"It's About Perfecting the Basics": Honouring Hakumai with Wen Wang
Before he was shaking rice vodka martinis and building one of Sydney’s most confident bars, Wen Wang worked in fashion. But after searching for something that transcended language and could take him around the world, he found himself behind the bar.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the emotional flow between people and spaces — how an environment can shift a person’s state of mind, even help them temporarily forget reality. Bartending naturally became that path,” he tells Concrete Playground, as part of a series of conversations exploring the art of hakumai with House of Suntory’s Haku Vodka.
That desire for connection is at the heart of Bar Sumi, Wang’s elegant cocktail bar in the CBD. Tucked underneath the Regent Place complex, the low-lit space seats around 20 people and feels more like a private lounge than a bar. There’s no signage, no loud music and, perhaps most surprisingly, no menu.
“By not having a menu, we invite guests to slow down and enter into real dialogue,” he explains. “Instead of scrolling through choices and ordering a drink, they share their mood, their pace that day or even a memory they want to relive.”
From there, drinks are shaped in real-time and based on the conversation between the guest and the bartender. “Each drink is tailored to the individual. That process — the conversation, the connection — is part of the drink itself.”
Image: Declan Blackall
The Spirit of Simplicity
Wang’s bartending practice is heavily influenced by Japanese craftsmanship. “It’s about sincerity and humility in the details,” he says. “Understanding the tools, repeating movements, committing to doing things without mistakes.”
He compares it to a craftsman at a workbench. Someone who’s always refining and repeating their process. “Even the most routine tasks are worth doing to the best of your ability,” he says.
Through this process of experimentation and dedication, he’s honed his approach to flavour pairings. One of the more unusual ingredients Wang uses behind the bar is nukazuke — pickled vegetables fermented in nuka, the rice bran left behind after polishing white rice.
“It develops a salty, sour, slightly nutty flavour,” he explains. “I like using the flavour of nukazuke in cocktails to create a background note — something that feels familiar but hard to describe, like a scent from memory.”
Image: Declan Blackall
A Bartender-Approved Vodka
This winter, Wang is serving up white rice in a different form: Haku Vodka, the Japanese rice-based spirit from House of Suntory. “It’s exceptionally clean — with a silky mouthfeel and a hint of natural rice sweetness, layered with soft floral notes,” he says of the spirit’s flavour.
“It drinks gently, without sharpness, but carries depth. A vodka that’s gentle, pure, and quietly complex.”
If you prefer something subtle over big, bold flavours, Wang believes Haku is a perfect choice. “A good vodka isn’t flavourless [but] texture matters more to me than flavour: smooth, rounded, present — but never overpowering. It should be enjoyable on its own and elevate what it’s paired with.”
When building drinks around Haku, Wang says it comes down to restraint. “I’m drawn to gentle, harmonious ingredients — like cucumber, chrysanthemum, white miso, or shiso. These elements don’t overpower the rice aroma, they enhance its warmth. I avoid sharp acidity or excessive bitterness.”
Image: Finley Jones
A Martini Worth Slowing Down for
For the perfect hakumai martini, Wang likes to mix things up. “I might use a touch of sake or kombu infusion to gently amplify the rice note, along with a very subtle bitter element. Temperature and dilution must be precise to let its texture come through rather than disappear.”
Now, you can taste his creation — the SUMI Hakutini — served at Bar Sumi this August as part of a national series of bars and restaurants spotlighting the art of hakumai.
The cocktail pairs Haku Vodka with junmai ginjo, dry vermouth and a hint of aperitif, and is served alongside a puffed crispy rice and caviar snack. It’s clean and precise, allowing the vodka’s texture to lead. “This spirit isn’t about flashy innovation — it’s about perfecting the basics, and making the act of drinking something that deserves respect.”
You can try a Haku Vodka martini and dishes that honour hakumai at venues across Sydney this July and August, including Prefecture 48, Icebergs Bondi, Bar Sumi and The Roosevelt. And across Melbourne at spots like Curious, Holy Grail, Rossi and Yugen. Visit here to learn more.
Lead image: Declan Blackall