Maggie Tang

    SPEAKING fluent Mandarin and appearing comfortable with life in Shenzhen, Eiji Nakamura looks more like a Chinese, perhaps from Taiwan, than a Japanese.

    As new chef at the Shizuku Japanese restaurant of JW Marriott Shenzhen, Nakamura is trying to give a local flavor to the food he prepares while retaining the core traditions of Japanese cuisine. The new Shizuku menu has maintained its strengths in diversity and authenticity, but also offers some pleasant surprises.

    Observing the emphasis on freshness, Nakamura has gone a step further by introducing a range of dishes made from locally sourced organic ingredients. These are presented in some simple items on the menu, such as the seasonal sashimi which uses both imported and local fish and seafood. Shizuku’s platinum sashimi platter, a good starter for any feast, mixes and matches flavors and textures and is as much a visual delight as a gastronomic one.

    “I’ve found some good seafood and vegetables in Shenzhen - they’ll give the dishes delicate, fresh flavors and texture. But I haven’t found as many types of fish as I’d hoped and am still looking for them,” said Nakamura.

    Nakamura’s concern with giving food a local essence goes beyond sourcing ingredients locally. In his previous position in Taiwan, he created new dishes that have a Taiwan theme, such as the Taiwan maki roll, which uses steamed chicken and preserved mullet roe in a titillating variation on the California-roll idea.

    A Shizuku feast could begin with appetizers, for example the ihire, toasted dried stingray fin with chili mayonnaise (48 yuan), marinated cuttlefish, julienne vegetables and konbu seaweed (48 yuan), or homemade chilled sesame tofu with caviar, grated fresh wasabi (58 yuan).

    You can also select from an array of sashimi and sushi, both delightfully fresh. A spritz of lemon adds a zesty twist to the mellow-flavored dish. To turn it up a notch, add a dash of creamy wasabi. For those who prefer their Japanese food cooked, there’s the many-flavored teppanyaki, or iron grill.

    If you find the intricacies of Japanese a la carte dining a little daunting, there are dinner set menus starting at 380 yuan and a six-course kaiseki set menu for 780 yuan. A special lunch bento box priced at 108 yuan is on promotion. As part of the promotion, you can buy two lunch boxes and getting one free. For all lunch set menus, diners are assured that food will be served within 15 minutes of ordering.