MASAKI ARAKAWA | SUSHI AZABU

Affectionately dubbed Chef "Markey", Masaki Arakawa of Sushi Azabu makes a gentle entrance with hirame or flatfish. Body language is implemented to covey his techniques—such as gently pressing his palms together to signify 'sandwiching' the fish with kelp—and his beliefs—giving farmed blue fin tuna the thumbs up (as opposed to wild-caught).

OUR FAVOURITE SUSHI BY HIM: Naturally, most of the chefs end with their pièce de résistance which, in Chef Markey's case, turns out to be a mini 'taco' stuffed with meaty saba or mackerel.

See also: The Best Burnt Cheesecake Can Be Found At Isetan The Japan Store

LEON YAP | SUSHI HIBIKI

A Malaysian making waves in the world of sushi, the 2019 World Sushi Cup Japan champion is the only chef to ask us about any potential allergies. His earnestness is endearing as he openly shares the difficulties he faces as a non-Japanese striving to become the best at sushi.

Practically full at this point but only halfway through the event, my partner and I realise how we've lucked out in the order of chefs. Each one has served increasingly punchy flavours, making our degustation akin to a wine tasting: you start with the bubbly before uncorking the white and then the red. Chef Yap's flight, the boldest by far (and so far), culminates in a firefly squid roll so fresh it practically seems alive.

OUR FAVOURITE SUSHI BY HIM: It's a toss-up between the chutoro (bluefin tuna belly) and the shiro ebi (glass shrimp) with uni (sea urchin), although the snowflake salt on the latter leaves a memorable impression.

Eddie Ng | Ed.Ju Omakase

One of my favourite quotes by Burkhard Bilger, a staff writer at The New Yorker, goes as follows: "The best staples make a virtue of blandness. They quiet the mind."

On this note, I'd always thought of sushi rice as a scaffolding for premium fish to steal the spotlight—which is precisely why my first encounter with Eddie Ng rocks me to the core.

Going against against the grain, the ponytailed chef uses only flavoured rice for his sushi and has even gone as far as eliminating all white fish from his restaurant. "They can't hold up to our rice's strong flavour," he shrugs before straight up warning us that his style is heavy.

Instead of sizing up everyone's varying levels of sushi experience, Chef Eddie coaches each of his customers on sushi etiquette: "Shape your forefinger, middle finger and thumb into an 'L', allow me to place the sushi directly on your palm, pinch the sushi with your thumb, and then flip the sushi over, fish first, onto your tongue."

The only chef to serve a dessert of brûléed eggplant, Ju is definitely someone we will be watching closely in the coming months.

It's called 'contaminated omakase' because my influences come from everywhere. The black vinegar in my sushi rice is made in China, for instance.

OUR FAVOURITE SUSHI BY HIM: An Ed.Ju signature, the Kampachi or 14-day-aged amberjack has, as the chef points out, a mouthfeel not unlike that of cheese—a thrilling discovery if there ever was one. Even so, and we never thought we'd say this, Ed.Ju's rice is the real star.