COCONUTS HOT SPOT – Another Japanese restaurant??? Technically, yes. But this one deserves a try because of the following reasons:
Watami, which is located at the SM Mall of Asia, promises a balance of three elements: delicious food, great ambiance and good service (aka the Ishokuya concept). This is based on the press release.
It’s an Asian sensation; it has over 700 stores in Japan and Asia, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Taiwan, Shanghai, Singapore, Guangzhou and Malaysia. This is according to the press release.
It’s roomy. It can seat 170. I could have counted myself but I trust the press release.
Watami is number one in its category in Japan, and offers the same superb dining experience in all its international outlets. Yes, according to the press release again.
However, there’s something we got to check ourselves – without help from the press release. The food!
Here are some dishes that we tried:
Watami Salad – proves that the house specialty is always a safe choice. It’s the best among all their salads, because of high-quality ingredients: lettuce, broccoli, onion, corn, cherry tomato and shrimp tossed in sesame ponzu dressing.
Crispy Chicken Wings – the perfect pulutan especially because they serve alcohol! Best consumed as soon as they arrive. Not overwhelmingly flavorful, but tasty enough and just mildly spicy.
Wafu Pizza – simple with just four ingredients (wafu pizza base, qp mayo, naganegi, springonion) but very tasty. Good enough for one person. Scratch that. You’ll ask for another. And maybe another.
Okonomiyaki – definitely tasty and memorable. One of the better-tasting okonomiyakis in the metro.
Assorted skewers – nothing extra special because I can get these chicken wing skewers, chicken thigh skewer, beef eringi roll, and beef spring onion roll in other places. But it reminded us how yakitori sauce makes everything taste better!
Passionfruit green tea – cool and refreshing, not overly sweet. And oh, it’s very huge.
Safe to say that Watami isn’t just another Japanese restaurant.
Watami Japanese Casual Restaurant is located at the Second Level, Veranda/Bayside section of the Mall of Asia. For inquiries and reservations, call (02) 836 7141, 09275641815 and 09157206577.
