Couple of months ago a friend introduced me to this place on the 5th floor of Takashimaya.
I was surprised.
Not because I didn't know that there were restaurants on the upper floors of this well-known, more-than-a-century-old department store, but because these restaurants were not places this friend would usually go.
But an introduction is an introduction, and so we went.
One of the first things that caught my attention when we got to Hanare by Takayama was the decor.
At first glance it looked atypical- like what a good many Japanese restaurants and dining places tend to be- but it didn't take me long to realize that she had, in fact, embodied the colors, ambience, and atmosphere of Japan's four seasons into her decor.
Right at the entrance you were greeted by the cold, chill grey-black stone of winter early and late, but inside, amongst the tables, within the atmosphere, there was the warmth and cheer of spring, autumn, and summer.
It being my first time there, I didn't know that the concept of Hanare by Takayama featured "traditional and homey dishes that highlight seasonality-driven and exquisite ingredients."
Only much later did I find out, and when I did, the beauty of everything I'd eaten that evening began to click.
Like for instance, we had started our dinner with an order of Assorted Sashimi where thick cuts of Maguro, Kampachi, Hotate and Salmon served cold and fresh and chill came served on their pretty rectangular plate.
Perhaps the sashimi that I remembered most from that evening was the Maguro, and the Hotate.
It isn't that I don't like salmon (I love it).
Neither is it that I don't like trying out new fish like yellowtail.
But simply because I like scallops prepared all ways, and I like bluefin tuna when prepared in this cold, fresh, almost raw kind of way.
Between us, who was it that took more of the Salmon or the Kampachi, or the Maguro, I don't really know.
We were both too busy appreciating the thick, tender cuts that we dipped into soy sauce and wasabi.
After this there was an order of Wagyu Beef Salad, which, if you ask me, was a bit of a surprise, not because I thought the dish wasn't good, but because my friend is not someone who orders salad whenever he eats out at dinner.
But in this dish there were slices of Aburi Wagyu (exactly what it was we were going for) and deep fried potato.
I liked the Aburi Wagyu, I liked the potato- it was so crisp- but I liked the lettuce and the pickles even more.
There's a good reason why salads often make a good appetizer- they're a great palate cleanser, and if they're anything like the sliced radish and spicy sesame dressing that I had in this wagyu beef salad, they actually whetted the appetite more.
It doesn't matter if you're not into beef.
Here at Hanare you've got the alternative of Tofu and Deep Fried Whitebait Salad, and Bonito Tataki Salad as well.
Honestly, if we hadn't been taking the beef, I might have chosen the Bonito Tataki for it's ginger citrus dressing, and what they call the Orange Supreme.
Our next course moved on to Tempura, and here, instead of having either the Tiger Prawn or the Vegetable, we decided to have both, and so got an Assorted Tempura which had two pieces of tiger prawns sitting delicately above a bed of vegetables, including eggplant.
Eggplant Tempura is one of my favorites when it comes to Tempura, so imagine my delight when I was given an extra portion courtesy of my friend, and I got to eat it with the salt-grilled salmon belly that arrived at our table not too long after.
This salmon belly might seem like a simple dish- but it's not every day that I get to have salmon belly, and it's not every day that I get to have soft, tender, melt-in-your-mouth salmon belly that's been beautifully salted, perfectly grilled.
The fish didn't have a taste that seemed too clean, too tasteless, or on the other side of the scales, too extreme.
Everything was perfectly balanced.
Perhaps it is their use of exquisite ingredients that makes the difference.
Because whilst the offerings might be familiar to anyone who has experienced Japanese cuisine, it takes a skilled, sensitive palate to understand the importance of well-balanced textures, and well-balanced flavors.
I'm no connoisseur- I just eat- but after dining here at Hanare, I think I'm beginning to understand just what, and why these dishes are so special, and why some of them seem a little more expensive.
It isn't because they're on the 5th floor of Takashimaya.
It isn't because they're not a typical restaurant chain.
But it's the way they make their food, and the exquisite ingredients they use, that even the simplest, most commonplace of dishes taste like gourmet.
I should know.
I've not been able to see an Agedashi Tofu in the same light that I once used to.
Sure, it's really just Deep Fried Tofu served in Dashi soy sauce and Bonito Flakes, but somehow the one here at Hanare hits different.
Don't ask me why.
Maybe it's the texture of the skin.
Maybe it's the way the cube of tofu had been deep fried.
Whichever it was, I found a new appreciation for this Agedashi Tofu dish the same way I found a brand new appreciation for the Salmon & Ikura Kamameshi that came directly after.
It's kind of hard for me to describe just why I found this dish remarkably special, but let me just say this- the menu here might have a variety of mains that you can choose from, like the Sakura Ebi Pasta, the Tempura Udon, or the Sukiyaki Kurobuta Pork, but if it so happens that none of those appeal to you, then their Kamameshi is something that you must not ignore.
A mixed rice dish slow-cooked with the Chef's dashi stock in an iron pot, each Kamameshi features Koshihigari rice from Niigata, and it's got the finest ingredients (by season) that will embrace you, fill you up gently and not overwhelm you.
There're a good number of choices for Kamameshi which you can make.
Like the Unagi and the Kagoshima Wagyu.
Like the Sweet Corn, the Abalone, and the Braised Pork Belly.
Or even the Sakura Ebi, the Chicken or the Salmon & Ikura.
At another time I might go for the Braised Pork Belly or the Kagoshima Wagyu (they sound rather interesting), but this evening we decided on the Salmon & Ikura, which, when the iron pot was brought to our table, I discovered, to my delight that there were also finely chopped mushrooms, some other vegetables and spring onions in the rice beneath.
We decided to have the server mix up the rice and divide it for us.
And even though I felt it like too small of a bowl (for me), it was a fantastic, warm, homely dish very much reminiscent of homecooked food- a bowl of delicious, soul-satisfying rice that you would want to come home to at the end of a long, tiring day.