Review: Hanazen by La Cime’s Chef Yusuke Takada Presents Charcoal-Grilled Omakase With A French Flair at CHIJMES Singapore
PUBLISHED April 25th, 2023 06:00 am | UPDATED April 30th, 2023 02:17 pm
Clinching the eighth place in this year’s Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, it’s exciting then, that two-Michelin-starred La Cime’s Chef Yusuke Takada sets foot in Singapore with his new dual-concept restaurant, Hanazen. Drawn by Singapore’s eclectic culinary scene, look forward to bold, fresh flavours created for our receptive palates.
Housed in the CHIJMES, Takada distils experiences from Michelin-starred restaurants in France and combines them with his favourite Japanese grill, to present a 16-course Charcoal-Grilled omakase at Hanazen. Marrying the best of Japanese and French techniques, Hanazen sees an open grill where your skewers are fired to perfection. A seat at the counter will give you the best view of the chefs at work, while the semi-private corner or private room offers more comfort and privacy.
The 16-course omakase started with Hanazen’s daily soup to warm our stomachs. Prepared with simple ingredients like kombu dashi and chicken bones for six hours, the daily soup is a clear and aromatic soup that cleanses the palate.
Chef Takada infuses a touch of La Cime by creating a local version of his signature dish, Boudin Dog (blood sausage). The Singapore version – Singa Dog, is recreated with local chicken floss and mixed with chicken liver in a fried bamboo charcoal ball. We get a hint of Peranakan flavours with buah keluak sauce, which we felt could use a bit more oomph.
The next dish, Panna Cotta, takes inspiration from Singapore’s kaya toast. Served atop ice in a wooden box, the pandan flan with seasonal Japanese Hamaguri clams comes with a little bread tuile adorned with rapeseed plant and caviar. Mixing the two adds crunch and texture to the creamy flan, while the caviar’s brininess enhances the clams’ sweetness.
Moving on to their stars – each of the grilled skewers come with a specially made sauce. The selection of chicken entrails, like liver, heart, and gizzard, are grilled to a smoky perfection, lending a slight char to their savoury taste. For the Abalone with Chicken Gizzards skewer, chicken gizzards are dressed in a piquant gyoja-ninniku (garlic chives) sauce, complementing the umami of the tender abalone when eaten together. In a classic French pairing, the creamy Chicken Liver skewer is served with a white wine raisin sauce and given a Japanese finish of julienned oba leaf and flowers. Savoury and creamy, balanced with a touch of freshness. One of our favourites is the Chicken Skin, smothered with their in-house spice mix and grilled to the right amount of crispiness and rendering of fat.
A buttery Nodoguro (black throat seaperch) poached in fukinoto miso sauce introduces a hiatus from the grills. Garnished with yuzu strips, its citrusy notes and vegetal flavours from spring vegetables like turnip and fukinoto (Japanese butterbur) cut through the smokiness from the skewers and refresh the palate.
The carbohydrate in our omakase is Soumen in a rich and comforting chicken broth. Chicken oil adds to the depth and flavour of the broth, while coriander and the Warabi (wild Japanese fern) lends a slightly earthy flavour. We loved it as a well-rounded end to the meal before the Uji Matcha ice cream and financier dessert.
Hanazen will offer a single option of a 16-course omakase dinner menu, priced at S$250++, during its opening period.
Hanazen is located at 30 Victoria St, #01-21/22 CHIJMES, Singapore 187996, p. +65 9820 2963. Open Tue-Sun 6pm-11pm. Close Mon.
