Takigi Japanese Restaurant, at being launched, was originally a Japanese dessert shop. In March this year, it began serving standard Japanese meals and has since won a good reputation. It attracts not only customers working or living in the area but also Japanese expatriates looking for an authentic taste of home.

Mr. Terry WONG, Strategic Marketing and Operation Manager of the restaurant's parent company, says, "Japanese cuisine is known for the quality and freshness of its ingredients." In particular, it puts an emphasis on bringing out the natural flavours of each ingredient. This concept echoes the current trend of eating foods in lower fat and sodium.

Terry says the restaurant is committed to serving quality food made from the freshest ingredients. They always believe in the principle of "quality before quantity", and use only the best ingredients available to ensure the best quality of dishes. To make sure the ingredients are fresh all the time, the restaurant plans and closely monitors the stock level of its food items.

Zero CHAN, Assistant Head Chef of the restaurant, has been working as a chef for almost nine years. He is well versed in Japanese cuisine. He says, "The sauce is an important part of Japanese cuisine because it gives the taste. It is the 'soul' of Japanese food."

The cooking team spends a lot of time devising new formulae of sauces. Instead of using instant sauces with high fat and salt content, they have created a variety of home-made sauces from quality ingredients such as mirin, sake, raw ginger and crushed garlic to go with meats and seafood.

At Takigi, the cooking team is required to maintain a high standard of food preparation. Vegetables, for example, are soaked in iced water to prolong their crunchy texture. The cooking team also tries to add a modern touch to traditional Japanese cuisine. For instance, Japanese-style salads consist mainly of shredded cucumber, cabbage and carrot, but they enrich them with lollo rosso, frisee, cherry tomatoes and a sauce of liquidised celery, green pepper and carrot. This can greatly enhance the flavour of the salads in a natural way.

To let the restaurant stand out from thousands of others, Terry thinks they need to create more dishes that will give their customers an unforgettable dining experience. The restaurant will seek to develop new recipes to keep its menu afresh once they have secured a foothold in the market.