In the stylish, sultry Sushi Hibiki, located within The Shoppes at Four Seasons Place, there is always a sense of theatre. It starts as you walk through its ancient wooden door, a centuries-old artefact from Japan’s Tokugawa period, which the restaurant’s executive owner Chef Makoto Saito transported from his native Japan. And as you enter through its charming corridor, you find yourself in the main dining room, suffused with lilting jazz – a tribute by Chef Saito to his first apprenticeship and his jazz-loving sensei. This was the setting for Volume 16 of Echo In The Night, a successful series of chef collaborations by Sushi Hibiki.
The chef pairing for this evening was none other than the illustrious Darren Chin of the one Michelin-starred DC Restaurant who fondly recalls his early days of friendship with the globe-trotting Chef Saito, going back some six years. “Over time, we’ve developed a beautiful relationship, shared cooking stories and encouraged each other on the road to culinary perfection which is equally difficult to achieve,” he says in his opening address to the dinner guests. “Our motivation with this menu is to celebrate our friendship through our craft – as each of the dishes represents each of us.”
And with that, the Echo In The Night menu kicked off with Sushi Hibiki’s 10 Types of Winter Vegetables which included baby radish, pumpkin, eggplant, lightly charred lotus root spices with ginger slivers among others. Then came a palate refresher from DC Restaurant – a seasonal hairy crab sourced from the famous Yancheng Lake in China’s Jiangsu Province, topped with crab roe, Bentong ginger and local Osetra caviar. This was paired to a Senkin sake – warmed to 45 degrees by sommelier Justin Ho of DC Restaurant. According to Ho, the yin-yang interplay of warm sake to the cold ingredients of the hairy crab dish was intended to release secret essences such as shoyu characteristocs from the ingredients.
Next came the sashimi of line-caught wild Striped Jack (shima aji) and mackerel, the latter smoked with rice straws and served with a side of wasabi, ginger and leek. An even warmer serving of sake – this time at 60 degrees – offered the additional layers of complexity on this moreish bite. The signature Shiro Amadai of Sushi Hibiki followed – rare White Tilefish in a clear soup, where both the head and bones of the fish are simmered to flavour the rich dashi. Then, came the unctuous Tossaki – tuna hand roll using the umami-rich fatty meat near the fish head – and Japanese tiger prawn.
An interlude from DC Restaurant would ensue: a pasta dish of Scottish hand-picked scallops infused with basil oil, broken Beurre Blanc sauce, watercress puree and marble gluten-free pasta. This dish was developed following Chef Chin’s extensive travels where he encountered the ruins of Pompeii and researched garum – a condiment of fermented fish sauce made in ancient Rome – giving the dish ‘a push of umami.’
With the growing crescendo of flavours, came the Kohada (gizzard shad) and Anago (salt water eel) by Sushi Hibiki. The strong fish taste of the Kohada – a symbol of Tokyo sushi – dovetailed with powerful waves of Kamoshibito Kuheiji ‘Kyoden’ Junmai Daiginjo. This sake utilises Omachi rice from the Okayama Prefecture – the oldest rice used in sake production – polished to 40 per cent and results in an earthy mouthfeel and floral aromas. Just as it did the Kohada, the sake also added dimensions to the grilled anago, shaved and wrapped in bamboo leaf and brushed with teriyaki sauce. A ‘Sake Friends’ assortment by Chef Saito then offered Shirako, monkfish liver, cod roe, mentaiko and marinated squid on a plate for a medley of textures and flavours.
Throughout the evening, the slow sizzle of lamb racks on a Binchotan grill by Chef Chin was a precursor of what was to come. Seared intermittently to render the fat, the rack of lamb arrived with Romesco sauce and garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds. This was adroitly paired with the Pommard Premier Cru by Domaine Kuheiji – a deep Pinot Noir redolent with dark berries, ripe plums and finish of leather, chocolate and pepper. This Burgundy, the fruit of generational sake makers who trained in the art of winemaking, is made extra special with the interplay of its chewy tannins and the lamb’s natural flavours.
To end the meal, the torch was relayed to DC Restaurant’s pastry chef Hazel Chan who presented her dark chocolate St Honoré; a base of puff pastry, surrounded by mini dark chocolate, caramel choux filled with salted caramel sauce, raspberry jam and topped with a dark chocolate Chantilly with ganache and salted dark chocolate. For this, Chan uses 70 per cent cacao local Kelantanese Malaysian single origin dark chocolate – awarded the World 50 Best at the Cocoa of Excellence Program in 2021 – a fitting finale to the 2022 finale of Echo In The Night which tantalised diners looking forward to 2023’s incoming renditions.
Photos & Video: Ting Yang Shan / Poopeson
