A week ago, I caught up with two other ION Insiders, Dennis and Eric over dinner at Watami. A Japanese casual restaurant needing no introduction, Watami has eight outlets island-wide. Although this isn’t my first time at Watami (I used to frequent the one at Junction 8 since it was right on my doorstep!), I haven’t been back in awhile. They’ve since launched a new menu so I was pretty excited to sample the new dishes.
Since the three of us were hungry humans, we went for the Special Set Menu (meant for four pax) which cost SGD129. Even though we went for the Set Menu, there was room for flexibility. While you’ll get all the appetizers listed below, you’d be spoilt for choice when faced with the many alternatives available for the Main Dish, Hot Pot, and Side Dish. If ‘fickle’ is your middle name, I’m positive you’ll spend at least 20 minutes trying to decide what to order. After much discussion, here’s what my dinner companions and I ended up with:
Appetizers
- Onsen Tamago Caeser Salad (Caeser Salad with Hot Spring Egg & Bacon)
- Carpaccio 3-shu Moriawase (Assorted Sashimi)
- Lettuce Wrap (Lettuce Wrap with Watami Meat Miso)
- Spicy Salmon Tempura Roll
- Oita Nakatsu Karaage & Fries (Oita-style Deep Fried Chicken & French Fries)
- Kyo-fu Mocchiri Tofu Goma Sauce Kake (Kyoto-style Tofu with Sesame Sauce) *additional order from à la carte menu
Mains
- Ishiyaki Steak Don (Short Ribs Rice in Stone Pot)
Hot Pot
- Kyo-fu Udon-suki (Kyoto-style Udon in Hot Pot)
Side Dish
- Hotate Butter Yaki (Grilled Scallops with Butter)
- Ika Maru Yaki (Roasted Squid)
Drinks
- Passionfruit Green Tea
- Fresh Mango Juice
- Mango Yakult
Dessert
- Uji Maccha Dora (Uji Maccha Pudding in Dorayaki) *additional order from à la carte menu
It didn’t take long before our table was overflowing with food, so much that I had to stand on the chair to get an aerial shot of our bounty. If you don’t know where to start, I don’t blame you! Based on our experience, the first thing you should do is stir-fry the Ishiyaki Steak Don before the stone pot loses its sizzle. Next, pour in the yuzu pepper paste and udon provided into the Kyo-fu Udon-suki (the zesty punch from the yuzu really enhances the tasty broth) and give it a good stir, while simultaneously enjoying the Hotate Butter Yaki and glistening Ika Maru Yaki (perfect chewy texture and seasoning!), both of which are best eaten hot. Since the rest are mainly cold dishes, they can wait. Gotta have your foodie priorities in order, yes?
After polishing off our bowls of Ishiyaki Steak Don (totally worth the SGD3 upgrade), we started on the Oita Nakatsu Karaage & Fries. The batter would’ve been better (say it thrice fast!) if not for the extreme saltiness that had me reaching for my drink. I ate quite a bit of the Onsen Tamago Caeser Salad, which’s actually one of my favorite dishes from previous visits. Though I like my raw fish, the octopus sashimi from the Carpaccio 3-shu Moriawase a little too slimy for my liking. The Lettuce Wrap and Spicy Salmon Tempura Roll were satisfactory, but it was the Kyo-fu Mocchiri Tofu Goma Sauce Kake served in a cute little sampan that blew me away. Don’t let it’s drab looks fool you. Deliciously smooth (reminiscent of Muah Chee) and fragrant–it wouldn’t feel out of place on the dessert menu–and will give your jaw a serious workout.
Speaking of dessert, the very attentive staff cleared the empty dishes and served us our Uji Maccha Dora. I don’t have a sweet tooth–and thankfully this wasn’t cloying–something I appreciated especially after a heavy meal. The slightly bitter Matcha pudding paired well with sweet red bean paste and ice cream, and I liked how the Dorayaki was super fluffy.
I am glad Watami retained most of it’s popular dishes despite introducing new fare to keep it’s menu fresh. My one observation? I wish the chef had a lighter hand when it comes to seasoning, because all three of us were seriously parched after our meal.
Since the Kyo-fu Mocchiri Tofu Goma Sauce Kake and Uji Maccha Dora are from the Seasonal Menu, I recommend ordering both if you find yourself at a Watami outlet in the near future. And here’s a really good reason to visit Watami at ION Orchard soon, receive a FREE big drink worth SGD4.80 (may I suggest Passionfruit Green Tea?) when you quote #IONInsider! Please note this promotion ends 31st March, so you’ve still got half a month to whisper into the waitress’ ear.
Watami is located at:
2 Orchard Turn
ION Orchard, #B3-23
Singapore 238801
Tel: (65) 6509 9366
Disclosure: Compensation was not provided by Watami. The opinions expressed herein are those mine and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Watami.
