Whereas I used to be on trip in Thailand, I obtained an sudden message on Instagram from Hatsune, a Japanese restaurant in Amsterdam I had by no means heard of earlier than. They reached out as a result of that they had learn my articles on Yamazato and Hokkai Kitchen and loved my strategy. They invited me for a complimentary meal in change for a assessment on the weblog and Instagram.
Initially, I hesitated. My ‘day job’ as a strategic advisor offers me with the monetary independence to run this weblog precisely as I please. I’ve at all times turned down paid collaborations as a result of I worth the luxurious of having the ability to write precisely what I feel with none exterior stress. If that they had requested for a optimistic assessment in change for a free meal, I’d have declined instantly.
Nonetheless, Hatsune’s strategy was completely different. They didn’t demand reward; they merely requested for a assessment. Two components satisfied me to take them up on it. First, the benchmark: by citing my deep-dives into Yamazato and Hokkai, they knew precisely what sort of ‘nerd’ they have been inviting. They weren’t searching for a typical ‘influencer’ submit; they have been inviting a discriminating palate. Second, the information: a fast test of their 4.8-star ranking on Google advised that the chance of a subpar expertise was low. My empirical aspect was curious to see if the fact lived as much as the digital repute.
I need to be clear with my readers: my opinion is just not on the market. I don’t plan on actively soliciting free meals, and this can stay a sporadic incidence at most. I accepted this invitation as a one-time experiment to see how a restaurant that appears to goal excessive performs after they know a critic is in the home. I accepted with some trepidation that my readers may suppose my independence had been compromised. However as you will note from the small print under, my Dutch directness stays totally intact. The truth is, I’ll inform you proper now: the last word take a look at of any assessment is whether or not I’d spend my very own cash there. By the tip of this text, you’ll know why I already plan to return to Hatsune as a full-paying buyer.
Hatsune not too long ago opened on Beethovenstraat in Amsterdam. This location is a strategic selection; the realm borders Buitenveldert and Amstelveen, the place the Japanese group has been concentrated because the Sixties and 70s when main Japanese firms established their European headquarters there.
The restaurant makes a speciality of kaiseki and kappo delicacies, together with tempura kaiseki. Kaiseki is Japanese haute delicacies—a structured multi-course meal designed to focus on the seasons by means of exact preparation and inventive presentation. It consists of an appetizer (Sakizuke), transferring to a soup or steamed dish (Wanmono/Mushimono), adopted by sashimi (Mukozuke), a fried course (Agemono), and concluding with the obligatory rice set (Shokuji) and a seasonal dessert (Mizumono). Kappo actually means to chop and to prepare dinner. It’s a extra direct, intimate type of eating the place the chef prepares and serves every chunk on to the visitor. Hatsune leans towards the kaiseki custom, because the chef solely appeared on the finish of the meal, although the kappo factor is evident in how the tempura is served.
Chef Mitsuhiro Narita brings a critical pedigree to the kitchen. He served as an teacher and chef on the Tsuji Culinary Institute Group in Japan and performed a key position in opening Brushstroke in Tribeca, New York. That restaurant, a collaboration with David Bouley, centered on integrating conventional kaiseki with native components and was awarded a Michelin star.
At Hatsune, the main focus is on the pure essence of every ingredient quite than heavy seasoning or the distraction of elaborate decor and music. The inside is unassuming and minimalist, which feels authentically Japanese.
For dinner, the restaurant gives three set menus: Tempura Kaiseki (120 euros), Basic Kaiseki (120 euros), or Particular Kaiseki (150 euros). There is no such thing as a a la carte possibility. The sake and wine pairings are each priced at 45 euros, whereas a non-alcoholic pairing is accessible for 35 euros. Reservations are important, as there are solely six tables and the components are bought recent each day.
I opted for the Tempura Kaiseki. I’ve a fantastic affinity for tempura, and I additionally contemplate it a wonderful benchmark for judging a kitchen’s technical proficiency. Serving tempura that’s gentle and crispy quite than heavy and soggy is a feat that requires years of specialised coaching to excellent. The waiter advised the sake pairing over the wine pairing, a suggestion I used to be comfortable to observe.
To get issues began, a moist towel was provided to wash our arms, and a small sip of a impartial sake to wash our palate.
The primary sake was a Vega from Abe Brewery in Niigata. This can be a Junmai with a contemporary profile: light-bodied, low in alcohol (13%), and excessive in acidity. The stability between sweetness and acidity jogged my memory of a Mosel Riesling, making it a sensible choice for the primary dish.
The primary dish was shira-ae, a conventional seasonal salad. On this model, crunchy and barely candy kaki fruit (persimmon) was wearing a creamy sauce of mashed tofu and toasted sesame, seasoned with dashi, sugar, and soy. It was a sublime mixture, the place the nutty, creamy dressing completely complemented the crunchy and barely candy fruit.
The subsequent sake was a Hakkaisan Yukimuro Junmai Daiginjo 3 Years Snow Aged. This sake is matured for 3 years in a conventional snow-cooled storage room (yukimuro), which maintains a gentle temperature of three levels Celsius. The getting older course of leads to a easy and rounded profile.
This was pairing for the chawanmushi with crab surimi and black truffle, the signature dish of the restaurant. Chawanmushi is a steamed savory egg custard; this model had a silky texture and a superbly balanced, elegant taste profile.
The third sake was Yamamoto Yamahai Junmai Ginjo, made utilizing the standard yamahai technique. This system permits for pure lactic acid improvement throughout fermentation, leading to a extra complicated and earthy profile.
The savory depth of the sake labored properly with the sashimi course of sea bream and tuna. The ocean bream had been marinated between layers of kelp, and every fish was served with its personal particular seasoning: soy sauce for the tuna and tosa-zu for the ocean bream. Tosa-zu is a seasoned vinegar constituted of soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar infused with katsuobushi for further umami. The tuna was sourced in Spain and I assumed it was a humorous element that the ocean bream was sourced from the native Albert Cuyp market in Amsterdam.
The fourth sake was Kakurei Yukimuro Junmai Ginjo from Aoki Shuzo in Niigata. Just like the Hakkaisan, this sake is aged in a snow-cooled storage room (yukimuro), however it’s a Junmai Ginjo quite than a Daiginjo. This maturation course of creates a easy, well-rounded character with a clear end. It gives delicate fruit notes and a barely richer physique than the earlier sakes, making it pairing for the tempura.
The uncooked components for the tempura have been proven and defined earlier than being returned to the kitchen to be ready and served one after the other. Serving every bit individually ensures the right crispy texture and temperature are maintained, as each deteriorate shortly after frying. This paced strategy additionally permits the visitor to concentrate on and savor every ingredient.
The tempura was served with three seasonings to be utilized to style: a basic dipping sauce of dashi with soy sauce and grated daikon, matcha salt, and lemon salt. The waiter offered a really useful pairing for every course.
The primary course was shrimp, which included each the tail and the top. All the tempura featured a wonderfully crispy, gentle coating that enhanced the pure taste of the components quite than overpowering them.
- The squid was wrapped in shiso leaf and topped with umeboshi (salted plum) sauce. The squid was remarkably tender.
- The oyster mushroom (hiratake) was maybe essentially the most elegant piece of all of them.
- The shishito pepper was barely spicy and really crispy.
- The Japanese scallop was completely cooked, remaining uncommon on the within; it felt like a refined, high-end model of fish and chips.
- The candy potato was exceptionally sizzling inside and required cautious consuming.
- A standout shock was the corn, which had been steamed earlier than being fried, leading to an intense candy taste.
A rice course is a compulsory a part of any kaiseki menu, sometimes consisting of rice, miso soup, and pickles. For this meal, the rice was topped with blended tempura (kakiage). We got the selection of getting it served with a candy soy sauce as a rice bowl or with dashi to be poured over the rice as a chazuke.
We ordered considered one of every to attempt each. I most well-liked the kakiage model, because the candy soy sauce offered a extra sturdy taste profile in comparison with the extra delicate dashi.
The dessert was a small serving of baked cheesecake with a light-weight, ethereal texture and a fragile taste. It got here with Japanese inexperienced tea.
I’m grateful that Hatsune invited me; it may need taken for much longer to find this restaurant in any other case. The whole lot concerning the expertise felt authentically Japanese: the minimalist decor, the concentrate on high-quality components, the precision in preparation, the standard kaiseki menu construction, each sake being served in a novel ceramic or glass cup, each dish arriving on elaborate ceramic dishes, in addition to the modest demeanor of the waiter and chef.
The detailed explanations of each ingredient, dish, and sake, made the night really feel like a masterclass in Japanese nice eating. For a meals nerd, this was nice. No Dutch is spoken—solely English with a Japanese accent. You shortly adapt to the phonetic nuances, such because the mushy “r” sounding like an “l” (turning “prum” into “plum”) or the addition of vowels between consonants (turning “snow” into “sunow”).
The tempo of the meal was excellent. Whereas serving the tempura piece by piece naturally attracts out the service, it by no means felt gradual. Your entire expertise lasted two and a half hours, however time flew by. Service was remarkably fast and attentive, supported by a ratio of two waiters for less than six tables.
The one very minor glitches have been that seasoning suggestions for 2 of the seven tempura programs weren’t robotically offered, and the paper-lined plates for the tempura have been inconsistently modified. In any other case, every part was excellent. I’ll gladly return to Hatsune as a paying buyer and sit up for attempting the particular Kaiseki.
