About

THE TRULY JAPANESE
in modern interpretation

Discover the essence of Asian Global Contemporary cuisine inspired by Japanese ingredients. Here at Hikaru, Our Master Chef, former protégé of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, artfully combines a myriad of distinct flavours into a modern gastronomic symphony.

Each dish is an innovative masterpiece, created with elegance, and true finesse. The Hikaru experience is like no other. Your palette is in for a culinary adventure – we believe you will enjoy the journey.

Umami /uːˈmɑːmi/, a savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes, (together with sweet, sour, bitter and salty).

A loan word from the Japanese (うま味?), umami can be translated “pleasant savory taste”. This particular writing was chosen by Professor Kikunae Ikeda from umai (うまい) “delicious” and mi (味) “taste”. The kanji 旨味 are used for a more general sense of a food as delicious.

Umami means “delicious food” – an artful melding of ingenuity and quality ingredients culminating in a delectable harmony of tastes and flavours for the ultimate culinary orgasm (or sensation).

Its philosophy is based on global cuisine influenced by Japanese ingredients. This is contemporary Japan for the adventurous and the non-conformist.

Opened originally as a take-away sushi corner in 2007, it drews rave reviews and still commands a loyal following. A trained sushi chef,Hendro, honed his skills at the celebrated television Iron Chef Morimoto’s eponymous restaurant in Philadelphia where he gained a masterful and practical insight into sushi preparation.

His sushi formula involves a generous amount of Japanese products infused with his own novel touches. Without compromising on taste, Hendro has developed his own creative interpretation of modern Japanese cuisine that is also wholesome at the same time.

“The specialty sushi rolls are where Chef Hendro’s originality shines.”

“The balance of flavors, the attention to detail, the reliance on the freshest ingredients is all in evidence here, too, just on a smaller scale. The sushi was tender and served at just the right temperature, and the selection was well-chosen enough to make for an all-too-rare sushi experience with some real culinary interest.”

Unconventional… untraditional… Not for the faint-hearted… UMAMI is avant garde at its least.