This was part of a brand refresh for a premium Japanese restaurant. Here’s an overview of the process:

• Research, research, research.
  • Hashida is eponymous and serves omakase, which meant knowing the chef would be integral to establishing an understanding of the brand and how it should be spoken about. I scoured the net extensively to piece together a timeline of the chef’s progression, his culinary style, and every other detail: any offhand mention of a dish’s inspiration, hobbies, childhood memories, etc. in articles, interviews, videos, and social media posts.
  • Can’t forget market research and competitor analysis. This involved identifying unique selling points, researching the faces of competitors and sussing out their positioning, surveying consumer perception, comparing menu prices, etc.

• Q&A sessions with the client.
  • To align goals and define a target audience.

Hashida wanted:

1. A name for their cuisine — the chef hated anyone calling his food “fusion” or “contemporary”, he thought it trite and reductive.
2. A solid brand story. Because the chef is well known for doing wacky things with food and being a fairly unserious guy, we decided the brand story needed to be something that demonstrated his actual depths. In other words, we wanted everyone to know that he isn’t just flying by the seat of his pants.

Examples of questions I asked:

1. In your opinion as a chef, how is Hashida different from other premium Japanese restaurants also serving the same cuisine?
2. What are some skills and proficiencies you have developed beyond the culinary realm that contribute to your identity as a “rebel” chef with unconventional perspectives? Please share some examples. (For example, Nick Bril of The Jane in Antwerp is well-known for also being a professional DJ; Gaggan Anand was a drummer in local rock bands before beginning his culinary career.)

• Deck part 1: Project background.
  • Condensing and structuring the flow of all information about the chef’s identity, his philosophies, the food, and the restaurant’s interiors, then picking out key points.

• Deck part 2: Messaging pillars.
  • Synthesising all content to construct key descriptors of the brand and experience, ensuring narrative flow.

About Chef Hatch — Identity

Early Life and Inspirations

• Chef Hatch’s grandmother was the proprietor of a grocery located within Tsukiji Market. The journey to the shop would take Hatch past an array of stores, including one owned by a friend’s family and another specialising in dried bonito, where he would habitually grab some shaved bonito to eat.

This is a treasured memory of an environment where children could interact freely with their surroundings, which allowed Chef Hatch’s curiosity to blossom.

The early spirit of inquisitiveness is woven into Chef Hatch’s philosophies of deriving inspiration from his experiences and lifelong learning.

Young Adulthood and Personal Development

• At the age of 21, Chef Hatch went on an exchange programme to the University of California, Los Angeles to study English. The impetus for embarking on the exchange programme was to become fluent enough in English to converse with Johnny Depp, an idol and inspiration of his at the time.

Hatch’s action taken to realise this eccentric life goal is unconventional, and highlights adventurousness, free-spiritedness, and optimism.

• Determined to develop fluency in English and to outperform his peers, Chef Hatch would stay up till the wee hours studying on the daily.

This exemplifies competitiveness, diligence, and dedication.

• Exposure to the culture and landscape of Los Angeles and Hawaii, so vastly different from and unfolding on a grander scale than that of Japan, imparted to Chef Hatch the impression that he was a small fish in a big pond.

The understanding that he had come from a place that was ideologically “contained” broadened his worldview and inspired him to continue expanding his perspectives.

• Especially during periods of travel, Chef Hatch has connected in unexpected ways with a diverse group of individuals, often owing to peculiar circumstances and leading to uncommon experiences.

Chef Hatch weaves these memories into his self-concept, seeing them as sources of growth and inspiration. The profound influence he attributes to these occurrences speaks to his sentimentality and the depths at which he treasures relationships and experiences.

Art and Fashion

• After graduating from culinary school, Chef Hatch spent a year attempting to make a living selling his artwork on the streets. Although he did not sell much and experienced frustration at the lack of success, Chef Hatch was determined to hold out for a year to truly assess his prospects. This was a display of tenacity and dedication to his interests.

• Walt Disney, Salvador Dali, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Taro Okamoto, and Alexander Calder are Chef Hatch’s favourite artists. Though renown for work in different media, these artists share approaches that characterise art as a universal language, heighten the accessibility of artwork for all, and popularise unique creations.

Chef Hatch, inspired by Pierre Gagnaire’s title of “Picasso of the Kitchen”, wishes to be known as the “Dali of the Kitchen”. The key inspiration he has derived from Dali’s work is the act of producing art that is public and accessible, taking for example the ubiquitous Chupa Chups logo that Dali designed in 1969. This highlights the idealistic aspect of his character, which seeks to democratise.

• John Galliano is Chef Hatch’s favourite fashion designer; he feels that they share a similar philosophy of distilling experiences, memories and insights to create inventive pieces with personal twists.

About Chef Hatch — Guiding Principles and Philosophies

1. Shu ha ri (守破離): Learning from the past to develop an original style; to keep with tradition, innovate, and transcend.

This philosophy most clearly manifests in Chef Hatch’s skilful reproductions of heritage recipes. as well as his creative incorporation of traditional wisdom in the blends of multi-disciplinary techniques and global inspirations that make up Chef Hatch’s culinary style.

2. Shōmi hakkei (賞味八景): The thoughtful appraisal and synthesis of memories and inspirations derived from encounters and experiences, founding crystallisations of knowledge, stories, cultures, and so on to be meaningfully expressed and shared in dishes.

• Shōmi (賞味): To relish, savour, enjoy.
• Hakkei (八景): The Eight Views, an East Asian term alluding to the most beautiful or significant scenes of a specific environment. In art and poetry, The Eight Views is a manner of scenery valuation selecting the eight finest sceneries of a region.

This philosophy is evident in Chef Hatch’s culinary innovations, such as in unique flavour combinations or the employment of diverse techniques to craft inventive new dishes.

3. Ryuu ryuu shin ku (粒々辛苦): To work assiduously, step by step; diligence; resilience.

Lifelong learning, persistence, and attention to detail are important to Chef Hatch’s perspectives and practices. His tenacity frequently shows in his dogged pursuits of refining his approaches and mastering the craft of specific dishes, with consistent experimentation, dedicated research, and constant ideation.

The three philosophies meet in a capacity to tirelessly strive for continual growth, Chef Hatch’s fearless innovation firmly anchored in masterful grasp of tradition; openness to learning and accumulation of skill; and the determination and grit to toil for acuity and perfection.

About Hashida Singapore — Food and Stories

November Menu

The dishes are embodiments of Chef Hatch’s philosophies Shu ha ri (守破離) and Shōmi hakkei (賞味八景), telling stories of Chef Hatch’s identity, growth, and important memories.

Hōba chestnut miso, amadai, oyster, spinach, turnip, apple

• Chef Hatch’s first experience in the kitchen was at the tender age of three, emerging from the combination of a child’s innocent curiosity and his own brand of innate sentimentality. When his favourite kindergarten teacher shared that she enjoyed snacks of sliced cucumber dipped in miso, he was galvanised into action. He persuaded his mother to accompany him to the market; then, handed a knife, little Hatch carefully cut cucumbers into veggie sticks and prepared the snack himself. Now that he is farther along on his culinary journey, he crafts his very own miso.

Ankimo

• Chef Hatch’s signature, developed in 2008. Molecular gastronomy was the most popular culinary trend at the time. Though excited by the movement, Chef Hatch ultimately felt that Japanese cuisine was unparalleled. Driven by the intent to spread appreciation of Japanese cuisine then and in the future, Chef Hatch designed this signature to be an impactful, progressive competitor. In Chef Hatch’s words, the dish delivers “punchy, small bites”.

About Hashida Singapore — Space

• The restaurant features three distinct dining spaces, where Chef Hatch invites guests on a journey through the ‘Hashida Universe’. It is a fresh approach to Japanese fine dining that goes beyond traditional Edomae sushi, for which the restaurant has been renowned since its debut in Singapore in 2013.

• In Room A, a mesmerising structure constructed from washi paper is suspended from the ceiling. It most closely resembles an expanse of the moon. In the implementation of this design, Chef Hatch was inspired by the storied symbolism, romantic mythology, and scientific mystery of the celestial body and outer space. Ultimately, the reference to astronomy serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness and universality of the human experience, communicating that life is about discovery, and that we are united in our shared view of the moon from our place on Earth.

• Room B is distinctly traditional, featuring thatched awnings and the same Hiba wood in Room A. Aptly located beyond the torii in the hallway and constructed entirely out of wood, this room is the reproduction of a saisen-bako, an offertory box found within shrines as one journeys down the Sandō pathway.

• Found hanging above the entrance of Room O, the sign reading “笑門” – romanised shomon, warakado – is a play on the proverb “warau kado ni wa fuku kitaru (笑う角には福きたる)”, which imparts the wisdom that good fortune comes to a place of laughter and positivity. This sign is commonly found decorating restaurant entrances; a bigger version graces the entrance of Hashida Tokyo.