Imamura Has Landed

Chef Imamura Hirofumi’s culinary adventures brought him to our shores in 2022, and with his Philosophy of Five, his reputation has been steadily growing.

- SUFFIAN HAKIM

WHEN IT COMES TO the Japanese restaurant experience, Chef Imamura Hirofumi is a visionary.

The founder of Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa’s Restaurant Imamura has had a storied career, bringing new ideas in Japanese cuisine to restaurants in Las Vegas, Macau, Hong Kong, and finally, the Philippines with the eponymous Kappou Imamura, an upscale but highly popular destination within the iconic Okada Manila integrated resort.

He decided to leave the company in the midst of the pandemic in 2021, and opened Restaurant Imamura with Japanese hospitality group GHS Dining the following year.

Having had an amazing career that took him all around the world — it therefore begs the question: Why Singapore?

Chef Imamura explains, “The choice of Singapore as our location was strategic. It has a thriving market for Japanese cuisine and a deep appreciation for Japanese culture. Additionally, Singapore’s excellent import and export infrastructure ensures that we can access fresh produce daily, a critical aspect for a restaurant that places a strong emphasis on ingredient traceability and quality.”

But it wasn’t enough to merely place it in Singapore. It needed to be a location that could fulfil his vision, one that melded the Japanese-centric luxury proposition he had in mind for the restaurant, and his own culinary philosophy.