Hashida Sushi: From Kachidoki to Mandarin Gallery

Itamae (Sushi Chef) Tomoo Kimura

Hashida Sushi is the first overseas extension of the original "Hashida Honten" which is based in Kachidoki, Tokyo, and helmed by grandmaster Tokio Hashida. Hashida Sushi in Singapore, located in the Mandarin Gallery is being overseen by the son, Kenjiro "Hatch" Hashida, a graduate of the prestigious L'Ecole Tsuji Tokyo, the top culinary school in Tokyo and he has also apprenticed with his father since he was 14 years old. "Hatch"-san travels back and forth to manage operations in the Singapore outlet and the suppliers back in Japan.

The restaurant opened to much fanfare and publicity all over the online community, food magazines and newspapers alike. Specializing in Edomae Sushi as well, it was another place I was glad to strike off my "To-Eat Places" list, as I headed down for lunch. Opting for the Ayame Set Lunch at $120++, I sat down in eager anticipation of the sushi.

Steamed Yuba (Beancurd Skin) with Oolong Jelly and Ikura

For the amuse bouche, a refreshing beancurd and oolong jelly teased the palate lightly, with the ikura and wasabi providing a little oomph into the otherwise bland but clean tasting yuba

Scallop Chawanmushi (Steamed Egg)

For the second appetizer, a piping hot bowl of chawanmushi with a lightly seared Hokkaido scallop and mushrooms. Now I am generally not a fan of chawanmushi, but what really stood out for me was the fragrance of the dashi (cooking stock made from primarily kelp) which wafted through my nostrils and increasing my appetite. The egg was curdly and pillowy, with the scallop and mushrooms providing some much needed texture and umami to the dish.

Hirame (Flounder)

Commencing the Sushi Course was the Hirame. Fresh, clean and light, like how good hirame should be at any top restaurant.

Kinmedai ("Gold-eyed" Sea Bream. A member of the "tai" (Sea Bream/Snapper) Family

Similar to its predecessor, the Kinmedai possessed similar characteristics, with the exception of the texture, this being slightly more chewy and crunchy.

Buri (Adult Yellowtail)

I was a little surprised when they served up the Buri as it was much more pinkish in colour whereas the one in Shinji was more pale. Taste wise, it was similar to the above 2 as mentioned.

Maguro-zuke (Marinated Tuna)

Moving on to the Akami-dane (Red meat fish), we started out with the Maguro-zuke. The tuna was sliced and marinated in special soy sauce for a while before being moulded onto rice and served. The soy sauce provided a much deeper taste profile to the lean tuna. With the sweet, savoury rice that gave an essential temperature contrast, this was a very well-executed nigiri flying the flag of Edomae Sushi high. However, I could not help noticing that the flavours were not so intense as expected. Perhaps if the tuna was left in the soy sauce a little longer, it could have provided a better finish.

Ikura and Uni Rice bowl

I was taken aback when Tomoo-san served up this dish. "Was my lunch ending already?" Thankfully it was not. Imagine savoury, salty umami bombs in the form of ikura (salmon roe) together with rich, luscious and creamy uni (Sea urchin), topped onto their signature shari (sushi rice). The flavours in this bowl were explosive, the textures so varied and seductive. I could have seconds of this anytime.

Asari Miso (Clams in miso soup)

A half-time palate cleanser, the miso here was lighter in colour, but the flavours much more complex with a greater finish, with the clams adding a pleasant sweetness to the soup. This was heartwarming and soothing after a barrage of different sensations from the Ikura and Uni rice bowl.

Aburi Taira-gai (Lightly seared Penshell clam)

Tomoo-san seared the Taira-gai lightly to give it a little lift and bounce in texture. It was tender and chewy at the same time, with a little smokiness from the blow-torching process.

Tomoo-san giving us a lesson on Tuna Anatomy 101

Tomoo-san took out from the chiller, a big block of tuna and enthusiastically explained the various parts of the hunk of tuna. This tuna block came from a tuna which weighed about a hundred kilograms. I was told that even for otoro itself, there were different grades of it, depending on which part of the fish it comes from. For top end Sushi Restaurants, Tomoo-san told us that they would serve tuna which originates from the noten (top of the head), hoho (cheek) and kama (back of the cheek). He also showed us the medium fatty and lean portions used for chutoro and akami respectively.

Chutoro (Medium Fatty Tuna)

Concluding the Ayame Set Lunch was the Chutoro. The little strains of fat added boosted the taste profile of the tuna dramatically, and the rice once again, played the important role of balancing the flavours.


It all happened pretty fast. Too fast in fact, that I was still a little perturbed when Tomoo-san told us it was over, and asked if we wanted any additional items. I was still left unsatisfied, so I asked if they had kohada (gizzard shad) or akagai (red clam). It was not my day as Hashida does not sell kohada (due to it's often fishy nature which Singaporeans tend to dislike), and the akagai shipment had not arrived yet.

Engawa (Dorsal fin of the flounder)

Tomoo-san felt a little sorry for us, and so he kindly threw in a complementary nigiri of Engawa. This was a rare item for Edomae sushi, as the dorsal fin of one single flounder, can only be portioned into 4 nigiri pieces. Furthermore, Engawa is usually served to regular customers of the itamae who have established a friendly and long-term relationship. Chewy, crunchy and flavourful.

Kama-otoro (Otoro from the back of the cheek of the Tuna. This was an additional order )

I would not be able to live with the fact that I went to Hashida and left without having the prized otoro, so I decided to add this on as my final nigiri. The marbling was just unreal, and it was so melt-in-the-mouth tender, that when I chewed, my teeth touched the shari, with the fish already dissipating ever so quickly in the mouth with its sky-high fat content.

Fresh Japanese Orange Wedges and Ichigo (Strawberries)

For dessert I was hoping to have the mizu manju (water dumpling) that I saw in other online articles, or "Hatch"-san's macarons (He also happens to be a pastry chef). But I had no complaints with the really sweet strawberries and orange wedges, which concluded the meal nicely.

The food quality here was unquestionable, with fresh items flown in from Japan directly twice a week, but there were some other aspects other than the food which I was disappointed by.

Firstly, was the pace of the meal. This entire lunch set lasted less than an hour including preparation time by the chef. It felt rushed and I found myself unable to take my time to really taste the sushi properly.

Another aspect which did not sit well with me was the progression of the sushi course. We started out with 3 pieces of the shiromi-dane (white fish) but then deviated and went off tangent when Tomoo-san presented the uni and ikura rice bowl so early in the course, which misled my companions and I into thinking that was the end, and then moving back to akami-dane again.

Lastly and more importantly was the value of the set lunch. There was a little too much emphasis on the shiromi-dane and because of this, we did not have items like the kuruma ebi (cartwheel shrimp) and anago (sea eel). The otoro, despite its mind-blowing nature, costed a whopping $45++.

To be fair to Hashida however, the otoro was undeniably the best I've had so far compared to the numerous places I have been to, and the shari here edges out Shinji's due to its stronger flavour and temperature contrast, with the right balance of sweet, savoury and sour. Also, I noticed that the chefs here were more lively and engaging to the guests (credit to the cheerful and affable nature of Chef Tomoo) which contributed to the much livelier, albeit noisier environment. Also, the other intricate items for the guests like the oshibori (hot wet towel) provided both before and after the meal, the smooth hinoki (cypress wood) sushi counter, and finger towel for guests to wipe their hands on after using them to eat the sushi, were all present.

Between the 2? My vote goes to Shinji for giving me better value, and a more traditional experience with an intimate setting and quieter atmosphere. But the quality and form of Hashida Sushi cannot be understated as well with the high quality ingredients used and the skills of the chefs. With a little re-engineering of the Set Lunch menus and a better usage of time, Hashida is fully capable of delivering a wonderful Omakase worthy of any taste buds. 

Hashida Sushi
333A Orchard Road

#02-37 Mandarin Gallery
Singapore 238897

Open from Tuesdays to Sundays

Lunch: 12pm - 3pm

Dinner: 7pm - 10pm

6733 2114

Nearest MRT Station: Orchard

Link to their website