Hashida
Like an alluring piece of art, there’s plenty to take in at chef Kenjiro “Hatch” Hashida’s new spot in Amoy Street. Its design elements express everything from the sushi maestro’s heritage to his hopes and dreams, and even appreciation of mystical symbolism, in his “Hashida Universe” of three dining rooms he designed himself: Ei (meaning moon); Bi, (meaning preserving tradition); and Ou, an alternative pronunciation of sakura.
https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/gourmet-travel/designing-restaurants-with-intent/
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TEMPLE OF GASTRONOMY
The front half is inspired by a Shinto shrine, from the stylised gate in the antechamber to the lion-dog statues called shi-shi – one has its mouth opened and the other, closed – that are represented by an open grill opposite a 36.9-cm rectangle of stone on the wall. The number is associated with a life purpose.
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TEMPLE OF GASTRONOMY
The front half is inspired by a Shinto shrine, from the stylised gate in the antechamber to the lion-dog statues called shi-shi – one has its mouth opened and the other, closed – that are represented by an open grill opposite a 36.9-cm rectangle of stone on the wall. The number is associated with a life purpose.
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TO INFINITY & BEYOND
Ei, one of the most intriguing private dining rooms we’ve seen yet, is inspired by the moon and a dream about seeing the earth from the lunar surface. The ceiling is modelled after it and even has a tiny spaceman perched in a small hollow.
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REPURPOSED FOR A PURPOSE
Part of the wall in the Ou dining room features 200-year-old wooden beams repurposed from a demolished home in Tokyo.
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ALL IN THE WOOD
While hinoki or Japanese cypress might be the standard choice of wood for most sushi counters, Hashida uses two rather unconventional choices: sakura wood in the Ou room and hiba for the other two. The first was chosen as a nod to the national tree of Japan and because it evokes a sense of home. The latter – a particularly prized variant in the cypress family – is also found in the restaurant belonging to Hashida’s father in Tokyo and is a reminder of his ancestry.
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FLORAL ENTRANCE
Guests are greeted with a stellar flower arrangement by Beato that changes weekly.
(Related: Chef Issey Araki makes his debut at a namesake restaurant)
Preludio
With themes changing periodically, the decor at Preludio is updated accordingly. Since Monochrome, the debut chapter with black and white tableware, art and other collaterals such as menus, each subsequent theme has been more elaborate. Chef-owner Fernando Arevalo cooks what he calls “Author’s Cuisine” that’s driven by a chef’s vision rather than an adherence to a genre or culture. Few places take this holistic vision as far as Preludio does. It even has an art director, Natalie Tan.
https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/gourmet-travel/designing-restaurants-with-intent/
New Slideshow
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SIGNS OF THE TIME
Preludio’s interiors change with each chapter – as shown here with the autumnal motifs for Time, its second chapter that was inspired by the concept of time and featured steampunk-themed collaterals to complement the dining experience.
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SIGNS OF THE TIME
Preludio’s interiors change with each chapter – as shown here with the autumnal motifs for Time, its second chapter that was inspired by the concept of time and featured steampunk-themed collaterals to complement the dining experience.
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CALLING IT
Its latest concept, Two Roads, lets diners choose between two distinct degustation menus. Those who can’t decide are given custom-made coins to flip for an answer.
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FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The sight of this unique bench greets guests when they enter the restaurant. Designed and manufactured in Arevalo’s home town of Bogota, Colombia, it conveys a sense of motion through an otherwise conventionally static material: concrete.
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PLATE CHANGES
Even the tableware changes with the seasons. This set from the Monochrome chapter was made with a technique that imprints the silhouette of real plants into glass.
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CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Each table has an objet d’art centrepiece that’s often commissioned to fit the ongoing theme. Old ones are sold, auctioned off or presented as memorabilia to friends of the restaurant.
(Related: The Meatsmith brand goes global)
Euphoria
Chef Jason Tan is one of the most successful locally-born chefs trained in classical French cuisine, and has built much of his career around his favourite vegetable, the onion, that features in his signature Oignon Doux Des Cevennes – a four-parter with the allium as a puree, tea, tart and a dehydrated chip. Euphoria, which he opened with partner Arissa Wang, has the onion front and centre, as well as in other interior elements such as the motifs conceptualised by Wang. The pair has also launched JTAW Design, a culinary design studio. The restaurant was its first project.
https://www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg/gourmet-travel/designing-restaurants-with-intent/
New Slideshow
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BULB WITH BEAUTY
The centrepiece, a brass-coated chandelier inspired by the multiple layers of an onion, was created as an art deco piece guests could admire upon entry. Weighing 300kg, it took four months to conceptualise and produce as its lighting effects had to be repeatedly tested in the restaurant space.
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BULB WITH BEAUTY
The centrepiece, a brass-coated chandelier inspired by the multiple layers of an onion, was created as an art deco piece guests could admire upon entry. Weighing 300kg, it took four months to conceptualise and produce as its lighting effects had to be repeatedly tested in the restaurant space.
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THE TIME
Tan, a horology fan, requested an onion-shaped clock for the kitchen.
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KNIVES OUT
Euphoria has one feature no other restaurant in the world owns: Damascus steak knives made by the Taiwanese blacksmith who produced the swords for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
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OVER THE GARDEN WALL
Paying homage to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Corner House –Tan’s former place of work – and his gastro-botanica cuisine, a section of the wall has been transformed into a green feature with, you’ve guessed it, an onion-shaped outline. It also happens to be under the skylight and gets lots of natural light.
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PLATING UP
Even Euphoria’s tableware is custom- made. It includes bread boxes carved from oak, ceramic plates, trays and bronze coasters, and all are inspired by the onion. There’s also a wooden puzzle box Tan uses for petit fours.
(Related: Theatrical, unorthodox omakase at Kappo Shunsui)
