Singapore - He may have clocked in years of experience in modern Japanese cuisine as the head chef of Nobu Australia, but for his latest restaurant venture, chef Tadashi Takahashi wants to return to his roots.

That means sushi and sashimi, and traditional kyoto kaiseki which the Tokyo native will serve at the soon-to-open Hashi.

The 36-year-old relocated to Singapore two years ago to join the TRE group, which owns French restaurant Absinthe and Italian fine dining restaurants Oso and Gaia.

Hashi takes over the space previously occupied by Baretto, a now-defunct wine lounge run by the same group, and French restaurant Absinthe, which relocated to Boat Quay last June. Oso remains one floor above. The latter's three-week refurbishment is almost complete and will open to the public next week.

At Hashi, the a la carte menu is divided into separate sections for appetisers, grilled and deep-fried items, soup, meats and rice. Prices start at $8 for an oshitashi salad and stretch up to $120 for a 150g A4-grade Hida Beef steak. Kaiseki menus start at $98 for five courses and kaiseki with sushi options start at $128. Compatriot chef Kondo Masayuki, 41, who worked at Tsukiji Shishiiwa and Megumi Sushi, will head the sushi counter that seats up to 11.

According to chef Takahashi, ingredients used at Hashi will be sourced from all across Japan, from crabs and scallops from Hokkaido to fish from the Okinawa islands, tuna from Tokyo's Tsukiji market, vegetables from Kyoto and wagyu from the Iwate prefecture. Chef Takahashi will also introduce wagashi or Japanese sweets like exquisitely sculpted red bean paste dumplings handcrafted by fifth-generation pastry chef Hiromori Uchida and shipped over from his shop, Ganyuudou, in Shizuoka weekly.

The sweet treats are made from mochi, flour milled so finely that they literally dissolve on the tongue.

Of the decision to add a Japanese restaurant to their stable, TRE's director, Diego Chiarini, recalls fondly his four years spent as the head chef of Italian restaurant Bice at the Four Seasons Tokyo: "I've always loved Japanese food and culture. Japanese cuisine is very focused on detail, and requires a very refined palate to appreciate it."

To stand out from the wave of new Japanese restaurants in Japanese food-obsessed Singapore, Mr Chiarini says Hashi will adhere firmly to its traditional roots, while packaging it into one sleek, contemporary space.

The interiors are a marriage of Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetics: bold geometrical shapes play out in the sake bar by the restaurant's entrance and on its custom-made wooden chairs, while solid red pillars, rolls of kimono fabric and shoji door frames add a distinct Nippon touch.

Food will be served in rustic kashi wood bowls, while ikebana flower arrangements and artefacts from Kyoto add to the overall elegance.

The restaurant is divided into two halves: a 35-seater dining room with a sushi counter for 11 and a small private room for eight; as well as an 80-seater back room with two semi-private rooms for 10 and 12 people.

Photos: ST, BT

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