Cover Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa
Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa
1 / 1
The chef-owner of two-Michelin-starred restaurant Narisawa will take up residence at Mandala Club from March 24 to April 30, and will serve his innovative satoyama cuisine
Acclaimed Japanese restaurant Narisawa is coming to Singapore next month for its much-awaited culinary residency at Mandala Club. During the five-week residency, chef-owner Yoshihiro Narisawa and his 15-person team will be in town to personally serve up their innovative satoyama cuisine, which uses indigenous ingredients from the forests in Japan to craft inspired dishes that are also sustainable.
This culinary philosophy, which he mastered over a decade ago, has won Narisawa multiple accolades including two Michelin stars since 2011. It is also the only restaurant in Asia which has placed on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list for 15 consecutive years.
Narisawa, who was in town yesterday for the press launch, mentioned that the Narisawa experience here will be “50 per cent similar to Tokyo”. Before the official opening next month, the team is already hard at work adding small details and personal touches to the venue, to enhance the experience.
Don't miss: Mandala Group’s Ben Jones on taking risks and why private members’ clubs are no longer just a status symbol
Bread of the Forest
1 / 5
As for the menu, Narisawa will be including some of their signature dishes, such as the Bread of the Forest served tableside and rises with the use of candlelight. Narisawa is also taking inspiration from ingredients found in Singapore and its neighbouring countries like Indonesia and Malaysia to create new dishes for his omakase menus.
Narisawa shared that he will also be bringing drinks to be paired with the menu. “I will bring Japanese sakes and wines, some of these are exclusively made for Narisawa and some haven’t been served in our Tokyo restaurant yet.”
The dining experience will be much more intimate than the previous culinary residencies (which seat about 50 people per session). For lunch and dinner, the team will be able to accommodate up to 12 guests in the private dining room and 24 diners in the main dining room.
Narisawa’s culinary residency is part of Mandala Masters’ initiative to bring world-renowned chefs to the island, which included Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur), Gaggan (Gaggan Anand) and Virgilio Martinez and Pia Leon (Central). It’s quite timely given that Narisawa is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and the Tokyo outlet will be closed from March 11 to late May for renovations.
Dudi Aureus is the senior dining and travel editor at Tatler Singapore, covering the city’s most exciting restaurants, global travel trends, and the personalities shaping the culinary and lifestyle scenes. She also serves as co-jury chair for the Tatler Best awards in Singapore, celebrating the very best in hospitality. When she’s off duty, she can often be found at a favourite hole-in-the-wall Thai spot, savouring a perfectly balanced pad thai.
