Celebrate Hanami In True Japanese Style At Hello Guppy

Hanami, or the cherry blossom festival, is widely celebrated across Japan, as it heralds the start of spring, and signifies renewal and hope. If you’re looking to celebrate Hanami locally, visit Hello Guppy, the all-day Japanese café and bar in BKC, that is painting the city pink with a delicious Hanami-inspired menu, available through the month of May. Guests who visit Hello Guppy during the month will be welcomed by a beautiful cherry blossom tree installation, complete with origami flowers and paper lanterns. Executive Chef Vikram Khatri has put together a Hanami–inspired menu using the finest local produce. This includes a variety of Small Plates such as Chargrilled Sweet Potato Teriyaki, grilled sweet potato with teriyaki sauce; Vegetable and Cream Korokke made with seaweed, cream and shicimi-flavoured panko-crusted vegetable balls, served with sriracha mayo; and a Refreshing 3 Melon Salad of musk melon, watermelon, and yubari melon in ume plum-ponzu sauce. Patrons can enjoy the goodness of mango in the seasonal Mango & Avocado Cream Cheese Roll made with Alphonso mango, cream cheese, asparagus, tanuki fritters and kimchi sauce; or Mango Tuna Roll made with Alphonso mango, spicy tuna and tempura fritters. Non-vegetarians can try Crisp Chicken Katsu, fried panko-crusted succulent chicken leg served with Japanese mustard and tartar sauce; Eel Tamagoaki, Japanese style rolled omelette, topped with braised eel; Minute Steak Tuna Tataki, thin slices of rare tuna, served with rocket, braised onion, garlic sauce and ponzu dressing; and Chasu Kimchi Pork Belly, braised chasu styled pork, sliced and grilled and served with apple balsamic and kimchi leeks, among others. The special Hanami menu also offers a range of delicious rice bowls such as Tofu & Exotic Vegetable Curry served with mushrooms, atsuage tofu and steamed rice; Sodori Chicken Rice Bowl, succulent chicken leg cooked twice and served on a bed of soy vinegar, tartar sauce and cucumber pickle; and Chasu Pork Rice Bowl, simmered sliced pork served on a bed of rice with apple balsamic, sesame seeds, kimchi leeks and mustard-miso sauce. Guests may also try summer noodles like Hiyashi Tanuki Soba, chilled buckwheat noodles topped with tanuki tempura fritters, wasabi and grated radish, served with soy flavoured dashi broth; or Hiyashi Chukka, chilled ramen noodles topped with prawn, crab stick, cucumber and wakame, served with sesame-flavoured vinegar-soy broth. No meal is complete with desserts and neither is the Hanami menu! Patrons can try Raindrop Cake, sakura flower, roasted soybean flour and palm jaggery; White Chocolate Panna Cotta and Yuzu Mango Sorbet, raspberry-ginger curd, cinnamon, crumble and Alphonso mango-yuzu sorbet; or Cotton Cheesecake, Japanese style cheesecake with spiced poached plum. Hello Guppy is also offering a special bar menu with special libations for the season such as Cherry Pop, cherry compote with jaggery sours and a float of delice; Mangta, vodka with mango tea sour mix and egg white foam; and Sake Shrub with Tonicwith ume and citrus or rose and cucumber. The Hanami-inspired menu will be available at Hello Guppy until May 31, 2018. Looking forward to hearing back from you!