Cedar Later /Hazuki

T (June '23)

SCORE: Bring yo' friends. Great omakase and they are going to start a la carte

ORDER: Omakase with the shabu shabu (dinner)

VALUE: Good for high end Japanese, but not cheap. Probably about $550 with drinks. It was about $200 for a teetotal lunch

I've always loved Japan (and, I know, I know, who doesn't?). One of my closest friends growing up is Japanese and she took me to Disneyland when I was 18. We went a little nuts that trip and I ended up selling worn underthings to fund a return trip home (or possibly an MD stereo, it was either or and I had to have both). I've resisted some of the obsessions others I know have - I like the teas but lack the zen to whip my own, I like kakigori but prefer bingsu, I enjoyed Tsukiji but actually like it more now... sacrilege, I know. One thing I do struggle to resist though, is a value-for-quality omakase. I realise that this is not the usual term to employ but I appreciate the results of the hidden hand. Great ingredients, at their prime, prepared to make the best of them, command a premium. It was a lesson I learnt at my first ever Omakase, a breakfast outside Tsukiji, which cost £200 in 1999. I mean. Ouch. I would have gone back if I could've afforded it. That meal changed my life. I remember, years later, reading Anthony Bourdain's account of when he first tried oysters. It took me right back to that moment where I was confronted by my first uni. I hated it. It was only years later at Cepage (run by Sebastien Lepinoy, now at Les Amis) that I first enjoyed uni, and even later, at Nagomi in 2016, that I started to really enjoy and seek it. Anyhow, I digress - the point I wanted to make was that I very rarely embrace fancy Japanese, because it normally just doesn't justify the price. This changed for me with /Hazuki.

The first thing about Hazuki is that it is unexpectedly located close to Books Kinokuniya in Ngee Ann City. I mean, who puts fine dining in Takashimaya? Here though, it really works. The heavy doors block out retail muzak and the scents of Paul Bakery, and instead guests are welcomed into a comely, Gucci decorated lounge. There is a fragrance in the air that I initially thought was Le Labo, but was told came from the century old cedar place settings. The scent, whatever it is, is delicious. I ordinarily resent strong smells in restaurants, it can really mess with the way I perceive flavour, but this was warming and faded fairly quickly. I can never work out if the team gives the wood a rub prior to seating people.

The meal always opens with a cool appetiser, often with a well textured dashi/kombu/shisho jelly, one of those perfect aperitif style textures and flavours. There is also always a version of the dish du jour (as opposed to a plat du jour because this pun is so weak, I had to explain it), chawanmushi. I'm not sure where the trend came from, perhaps the uni pudding from Lolla, but I'm a sucker for a good chawanmushi. My standards have definitely changed though - a lifetime of economy rice (steamed egg, meat patty, tofu/veg + curry sauce, please!) meant I was generally happy as long as the egg was smooth. Recent experiences (Zen did a game changing chawanmushi with crab last year that I wanted to wake up with) have got me appreciating a more refined flavour and delicate filling. Sorry, Kuriya Market, that chicken ain't gonna cut it anymore (but please keep the gingko and ikura!). At Hazuki, the chawanmushi is always good but sometimes the egg seems a little bland compared to a stronger sauce on top. I suspect this is my own preference.

The sashimi course is always excellent. I've used the most recent (lunch) picture, which was a little less involved than the dinner iterations. The cooked seafood course that follows is classic Japanese. Intricate, seasonal, perfectly textured.

Where Hazuki splits from "very good $200 omakase" level into "Ok, this is a level up" is when the tempura starts showing. Every example I have ever had has been interesting, non-greasy, served with care and with guidance on how to finish it. There may be a little nugget of melting butter, flakes of salt and lemon, everything has that consideredness that I associate with the Japanese quest for excellence. The pictures are from the lunch service. I can't get enough of the salt.

I realise that it is cheating and confusing to blend meals, but I wanted to give a look-in to the dinner additions that make coming for dinner so worthwhile. A seasonal option and a shabu shabu is included. The following pics are from my first visit during snow crab season...

The last dish that bridges both lunch and dinner is the donabe. It is always plentiful, so much so that we end up doggy bagging leftovers as onigiri. Calling it a doggy bag is doing it a disservice though, when it is so beautifully presented. We went home from lunch with four onigiri.

Lunch ended with a simple dessert, while dinner has a fruit course, then a double dessert. I find the two-grape/single slice of musk melon approach to desserts a little sad, despite how full I normally am. Monaka is a great alternative! I especially like the mochi layer at Hazuki.

All in, I love this place. It is perfect for a thank you or a birthday, something luxe without feeling like a rip off.

/Hazuki