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AT ONE stage in my quest for makan nirvana, I had this fear of popping into one of those typically authentic and quaint Japanese omakase-onegaishimasu eateries. The ones where you sit by a counter in front of the chef and he cooks whatever he feels you should eat. It literally means 'I trust you, please do me the favour' and deliver me thy culinary inspirations. One reason was my fear of the unknown. The other was my inability to do what I enjoy - get really chatty with the chef (it doesn't matter how great the language barrier is). Imagine, we could have sipped sake, shared silly stories about life and people till we fall off the chair in utter contentment as the fish roe egg roll is getting dressed in miso sauce and mustard. Instead, I'm usually up against a stony chef. One night, I mustered enough courage and sauntered into this little residential Japanese set-up in the east. The place could sit little more than 20 guests and most seats had a clear view of the stern and diligent Japanese chef. After the customary welcome shouts, I noticed a master sushi chef twirling raw fish and rice in his hand. I gave the chef Hozumi Kazuhiro my cool acknowledge-and-smile routine with the 'I hope that you'll feed me well with the $100 omakase budget' look. He returned with a 'the budget is up to me' look. I shrunk back and retreated to my seat. I looked forward to the food but not the idea of bantering with him as his command of English is only as good as my pretend Japanese. Then it happened. The food came comfortably fast - fresh sushi, seasonal sashimi, teapot seafood soup tinged with lemon, oyster tempura with ponsu sauce, roasted snow yam with vinegared greens, cod sperm and even snow crabs. It was almost a culinary epiphany, but there was no celebratory conversation. That was about six years ago. Now, his restaurant has expanded to another bigger outlet and he still helms the counter kitchen there. This time round, chef Hozumi is no longer the shy low-profile chef and he's also not so self-conscious with his fractured English anymore. Over his stunning Kannazuki Omakase (October's special menu at $68), this long-time Singapore resident makan wizard calls Singapore his home because 'my wife is Singaporean, my friends all here, so Japan ah, not so home anymore'. He came here in the mid-'80s and paid his dues as a main chef in the famous Suntory kitchen with later stints at Kuriya Restaurant and at the Furama Hotel. He realised that the local clientele is obsessed with taste, presentation and value, but spare them the hype about over-rated ingredients. Singaporeans make up about 70percent of his clientele. Although he serves the lighter Kansai style flavours, he has, over the years, allowed touches from the west to creep in without bastardising the heritage. Point in case - his little teacup of lightly vinegarish sushi rice sitting atop a fat slice of meltingly soft foie gras, was a breath of fresh air from Japan, yet not quite. He shuns cheese and introduces truffles oil occasionally. The set begins with his supremely fresh sushi platter, smooth and expertly cut for finesse in texture. (Try this after a meal at the conveyor belt sushi joints and you'll know what I mean). Then he brings out the sea bream sashimi, and partners it with little cuts of cured dried fish roe - gently gummy and a perfect pairing for the raw fish. His follow-up autumn collection of chestnuts, grilled lotus, fish roe, duck slice, sweet potatoes and grilled gingko nuts was a plate of poetry. He lowers the tempo with a pleasant bowl of mini yamaimo yam nodules and gingko nuts before he kicks it up with flame-grilled beef with Wahiro sesame topping and green peppers. Again, he slows it with a mushroom and vegetable stew with panfried salmon, then resets the pace with fish tempura with shiso leaf and plum. Then he finishes me off with a quip as I down the green tea ice cream: 'You must say my wife Sandra very helpful, I very love and appreciate. 'Otherwise, very difficult for me. You understand okay?' and his stern face almost gave way to an impish smile. I nearly fell off the chair. Makansutra, founded by KF Seetoh, is a company that celebrates Asian food culture and lifestyle. It publishes food guides in and around the region, produces a food television series, develops interactive mobile content and services, operates food courts and eateries, organises food tours and events, and consults on culinary concepts. WAHIRO RESTAURANT WHERE: 1 Goldhill Plaza, #01-19/21WHEN: 12pm-2pm, 6pm-10pm daily Tel: 62531692 KF Seetoh Columnistph.com.sg |
| It’s
really not difficult to have bad Japanese food here. In fact, it’s not
even that hard to have bad Japanese food in Japan. Sometimes it boggles
the mind how you have a nation that prizes itself on the freshness of
its ingredients so much which also has the biggest thriving industry of
processed and instant food. But anyway, on to the restaurant at hand: Wahiro at Katong Mall, a wonderful little place too large to be called a hole in the wall, but too small to be one of those horrible chain restaurants that churn out those unmistakable and equally unpalatable rectangular shaped slices of dubious raw fish plonked on boxed sushi rice. You get the idea of where I’m coming from. We step into the restaurant, almost missing it because of its unassuming exterior. The decor is mostly dark wood with soothing deep sea green walls and the neat square of the space is divided up by a curving sushi bar that also holds a small rustic kitchen replete with good things to eat. There are 4 men in neat white aprons and hats behind the counter, and a Japanese chef who had left the reputable but expensive Suntory restaurant at the Intercontinental. Service is efficient but unobtrusive and the menu is not extensive, with about 15 items offered, including a difficult to beat 15 dollar sushi or sashimi menu which also comes with fruit, a hot dish, a fried dish and a salad. G and I go with the bento box because we’re such suckers when it comes to not being able to make up our minds at Japanese resturants. In any case, Wahiro does not disappoint. First in the wonderful, loving presentation of food in our bento, from the fresh raw fish, to the mackerel basted in a fragrant miso sauce. There is also a teacup filled with salmon roe, a generous helping of unagi and the most delicately fried salmon fishcakes. And if that’s not enough, we are given the house special don mushi soup, which comes in a little teapot (!) topped with a wedge of lemon. The soup is a clear broth flavoured with japanese shitake mushrooms, a tender piece of chicken and cilantro. Wonderful, simple and very fulfilling. Even the pickles here aren’t the lurid purple and yellow ones you see everywhere, but gently brined cabbage, which is piquant but not overwhelming. And to round off the meal, very cold slices of watermelon. Pretty close to my ideal Japanese restaurant experience - which should be as if a person who really loves to cook brings you into her house and prepares a simple but skilful culinary experience. Each item just as it should be. The occasions that this happens in a restaurant are rare, but surely this is why Wahiro continues to pack them in. |
| In
a little corner of a sleepy old shopping centre in the East Coast of
Singapore, far from the madding crowds of Orchard Road, a hideaway for
fans of Japanese food who want top quality without having to pay top
dollar, can be found. Wahiro, which means ‘Good Harmony’, led by chef
Hozumi, is a tiny gem of a restaurant which serves a wide range of
innovative dishes worthy of the finest Japanese restaurants (at least
here in Singapore), while retaining the lovely casualness of a
neighbourhood restaurant where one would feel rather out of place in
high heels and designer bags. Mr UnProfessional Chef and I, being tired
out by a long week, were not in the mood for a formal dining despite it
being a Friday night and were aiming to eat quickly and casually before
heading home for a quiet night watching comedy DVDs (the first season
of ‘Arrested Development’ is hilarious and highly recommended by the
way). Wahiro certainly fit the bill and more! We got our fast dinner, while managing to savour fine Japanese cuisine at a reasonable price. Opting for their seasonal Kaiseiki menu (which changes every month), we were delighted by eight courses of excellently prepared small dishes. First up was Shiromi Sakana to Ankimo – this was a dish of raw angler fish liver encased in white fish sashimi served in a cold soy broth and topped with chili chutney and lots of fresh spring onions. The key to Japanese sashimi is the level of freshness. The angler liver was clearly pretty fresh off the boat and was delicate yet nicely creamy, and beautifully set off by the sparkling clean flavour of the white fish sashimi. Raw angler fish liver encased in white fish sashimi served in a cold soy broth This was followed up by Otsokuri, an even fresher selection of sashimi. Comprising tuna and two unidentified white fish (I think one of them was kingfish), these were simple and simply delectable. They went wonderfully with my cheap bottle of sake, which I have of late discovered, is truly truly best enjoyed with fine Japanese food. Chef's selection of fresh sashimi Our third course of Anchovy Mushroom tasted surprisingly Western. But we were not complaining because the whole fat Portobello mushroom was grilled to perfection and topped with home made anchovy butter. The softly firm (is there such a thing? It was though!) mushroom pieces had a nice salty bite thanks to the anchovies. Grilled Portobello mushroom with anchovy butter Next up was Sakana no Misozuke. Fish fillet preserved in miso was presented in a pretty arrangement on top of soft tofu and konbu seaweed steamed in dashi broth. It tasted supremely healthy while not stinting on the complexity of flavour. Fish fillet preserved in miso on top of soft tofu and konbu seaweed steamed in dashi broth Then came the most interesting course – Gyunyuu Tofu. Described as special tofu custard made from milk, this was cold silken tofu with a twist. Truly milky yet possessing all qualities of good smooth tofu and topped with freshly grated ginger, this was a dish that could easily have been at home in the famous kitchens of Tetsuya in Sydney and his ilk. Special tofu custard made from milk Not all of chef Hozumi’s innovations worked though. Our next dish of Kinoko Age, though sounding promising in the menu, was a slightly disappointing, though expertly prepared, deep fried patty of minced prawn, shimeji and enoki mushroom. There was nothing wrong with the dish technically, and it would certainly have passed muster in many a fine Japanese establishment. But having experienced the five previous dishes, this was surprisingly ordinary. It tasted exactly as described. Deep fried patty of minced prawn, shimeji and enoki mushroom We ended with Shirasu Gohan. Rice tossed with silver anchovies and sesame served with miso soup was a nice filling dish, though, again, not particularly special. But it was done well, with the anchovies lending a mouth-watering savoury kick to the rice. Rice tossed with silver anchovies and sesame served with miso soup Sadly, the promised dessert of lemon sherbet (presumably yuzu, which I love) was sold out and we had to settle for the usual green tea ice cream. That said, Wahiro is a fabulous, comfortable Japanese dining experience. While it serves up the usual preferred dishes offered by many a Japanese restaurant favoured by Singaporeans, it also produces creative and delicious inventions that keep its loyal fan club coming back for more. Shhh, don’t tell too many people about this place but hop into your preferred mode of transport and head straight for East Coast Road now! |
