Saito 6-Course Sake Dinner at TATSU Japanese Cuisine

[Food & Beverage]

We recently headed over to InterContinental Kuala Lumpur Hotel for the Saito 6-Course Sake Dinner at TATSU Japanese Cuisine. This special menu is available from 1 April until 16 May 2018 only, priced at RM350 nett per person for the food only, with the option to add on the sake pairing for an additional RM150 nett.

Tatsu is helmed by Chef Tommy who has a wealth of experience. At a young age, inspired by his elder brother a chef in a Japanese restaurant, Chef Tommy discovered his love for the gastronomical world. With an appreciation for aesthetics and a keen eye for detail he decided that the Japanese kitchen is where he wanted to be. However, at the age of 14 he was still underage he had to work in a Chinese restaurant as an apprentice to learn the basics of cooking. He never lost his love and passion for Japanese cuisine and soon he had his opportunity to pursue his dream when he started his culinary odyssey as a trainee cook at Nadaman Japanese Restaurant at Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur till year 2000 before he moved on to Iketeru Japanese Restaurant at Hilton Kuala Lumpur in 2006.

In a career that spanned over two decades, Chef Tommy has risen through the ranks and gained culinary experiences in Japanese cuisine. Now, at only 38 he has been appointed the Japanese Head Chef at the award-winning signature restaurant, Tatsu Japanese Cuisine at InterContinental Kuala Lumpur.

Japanese cuisine is all about precision and meticulous refinement. Chef Tommy devoted himself to learning how to use the knives needed to prepare and fillet many different species of fish. He loves using seasonal fresh fish and ingredients in his menu to prepare a feast of fresh Japanese seafood with both subtle and bold flavours.

He believes that talent is made, not born. “To be successful, it takes years of rigorous training and holding a strong passion for what you do”, he said. “As a good chef, I always believe that it takes lifelong learning no matter if you are the head chef or a commis. I like to be hands on and my favourite place to be is in the Japanese kitchen. I want to do this for as long as I am able to, physically,” said Chef Tommy.

One of his favourite dishes to prepare is Taragai, a Japanese pen shell (giant razor clam). This outstanding dish combines a mixture of salty, sweet, fresh, with amazing textural qualities of both a scallop (sweetness) and a clam (texture). With Chef Tommy now at the helm of the Tatsu kitchen, diners can expect a distinctive menu of authentic Japanese cuisine, offering seasonal produce, fresh seafood flown in twice weekly from Japan, and featuring the finest wagyu beef cuts from different prefectures of Japan.