and wasabi. Each bite was a perfect balance and harmony of flavours. It’s a creamy, buttery texture and the rice is chewy, flavourful and moist, and the whole thing just melts in your mouth. It’s spicy, yet lush, and wholly their own.

Overall, I found Watami to be a good option for fans of Japanese food, specifically sushi. While Watami features a few different dishes that aren't sushi, I feel their strongest suit is their sushi offerings. I only wish they had a few more rolls to choose from, but given the price of their sushi, it's hard to go wrong.
Feb 02, 2016
Zomato
Albert Co
+4
Their sukiyaki is the best and in big serving. Food here was really satisfying! I will definitely comeback and recommend this to my friends.
Jan 31, 2016
Zomato
Marcky Gonzales
+4
While other Japanese restaurants focus on one area of its cuisine (ramen, sushi/sashimi, tonkotsu, etc), Watami offers a little bit of everything. This establishment, which describes itself as a "modern Japanese" restaurant, has hot stone rice bowls, yakiniku, ramen, sushi/sashimi, yakitori, and a few tonkotsu dishes. It initially offered several fusion dishes, but maybe realized that its strongest points are in the authentic Japanese dishes. It also has a wide array of drinks, which joins those offered in bubble tea houses and those offered in sit-down fine dining Japanese restaurants.

The place is well-recommended, especially for big groups with different preferences in Japanese cuisine.
Jan 26, 2016
Zomato
Ravisiva
+3.5
Went here Monday evening to try out their grilled dishes. Found the place good, but not great.

Loved the Chicken cutlet in scrambled egg sauce. The cutlet tasted nice n crunchy and it paired well with the egg sauce. Also liked the chicken teriyaki steak. The beef spring onion skewers were ok.

Loved their milk tea with tapioca and their desserts - vanilla egg custard and Maccha Tiramisu were ok too.

On the whole, a good meal!
Jan 19, 2016
Zomato
Lanie Calingasan
+3.5
Food did not fit the atmosphere. Felt like eating my baon at some fancy karaoke cafe place. Service was great tho. Drinks felt like they just threw calamansi on my cola and called it something fancy. I like the mugs.
Dec 08, 2015
Zomato
Dennis Carlson Lim | TFC
+4
Watami is my dad's favorite Japanese restaurant because of the quality and taste it brings. Service is also good. We usually visit their other branch in MOA.

For this visit, we tried different things we don't normally order: Chashu Rice in Stone Pot, Assorted Salmon Sashimi and Sushi, Yaki Soba, and Chicken with Scrambled Egg. Everything was great. I am glad that they can customize to what we want like the Yaki Udon turning to Yaki soba, but after tasting it, we felt that maybe it was better if the noodles were udon because it was different. The salmon sashimi was a delight because it is like eating salmon 3-way. The Chashu Rice was a bit bland for me though.

Nevertheless, a great experience and will drop by again soon.
Nov 25, 2015
Zomato
Kyuketsuki
+3.5
Watami offers good Japanese food that is refreshing and light to the palate. I am not fond of heavy tasting japanese food, especially with the maki.
Try the Watami Salad, unique blend of ingredients that is delicious. The california maki is more special than normal. Tempura is OK. What I didn't like is their gyoza, taste and looks weird.

As for the ambiance, the place is spacious and has an outdoor view. Non-conventional seating arrangements and pretty restrooms.

Just hope they offer more sushi and maki choices.
Nov 17, 2015
Zomato
Jonathan Valle
+3.5
I enjoyed the food here. I enjoyed the stay. Cozy. The staff attends fast. We had this seafood soup and chicken salad with poached egg. I could come back.
Oct 20, 2015
Zomato
Jay McLean
+3.5
Tried the Tempura and a chicken cutlet lunch set and food was awesome. Chicken cutlet sauce was the right seasoning. Tempura breading was good but needed a little more seasoning. Really, enjoyed ambience of the restaurant with good music and movies. However, had to remind staff, order was incomplete twice.
Sep 30, 2015
Zomato
Nina A.
+3.5
Watami's menu has your usual suspects, and it isn't particularly "new", but at least what they do have they do well, haha.

We ordered the Watami Salad, Stir-fried Udon with Seafood, Katsudon, pork yakiniku, and Tonkatsu with curry. While no dish was particularly outstanding, I really liked the dip that came with the pork yakiniku. Ginger, soy sauce, and chives (or spring onion?) is a foolproof combination, IMO. The stir-fried udon was good as well - yes to the abundance of bonito flakes that came with it!

Service is prompt, and quite friendly. The restaurant can get a bit noisy though, from either the lively patrons or the music they play.
Aug 14, 2015
Zomato
JRD
+4
Chicken cutlet rice is delicious. Very eggy chicken. Miso soup was unlike ordinary japanese restaurant. The dessert was light and creamy. Was not able to taste the ramen :( the serving size is generous and good for two.
Aug 07, 2015
Zomato
Joy Felizardo
+4.5
Ambiance and Service:

Every dining experience I have at Watami proved to be top-notch, from the service, the modern-chic ambiance, the homey-feel despite it being a sought-after Japanese resto, down to the very details of what a casual Japanese dining set up is but with the touch of Filipino hospitality.
 Most especially here in Shangri La branch.

Food:

I ordered Chicken in egg rice bowl, the chicken cutlets topped in jasmine rice, with some fresh veggies. Imagine this, a cup of huge rice serving, topped with fresh salad with sweet mayo dressing and amusingly graced with crunchy pieces of chicken spiked up with some kinda honey glazing. Heaven! And it's all for P385. There are some dishes I would usually get tired of easily having it again and again, but not this!

 Isn't that a winner's lunch? The Miso with mushroom soup is also something to look out for, very hearty.

 Watami's best-seller, Beef sukiyaki has always been the office-gangs' favorite. It is best served right after cooking. Won't you look at all those fresh ingredients, making it a healthy lunch option, specially high-grade beef (sukiyaki cut) that sans the marbled fats (though I still prefer having it once in a while for the delicate flavor it renders the beef cut. 

The staff will prepare everything at your table, including the stove. Also, a little nugget of info - do you know that the soup used for this dish is warishita (割り下 which contains water, dark soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. The mirin and sugar gives it's subtle sweet aftertaste at the end of your palate.

Another marvelous first for me here is Watami Japanese Casual restaurant is the Self-grilled Short Ribs. I don't know about you, but my most favorite meat part is the right next to the ribs. And this sliced short rib meats are just to die for, for it flavorful succulence and the simplicity of the dish itself impressed me. 

My eyes are glued at those meat being pan fried and was really captivated by the beef soy, buttery aroma.

Make sure to dip it in the sauce that comes with it to complete the recherche dining experience.

Make sure to try their beverages as well. I had my favorite fruity iced green tea with black pearl sinkers with passion fruit to go with all the grubs I had for my really early dinner.
Jul 31, 2015
Zomato
Butchik Santos
+4.5
My family and I first dined here during my birthday last December 2014, and since then, we haven't stopped coming back. Their rice meals are my favorite, especially the chicken and egg rice bowl! I love it! The pepper beef with rice was good too and also the beef with rice! Probably all their rice meals are good actually! I've mentioned that I love their rice meals right? Haha!
Jul 27, 2015
Zomato
S Adiaz
+4.5
Was pleasantly surprised with this restaurant. Admittedly it's on the pricey side but overall it was very much worth it. The food was very tasty. My picky son says he loves it so much & requested to go back before he was even done eating. Service was also very good. Our server, Ian, constantly checked if we had everything we needed. A manager also came to our table to check on us. Would definitely go back.
Jul 04, 2015
Zomato
Celina Lapitan
+4
Even if I'm a huge Japanese foodie, I believe that there are still tons of Jap restos out there I haven't tried. Case in point: Watami.

The menu posted on Zomato is incomplete and I can't remember the exact name of our orders but the food was really, really good! Must try: takoyaki, chicken wings and spicy salmon roll.

Servers were nice although service was a bit slow. Still a good experience!
Jun 03, 2015
Zomato
Tonz Castillo
+4
Great food, awesome serving. Would definitely go back here from time to time to dine. The interiors are very cozy as well perfect for foodies who love to take pictures.
Feb 15, 2015
Zomato
Mark Alba
+4
We were strolling arround in the mall when we saw this japanese restaurant. We got curious because they have many stores in japan so we decide to give this japanese restaurant a try. We ordered Pepper Beef Pepper Rice in Stone Pot, Crispy Chicken Wings, Watami Ramen ,Deluxe Salmon Sashimi and Salmon Roll Sushi. Loved the crispy chicken and salmon roll. Also got the chicken for free because of their promo.
Feb 06, 2015
Zomato
A. Yu
+4
My previous visit to Watami was at their Mall of Asia branch. I got turned off by the slow service then, but seeing that there were only a few tables occupied in this branch (Shangrila Mall) when I visited, I was confident that there wouldn't be a lot of waiting. And I was right! The orders came out pretty fast, so 5/5 for good service!

Since my family and I enjoyed the sashimi in our previous visit, we made sure to order again. The quality was consistent with the MOA branch, and I couldn't believe I almost forgot how good they actually tasted! It felt like the sashimi somehow 'melts' in the mouth! In our case, an order of sashimi (8 pcs) was only good for 1 person, because all of us loved it so much!

We also had the salmon rice in a stone pot. It was good at first, but we had a hard time finishing it after a while. We also tried the Watami deep-fried chicken, but it wasn't very impressive. 

Make sure to try the tuna and salmon sashimi! They are highly recommended!

The ambiance was nice and peaceful, and the servers very accommodating. We all had a good time.
Nov 13, 2014
Zomato
Michi Del Prado
+3.5
Went here for my brother's birthday dinner. I don't know if it was just that day or because it's kinda late (we arrived around 8PM) but there were only a few staff around. We had to wait a short while in front because no one was assisting us. There were only a few customers dined in and the food did arrive within 15-20mins as promised. We didn't expect for a really big serving of short ribs but we felt that the size was too small. Our other choices of food, however, came in quite heavy for solo. I liked their beef rice bowl but only finished half of it. Their california maki came in 5 big pieces and it was my favorite!! The staff were quick to refill our drinks (maybe because our table was near them). All in all, everything tasted good and it wasn't too pricey.
Sep 12, 2014
Zomato
Dems Angeles
+4
I went to their EDSA Shangri-la East Wing branch. Interiors are a mix of traditional and contemporary with a mix of regular group tables and booth ones. Staff warmly greets you as you enter and serves green tea as you settle down.

My first visit (2014):
I ordered Special Curry with Deep Fried Pork Tenderloin Cutlet Rice Set. The curry was flavorful, the meat was tender and the rice was the best I ever had (Japanese rice is the best!). I also got to try their sukiyaki which was cooked on the spot.

I chose Green Tea Yakult as my drink. Yakult was more prominent over green tea which I do not mind at all. It was light and goes well in any of the dishes I have tasted.

My 2nd visit (2015):
I went back with my churchmates and tried the hot pot. It was smaller than what we imagined but nonetheless big in flavor.
Aug 13, 2014
Zomato
Em Dy
+3.5
The place was packed. It was, after all, the Saturday night before Father's Day and payday weekend at that. Despite the busyness, service was definitely above par. They were quick to welcome guests at the door, manage wait time if any, once seated, proceeded to explain the menu and take orders. The kitchen staff were quick too, as our orders did not take long to be served.

We shared the Beef Rice Bowl with Hot Spring Egg Tokyo Style and the Udon with Seafood. Thinly sliced beef was served on top of a boel of rice with a medium cooked egg on top. It was seasoned just righf, not too salty or too sweet. The udon was good too. The different textures and tastes of the seafood toppings complemented the noodles quite well.

For drinks, my companion ordered Mango Juice while I redeemed the bottomless Iced Tea, a Bistro Premiere cardmember perk.

The place is designed to make full use of the floor area. It looks crowded but the tall partitions between booths allow privacy. There are restrooms on site.

Despite being a busy day for the staff, we were periodically asked about feedback. They were game with requests too from other tables like camera duties. The manager was also very active attending to customers. No wonder the place was packed.
Jun 26, 2014
Zomato
Trish Maramba
+4
Upon seeing the resto, the words posh and sleek immediately came to mind. It wasn't traditional Japanese interiors but you know it's an Asian restaurant because of the touches of color red and some oriental accents here and there. It certainly looked and felt like it's at the high end of the spectrum as opposed to just 'casual' but it still had that relaxed ambiance that makes you want to invite friends over and just chill the day away. I was greeted by their staff with smiles and was led to where I could be seated. I do not know much about Watami (like it's really a super well-known restaurant in Japan and has 700 branches!) but I went anyway because I was really looking forward to have an amazing gastronomical experience, Japanese way.

I thought of ordering the Watami Ramen and pairing it with the Salmon and Flying Fish Roe Rice but I saw the serving (quite huge) and opted for the Chicken Cutlet with Scrambled Egg Rice Set instead. First off, the salad was really goooood. I could probably eat an entire huge bowl of that. So good. The chicken had that initial crunch into it but was really, really tender and flavorful. I'm glad that the scrambled egg sauce (egg makes every dish 10x better!) didn't ruin the crunch that the chicken cutlet had.

Considering the serving size of these dishes and the quality, the prices are affordable (ranging from PhP 300 - PhP 500). Even the other items on their menu are super affordable, too!

After we had our lunch sets, our food attendant, Tricia, cooked Beef Sukiyaki and Self-Grilled Pork Ribs! I think I loved the Beef Sukiyaki more than my Chicken Cutlet Rice Set. Everything on this bowl is just delicious! The broth was had a great flavor, the beef was somewhere in the middle of the right chewiness and melt-in-your-mouth, TOFUTOFUTOFU that's so soft, mushrooms and basically everything else thrown in! I would definitely come back for more of this!

Right when I saw the marbling on those pieces of Angus meat of the Self-Grilled Pork Ribs, I know it's going to be delicious. The meat was then cooked in butter (depending on how you want it done) and just after a few minutes, this is the finished product. The boiled potatoes were also seared in the butter that's left from cooking the meat to absorb all its beautiful flavors. The beef was really juicy and the flavors were perfect. Don't forget to dip it in the Ponzu sauce for a twist! I know there are other places that you could find super authentic Japanese food experience (like Little Tokyo perhaps?) but Watami certainly is worth the try. With their combination of delicious food, modern but relaxed ambiance and great customer service of their staff, I definitely recommend you go ahead and give them a visit.
May 07, 2014
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