Michelin-starred restaurant Narisawa comes to Singapore for five-week pop-up

TWO-MICHELIN-STARRED Japanese restaurant Narisawa will be in Singapore for a five-week residency next month, with its namesake chef Yoshihiro Narisawa and his entire kitchen team relocating here for the entire time.

A familiar name on the awards circuit, Narisawa is a regular in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and the restaurant is a stalwart in the Tokyo dining scene, well known for its modern take on Japanese cuisine. A proponent of what he calls Satoyama cuisine, namely a respect for nature and its inhabitants, chef-owner Narisawa was an advocate of sustainability even before it became fashionable.

In his heyday some 10 to 15 years ago, he was known for his high-minded, not always accessible cooking where elaborate forest scenes were presented on the table with edible twigs and water infused with wood along with lyrical haiku as accompaniment.

His bread of the forest - still served today - never failed to excite diners as dough was mixed at the table and cooked in an ultra-hot stone bowl, amid a lush forest display. More recently, around pre-Covid, the menu had evolved into a still-modern but more down-to-earth style of cooking that included his classic dish Temari, a colourful and meticulous arrangement of root vegetable strips wrapped around a seafood ball.

How much of the Tokyo dining experience will be replicated in the Singapore pop-up?

“We want you to feel like you’re coming to Narisawa,” said the chef. “We want to have similar quality to what we have in Japan, so we’re planning to bring some of our signature dishes. But it won’t be exactly the same as what we have in Tokyo - we will have the Singapore version of Narisawa, especially for dishes that feature local ingredients. It will be about 50 per cent similar to Tokyo.  But I will be in Singapore 100 per cent of the time so I will be cooking for everyone.” 

THE BUSINESS TIMES INSIGHTS

Powering Asean's Future 2026

Find out how enterprises are navigating power constraints and sustainability targets

ACCESS THE INSIGHTS

It would be a chance for him to explore local and regional dishes such as edible rattan which “I had experience cooking with in Malaysia,” he added. “It’s not common but I’m interested in using it.”

The Narisawa pop-up is held in collaboration with Mandala Club - the private members’ club that has hosted chefs such as Mauro Colagreco, Virgilio Martinez and Gaggan Anand in previous pop-ups - and Porsche. The collaboration has been two years in the making, added Narisawa, which was when Mandala Club first extended the invitation to him.

“It’s been very difficult to make it happen, but the timing coincides with the renovation of our Tokyo restaurant, so we’re happy that Mandala waited two years for us,” he said. It will be the first and last time that Narisawa would consider closing his restaurant and operating somewhere else. 

SEE ALSO

Love mismatch at Gaggan Anand’s Singapore outpost Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh

However, 2023 will be a busy year for the chef. In addition to the Singapore pop-up, he will also be opening a new restaurant in Shanghai in May. “It’s the first time we are opening a new restaurant and the first one outside Japan,” said Narisawa.

Menu pricing for the pop-up starts at S$518 for lunch and S$748 for dinner, with both inclusive of a non-alcoholic pairing. A sake and wine pairing will bring the price up to S$598 for lunch and S$848 for dinner. 

“For this pop-up we will bring sakes and Japanese wine – exclusively made for Narisawa,” said the chef. “Some of them will be served for the first time in Singapore – we haven’t even served it in Japan yet.”

“Since 2021, we have aimed to be at the forefront of enhancing the gastronomic experience in Singapore by delivering only the finest in culinary cuisine from around the globe. Having Chef Narisawa right here with us presents a special opportunity for our members and their guests to truly enjoy the mastery and talent of one of the world’s top chefs,” said Ben Jones, group CEO of Mandala Club.