Grande. Eats : 320. Watami

The loud red walls called out WATAMI. I have not visited the first outlet at ION despite its grand opening in July 09 nor did I know that 和民 is Watami until the familiar Japanese characters told me so. The saturday prior to its opening on 15 Sep, I was invited for a tasting session at Watami's second outlet at Clarke Quay.

Green Tea Ice Shake @$5.80

Half Watami Salad @$4.80

A garden salad with big chunks of well marinated chicken and a scoop of Watami's special creation - Tuna Mayonnaise. The salad was delicious with the tuna mayonnaise. It had a mild vinegary taste and the addition of peppers, cherry tomatoes and cracker strips gave the salad the crunch and colour. Flavourful and satisfying. It was this good that I recommend you should double the 'half' and get a watami salad at $7.80.

Ika Korikori Yaki @$5.80

Grilled squid soft bone. It was something different. We're not just eating ika (squid) but also their soft bones.Eat it while it's hot. I took some time to take the photos of the food that were placed on the table and when I had it, it turned cold. I bet it tasted better while it's still hot.

Ishiyaki Bibimbap @$8.80

You are not seeing wrong. Yes, bibimbap, the Korean stone pot rice dish. Here, we had beef and kimchi. It was very considerate of them to design a wooden square holder to contain the hot stone pot, avoiding scalds. It was superb hot. The ingredients sizzled as I flipped and tossed them like rojak.

It was this hot that the rice turned charred and crispy after a few minutes. For crispy and charred rice lovers, do try the bibimbap. For the hot stone pot and tasty kimchi, I highly recommend the bibimbap from Watami.

Tori Yasai Kushi @$3.80

Big chunks of mildly marinated chicken with mixed peppers. Logically, the mixed peppers should complement the chicken chunks but they were pretty much strangers. Each to its own, they drew a clear line. Taste was quite isolated.

Teppan Bou Gyoza @$6.80

I was attracted to the picture of the sizzling big gyoza on their menu and so I decided to order one. I thought I will see the gyoza sizzling on the hotplate but the 'aftermath' was presented instead. On the hot plate, I saw a gleam. It appeared shiny black, all thanks to the layer of oil. I find the gyoza slightly too oily. I feedbacked on this. Hope that it is better now. The interior contained diced cabbage and pork but somehow I felt the cabbage did not made the filling sweet.

Cassis Grapefruit @$5.80

I'm glad that I had this drink. The bittersour grapefruit helped rid off the greasiness from the gyoza. The sweet syrup at the bottom less the bittersour content.

Mango & Ichigo Daifuku @$3.80

Initially, I was hesitating if I should take the daifuku or I should change it for some alluring desserts like strawberry or chocolate parfait because I always felt the daifuku served in casual restaurants were mostly made-ready some very long time ago and stored for use at any time. Luckily, I didn't. The daifuku was different.

The rice cake was made into thin, soft and chewy strips. Diced mango and strawberry cubes, cream and red beans were evidently seen to be wrapped into rolls with the rice cake. But hey, I tasted chocolate and I saw there was a thin chocolate sponge at the bottom of the roll. Overall, the taste was great!

Seated at the second floor of Central, it overlooks the Boat Quay. Dining was comfortable as ample space was provided, not squeezed together. Service was excellent during the tasting session but not sure if it will be maintained when Watami is opened for business to the public with the long queue. Good range of food is available. Looking at the menu, I felt Watami wants a bit of everything, trying to provide anything that can be made possible. Ramen, hotplate, sushi, sashimi, Nabe, Korean dishes and etc.

No reservations is allowed so it is best to go early to avoid queuing. The outlet at The Central has something different from its first outlet at ION, that is, a long red sofa at the entrance is provided for customers in the queue. Also, Watami's entrance is located along a corridor hidden from sight from the other floors. Do look out for the word 和民, which also means Watami.

Lastly, Thanks to Watami and Kit for the hosting.

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