Cover Blue cheese monaka
Blue cheese monaka
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Kenjiro Hashida’s latest experiment with boundary-breaking Japanese cuisine charms diners with imaginative dining experience without the pretence
Within the sanctum of Hashida Singapore lies Abura Kappo, a “restaurant-in-restaurant” concept abstracted from the imaginative mind of Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida. The Abura namesake translates to oil in Japanese which Hatch hopes to realise in his varying roster of specialities all bound by the fundamental cooking element. “Otoshidokoro is a point of compromise, where ideas from across the globe meet and are reimagined with Japanese flair,” explains Hatch when asked about how he describes the space.
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Above Fried camembert
Fried camembert
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In the background, zen-inducing symphonies are traded for Hatch’s personal playlist, ranging from uptempo hip-hop and reggaeton to buttery jazz and some Motown funk. Here, Hashida’s boundary-bending style of progressive Japanese gastronomy takes centre stage. And it is all represented in a succession of 13 bites where each morsel is a revelation of textures and flavours.
The meal, titled by volumes, opens with a monaka of crisp wafers sandwiching creamy egg custard, a combination of blue cheese and comté and pearls of roasted beetroot—bold but cohesive in flavour. Lamb and squid arrive finely minced in tartare form, accented with Hatch’s very own blend of gin salt—made from using the spent gin botanicals in partnership with Tanglin Gin Distillery. Camembert, expertly fried, and brightened with citrusy mint of kinome leaves us beckoning for another.
Above Ebi toast
Ebi toast
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An aromatic consomme, served in a wineglass, cheekily misguides our notion of some fine bubbly. But it is a chilled soup made of sapid Japanese bluefin tuna and spring onion oil that is meant to accentuate the soft and sweet expression of managatsuo (silver pomfret) that is encased in a crisp light batter. Fancy fine champagne? Indulge in a glass of Krug Grande Cuvée 171ème Édition instead. After all, you’re in good company of a prestigious Krug Ambassade.
Next, a reimagined ebi toast starring a base of tamagoyaki—a crowd favourite at Hashida Singapore—topped with angel shrimp paste and sprinkled with toasted panko. The spongy bite, packed with umami, eats like a gift that keeps on giving.
Above Soba tacos
Soba tacos
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Hatch’s eccentricities are further denuded with the following creations such as the “family plan”, an ironic riff on tebagyoza (stuffed chicken wing) and the oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl), a boneless crispy chicken wing stuffed with glutinous rice and egg; soba tacos, using soft buckwheat tortilla as a base to hold sukiyaki-inspired components of a juicy minced Wagyu beef cutlet, creamy tofu emulsion and herbaceous shungiku (chrysanthemum greens) sauce; and classic oden of radish and tomato but deep fried to aureate perfection.
Above DIY donabe
DIY donabe
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For the finale, you get to roll up your sleeves for the donabe course. After a skilful stirup of the donabe, which comprises glossy Nanatsuboshi short grain rice and choice Japanese seafood, you now possess complete creative freedom to orchestrate every bite with handcrafted sides of spicy tuna; prawn tempura; roasted seaweed, to wrap; a Korean Kimbap-inspired assemblage of pickled radish, featuring shiitake mushroom, spinach, and burdock root.
And by some miracle you’re still able to put down more food, the chef keeps the oil hot in anticipation of any last-minute cravings that are available a la carte. These are seasonal delicacies such as melt-in-your-mouth uni and caviar tempura, creamy ika (squid) and caviar tempura and a golden mochi dessert. Staunch and stodgy, are two things Abura Kappo is not.
Credits
Images: Abura Kappo
