Creativity and Innovation Keep Hatsune Rolling on After 16 years

Creativity, Innovation, and Fun Keep Hatsune Rolling on After 16 years

Robynne Tindall, Contributing Editor | Apr 10, 2017 11:30 am | Add a comment | 1466 reads | Sponsored by Hatsune

In Japanese, the word “hatsune” literally means the first sound of spring, referring to the sound of just-melted water running down the side of Japan’s snow-capped mountains. And just like a babbling brook, Hatsune is constantly on the move. Rather than resting on their laurels and simply letting the years roll past, the passionate team is always innovating, coming up with creative new dishes that satisfy both loyal customers and curious new diners.

Many may equate Japanese cuisine with simplicity and adherence to tradition but since the first Hatsune opened on Guanghua Lu in 2001, CEO Alan Wong and his team have never been afraid to apply a little creativity to the menu. Specializing in California rolls, a dish that often thwarts tradition, gives Hatsune a pretty much blank canvas for innovation.

Take the volcano roll, for example. Executive chef Bruce Yan was inspired to create this roll after watching the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in southern Iceland on TV in 2010. This unique roll (both on the Hatsune menu and in Beijing), which is filled with avocado and tempura flakes, deep fried after rolling and then stacked in a pyramid shape, before being finished off with ikura, tobiko, and extra-spicy “magma” sauce.

Not all the inspiration for their rolls comes from within the team, however. One of the more decadent rolls on the menu, the Lumdimsum roll, was created by popular local food blogger Kristen Lum. The roll features live scallops, albacore, seaweed salad, and cucumber, topped with avocado, bluefin tuna, and black tobiko. In fact, around half of the sushi rolls listed on the menu were either inspired by or created by Hatsune’s loyal customers. For example, the Candy & Caviar roll was created by the founder of fashion label Candy and Caviar, Candy Lin, during a competition in 2010. The Hatsune team liked her indulgent combination – deep-fried sweet potato, crab salad, and avocado, topped with yellowtail, wasabi mayo, and caviar – so much that they decided to make it a permanent menu item.

Food is only one chapter of the story of Hatsune's success, however. The passionate, dedicated staff are just as much a part of what keeps customers coming back year after year – some of whom have even grown up along with Hatsune! Executive Chef Bruce Yan tells the story of a family of three who used to eat regularly at Hatsune Guanghua Lu. "They would sit at the sushi bar and the little boy would watch me make the sushi, then eat each piece of the roll in one big bite with a smile on his face," he recalls with a smile. "After a few years they stopped coming and I really missed that little boy." Fast forward to several years later. "I was working one night when one of the front of house staff came to me and said that a customer was asking for me. I scanned the room but didn't see anyone I recognized. Then, a handsome young man waved to me and said, 'Chef Yan, it's me! Don't you remember me?' He must have seen the confusion on my face because all of a sudden he popped a piece of sushi roll in his mouth in one go and smiled at me. It all came rushing back to me – it was that little boy from all those years ago. I was delighted and we vowed to keep in touch." You may think this is a one off but stories like this are actually pretty commonplace at Hatsune.

Sixteen years on, Hatsune is still surprising customers old and new with interesting, engaging, and most importantly, delicious new dishes, from seasonal specialties such as shirako (cod milt) with grapefruit sauce to one-off dishes like the Dream Team roll that end up becoming permanent fixtures on the menu. That is why Hatsune staff describe the restaurant as “oft-imitated but never replicated.”

During the month of April 2017, Hatsune will be sharing their love for oysters with a buy-one-get-one-free deal on this decadent shellfish. Featuring oysters from New Zealand, Ireland, and the US, the deal is available at Hatsune Financial Street and Hatsune Solana from April 10-16, at Hatsune Guanghua Lu and Karen Teppanyaki from April 17-23, and at Hatsune Block 8 and Hatsune Kerry from April 24-30.