It’s an honour for me to be invited to the exclusive Flavour of Hanami Live Presentation and Tasting session at Cube_1, Isetan the Japan Store Kuala Lumpur.

Flavour of Hanami

When I heard of Flavour of Hanami (Cherry Blossom), it makes me feel very intrigued and curious. How does it tastes like? Have you experienced it before? Flavour of Hanami is an exhibition brought to you by Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd to showcase Hanami culture and Japanese traditions. From 21 January to 25 March, you will be able to experience the culinary skills from four young, dynamic chefs from Kyoto, Japan.

The first agenda, is green tea and sake tasting. I love the mild and pure taste of the green tea, it’s so different from what we usually had! I also tried MIO Sparkling Sake and Hana Kizakura Sake (Cherry Blossom Sake). Loved the sparkling sake as it has a refreshing fruity flavor!

There were 3 different zones in Cube_1 that showcase Hanami themed activities. The first one is “The Gallery“, where we were able to read facts, see photographs (i.e. the original Hanami bento boxes) and watch videos about the joyous cherry blossom festival.

We then entered the second zone, “The Theatre“, to watch a high definition short movie that was projected using the latest high tech projector. The video projected was so crisp and surreal. It gave us an insight into the four seasons in Japan and the history and foundation of Kyoto food, the best of all Japanese cuisine.

Our session was exclusively for members of X-Group and of course, the founder, Xavier Mah have to give a simple speech to give us a brief introduction of the event today.

Before the live demonstration, we had an interesting and fun tête-à-tête session with Chef Shogo Sasaki who is the 7th generation heir of IZUU Restaurant to learn about his background. Established in 1781, IZUU is a Kyoto sushi restaurant that is famed for its signature mackerel sushi. Chef Sasaki aims to preserve the flavours and culture of Kyoto’s mackerel sushi and pass the recipe for generations to maintain the authentic taste.

IZUU plays a part of Japan’s culinary history of being the first restaurant in the world to offer mackerel sushi! How awesome it is that we’re able to taste it in KL today.

At last, it’s time for the most anticipated agenda – live presentation! Chef Sasaki showed how he skillfully prepare the mackerel fish. In order to avoid “fishy” smell and taste, he removes the blood thoroughly and carefully.

We had the honor to witness Chef Sasaki prepare his two signature dishes – Saba-sugatazushi (Whole Mackerel Lightly Matured Sushi) and Chirasizushi (Scattered Topping Sushi).

The Saba-sugatazushi that was made by Chef Sasaki is very unique as the shape resembles the logo of IZUU, which is a rabbit. Look closely and you’ll know what I mean 😉

We were given 2 versions to try: One was prepared on the same day and another one was prepared a day before. The one that was prepared on the same day was nice, but the tastes of the ingredients didn’t blend together. The one that was prepared a day before (the authentic way) has a better taste because the umami-ness from the kelp and mackerel taste has seeped into the sushi rice. So yummy!

Well seasoned Chirasizushi is love! Spot all the different seafood toppings and thinly sliced eggs!

The venue got a little quiet as everyone was busy indulging in Chef Sasaki’s authentic and delicious Kyoto-style dishes. Snippets from Instagram Stories for Flavour of Hanami @ ISETAN the Japan Store KL:

Flavour of Hanami @ ISETAN the Japan Store KL by tallpiscesgirl

To conclude the perfect and memorable session, we had Sakura Mochi and a cup of warm Green Tea. The Sakura Mochi was wrapped with Cherry Blossom leaf (slightly salty flavour) while the inside was filled with red bean paste (slightly sweet flavour). The combination spells AWESOMENESS! Here’s the schedule for Flavour of Hanami Live Presentation and Tasting session:

• Shogo Sasaki of IZUU: 21 – 22 January 2017
• Nobuyuki Tanaka of Tsuruse: 18 – 19 February 2017
• Hideki Shimoguchi of Chikurin: 4 – 5 March 2017
• Takuji Takahashi of Kinobu: 18 – 19 March 2017

Sessions: 1st 12.00pm-1.30pm/2nd 3.00pm-4.30pm/3rd 6.00pm-7.30pm Entrance Fee: RM100* including GST Terms and Conditions*:

• 25 guests per session on a first-come, first-served basis
• Doors will be opened 30 minutes prior
• Exhibition admission is included in the price
• Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult

Venue: 3F THE CUBE/CUBE _1 (ISETAN the Japan Store Kuala Lumpur) Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office in front of CUBE _1, call 03-2382 7777 or purchase online at www.eventbrite.com.