Japanese eating places and hawker stalls are all over the place in Singapore, however the meals could be hit and miss—typically on account of frozen substances, pre-made sauces, or shortcuts in preparation. And when the meals is genuinely high-quality, the oftentimes steep price ticket turns into a turn-off.
Noticing this hole, Japanese chef Haruyama Yuki, 37, determined to deliver genuine, reasonably priced Japanese flavours to the lots together with his hawker stall, Haru-Haru, situated at Bras Basah Complicated.
We spoke to Haruyama to search out out why he selected to tackle Singapore’s cut-throat F&B scene and what units Haru-Haru aside from the myriad of Japanese eateries throughout the town.
An sudden culinary path
Born and raised in Osaka, Haruyama’s path wasn’t a straight one to the kitchen. A graduate of a music faculty, his profession started on a really completely different notice, however working part-time in BBQ and yakitori joints throughout his pupil days sparked a love for cooking.
“After I cooked for the employees, I used to be so comfortable that everybody stated how scrumptious it was, [so] I wished to make extra dishes,” he recalled.
That zeal finally drew him to Singapore in 2016, the place he noticed higher alternatives within the F&B scene in comparison with Japan as eating out is way extra commonplace right here.
In Singapore, Haruyama labored in numerous institutions, together with mackerel-focused Japanese restaurant chain Sabar, the place he rose to change into normal supervisor. He later took the helm as head chef at Torimaro Charcoal Grill & Sake Bar, an izakaya in Novena that sadly shuttered in Aug 2024.
Whereas the closure was a setback, Haruyama had already set his roots in Singapore, the place he lives together with his Malaysia-born spouse and their four-year-old son. Since his spouse prefers to remain right here, it gave him the push to strike out on his personal.
At first, Haruyama supposed to open an izakaya, however prices have been too excessive, so he determined to begin small. He linked with a Singaporean investor, and the duo stumped up a mixed a five-figure sum to launch Haru-Haru in Oct 2024.
Bringing genuine Japanese flavours to Singapore
Haruyama believes that authenticity is what units Haru-Haru aside in Singapore’s competitive F&B scene.
I believe it’s uncommon to discover a Japanese particular person working in hawker, and I additionally prepare dinner on web site day by day. So the truth that you may eat genuine Japanese meals in hawkers with peace of thoughts is an enormous differentiator.
On the similar time, he stays real looking in regards to the market: “The times of for those who serve Japanese meals, you can also make cash are over—and with the low Japanese yen and more energizing meals out there cheaper in Japan, it’s getting tougher to run a Japanese restaurant in Singapore.”
That’s why, whereas staying true to Japanese roots, he additionally adapts his menu for native tastes. Haru Haru’s signature choices embrace rice bowls with crisp, golden katsu (clients can select between pork, hen, salmon, or prawn) topped with creamy mentaiko mayonnaise. It’s a mixture he observed was all the time successful with Singaporean diners at his earlier workplaces.
Haruyama can also be explicit about providing higher worth. Whereas Haru-Haru’s dishes are priced increased than your typical hawker fare, he makes positive each chunk justifies the fee.
In response to Haruyama, he makes use of US pork loin for the tonkatsu, makes all sauces from scratch, and fries each cutlet to order. He additionally insists on utilizing nama panko for the coating, created from recent bread like shokupan (Japanese milk bread). With its lighter, coarser texture, it creates a crispier, extra delicate crust when deep-fried—a element he considers important for genuine katsu.
Different Japanese stalls, he claims, don’t go to those lengths. They purchase sauces from suppliers, don’t fry to order, use frozen cutlets, or depend on dry panko that’s nowhere close to as crispy as nama panko.
Serving as much as 200 clients each day
It looks as if Haru-Haru’s choices have been successful—Haruyama claims that the stall serves as much as 200 clients each day.
Nevertheless it didn’t begin out that method. Within the early days, Haru-Haru was serving simply 60 to 80 clients a day, and curiosity solely started to choose up as soon as phrase unfold—primarily via social media and Google Critiques—that the stall was helmed by a Japanese chef.
“When clients didn’t realise it was run by Japanese folks, they might take a look at the menu however generally not order. Nevertheless, as soon as they understood it was Japanese-run, they grew to become extra inclined to present it a attempt,” he defined.
Now with increased demand, operating the stall is not any simple feat. Even with two to a few part-time employees available, Haruyama nonetheless manages many of the on-site work himself, from cooking and ordering to employees coaching and cleansing.
And with increments on lease, meals and labour prices, Haruyama shared that the stall’s revenue margins are “fairly skinny,” although he didn’t disclose actual figures.
That stated, he’s nonetheless doubling down on high quality. “High quality management is an important half, particularly with the amount of shoppers we serve day by day. We now have to watch out to not over-order and to not hold an excessive amount of meat in inventory,” he defined.
Because of this focus, lots of his clients are repeat guests. Inspired by the response, Haruyama not too long ago expanded with a brand new outlet, this time specializing in ramen, which launched on Oct 4 in the identical meals court docket.
The stall’s ramen soup is made recent in-house, and all menu gadgets don’t comprise pork or lard. “Ramen is well-liked in Singapore too, and as I had some earlier expertise making it, I wished to create a ramen that stood out from the remainder,” he shared.
Trying forward, Haruyama stated he’s aspiring to open different retailers with completely different ideas sooner or later, constructing on Haru-Haru’s rising fame for genuine Japanese hawker fare.
Though he’s conscious of how cut-throat the F&B business could be, he isn’t overly frightened in regards to the dangers. “Beginning a enterprise is a threat regardless of when, the place, or below what circumstances,” he stated.
“I don’t fear in regards to the dangers an excessive amount of—I simply do my finest and handle what I don’t know by asking for assist and recommendation from folks I can depend on.”
- Learn different articles we’ve written on Singaporean companies here.
Featured Picture Credit score: Haru-Haru/ Vanessa Lau through Google Critiques
