Cover Kazuhiro Hamamoto’s haute Japanese cuisine delights Singapore’s culinary aficionados
Kazuhiro Hamamoto’s haute Japanese cuisine delights Singapore’s culinary aficionados
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Here’s how a typical meal goes down at kaiseki restaurant Hamamoto, where peak Japanese seasonality delights Singapore’s culinary aficionados
Haute Japanese cuisine often boils down to an obsession with the most minute of details, and Kazuhiro Hamamoto is exemplary. Sequestered away along Tras Street, in the sanctuary-esque restaurant that takes after his name, the Japanese chef-owner distils over a decade’s worth of life experiences into polished plates. Having forged friendships with some of the best producers in Japan who now supply the restaurant, Hamamoto pledges to introduce every ingredient at their peak to diners, supplementing his seasonal cooking ethos.
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Above An exquisite trio of appetisers reflect an overture to Spring
An exquisite trio of appetisers reflect an overture to Spring
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The circle of life is placed on a pedestal, and serving anything otherwise is well considered sacrilege. This spring, he presents a menu that arrives like the first cherry blossom of the season. The trio of appetisers serve as an overture to spring: fat hamaguri (hard clam) and fresh broad beans hide beneath the chilling embrace of hiyashi chawanmushi; delicate shirauo (ice fish) flirt with briny seaweed; and a sweet-savoury medley of braised baby octopus, sea bream roe and daikon.
Above Tairagai with hotaru-ika, shiro asparagus, and sugar snap peas
Above A troop of hotaru-ika marinating in sake lees
Tairagai with hotaru-ika, shiro asparagus, and sugar snap peas
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The progression continues with the captivating hotaru-ika (firefly squid), a luminescent creature harvested during their brief spring migration. Hamamoto puts these morsels through a three-to-four-week marination process in sake lees, coaxing out a profound sweetness while tenderising. There’s no better time than now to consider a pour of the Hamamoto 7, a signature dry and crisp sake. Accompaniments of tairagai (pen clam), shiro asparagus, and sugar snap peas work effortlessly to complement the hotaru-ika.
Above The prized Kegani hairy crab from southern Hokkaido
The prized Kegani hairy crab from southern Hokkaido
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One cannot discuss Hamamoto without mentioning its storied broth, a dashi that has been simmering since the restaurant first opened its doors in 2021. This living, evolving liquid serves as the foundation for perhaps the most coveted dish of the spring menu: the Kegani hairy crab from southern Hokkaido. After a swift live presentation, Hamamoto swiftly dispatches it. Each leg, shelled with precision, is masterfully poached in this ancestral broth, further enriching each sliver with the essence of crab miso and shells. While the meat is silky smooth, the broth emerges with impeccable oceanic savouriness and sweetness.
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The kaiseki segment shifts into a nigiri course, where the distinguishing factor often lies in not what’s added, but what’s deliberately left out. A brush of nikiri (soy sauce) here, a whisper of freshly grated wasabi there, and some skilful shaping of the shari. From marbled kamatoro (tuna collar) and porcelain-like botan ebi to crisped skin nodoguro and golden nuggets of murasaki uni, each nigiri arrives pure and unadorned.
Above Sakura mochi paired with sakura ice cream to usher in the spring season
Sakura mochi paired with sakura ice cream to usher in the spring season
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Every good season must come to an end. Hence, desserts serve as gentle transitions back to the ordinary world. The sakura mochi paired with sakura ice cream channels the ethereal charm of cherry blossom season, while Miyazaki mango kakigori offers a preview of summer’s best bounties. But those who return would nod in agreement that Hamamoto’s signature chestnut ice cream, accented with some dark rum, is still the timeless favourite.
For those fortunate enough to secure one of the coveted seats at Hamamoto, the experience is no mere meal but a connection to Hamamoto’s cerebral interpretation of seasonality, exercised with the utmost respect to Japanese culinary tradition.
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Credits
Images: Hamamoto
