What challenges do you face, if any when it comes to Japanese cuisine?
Kyeonghun: Our daily roles as chefs can be challenging, with a number of restaurants opening everyday specialising in both Japanese and Asian cuisine. Indeed, we are always working on developing and refreshing our menu as mentioned previously. So far, our day-to-day goal or challenge is to make sure we leave our guests with a memorable, unique impression of the food.
Lamak: One challenge is freshness. As we deal with raw fish and several other fresh ingredients, we have to ensure that they are fresh. We also need to maintain consistency of all products used.
Thesleff: Suppliers in particular are trying to extract larger than normal margins for this product category due to perceived value and this can result in a continued lack of original product availability.
Becker: When the menu is so simple, we have to ensure the freshest and highest quality produce. Getting this into the Middle East can be expensive.
Do you rely on importing ingredients or local products used?
Nguyen: We rely on importing a majority of our products from outside of Qatar. Obtaining specific Japanese ingredients is difficult and even if we are able to locate them, the cost of bringing them into Qatar doesn’t always make sense from a business perspective.
Kyeonghun: Most of the seafood items are imported from other countries but I will always use local products where possible if it works with the dish we are creating.
Lamak: The food markets in Dubai offer a large choice of fresh products such as local fish, seafood, vegetables and fruits. Of course, we still have to import a few Japanese ingredients that are unavailable here to ensure our guests can enjoy the authentic taste and experience of Japan.
Nakazato: We always prefer to go local especially for fish, vegetables and dairy. But for the vast majority we have to use suppliers that import from Japan and Europe. It is a pity that the waters in the UAE are warm and we cannot make greater use of the local fish to serve in sushi and sashimi. But for cooking, it is good and you always can find fish very fresh in the local fish markets.
Thesleff: Imported — we rely on the strong relationships we have with suppliers from Japan. Okku’s head chef Hugh Sato Gardiner headed to Japan in March to check on suppliers, to assess both the quality of what is coming to us, but also to nurture relationships with them.
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