Coinciding with the annual Cherry Blossom Festival and “hanami,” wherein bright explosions of pink take the spotlight in Japan, various Asian restaurants also took the opportunity to inculcate the mesmerizing sakura, which blooms only once a year, not just into drinks but into specialty dishes as well. After a contemplative walk along the rows of cherry trees, sakura lovers were treated to a gastronomic experience featuring their favorite flower. Since such blooms do not grow in the Philippines, the cherry blossoms were brought to the country by Yoshihiro Narisawa, owner/chef of NARISAWA in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo for his presentation at the Madrid Fusion Manila on Friday (April 8, 2016). As a pioneer of cuisine connected to the preservation of the natural environment, Chef Narisawa takes pride in his Sakura specialty dishes which were made with the cherry blossoms of Japan that only bloom once a year. A Sakura is a symbolic [...]