Take an infamous sushi chef with a French culinary background, combine with an award-winning mixologist, and you get Haiku: an Asian-French fusion dining experience with a sophisticated lounge atmosphere. Haiku's fresh, flavorful, and creative menu features an impressive range of Asian dishes with a distinct French touch. Apart from the mouthwatering entrees and distinctive appetizers, Haiku's menu offers a wide selection of sushi, from quality nigiri and melt-in-your-mouth sashimi that boast the freshness and delicacy of the fish, to exotic rolls that embody chef Kenzo's ability to artfully combine unexpected ingredients. Haiku's regular customers know Chef Kenzo's talents, and the staff takes the time to learn their customer's tastes and preferences so each visit is a personal, customized experience. Haiku embraces the customer's desire for the full experience of dining, socializing, and savoring their food. So sit down, have a few of Jack Cheam's signature cocktails, and let Kenzo make you something wonderful.
Lolita
A beautiful concoction of vodka, strawberry puree, basil, lime, and simple syrup. This cocktail brings clean, sweet fruit notes enwrapped in a soft vanilla flavor. Ask Jack for drink recommendations as you order your meal, you won't be disappointed.
Sushi Platter
A plate of fresh tuna, salmon, yellowtail, and a roll with salmon, mango, cucumber, and sprouts. Each piece of
fish stands on its own, uncompromising in freshness and quality. The beautifully arranged Shiro Magura (white tuna) is a must-try: its creamy texture melts on the tongue and lingers in a soft buttery finish.
Phoenix Roll
This charming roll exemplifies the art of inspired maki. The flavors and textures of sweet fried onions, crispy cucumber, fresh tuna, scallops, and pickled radish, wrapped in a mild soy paper, come together to proliferate the perfect bite, at once soft, crunchy and savory, with a light burst of sweet onion.
Lobster Tail
Any lobster lover will swoon for this incredibly succulent, tender lobster tail in a creamy herb sauce. Typically served with The King surf and turf: 4 ounces of tenderloin, 3 chops of lamb, and jumbo sea scallops, all topped with chef's choice of sauces.
Haiku has gained many loyal customers since its opening in 2006, thanks to the large fan following that Chef Kenzo has acquired over his last 10 years in the area. When El Basha owner George Sakhat decided to open the restaurant, he wanted to bring a new energy to Worcester. Sakhat approached Chef Kenzo, who previously had a strong presence at Willy's Steakhouse and Zipango, and wanted to give him a place to showcase his unique culinary talents and carefully crafted dishes. Jack Cheam, Kenzo's nephew and an award-winning mixologist, was brought in to develop the intimate bar and lounge atmosphere. Both Cheam and Kenzo are the faces that personalize the experience for each customer; hospitality and good taste run in the family.
The usual degree of separation between customer and chef is stripped away at Haiku, as conversation between the two is common, even encouraged. Sitting at the sushi bar, one can talk with Kenzo as they see their dinner being prepared, and delight in the pleasant surprise of new flavors. The mutual love between Kenzo and his customers is delightfully apparent. Ask him to surprise you, and he will send out something inventive based upon what you like.
Haiku's menu offers soups, salads, appetizers from the sushi bar and kitchen, steak entrees, seafood, poultry, and an impressively extensive selection of nigiri, sashimi, hosomaki, and ura maki. The real gem of the menu is the "Creations by Kenzo," where one can find the Worcester Maki (beef tenderloin cooked to order, scallion, and sweet potato in a soy wrap), Parisian Maki (foie gras, apple and fig confit and fine herbs), and Exotica Maki (shrimp, pineapple, avocado, cucumber, radish and sweet sauce). Entrees such as the Creamy Wasabi Tuna Steak, and the Grilled Pineapple Chicken Breast in a rum and Port wine sauce, are equally thoughtful and artfully executed.
One of the finest qualities of a top chef is his/her ability to create something new and spectacular from differing, uncommonly paired ingredients. And with the variety and range of ingredients that Kenzo has at his fingertips, the possibilities are far from limited. Kenzo uses the maki roll as a foundation for playful pairing of tastes and textures. A roll can be elegant, simple, savory, light, or as complex as desired. One bite at a time, each maki piece is its own entity, worthy of slow appreciation and savoring.
When asked what their favorite menu item is, both George Sakhat and Jack Cheam answer, "anything that Kenzo makes." This kind of trust and respect for the chef extends to new and old customers alike, and exemplifies the kind of relationship people have with their food at Haiku. Additionally, Kenzo is happy to make menu substitutions, with an "anything is possible" attitude.
Haiku can satisfy your curiosity for the exotic, or introduce new ways to think about familiar foods. Between Chef Kenzo's extraordinary culinary talents, Jack's experienced wine, saki, and cocktail pairings, and the intimate ambiance of the restaurant itself, customers can rest assured that their best interests are being served by people who love what they do.
