Hailing from a lineage of Japanese chefs, you might expect Mihara Terufumi to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers, demonstrating his gastronomic skills with rigorous adherence to tradition. Trained in the buzzing kitchens of Osaka, this might have happened—if not for Mihara’s unexpected love affair with Italian cuisine.
A found passion for Italian food is what spurred Mihara’s initial culinary experiments. Weaving Western culinary techniques with traditional Japanese craft, this penchant for amalgamation and later became foundational to his gastronomic evolution. Mihara perfected his style while serving as the executive chef of the Consulate-General of Japan in Chicago, finding inspiration in the cultural melting pot of his environment. With a taste for innovation, the chef set out on a quest of new creation, surprising even his most regular guests to this day.
His latest venture, Teppanyaki Mihara Goten, is a novel and exciting take on the teppanyaki experience. An intimate 10-seater venue, Mihara Goten embodies the spirit of kappō cuisine; here, the omakase style is combined with the performative nature of teppanyaki. Grounded in what the chef himself has named the “wa modern” philosophy, the concept of the restaurant is to blend time-honoured traditions with a contemporary outlook.
As the fruit of Mihara’s efforts, the curated menu at Mihara Goten takes diners on an inventive journey peppered with reimagined Japanese staples. Preserving the intimacy of teppanyaki, Mihara Goten’s cuisine ranges from Japanese and Italian, while still leaving room for French and Chinese inspirations. His creative dishes include the Cantonese-inspired grilled fish maw in creamy chicken soup. A coveted ingredient, the fish maw is meticulously soaked, cooked, cooled, and frozen for 11 hours before it meets the teppan.
Another noteworthy plate is the broiled Ezo abalone with Hokkaido sea urchin. Fresh abalone is dressed in nori seaweed and steamed atop rock salt placed on the teppan grill. A butter sauce of soy, lemon, and white wine is prepared à la minute and drizzled over the cooked abalone. Topped with fresh sea urchin, the ensemble is torched, then served.
Mihara’s unique culinary style culminates in the dessert course: the strawberry soup with homemade vanilla ice cream—lovingly dubbed Ice Fire by the chef—is an ingenuous play on contrasting temperatures and textures, promising hitherto untold experiences.
3/F, Cubus, 1 Hoi Ping Road, Causeway Bay
Tel: (+852) 5394 3689
All images courtesy of Teppanyaki Mihara Goten.
