Ever since I became a holder of the The Bistro Group Premiere Card, I try to frequent The Bistro Group restaurants to maximize its perks.  Watami has always been my favorite about their concepts.  I've been visited Watami several times within a span of a year since its opening.  When I heard that it introduced new lunch sets, I just couldn't pass up the chance to check it out too.

My last lunch at Watami was at its Glorietta 1 branch.  It's actually my second time to dine there.  It's not as spacious as the SM Mall of Asia branch which I've shared before, but the interiors are substantially the same.

Food

Salad

♥ Watami Salad (350 php)

I've said this before and I'll say it again.  The Watami Salad is one of the best salads I've tried and I've never pass up a chance to order this when dining at Watami.


Sashimi

♥ Salmon Sashimi (225 php)

♥ Scallop Sashimi (395 php)

Having tried all their Sashimi variants, I have now settled for my favorites which is the Salmon Sashimi and
Scallop Sashimi.  I'm really glad to share that they've consistently served them with the freshest quality.

Tempura 

Assorted Tempura (295 php)

The Assorted Tempura has a generous serving of four pieces Ebi Tempura and an assortment of vegetables.  The quality of the batter and the prawns are better than average.  

Skewers

♥ Pork & Enoki Mushroom Skewers (135 php)

I've also ordered again the Pork & Enoki Mushroom Skewers which is my top pick among the other Skewers selection.

Ramen

Tokyo-Style Ramen in Shoyu Flavored Soup (380 php)

During my previous visits, I've always passed out the chance to try their Ramen.  So this time I was determined to try one.  I initially wanted to try the Watami Ramen but unfortunately it was not available so I settled for the Tokyo-Style Ramen in Shoyu Flavored Soup.  It had a very light soy based soup which was pleasant to sip.  But, the texture of the noodle fall short of my expectation especially for its price which is the same with other famous ramen shops. 

Lunch Sets

♥ Chicken Cutlet with Scrambled Egg Sauce with Rice (375 php)

I was really impressed with the Chicken Cutlet with Scrambled Egg Sauce with Rice before so I ordered this as a Lunch Set.  I noticed that when you order this as Tokyo Don (topping with rice), it is priced at 295 php.  But, as Lunch Set, it comes with a salad and miso soup for an addition of 85 php.  I guess with the Lunch Set, you now have the option to decide the set up you want with this delicious dish.

♥ Roasted Mackarel with Rice (355 php)

I think the Roasted Mackarel with Rice is the best option among the Lunch Sets.  If you order this ala carte, it is at a bigger portion but priced at 425 php.  I assure you that the serving size of this lunch set is more than satisfying for a solo eater.  The Roasted Mackerel is cooked flavorful and juicy too!

♥ Black Pepper Beef with Rice in Stone Pot Set (275 php)

The Black Pepper Beef with Rice in Stone Pot is a must order at Watami!  Whoever I'm with, I always recommend them to try this.  Up to this day, it has never failed to impress everyone.  

Beef Sukiyki Rice in Stone Pot Set (395 php)

We were quite surprised with the Beef Sukiyki Rice in Stone Pot because it was dry unlike the one in the ala carte section.  It was not as generous too in terms of ingredients so it was a bit lacking in taste and overall impact so for this item, I'd rather order it ala carte style.



Dessert
Out of all my attempts to order the complete Maccha Collection, this is the only time the three items were all available so I ceased the chance to try and compare them with each other.

♥ Maccha Tiramisu (155 php)

I really loved their Maccha Tiramisu.  It's the best among the Maccha Collection if only they could consistently serve this in its chilled condition.  I'm quite disappointed that this is always either unavailable or if it was, it was served with a gooey consistently.  I also noticed that this last one had lesser maccha powder on top.  


Update (December 7, 2013): The Maccha Tiramisu is now consistently chilled based on my last two visits. =)

Maccha Ice Cream with Anmistu Dumplings (135 php)

The Maccha Ice Cream with Anmistu Dumpling is good because the Anmistu Dumplings were fun to eat with the red beans and the maccha ice cream.  But, I'd definitely choose the Maccha Tiramisu over this.

Maccha Parfait (195 php)

The Maccha Parfait is similar to the Maccha Ice Cream with Anmistu Dumplings with the addition of maccha syrup and corn flakes.  Eat this like the halo-halo and you'll love the play of textures complemented by the strong maccha taste.

Other Bistro Group Restaurant Reviews
Bulgogi Brothers
Italianni's Restaurant
Krazy Garlic
Ma Maison (closed)
Modern Shanghai
SikLab Filipino Favorites
Tonkatsu by Terazawa
Village Tavern
Watami 1

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Watami is still the best Bistro Group concept for me.  I really enjoy the quality for the price value.  However, I still believe that they need to work on improving their service.  No doubt I'm expecting that on my return.  And, I'm still craving for the Maccha Tiramisu as I'm writing this.  Hope they do something about that too.  I really like the Lunch Set idea.  Now, diners like me can choose the set up of their meals especially when they want to eat on solo serving and avail of some savings.   

♥ Watami Salad (350 php)

The Watami Salad is an extravagant salad with corn kernels, shrimps, seaweeds, egg roe, cherry tomatoes,  chicken teriyaki, greens topped with their special dressing.  This is one of the best salads I have ever tried.  It's very flavorful and refreshing.  The dressing complements every ingredient well.

Appetizer

Crispy Chicken Wings (195 php)

The Crispy Chicken Wings is crispy fried chicken wings with sweet sesame sauce.  I guess this is the modern Japanese twist for fried chicken wings.  Those who are not fond of the spicy buffalo wings will surely love this.  

Sashimi

Assorted Sashimi (5 Kinds) (425 php)

The Assorted Sashimi is a plateful of Salmon Sashimi, Tuna Sashimi, Shrimp Sashimi, Scallop Sashimi and wakame.  The Salmon Sashimi is one of the freshest I've ever tried.  The rest was just as good so it's no surprise that everything in this platter was finished in a flash.

Sushi

Deluxe Assorted Sushi (Salmon, Scallop, Shrimp) (395 php)

The Deluxe Assorted Sushi is platter with two pieces of salmon sushi, grilled scallop sushi and shrimp sushi garnished with some roe and green onions.  Unfortunately, the salmon sushi is not as fresh as the  Salmon Sashimi.   But, the shrimp is a bit bigger and I preferred the grilled scallop compared to the raw one.  

Skewers

Assorted Skewers (295 php)

The Assorted Skewers has five sticks: Chicken Thigh Skewer, Chicken Breast Skewer, Beef & Spring Onion Roll Skewer, Pork & Enoki Mushroom Skewer and Chicken Wing Skewer.   These are basically the traditional yakitori.  I liked that their sauce's blend is tasty but not too sweet.  Among the options, I enjoyed the Beef & Spring Onion Roll Skewer and Pork & Enoki Mushroom Skewer the most.

Teppan

Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki (295 php)

The Hiroshima-Style Okonomiyaki is Japanese pancake with chuka noodles, lettuces, shrimp and dried bonito flakes served in a hot sizzling plate.  The texture is the key to this dish and they got it perfectly!  

♥ Tonpeiyaki (Pork, Cheese, Cabbage & Egg) (275 php)

Pizza

♥ Bolognese Pizza (315 php)

The Bolognese Pizza is a unique pizza because it has a poached egg on top of it.  Our server cracked the egg and spread its yolk across the pizza before slicing.  I've never had pizza with an egg yolk before.  It was pretty good but you have to eat it fast before it gets too soggy.  

Pizza Topped with Chicken Teriyaki (275 php)

The Pizza Topped with Chicken Teriyaki is a crispy thin crust pizza topped with chicken teriyaki, green onions and white onions.  Since I'm a fan of crispy thin crust pizza, I really enjoyed this.  This is really savory and fun to eat. 

Hot Pot

♥ Beef Sukiyaki (365 php)

The Beef Sukiyaki is a hot pot with beef sukiyaki, tofu, enoki and shitake mushrooms, carrots and greens.  The beef is tender, the broth is flavorful but not too sweet and the other ingredients are fresh.  I highly suggest you order this for sharing.  It's a great dish on the table for everyone to enjoy.

Tokyo Don

Pork Rice with Egg Yolk in Stone Pot (225 php)

The Pork Rice with Egg Yolk in Stone Pot is a stone pot rice bowl with tasty pork slices, raw egg, seaweeds and white onions.  To eat this, mix everything upon serving so the hot stone pot will cook the raw egg further.  

Pork Cutlet with Scrambled Egg in Tokyo Style (295 php)

The Pork Cutlet with Scrambled Egg in Tokyo Style is a rice bowl topped with a generous proportion of pork cutlet or tonkatsu with a beautifully cooked scrambled egg.  The pork cutlet has a nice breading and soft meat.  The scrambled egg that's slightly wet and silky smooth brings this dish to the next level.  

Stone Hotpot

♥ Pepper Beef Rice in Stone Pot (190 php)

I've tried many versions of the pepper beef rice that's available here in the Philippines and I must say they have met their match.  Considering the price and the quality, Watami's Pepper Beef Rice in Stone Pot is the winner!

Drinks

♥ Mango Snow Mountain (165 php), Lychee Grapefruit Soda (130 php), Grape Mix Kagome (185 php) and Kiwi Tea with Agar (145 php)

Mango Yakult (120 php) and Milky Green Tea (165 php)

Watami has an extensive beverage menu.  I was able to try the Grape Mix Kagome, Kiwi Tea with Agar, Mango Yakult and Milky Green Tea.  The Grape Mix Kagome is grape mixed with Kagome, a healthy Japanese juice.  The Kiwi Tea with Agar is a tea infused with kiwi and agar jelly.  The Mango Yakult  is fresh mango puree with yakult.  The Milky Green Tea is a green tea milk shake.

Dessert

Chocolate Parfait (195 php)

The Chocolate Parfait has scoops of vanilla and chocolate with some chocolate syrup, whipped cream, chocolate wafer sticks and almonds.  This sweet and cold treat is quite pleasant to the eyes but nothing extraordinary in terms of taste.

♥ Maccha Tiramisu (155 php)

The Maccha Tiramisu is must try for anyone for loves matcha as much as I do.  This Maccha Tiramisu topped with maccha powder is just splendid.  The maccha flavor is bold, clean and unsweetened so you can truly appreciate it at its best.  This is the perfect meal ender!  I'm definitely going to order this every time I visit Watami.


Update (January 10, 2013): We tried Watami at Glorietta 1 so I'll add some more recommendations.  The ♥ Beef and Kimchi Rice in Stone Pot (245 php), ♥ Self-Grilled Short Ribs (295 php) and the ♥ Apple Berry Soda (195 php) is also worth a try!  I hope they could improve their service.  Since it was my aunts birthday, we were around 40 people and there were only one or two servers catering to our needs.  There were some wrong orders and we had to follow up with our orders only to find out that they were not available.  I also found out that most of my relatives including my celebrant aunt had The Bistro Group Premiere Card so she was able to avail a great deal of discount.

Update (December 7, 2013): Service at Watami at Glorietta 1 is now very good even when the place is fully packed!  They have a different server for taking orders and for delivering the dishes.  The  Maccha Tiramisu is also now chilled well unlike my last visit.  Adding a star to the service rating! =D

Other Bistro Group Restaurant Reviews
Bulgogi Brothers
Italianni's Restaurant
Krazy Garlic
Ma Maison (closed)
Modern Shanghai
SikLab Filipino Favorites
Tonkatsu by Terazawa
Village Tavern
Watami 2

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Watami serves great quality Japanese dishes at very reasonable prices.  The proportions are generous and I like that they have solo and group size options.  Since we dined during the soft opening phase, it is quite understandable that service could still be improved.