Feeling Japanese? Dine at The Newly Opened WATAMI at SM Mall of Asia

Watami, Bistro Group’s first Japanese restaurant, just opened this month at the SM Mall of Asia. It has more than 700 branches all over the world and is an established and well known chain in Japan.

I didn’t think twice when I received an invite for a long lunch last week.

First to arrive on our table is this plate of Assorted Sashimi {₱425} composed of  fresh tuna, salmon, shrimp, scallops and seaweed. I am not really a fan of sahimis but I loved the tuna and the scallops in this plate. I was too scared to try the shrimp, I don’t know why. Maybe because it’s too fresh and it seemed to me like they were still alive and looking at me with those pleading eyes..asking me not to eat them. Oh, I hate my vivid imagination!

Put anything wrapped in rice paper in front me and you got my attention. This Salmon and Vegetable in Rice Paper {₱185} certainly did, specially with the combination of crisp, fresh vegetable, the soft salmon meat and the sweet chili mayo.

Indeed, they serve giant glasses of drinks at Watami and I think that the drinks they serve are one of a kind too. I considered ordering this Lychee Grapefruit Soda {₱150} because it looked like the ocean-at-night inside a glass with the floating lychee as the full moon but I had to stop myself. Nope, I don’t like soda on this special lunch. I loved this Mango Passion Fruit Tea {₱150} a lot more. It’s a mango tea with fresh passion fruit pulps and seed, pearls and nata bits. My only problem with this drink is that the straw is too short for that tall mug and it’s kinda hard to fish for the pearls and the passion fruit pulps in the bottom later when you’ve finished half the liquid.

Such a pretty dish this Beef Rice Bowl with Hot Spring Egg {₱195} is. It seemed to be such a feminine dish because the shredded beni shoga {japanese red ginger} looked like a flower tucked at the back of its ear. And not only pretty, those thinly-sliced fatty beef is very tasty as well.

What surprised me the most is this Tonpeiyaki {₱275}. It’s more like a japanese omellete filled with pork, cheese and cabbage, topped with lots’ of spring onion and drizzled with mayo and special sauce. It’s really creamy and flavorful and the texture is comparable to excellent takoyaki balls. Maybe it’s just me but that’s really how it registered on my tastebuds. I would go back to Watami over and over just for this.

I am such a fan of Beef Pepper Rice that the smell alone of sizzling, cooking beef fat is enough to make my knees buckle. I find Watami’s Pepper Beef Rice in Stone Pot {₱190} tasty and delicious. Bonus points for serving it in a super hot stone pot, making it stand out from the rest,and if I may just say, more sosy…hahaha

Sapporo Seafood Ramen Salad {₱375}

Hokkaido Sumo Wrestler’s Hot Pot {₱365}

These are the Other dishes that I wasn’t able to try but I was able to take a photo of…

Assorted Skewer {₱295}

Crispy Chicken Wings {₱195}

Pizza Topped with Teriyaki Chicken {₱215}, Caesar Salad with Hot Spring Egg {₱320} and Watami Salad {₱350}

Having lunch at Watami certainly renewed the Japanese dining experience for me and I hope I could drop by as often as I want to try the rest in the menu.

Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant
2nd Level, Entertainment Mall Veranda
SM MOA, 1300 Pasay City, Philippines