CUISINE FOCUS: Japanese

Japanese cuisine has seen its fair share of challenges from poor supply to natural disasters. But the sector is growing rapidly. Caterer finds out more

Meet the Experts

• Mohamad Zeitoun, founder and managing partner of Maki Group
• Ajaz Sheikh, Director of Operations for Middle East, Zuma
• Luis Kenji Huang, chef, Maki
• Looverville Quino, chef at Café Sushi, Fairmont, Dubai
• Patrice Goty, General Manager at Sake No Hana Dubai by Crystal

How popular is Japanese cuisine in this region?
Looverville Quino, chef at Café Sushi, Fairmont, Dubai: Japanese restaurants have in a way become a “must have” for five-star, even four-star hotels in the region.

Is it the real deal?
LQ: Although we make it a big point to prepare the food as authentically as we can, there’s also room for innovation to cater to the individual palate of each guest. It’s always an advantage to try out ingredients which are abundant or in season that are fashioned to flatter the taste buds of our diverse guests.

Mohamad Zeitoun, founder and managing partner of Maki Group: Maki favours ‘global’ cuisine which brought ingredients from many parts of the world under one concept. An example is the Caviaroli Maki featuring Royal Beluga Caviar, sea urchin, goose foie gras, edible gold leaf, and black truffle and house-made extra virgin olive oil.

Patrice Goty General Manager at Sake No Hana Dubai by Crystal: At Sake No Hana Dubai by Crystal, it is the real deal, but a lot of restaurants have tweaked their menus to suit local taste. However, the UAE customers are quiet knowledgeable about their food, and you can't fool them for too long.

Ajaz Sheikh, Director of Operations for Middle East, Zuma: Does the real deal mean how traditional is it? Because you won’t find that in many places outside of Japan. The concept of Zuma is that our food is authentic, but not traditional. We use traditional cooking methods, but the food has been seasoned and adapted to a westernised palate.

What is the competition like among Japanese outlets?
MZ: There is considerable competition among Japanese restaurants which manifests itself in many markets. Most of these Japanese restaurants share their knowledge on market tastes and preferences.

PG: Japanese chefs tend to know each other, there is a competition to who is the best, but at the same time they do share their know how.

AS: When we first opened in Dubai, there was not so much competition in the high end market and therefore, the import of products was not as advanced as it is now. At that time we collaborated with other brands that were opening to instigate a more effective supply chain into Dubai.  If another operator asks us for advice or has any questions we are happy to help and recommend according to our experiences.

What does it take to succeed?
MZ: Since a multitude of Japanese restaurants across the region have come about, it has become increasingly difficult to be successful, or to even stay in business for that matter. Thus, it has become essential to fully comprehend local likes and dislikes, affinity to specific ingredients, and creating a unique menu that caters to the local guest’s taste buds.

Has the supply chain recovered from the Fukushima disaster trade ban?
LQ: We faced difficulty that year, but it did not keep our guests from coming. It was important to maintain a good image and be honest with them while maintaining quality.

MZ: The supply chain has not totally recovered from the Fukushima disaster since some countries have kept the ban on Japanese food products in effect until very recently. This has placed a strain on the Japanese factories that have lost sales for many months and had to discontinue certain products to cut costs. Many factories also had to close down due to the damage. We had to adjust to these constraining decisions by finding alternative sources for Japanese products that were made by Japanese companies operating outside Japan.

AS: We still can’t use products around Fukushima area. It obviously put a great deal of pressure on us and our suppliers. A lot of collaboration and experimentation needed to be done in order to source alternate produce, of the same or similar quality.

Is there a wide selection of Japanese produce available?
MZ: It is good, however, it still needs to be upgraded now that the Japanese-product importation ban has been lifted.

AS: I personally choose the products that I require and of the quality that I expect to supply Zuma Dubai. Having restaurants around the world, we can even say that in Dubai, we manage to get some of the freshest and largest selection of Japanese products now.

What does the future look like for Japanese cuisine?
MZ: The market can definitely still use expansion of existing concepts, and origination of new concepts, especially when food is the primary source of entertainment in many Middle Eastern countries. The Maki group has solid plans to expand within the GCC, Europe, and North America.

PG: Japanese food is associated with having a healthy way of eating, which is very important in today’s world, where too many people are fighting obesity!

AS: Unlike Indian or Chinese cuisines, where you can find similar items for a quarter of the price in the restaurant scene, Japanese produce maintains a certain price point. So It is a great investment as a certain return is guaranteed — that is of course, if it is done well.

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A Taste of Japan
Chef Luis Kenji Huang, Maki, shares his favourite recipe for homemade chef chopped salad serves two

Ingredients:
Lettuce (chopped) 20g; mixed green salad (chopped) 15g; fresh salmon (diced) 40g; fresh tuna (diced) 40g; avocado (diced) 30g; nuts (crushed) 15g; mayo 1 teaspoon; chilli pepper or chilli paste your choice; rice vinegar 1cup; olive oil 2 tablespoons; soy sauce 1/3 cups; sugar 1 tablespoons; Daikon radish (grated) 50g; onion (grated) 50g

Method
Take a cylinder (3” wide and 5” height) and set it in the center of the plate.

First mix the chopped lettuce with mayo and chilli pepper or chilli paste then set inside of cylinder as first layer, then add the fresh diced tuna as second layer (spread the tuna evenly), then add the diced avocado as third layer, now add the fresh diced salmon as fourth layer.

For the top layer, mix the chopped mixed green salad with olive oil, salt, black pepper, and tobiko (orange fish caviar if you have any). Slightly push down all the layers to make them tighter. Slowly remove the cylinder and your chopped salad will show five layers of different colors and ingredients.

For dressing, mix the rice vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, olive oil, grated onion, grated daikon and a little bit of black pepper then drizzle over the salad. Finally, crush any nut you like on top of the salad and enjoy your own Chef Chopped Salad.