Interview Responses: The Peak, Hashida

DENISE’S NOTES:

This was for a magazine feature. English is not Chef Hatch’s first language, so he does his best, then I do my best to convey his meaning. Read on to see how I edited.

1. WHAT WAS THE MOMENT THAT MADE YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO BECOME A CHEF?

THE UNEDITED RESPONSE

At first , My father was chef , I took over the business from him on 2017.
What / how start my Carrier working in the kitchen was 12years old I started help my father ,
But push myself decide to become chef
Was 18years old , during working as service .I saw the customers face just after ate sushi they smiles….
Even He did not say any joke.

The other one is when customers paying
And the moment customers leaving
Customer talked to my Dad , “ Oyaji we enjoyed a lot , we will back again soon thank you ! “ Oyaji is like Dad
Before sleep I was thinking actually/seriously who can call Oyaji to him is me…
I started to imagine I will be Chef and one day customers call me “ Oyaji” when I’m mature enough.

My father was a chef. We can say that I began my career at 12 years old, helping him out in the kitchen of the family restaurant. I enjoyed the work enough that I decided to push myself to become a chef.

When I worked at Hashida before taking over the business, there were many moments that renewed my decision.

I remember when I was 18, during service. I saw customers’ faces just after they had eaten my father’s sushi. Even though my father hadn’t cracked any jokes, they were smiling.

Another memory is when a group of customers called my dad “oyaji” while they were paying for their meal. They were saying, “Oyaji, we enjoyed the food a lot, we’ll be back again soon, thank you!” In Japanese, “oyaji” means dad. Before I fell asleep that night, I was thinking that as his son, the only person who can really call him “oyaji” is me. But for customers to be so familiar with him must mean that he was loved and respected. I started imagining becoming a chef like that, one day being mature and experienced enough that customers would call me “oyaji” too.

2. BEING A SUSHI CHEF IS SOMETHING SO STEEPED IN TRADITION AND YET, YOU ARE KNOWN FOR YOUR INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO THE CUISINE. HOW DO YOU FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN CREATING SOMETHING NEW AND STILL MAINTAINING SOME OF THE TRADITIONAL ASPECTS OF SUSHI-MAKING?

THE UNEDITED RESPONSE

I was just talking about something similar to this question. I was a teenager when I started working seriously at my father’s store, even carrying a knife. At that time, there were 4-5 people under my father’s supervision, and he was coaching me every day. My father’s master’s preparation My father taught me the preparation and seasoning methods used when the market was still in Nihonbashi. It’s not just once or twice; I first opened in Singapore in 2013, so we’ve been working together for over 15 years. The story goes back to when my father was doing his final training in Ginza before opening Hashida’s restaurant, and he had a senior chef who taught him a lot about cooking different from what he served at the restaurant. is. In Hashida Tokyo, my father served quite a variety of things, such as flounder meuniere and tamagoyaki with lamb raisins. At first glance, I learned how to cook by “playing with the ingredients” while knowing the history of cooking, rather than cooking by combining ingredients without knowing the basics. It may seem like there are a lot of different cuisines in Singapore, but there are some basics and I have a conversation with the ingredients. We didn’t serve tempura or fries for three years after we opened. This is marketing-wise. I went to Australia to pick up truffles. Then I use truffles. I also studied caviar thoroughly in Haruno Town, Shizuoka Prefecture. Then I use caviar. I take a close look at the ingredients before incorporating them into the menu. Are there any chefs like this?

As mentioned, I started working seriously at my father’s restaurant when I was young. My father coached me and 4 or 5 others every day. He taught me his master’s preparation and seasoning methods, the ones used when the market was still in Nihonbashi. This didn’t happen just once or twice; I first opened in Singapore in 2013, so before that we worked together for over 15 years. This is where I learnt tradition.

At the same time, the story also goes back to when my father was finishing his final training in Ginza before opening Hashida. There was a senior chef there who taught him a lot about cooking many different dishes. As a result, in Hashida Tokyo, my father served quite a variety of things, such as flounder meunière and tamagoyaki with lamb and raisins. From my father and in Hashida Tokyo, I learnt how to cook by “playing with the ingredients” while remaining sensitive to culinary history and tradition, rather than cooking by combining ingredients without knowing the basics.

In Singapore, there are a lot of different cuisines, but they share common elements. I always consider ingredients and the market carefully before creating something. For example, we didn’t serve tempura or fries for three years after we opened, because I knew it wasn’t the time. I’ve been to Australia to pick truffles to be used at the restaurant. I’ve also studied caviar thoroughly in Haruno, Shizuoka, before I decided to use it. I take a close look at the ingredients before incorporating them into the menu. The consideration is how I balance tradition and innovation.

3. AS A CHEF-OWNER, DO YOU THINK SOCIAL MEDIA IS A GOOD TOOL FOR RUNNING A RESTAURANT BUSINESS? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN YOUR INDUSTRY?

THE UNEDITED RESPONSE

I think social media is of course a good tool. It is convenient for business and for communicating with new customers and people. If you have photos of the sushi and dishes you made, you can present them anytime and anywhere. Another thing is that everyone has become a food critic. This is positive, and if it crosses the line, it is negative. Although it’s very rare, I came here to take pictures rather than enjoy pictures of the food. Some people feel that way. Regarding the taste of sake and food, if you have lunch time before coming to Hashida, go for breakfast. If it’s dinner time, the saltiness, sweetness, and bitterness you experience will change depending on what you have eaten, such as lunch or breakfast. With that in mind, I would like you to write some comments. I think the delicate taste of Japanese cuisine often gets lost after eating oily or rich foods. With that in mind, I change the seasoning and other things, but every day is a challenge to come up with beautiful presentation and seasoning. We also do our best to have people take pictures of each dish.

Social media is also useful for feedback and comments. I think that the delicate taste of Japanese cuisine is often lost if people have eaten oily or rich foods prior. If someone has breakfast before lunch at the restaurant, or lunch before dinner, then the saltiness, sweetness, and bitterness of the food and drink I serve will vary depending on what they ate beforehand. With that in mind, I tailor the seasoning and the experience to give customers the best. It is good for people to have meals before they eat with us and for them to share feedback in social media comments, so I learn more and I get even better at adapting what I serve. But it is challenging to come up with beautiful presentation and seasoning every day. We do our best to ensure people take pictures of each dish.

Another observation is that everyone has become a food critic. This is positive, but it can cross the line to become negative. Although it’s very rare, some people come just to take pictures rather than enjoy the food.

4. THE FOOD SCENE IS ALWAYS FAST-CHANGING. WHAT KIND OF DINING EXPERIENCE DO YOU THINK DINERS YEARN FOR THESE DAYS?

THE UNEDITED RESPONSE

I think in Singapore, customers use them differently depending on the occasion. Sushi restaurants basically serve seasonal fish, and when customers see seasonal fish, they feel the season. This flow was the way to enjoy sushi restaurants. Not only sushi but also Japanese entertainment has a culture where not only the provider but also the customer knows the content and enjoys seeing who performs the same performance. There are many ways to enjoy sushi/Japanese cuisine as well. Whenever I go to Kyoto in the summer, AYU:sweetfish is always served at every restaurant. . . I often hear this story from customers, but in this case too, the program is about AYU:sweetfish and the performer is a chef. What kind of dish would it turn out if I gave this seasonal food to this chef? How about having fun like that? At our restaurant, we try to make sure that even if you come in the same season, you can enjoy different dishes and presentation methods. I want sushi to be art and food to be entertainment.

Based on my experience in Singapore, I think what customers want depends on the occasion.

For example, sushi restaurants usually serve seasonal ingredients, like seasonal fish. When customers become aware of the change and flow of ingredients based on the time of the year, it creates a pattern where customers enjoy sushi restaurants based on the occasion.

In Japanese entertainment, there is also a culture of familiarity, where both the entertainers and the guests are familiar with what is being performed, and enjoy seeing repeat performances. Because of this, they often return to the same familiar places. But familiarity shouldn’t be the only thing customers want. In my opinion, there are many ways to enjoy sushi and Japanese cuisine. Whenever I go to Kyoto in the summer, Ayu (sweetfish) is served at every restaurant. I hear about this often from customers. In this scenario, the programme would be Ayu (sweetfish) and the performer is a chef. I think it would be fun to have performers interpret the same programme differently. It’s exciting to think about what kind of variations can be created.

At Hashida, we try to make sure that even if you come in the same season, you can enjoy different dishes and presentation methods. I want sushi to be art and food to be entertainment.

5. HAS THE USE OF INGREDIENTS CHANGED MUCH IN JAPANESE CUISINE OVER THE YEARS? IS THERE A HIGHER DEMAND FOR RARE INGREDIENTS TODAY COMPARED TO A FEW YEARS AGO?

THE UNEDITED RESPONSE

Rather than a demand for rare fish, the reality is that people are starting to eat deep-sea fish that they didn’t eat 40 years ago. This shows that Japan is catching too many fish. When I was a kid, you could buy three fish for $10, but now fish cost $25 each, and I think things like this will happen more and more in the future. Demand for farmed fish At the same time, there are visible and invisible problems such as ocean pollution and microplastic issues.If we don’t start solving them first, but we don’t act at the same time, it may become irreversible. not. I changed the name of the store after thinking about a lot of things. Formerly HASHIDA SUSHI SINGAPORE, now HASHIDA SINGAPORE. This restaurant uses sushi techniques other than those used in sushi restaurants, which is why the word sushi comes from the name. Another possibility is that there may not be any fish left to hold in 20 or 30 years. In the past, there was a dish that consisted of bite-sized pieces of rice topped with fish fillets, and it was called sushi! What will be will be …

Rather than a demand for rare fish, the reality is that people are starting to eat deep-sea fish they didn’t eat 40 years ago. This shows that there is overfishing in Japan – reaching deeper because there isn’t enough. When I was a kid, you could buy three fish for $10, but now fish cost $25 each, and I think things like this will happen more and more in the future. There is also a growing demand for farmed fish.

At the same time, there are visible and invisible problems such as ocean pollution and microplastic issues. If we don’t start solving them first, and we don’t act, these problems may become irreversible.

I changed the name of my restaurant after a lot of thinking related to this. Formerly it was known as Hashida Sushi Singapore, now Hashida Singapore. For one, the restaurant uses techniques beyond those typically found in sushi restaurants, which is why I have decided to leave out “sushi” from the name. More importantly, there is a real possibility that there may not be any fish left to hold in 20 or 30 years. Perhaps, in the future, the story of sushi might go like this, “in the past, there was a dish made up of bite-sized pieces of rice topped with fish fillets, and it was called sushi!”.

hey, it's denise