Fresh, naturally sweet, just plain delicious. Japanese food was once considered something that was "challenging" to eat because some dishes are made with raw fish. Today, diners are able to appreciate the different tastes and textures each cut of seafood has to offer and how a bit of delicate seasoning can bring out the fresh flavors.

In the hands of a true master like Chase Kojima, who was recently the guest chef at Sevva in Hong Kong, the results are multisensory art.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Kojima was exposed to the Japanese kitchen by his chef father at a young age.

On Sundays, when he was 11, he would go out to dine with his dad and later make dishes with him. At 13, he created a snapper (tai) ceviche sushi with his dad - a dish that, with some refinements, he still makes 18 years later. During his impressive career, Kojima has headed up kitchens around the world for the Nobu restaurant group.

That environment pushed him to use his creativity and knowledge of ingredients to come up with dishes customers had not tried before. After leaving Nobu, Kojima went to work at Sokyo at The Star in Sydney.

Now with Kojima at the helm, Sokyo has won numerous awards, including the One Chef's Hat (2014) from The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, Two Glasses (2013) from Gourmet Traveller Wine List of the Year Awards and Award of Excellence (2012) from Wine Spectator Restaurant Wine List Awards.

Hong Kong has had a love affair with Japanese food for many years, which Kojima explains simply: "It just tastes really good!"

Kojima likes to add a bit of spice to his dishes. When I saw jalapeno on his Sevva menu, I expected the dish to have a spicy kick. But Kojima's style of spice, according to him, "is not super hot. It's just a touch to add umami." And that's just what it was - a touch to give your mouth a bit of tingle but not overpower the delicate fish.

"I like to eat traditional," he says.

"I really studied it. But I give it a little twist. I want elder Japanese people to enjoy my food ... (It's) fun. Young. Makes you feel young. Brings you back. (It's) sexy."

For me, Kojima's food is not only beautiful but is a pleasure to eat.

This was Kojima's first visit to Hong Kong and he says it's been eye-opening.

"It's super-fast paced here. People are very positive, happy and full of energy," says Kojima. "They walk so fast here. I had to get used to that." He also noticed that Hong Kong people he came across are well-traveled and take a lot of things from abroad and bring them back to Hong Kong. "Anything that's really good, Hong Kong will get," he notes.

Though Kojima says his dishes are made of "simple combinations that are really good", the consensus at our table was that he is an artist and a master at making simple an amazing experience.

"Every time I dine, read, or I am on the Internet, I think about how I can use it (in my food)," Kojima says.

sundayed@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/08/2014 page8)