Hashida Sushi, Singapore

[Bu Pun Su]

When Hashida sushi opened in 2013 at the 2^nd floor of MG (now occupied by Beni), this sushi-ya and its charismatic head chef quickly rose among the top sushi places in Singapore. I went for lunch within 1-2 years after that and was satisfied with the food offering despite not seeing Kenjiro Hashida around. To get the full experience and assess the restaurant better, I tried to go for dinner but often Hatch was not available on my preferred date (He regularly returned to Japan to meet his suppliers as well as running his father’s restaurant in Kachidoki – well, not it’s closed or under renovation). That finally changed when I had dinner at Hashida in late Spring last year – I know it’s very late, but better than never? I spent more time reviewing the restaurants I visited in Europe …  

 

My omakase menu had around 9 appetizers, 11 sushi and a dessert. The otsumami (not simply a few of simple sashimi) was quite a lot for a sushi-ya; during lunch guests were asked whether they wanted more cooked food or raw stuffs. Chef Hashida was passionate about arts and it can be clearly seen from the presentation of the appetizers including the tableware’s used. His sushi was essentially edomae style, but he would not shy to do something different like “smoked, seared, or torched” the neta and thankfully most of the time, it worked well.

For this dinner, I liked:

-creamy & sweet Murasaki uni served in its ‘shell’ with shiro ebi and stock jelly

-Kinmedai (slightly cooked) served with its liver and chef’s special sauce (very flavorful)  

The awabi, zuwai gani and nodoguro were simply steamed in low temperature. They were fresh, clean and tasty … though I expected something more creative with better flavor and sauce

 

From the sushi selection, fatty tuna / toro-related items were Hashida’s strength. For instance,

Kenjiro-san prepared the raw fatty Tuna differently … he sliced several layers thinly across the grain, this made the amount of Otoro was much more than what one would normally eat. It was really marbled, sublime and very umami. As soon as I chewed it, I would straight find the shari - super smooth, soft and 'oily' otoro.
Then, Hashida-san partially grilled the kama toro. He put some horseradish (to clean any intense flavor) and bonito flake (to intensify the taste) inside the neta. The amount of Kama Toro was overwhelming, which I didn't mind. This nigiri was so sumptuous that I hardly 'recognized' the shari - divine

These 2 were my favorite pieces. The torched baby kamasu and anago with chef’s secret-recipe (135 years old?) tsume were also delicious. As with many Japanese restaurant, the dessert was simple – fruit, ice cream and mochi. Unfortunately, no macaron …

 

Hashida sushi’s new location at 4^th floor (still at Mandarin Gallery) was bigger and more spacious. It was not a busy night – only 7 people seated in the main counter and a few more served by chef Sato Yuji. Hashida liked engaging a conversation, so it was not boring though I ate alone. Moreover, the food was well-paced and the waitresses were friendly and gracious; my tea was pretty much warmed all the time. I liked the sushi part better than the appetizers – still appreciate Hatch’s effort and creativity. This dinner was about as good as my meal at Shinji so I think Michelin should appreciate this place with at least 1 star in the future (it was worthy of 2-star in my note based on the Singapore & Hong Kong standard).   

 

More detailed review: http://zhangyuqisfoodjourneys.blogspot.co.id/2018/02/hashida-sushi-singapore.html

Meal photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/sets/72157690341473171