Hinari can be found at Greenhills Mall, and it elevates dining, both figuratively and literally! Figuratively because the better-choice ingredients, the cooking techniques, and the artistic plating all lend to an elevated, finely curated dining experience. Then literally elevating, because it’s found on the second floor of Dough & Grocer that’s located in the mall. You literally ascend to a hideaway, private dining area that seats the ‘chosen 14’ on any given evening. For now, there are two options: the Hinari Wagyu degustation called The Flame, or their Hinari Sushi omakase, The Tide.

The Flame is a tasting menu that’s dedicated to A5 Wagyu from Oita Prefecture, Japan. What’s different with Hinari is that the ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves, and do all the ‘talking.’ There are no long-winded explanations of what you’re about to eat, and how it was sourced. Here, it’s less talk and more eat! Whether the Wagyu or the Sushi, you’re talking of 14 to 15 courses that promise quality, freshness, and surprise. In true omakase form, whatever choice ingredients are available on any given day will be used to enhance the menu for that particular evening. The two Japanese chefs will see to that.

For The Flame dinner that I thoroughly enjoyed, these were the courses:

Monaka is a crispy potato, onion mousse, and black truffle, which serves as the amuse-bouche for the evening. It’s a single-bite welcome, with the onion leading and the truffle following close behind. Despite the adjective of crispy, this melts in your mouth in a good way.

Wagyu Tartare, paired with Ikura, Bottarga, and Dashi Meringue, is another course that’s best popped into one’s mouth. This way, the Ikura pops as well, drenching the Wagyu and the subtle meringue.

Amaebi & Yari-Ika Tart is sweet shrimp, squid, caviar and Gorgonzola cream. I loved how this was a second course that came without Wagyu, showcasing seafood with a crispy tart base that produced a wonderful play on textures. Stamped right away as one of my favorites for the evening, I would have readily eaten a second, but wanted to pace myself.

The Wagyu Rib Cap Kobujime is a tendon crisp, with delicate sprigs of asparagus and a black garlic aioli. Here was another play on multiple textures, all merging to create something very distinct.

The Wagyu Ribeye Shabu-Shabu Consommé was mixed with white radish, cauliflower fungus, shiso, and green peppercorn. This had a subtlety that had you yearning for a brisk, autumn evening in Japan. The Wagyu would practically melt in one’s mouth, and the fungus was a nice touch.

Wagyu Tongue Confit was served with an eggplant puree, a Mangani chili pepper, myoga, leek oil, and Shio-Koji lemon sauce. The purée served as a mashed base, while the pepper gave this dish a righteous kick. What I loved most was how we were talking Wagyu tongue, but it was like having chunks of Ribeye. Wonderfully tender.

The Wagyu Chuck Roll Sukiyaki is a dry Sukiyaki. The Maitake Mushroom, Tofu Mousse, leeks, Salted egg and Karasumi all made this a smoky, yet subtle course, and I really liked the Tofu mousse.

Wagyu Tail Bollito was your carbs dish of the night, as it’s a mushroom risotto, with burdock, porcini, and yuzu kosho. One way to describe this would be the Chef’s version of Steak Rice, and I really appreciated the hint of citrus coming from the yuzu kosho.

Your main course finale was the Wagyu Tenderloin Charcoal Grill, with roasted onion, Shungiku-Wasabi purée, Parmigiano Reggiano and grain mustard sauce. Loved how there were bits of edamame added on to this dish, and how sweet the roasted onion was. And yes, the grain mustard sauce was a great finishing touch.

The desserts were almost like showing off on the part of our chef, and I had to smile at this. First up was the Peaches Gelato Mochi. Presentation was like one was looking at a blanket, and the segments of peaches were the prize waiting underneath.

The Mango Cheesecake was mangoes and finger lime. So there was a dynamic contrast going on, and the dessert was subtle, not sweet at all, but still very enticing.

Then we had the Petit Four, a trio of Matcha truffle chocolate, Hojicha canelé, and Yuzu Guimauve. To the end, even with this dessert course, it was about flavors and textures at play, teasing us and knowing we would readily surrender!

Offering something different and stamping it with the highest of quality, Hinari is a bright culinary experience worth searching for. For the number of courses served within a single tasting menu, and the quality of the ingredients, it is quite reasonably priced: P7,800 for the Wagyu degustation of Chef Ryujiro Amemori, and P6,800 for the Sushi omakase of Chef Koji Oki. Congratulations to Alyanna Uy and her father, Henry, for creating this new dining experience of Hinari.

One can call Dough & Grocer at Greenhills Mall, or directly head to Hinari.ph on IG, to book your seats. Enjoy a tasting menu where it’s your conversation with your date or friends that counts, or it’s even just you savoring the degustation on your own without constant interruptions from the staff. It’s the Tasting Menu that speaks loudest, but being so confident and quiet.