The document discusses Hiragi Japanese restaurant located in the Novotel Bangna Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. It notes that around 80% of the restaurant's customers are Japanese, indicating the authenticity of the cuisine. The restaurant recently downsized its menu categories to focus on teppanyaki, sushi, and sashimi. This strategy aims to better serve its predominantly Japanese clientele. The restaurant has separate areas for teppanyaki and sushi/sashimi. The food, especially the sushi and sashimi, is of high quality with fresh fish and careful preparation. The specialized menu and focus on quality ingredients has proven successful, as evidenced by the increasing numbers of Japanese customers visiting the

1. There's one easy way to judge the authenticity of the cuisine you're eating in a Bangkok restaurant. For example, if you're in a Japanese restaurant, how many Japanese people are there? In the case of the Novotel Bangna Hotel's Hiragi Japanese restaurant, the answer is 80% or so. It's strong evidence that the food is good and true to its roots. At Hiragi, the menu is taking a step closer to the roots of traditional Japanese cooking by downsizing the number of categories of food offered in favor of emphasizing teppanyaki, sushi and sashimi. Anyone familiar with Japanese cuisine knows of the great number of cooking styles available to Japanese chefs. Some restaurants stake their success on providing diners with as many of these styles as possible, giving the guest great flexibility but sometimes not achieving mastery over any of the styles presented. Hiragi has taken the opposite approach recently, limiting the choices offered the diner but working harder to present the best of what it does offer. The teppanyaki, sushi, sashimi strategy (along with some other dishes, of course) is designed to service the predominantly Japanese clientele mentioned above, and it appears to be successful already. Each of these genres of Japanese cuisine has its presence in the restaurant, with separate teppanyaki and sushi/ sashimi bars inside the spacious interior. The room is floored with beautiful hardwood and is visually uncluttered, possibly to take advantage of the western-facing floor-to-ceiling windows which look out over the sunset. The black tables and chairs lend a somewhat somber air to the room that is broken up by the sea-green upholstery. The attentive staff provided perfect service throughout the meal without an intrusive presence which added to the peaceful feeling the room imparted. Assorted Japanese pickles appeared first soon to be followed by various pieces of sushi and sashimi. The wasabi was plentiful as was the soy and the fish itself was very fresh, the most important factor regarding any sushi! sashimi offering. Tuna fillet, sea bass and California rolls were present along with several unnamed varieties. Sushi and sashimi can be ordered ala carte along with nigiri sushi and sashimi moriwase and nigiri sushi moriwase, all variations on a theme and evidence of the more extensive nature of the raw portion of the menu. The fish is a mixture of imported and local depending on the variety and the availability in local waters. There are also set courses of the sashimi moriwase and nigiri sushi moriwase ranging from 300-1,000 baht. Turning to the teppanyaki side of the menu, you'll find five different set menus ranging from 400-1200 baht. The selections cover Kobe steak, imported tenderloin, imported sirloin, local beef and seafood. Our mixed plate contained a little of everything and all of it was tasty and tender, grilled to perfection. Since our dining was done at a table instead of at one of the bars, we were not able to witness the chefs in action, but that is always an interesting sight and future visits would include dining there instead. It seems as if the reoriented menu will continue to be a success at Hiragi and the increasing numbers of Japanese diners who find their way to the hotel are the proof of that fact. Hiiragi does not provide something for everyone but what it does provide is among the, best you will find anywhere, so if the aforementioned cuisines are some (your favorites, try the Novotel Bangna for some authentically prepared Japanese food and enjoy the benefits of specialization.