Famed Japanese restaurant Narisawa to run debut residency in Singapore

Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa of the two-Michelin-starred restaurant will helm the five-week pop-up and plans to forage indigenous ingredients from forests in Southeast Asia.

By Kenneth SZ Goh / 13 Feb 2023

mandala club, Narisawa

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Diners can expect a slice of the lush forests of Southeast Asia served on their plates at acclaimed Japanese-French restaurant Narisawa’s maiden residency in Singapore at the Mandala Club from 24 March to 30 April.

Chef Yoshihiro Narisawa will be based in Singapore, together with his brigade of about 15 staff from the Tokyo restaurant, which has received two Michelin stars and is ranked No. 15 on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2022 list. Narisawa, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, will close for renovations during this period.

This five-week chef residency is part of the Mandala Masters programme by the private members club, which has organised pop-ups by prolific chefs such as Virgilio Martínez and Pia Léon, Gaggan Anand and Mauro Colagreco.

Narisawa is famed for its innovative ‘satoyama’ cuisine, which takes a ‘soil-to-hand’ approach with the use of seasonal indigenous ingredients from forests that are steeped in time-honoured Japanese culture in its omakase menu. The restaurant, which is also a recipient of the Michelin Green Star, is known for its strong focus on sustainability and zero food wastage practices.

About half of the dishes on the menu of Narisawa’s Singapore pop-up will be new. Existing dishes will also be given a twist with use of local and regional ingredients. While the menu is still being firmed up, diners can expect the signature Bread of the Forest, which allows diners to see the bread’s natural yeast work its magic amid a breathtaking floral setting on the dining table.

Prices start from $518++ for lunch and from $748++ for dinner.

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For his Singapore outing, Narisawa is keen to take advantage of the Republic’s strategic location to explore ingredients in forests in Malaysia and Indonesia, and pair them with Japanese ingredients in his dishes.

Speaking at a press event at Mandala Club, he says in Japanese, which was translated by his son, Leo: “The most beautiful ingredients can be found in the jungle, and they hold so much ancestral knowledge that are passed through different generations.”

He also shared his experience of being on a foraging trail in Malaysia, and is looking forward to exploring the jungles in the region. He says: “I want to explore ingredients such as rattan that are uncommon, but are still edible.”

Narisawa hopes to replicate the experience of dining at his Tokyo restaurant in Singapore. The setting of the pop-up will be more intimate, with around 20 to 24 people per seating, as compared to 50 in the previous editions of the Mandala Masters programme.

Kenneth SZ Goh

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Drinks-wise, the Narisawa pop-up will offer sake and Japanese wine to pair with the cuisine. Some of the tipples, which are made exclusively for Narisawa, will make their debut pours in Singapore. Sakes include Iwa, which is created by former Dom Pérignon Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy, and those from Toyama sake company Masuda Shuzo, which has collaborated with Iwa.

Narisawa, who will open a Shanghai outpost in May, adds: “This residency is a fantastic opportunity for me to share my passion for sustainable and delicious cuisine with the people of Singapore. It’s my goal to connect diners to nature, as I believe that sustainable sourcing of ingredients is a chef’s most sacred responsibility.”

Reservations for dining slots start from Feb 20 for Mandala Club members and Feb 23 for the public, and they can be made here.

mandala club, Narisawa