Watami Japanese Dining — Restaurant in Makati

Another winner from the Bistro Group, Watami Japanese Dining. Watami was founded by Miki Watanabe in 1984. The first restaurant opened in Tokyo, Japan in 1992. Watami is the biggest Japanese Casual Dining brand with branches all over the Asia Pacific region. Wa means "harmony" in Japanese Kanji while Tami means "people." Watami then means "gathering of people dining harmoniously."

We dined at the Ayala North Exchange branch of the chain. For starters, we had a salad and appetizers. The Watami Salad (₱295) was a playful mix of greens, crabmeat and roe, teriyaki chicken, Nori, cherry tomatoes, tempura batter crisps and almond slivers. The combination provided good harmony. Their Aburi Cheese Gyoza (₱325) was perfectly torched and brought out the smoky flavor of the ground pork seasoned with onions, covered with melted cheese in a scorched dough wrapper. We also ordered their Ebi Dynamite Roll (₱325) which provided the right amount of heat for the good amount of prawn meat in the sushi.

For our mains, we had their Special Curry with Pork Cutlet (₱495) came as a set with unlimited refill of soup and sliced cabbage. The curry was hearty and elevated the Katsu experience. We also had the regular Katsu or Pork Cutlet (₱495) which came with unlimited sides.

We also had 2 Salmon orders, the Salmon in a Stone Pot (₱525) and the Salmon Teriyaki with Karaage Teishoku (₱795). The Salmon in both orders were cooked well, aromatic, succulent and juicy. The one in the Stone Pot provided rice with the delightful "socarrat," the burnt flavor packed section of the rice that touches the pot. The Teishoku has a bonus dish in the Karaage. Both were hefty meals but a delight to eat, nonetheless.

Watami is another ace up...

Came here Saturday, August 21st, at 6:30 pm.

My experience at Watami Japanese Dining was deeply disappointing, dominated not by the food, but by the abysmal service.

After being seated and having our orders taken, the staff vanished completely. With only two tables occupied—the other being a small party of two—there was absolutely no justification for such neglect. Throughout the entire meal, no one checked on our table. I had opted for the “endless soup” option, but since no staff ever returned, I never received a refill. We also were never given water from the get-go. It was uncomfortable to eat their food without water to pour it down.

Eventually, I had to walk up to the cashier to pay the bill. I voiced my concern about being charged a 10% service fee when no service was provided, but this fell on deaf ears. I paid reluctantly and left with the impression that customers are treated as an afterthought here.

The issues did not end with the service. Portions were small with the chicken katsu mostly bread and skin. Additionally, the chopsticks we were given had foreign substances on them. We had to request disposable chopsticks just to dine in some semblance of comfort.

Overall, the entire experience was poor. This is not what one should expect at a restaurant of this nature.

I do not recommend Watami...

I had the spicy miso ramen, and it was surprisingly good—better than some ramen I've had in Japan, and I live there. I came to this Japanese spot expecting similar flavors, and while the ramen was impressive, I was really disappointed by the wait time for the chicken skin. I thought it would be grilled, like at a yakitori place, but it was fried and more like chicharrón—crispy and hard. I ordered two, but only received one at first. When I told them, they brought me the second one, but I had already waited 45 minutes for the first, and the second took an additional 20 minutes. I tried to cancel it, but they insisted it would be ready in two minutes. After finally receiving the second chicken skin, it took another 15 minutes just to get my bill, even though I had asked for it earlier because I needed to leave. The service was very slow, and while I understand it was a busy time, they really need better organization. Waiting so long for something quick to cook and for the bill was frustrating. Other than that, the spicy miso ramen was satisfying, but I wasn't happy with the chicken skin or...