Hiroki 88

 

When I first heard of Hiroki88@Infusion, I was a bit puzzled with regards to the name because I was told it was name of a restaurant. I found out that Hiroki is the name of the chef and oops I forgot to ask if he was born in 1988. The restaurant is managed by the popular catering company Kriston F & B Group. Nestled in Dempsey Hill along with the other exciting food and beverage outlets, Hiroki88, a 150-seater restaurant has a very rustic charm about it and the dining area is furnished minimalist style and it so rightly matches Chef Hiroki Yoshitake’s impressionable culinary expertise and creativity cooking style. Even if you choose to sit down inside the air-condition comfort of the restaurant, you can have a good view of the huge old trees and fauna surrounding the restaurant. At night, the trees are lighted up giving the place a very romantic appearance. By the way, Hiroki88 won Best New Concept 2010 Award by Restaurant Association of Singapore. There’s no a la carte menu at this restaurant and you choose a minimum of three courses (a starter, a meat or fish entrée, and a dessert) from the menu. A 3 course dinner meal starts at $58.00+ (effective April 2010).

 

Chef Hiroki Yoshitake cooks and serves fine contemporary French-Japanese bistronomic cuisine. This is the first time I have heard of such a cuisine, but it sure was interesting. His culinary adventures journeying across more than 35 countries, spanning from Europe to Asia and the Middle East sets him apart from those about his age group. Chef Hiroki is proud to share that he was once an assistant to three-star Michelin chef Pascal Bardot of L’Astrance in Paris. On top of it, Hiroki was mentored by famous Iron Chef Competition winner Chef Sakai Hirokyuki in Japan.

 

The restaurant served warm home-made Foccacia Bread with Anchovy Butter and Herb Butter. Butters that have been flavored with flavorful herbs are a delicious surprise to accompany breads. Hokkaido is known for its sweet, tender and beautifully sized scallops and therefore the Hokkaido Scallop Carpaccio and Scotland Mustard was a must to be tried dish. There was a very light dressing that accentuated the delicate sweetness of the scallop and served with a dab of Scottish mustard. The flavors here are subtle, not bold, but still satisfying.

 

 

It is generally accepted these days that fish is good for you. It's low in fat, high in protein and apparently free from worrying chemicals, and fish such as salmon, sea bream and tuna also provide important nutrients for lowering cholesterol and even improving brain activity. Our next dish Grilled Sea Bream with Forest Mushroom fulfilled my need for something to lower my cholesterol and reminded me that fish cooked in the simplest way tastes good too. The fish was grilled just right -firm, sweet and flaky. The forest mushrooms, light and tender with great deep flavor was an ideal pairing to the sea bream. There was a little sauce with clams and coconut foam too!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next I tried the Sakura Bark Smoked Chicken Breast. Aromatic smoking woods are actually a very desirable form of seasoning because they add sumptuous flavor without adding any fat or calories. The wood smoke alters the taste of the food, resulting in a distinctive new flavor. The sakura bark did give a distinctive flavor to the chicken that had interesting mixed drizzles and dabs nori sauce and brown sauce along with chopped olives. Quite a memorable taste. On the left here, I have a picture of a Sakura Bark Smoked Salmon.

 

 

 

 

 

The loin of lamb comes from the middle, lower section of the rear quarter. This jewel of the lamb is very tender, and cooking time should be  minimal but even though Chef Hiroki has said “slow cooked”, the meat was not tough, but very tender and the presentation was spectacular too. We tried Chocolate Mousse and Caramel Nut Cream with Homemade Coffee ice Cream and Spiced Pineapple Compote with Coconut Sherbet. Both these desserts had what I called ‘multi components’ in each plate. The pineapple compote was a generous portion of sweet pineapple stewed with star anise and sugar. It was served with homemade coconut sherbet. Well, I think the chef was trying to give the pina colada in edible portions. Personally, the pineapple was great and would have been better if served without the coconut sherbet. The Chocolate Mousse and Caramel Nut Cream with Homemade Coffee ice Cream was very light and it had a dab of surprise – salty chocolate on the side which kind of took me by shock but it was a pleasant shock though. 

 

At Hiroki88, all the ingredients are very fresh and when combined together in the form of sauce, marinate, dressing, garnishes, it pops into the mouth to make a pleasurable taste sensation. I come to understand that Chef Hiroki works seven days a week and sources for the best ingredients only.