More space, same HACHI vibe
The makeover hasn't changed HACHI's identity completely. The interior was once again designed by the team at ARKHÉO, who also worked on the original restaurant and the HACHI-KO project. This time, the idea was to build on the familiar space rather than start from scratch. Removing some of the interior walls has created a larger dining area, while new furniture and cleaner details give the restaurant a fresher, more polished feel.
The changes weren’t purely cosmetic, either. The renovation also included upgrades to the building’s electrical and plumbing systems, meaning plenty of work went on behind the scenes as well.
Our goal was to give HACHI a fresh update while preserving the character our guests have come to love. We wanted the new space to feel completely natural, almost as if it had always looked this way. We took the same approach to the new menu: keeping our guests' favourites while introducing new dishes that show where our kitchen is heading today.
– said Mihály Szöllősi, co-owner of HACHI.
The kitchen gets an upgrade too
The kitchen has had a serious upgrade too. New equipment and more flexible workstations give the chefs greater freedom and make it easier to keep developing the menu. That will come in handy as HACHI plans to refresh its offering roughly every three months, making more room for seasonal ingredients and new techniques.
The approach itself remains the same: presenting Japanese culinary traditions in an approachable, easy-going way. Comfort food is still at the heart of HACHI, combining familiar favourites with distinctive Japanese flavours, ingredients and techniques. The team is also making more use of the robata grill, a traditional Japanese charcoal-grilling method, for everything from meat to grilled prawn skewers.
One of the biggest benefits of HACHI's makeover goes beyond more seats and a more modern kitchen. The upgraded setup also allows the team to create more complex dishes while keeping a closer eye on consistency. "It shouldn't matter whether we're making the first portion or the hundredth - guests should get the same quality every time," says Misi.
Autumn menu: ramen, udon and crispy chicken
One of the highlights of the new menu is the Kobachi selection, offering a taste of Japanese-style small plates, while the mains give a good idea of HACHI's current take on Japanese comfort food. The shio tori ramen is one of the lighter, more delicate options. Its clear, salt-seasoned broth comes with chicken ham, chicken wontons and ajitama, a Japanese-style marinated egg .
The niku udon goes in a richer, meatier direction. Thick, springy udon noodles are served with ball tip steak, smoked teriyaki, sugar snap peas and fresh greens. The smoky flavour comes through strongly, balanced by the freshness of the vegetables. For a meat-free option, there's the kinoko udon, built around a mix of mushrooms (kinoko in Japanese). Combined with butter and dashi, the aromatic stock at the heart of Japanese cooking, they create a rich, umami-packed sauce served with the same thick udon noodles.
The torikatsu don will be a good choice for fans of Japanese fried chicken: crispy breaded chicken breast served with rice, dashi-katsu sauce and egg. Other new additions for autumn include wagyu gyoza, Mangalica croquettes and kinoko karaage. The gyoza pairs the classic Japanese dumpling with richly marbled wagyu beef, while the Mangalica croquettes bring a Hungarian ingredient into a Japanese-inspired dish. The kinoko karaage, meanwhile, features marinated mushrooms coated in starch and deep-fried until crisp. To finish, the Dezato selection offers a Japanese-inspired end to the meal.
Not a new beginning, but the next step
HACHI's reopening feels more like the next step in its evolution than a complete fresh start. The larger dining area, upgraded facilities and more flexible kitchen setup give the team plenty of room to keep developing the concept from here.
Megjelent első bookazine-unk, ne maradj le róla!
Már 15 éve lélegzünk összhangban a fővárossal. Jubileumi kiadványunkban mindent megtalálsz, ami magazinunk és eddigi munkánk esszenciája. Gasztronómia, kultúra, városi legendák és Budapest arcai, interjúk, történetek és a legjobb helyek – úgy, ahogyan mi látjuk a fővárost.
Rendeld meg itt vagy keresd a nagyobb könyvesboltokban!
hirdetés
