Located on the 38th floor inside Summit 38, the dining level of Zaha Hadid Architects sculptural tower, Hana no Kumo is The Hendersons latest culinary addition that offers the quintessential of Japanese kappou (“cut and cook) cuisine.
HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates) designed the interiors with Kyotos cherry blossom season in mind. The dining room uses shifting white and pink light to evoke sakura. Washi paper, wood, and textured glass keep things understated. The design stays out of the way, which makes sense when the whole point is watching chefs prepare your food at the counter.
There are 24 seats total. Half of them curve around a counter where you see everything the kitchen does. Thats kappou, which translates to “cut and cook.” Its interactive by nature. The other half are in a private room for guests whod rather not be part of the show. Different approaches, both valid.
Chef Ogawa Masaru leads the kitchen. He started at Arashiyama Kitcho in Kyoto in 1996, then came to Hong Kong in 2009 for the opening of Wagyu Kaiseki Den, a Michelin-starred spot. Twenty-plus years later, hes settled into his own version of kappou, which strips away some of kaisekis formality while keeping the precision.
The dinner menu has steamed egg with crab, abalone with kelp sauce, seasonal sashimi, and hassun (eight small dishes). Lunch is lighter but built on the same principles. A sake specialist assembled a list heavy on rare Japanese bottles, including some that dont show up often outside Japan.
The menu shifts with the seasons because the food depends on whats available. Visit in three months and it wont be the same.
