Japanese restaurant Suzuki is world-famous architect Kengo Kuma’s first commercial project in Singapore

When you enter Suzuki, the first thing you see is a reception counter with rough-hewn edges. This structure is 600kg and a piece of ancient Gifu stone. It is one of the many exquisite materials from Japan found in the newly opened omakase restaurant by chef Suzuki Yuichiro.

Suzuki is part of Mondrian Singapore Duxton’s new F&B offerings. Situated along the walkway linking Duxton Hill and Craig Road, its facade is layered with a screen of Kyoto bamboo that forms a subtle wavy pattern. Above the entrance, the slim poles slant downwards to frame an intimate threshold. Cross this portal and one is transported into a contemplative atmosphere, leaving behind the bustle of Tanjong Pagar. 

The strong material sensibility in Suzuki is a signature of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, known for employing materials in a sensitive, experimental way that reinterprets traditional techniques into contemporary forms. This is seen in projects such as the Japan National Stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the V&A Dundee (an outpost of London’s Victoria & Albert Museum) and The Sydney Exchange in Australia.  

The first is encircled with cedar panels; the second is an ark-like sculpture made of horizontal layers of precast concrete perched at the edge of the River Tay in Dundee Scotland; in the third, timber strips weave around the circular building like a nest.

Born in Yokohama in 1954, Kuma studied at the University of Tokyo and Columbia University in the United States before opening Spatial Design Studio in 1987. In 1990, he established his eponymous firm Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA). Countless accolades collected attest to his progressive body of work and he’s the only architect to be included in Time Magazine’s 2021 Most Influential People list.  

Suzuki is Kuma’s first completed commercial project in Singapore. He has designed several private residences, as well as the Singapore’s Founders’ Memorial – a project that KKAA won together with local architecture firm K2LD Architects in 2019.  

“Part of the attraction [of Suzuki] was that the restaurant is located in the Mondrian Singapore Duxton – a hotel that combines a new build with a shophouse aesthetic. This tied into my brief, which was to create an authentic setting for a traditional sushi bar. It was very important to us that we did something ‘real’ and pure. There are many expensive Japanese restaurants out there that feel a bit like Disneyland. I always find myself so disappointed when I visit,” said the architect who was in Singapore when the restaurant opened in August.  

The materials are paramount in creating a “pure” setting. The bamboo continues inward to shape a dynamic ceiling above the open kitchen and 12-seater sushi counter, teak is used for the flooring, while handmade washi paper from Fukui wraps kitchen cabinetry panels and walls.

Kuma added: “I also insisted on using hinoki wood from Nagano for the sushi counter. Most sushi bars don’t use it but this wood is very special to the touch. It’s an essential part of a sushi bar because it complements the smell of fish in a way that creates a special harmony and multi-sensorial experience for the diner.” The counter here is cut from a single plank of 150-year-old hinoki, harvested from the forests of Nagano.   

Another key aspect of the experience in Suzuki is the Japanese garden that sits just behind the reception counter, poised in between the counter seating and a private room. It provides a purposeful pause, a meditative prelude to a carefully conceived meal. Later, it becomes a picturesque backdrop to the quiet drama of chefs behind the counter working intently on their ingredients and plating the dishes. Above, the ceiling dips downward, drawing focus to the scenery.

“When you enter any space, the first impression is crucial. Your mind can change with the approach. The first thing that guests encounter upon entering is a nakaniwa – a small internal courtyard garden accompanied by the gentle drip of water from the kakehi (bamboo fountain made of a waterspout) into a [hollowed] ancient fountain stone. The nakaniwa is the central focus of the design of Suzuki because my idea was to create a sushi bar within a garden,” Kuma expounded.

The garden was challenging to lay out, he shared. “We went through many iterations because I didn’t want any wall or glass to separate this little pocket of nature from the open kitchen.” An artificial light panel above the garden mimics daylight, highlighting the garden. During service hours, the illumination dims to a soft glow to evoke twilight when the light is luminous and peaceful. 

“Putting a garden into a sushi bar is very unusual, even in Ginza, which is where many popular sushi bars are located,” said Kuma. “It’s a design feature that’s really difficult to have. Because Japanese real estate is so expensive, the tendency is to just pack as many tables as you can into the space. So in a way, Suzuki is actually more of a ‘real’ Japanese restaurant than most places in Japan itself.” 

Using materials from Japan – even the pebbles in the garden are from Nara – underscore this authenticity. “They’re million of years old. If you look carefully, some of the stones have fossils of ancient leaves embedded in them,” Kuma pointed out on their uniqueness.  

The architect spent much time conceptualising the restaurant with Yuichiro in order to create their ideal setting. Both have a reciprocal understanding, being artisans in their respective fields. Prior to opening Suzuki, Yuichiro had honed his craft at Ren – a kappo and yakiniku restaurant in Gion – and later at Ishi in the Intercontinental Singapore Robertson Quay where he was based in the last five years. 

“When I was 18, I moved to Kyoto and got a job as a trainee cook at Kikunoi, the famous three Michelin-starred kaiseki restaurant. By the time I left at the age of 24, I was its chef de cuisine. I am the chef I am today because of my years at Kikunoi where I was taught not just technique but also the importance of seasonal ingredients,” he said.

At Kikunoi, owner and head chef Yoshihiro Murata taught Yuichiro to focus on the character and original taste of any ingredient he uses. “Respect its simplicity and purity. Keep seasonings to a minimum. If you can do that, then you don’t need other ingredients to embellish or distract. I have carried these lessons with me through my career.”

Kuma’s projects echo this ethos. “There are two touchstones in all my designs – simplicity and materiality. With Suzuki, I really wanted to create a harmonious balance where these two elements could co-exist. I’m very pleased that in such a small space as this, we’ve been able to capture the essence of Japanese culture.”

His architecture honours the materials he uses. Wood is showcased as it is, and so is stone. His attention to detail sees every single piece of furniture and furnishing in Suzuki bespoke or handmade, ranging from the cloth napkins embroidered with Yuichiro’s name in hiragana text by the celebrated Kyoto-based calligrapher Tomoko Kawao, to the antique soup bowls and classic modern birch chairs. The latter was created for the cafe in Tokyo’s Nezu Museum that the architect designed.   

Likewise, Suzuki celebrates fresh, superior ingredients that are flown in from Japan four times a week; tuna is from Kyushu; kinki fish and uni from Hokkaido, and silverbelt from the waters off Osaka. “The best example of this approach is our wanmono, the second soup course. It’s a clear broth made of kombu, dried bonito and baby tuna, which we cut thinly by hand on a box slicer. Most Japanese restaurants use packaged bonito flakes, but we shave ours directly in front of the guest,” Yuichiro shared.

These ingredients are gently cooked in water from Mount Fuji, near Chef Yuichiro’s birthplace. “Using this water is important to me because it contains very little minerals, so the texture of the wanmono is smooth, and the flavours of seaweed and fish are clear,” he highlighted.  

At Suzuki, nothing is superfluous. Every detail is a deliberate and thoughtful representative of Yuichro’s ethos. “I am every part of the restaurant,” he stated. “But more than that, I’m very aware that I am the custodian of an old culinary tradition, and this is an opportunity for me and my team to present another facet of Japanese cuisine to a city that is already so familiar with this part of my culture. I am both incredibly humbled and excited.”