‘Hashi’ food review: Sky high taste experience

When you have a meal at Armani’s Hashi, you spend a lot of the time trying to decide where to look. Straight up the towering Burj spire? Straight ahead at the Dubai fountains and Souk Al Bahar? Or down at the brilliantly presented food that’s so good, you feel you must savour every bite?

With its twist on traditional Japanese classics and fresh fish flown in daily from all over the world, I’d heard Hashi (it means chopsticks) has seen a loyal following for quite many years. Tales of repeat customers abound, including several of those staying in the tower itself said to make it a weekly tradition. So it was with soaring expectations that we stepped into muted-lighted, clean-lined, understated Armani Hotel.

After spending a few minutes circling the maze of corridors, we gave up (there’s hardly any signage, it’s all minimalist, remember) and headed back to the reception to ask for directions, where we had someone accompany us to the nearest lift. Hashi is located on the ground floor.

We passed through the quiet restaurant on to the charming red-lantern-lit terrace at the foot of the Burj where diners sat with their shisha. This spot definitely beats the views from all the Souk Al Bahar restaurants on the other side of the pond.

To the tunes of a resident DJ, interspersed with the fountain music, we decided to skip the sushi and sashimi to try some of the other twists South Korean chef Jin Chul had given the dishes. We started with some wasabi prawns; the sauce wasn’t overpowering and hence allowed the beautifully cooked prawns to take centre stage. The tempura mixed vegetables and miso tofu with soy vinegar and mushrooms was equally good, and the moreish morsels of grilled chicken dumplings came with a great chilli dip. Standout flavours, unimpeachable quality, all served with no cutlery, just chopsticks.

On to the main course and the standouts of the evening were: the perfectly executed moist, silky, miso black cod with lotus root and kumquat (those little tangy oranges) made robotayaki style, like a Japanese BBQ — it was impeccable and the best in class. And a street-style mushroom tofu savoury pancake; smoky, crunchy, unadulterated flavour that hit all the comfort-food hotspots, it was a hearty taste explosion. For the first time, I had vegan-envy.

After a Yuzu cleanser — topped with popping candy — we had some coconut cake with ginger caramel stuffing and vanilla foam. Every bite was delectable, mercifully not too sweet as to overpower the entire meal. As there’s no dessert without eggs, my brother skipped the course. Ah, the travails of a vegetarian diet.

Service was spot on and the staff seemed very passionate about the food. We were also happy to see the splendour of Japanese plating bore out in Hashi. The dining experience was every bit about the presentation as it was about the ingredients and flavours.

Chef Jin Chul, flitting between tables to chat with patrons, spoke to us with much enthusiasm, an enthusiasm that we had just seen translated into his meals.

We left with a distinct feeling of Fomo (fear of missing out); there’s so much more to discover on the Hashi menu. We’re now firmly lodged on that repeat-customer list.

—————————

Check it out!

Location: Armani Hotel Dubai

Average cost for two: Dh800

Timings: 6.30-11.30pm