Last week, Kyoto Kichisen Master Chef Yoshimi Tanigawa opened his doors to Michael of Kyoto Foodie, Marc of No Recipes and I. I don’t usually fly across the globe to do internships at fine restaurants but this opportunity was just too good to pass and i’m infinitely grateful to both Michael and Marc for inviting me to join them on this incredible adventure.

Yoshimi Tanigawa is a true artist and the incontested master of Kyoto Kaiseki cuisine, he’s also quite famous for his sweeping victory over Masaharu Morimoto on Iron Chef. Michael wrote a great article on Tanigawa on his blog which i highly recommend. You’ll find the episode of Iron Chef there as well.

We met the Master at Kichisen at 5:30 am. 5:20 am to be exact. We were warned that Tanigawa is never late and doesn’t like to wait. It was agreed he would take us to Kyoto Central Wholesale Market first to shop for ingredients for his restaurants and for a master class in Kyoto-style sushi and other specialties in the afternoon. We made a stop at one of Kyoto oldest Temple on the way, for his daily ritual..

We spent two hours following Tanigawa around the market as he was buying, joking and chatting with old acquaintances. He bought packages of somen, dried shrimp and fish along the way and gave it to us to take home. We sampled octopus and dried mullet roe while he picked the freshest fish and produce imaginable. By the time we came back to the car after a crazy cart ride across the market the car had already been loaded by invisible helpers. Not a minute was wasted. We stopped at his favorite Ramen shop on the way back to the restaurant, an old school neighborhood joint, and i was instructed how to eat ramen properly – slurping and all. It was about 7:30 am.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Kichisen’s kitchen is the quiet but hard-working cooks who look like Zen monks with their shaved heads – and the deep respect they have for their Master. Tanigawa’s training is rooted in Zen Buddhist methods, an ‘encouragement stick’ is on display at the entrance of the restaurant to set the tone for his students. It is traditionally used by Zen masters to hit drowsy meditators on the back during meditation practices.

Marc and i were quickly dispatched to learned how to properly wash, rinse and cook the sushi rice. We kept an eye over our shoulders at all times to make sure the encouragement stick wasn’t coming our way.

Next we started working with Ikehara, Tanigawa trusted sous-chef who’s been working with him for over 20 years. We watched him as he filleted all different kinds of fish with speed and precision while explaining various techniques. Ikehara has incredible knife skills. At a table nearby, two apprentices were thinly shaving large quantities of dried bonito over wooden boxes. The bonito flakes were later used along with kombu from Hokkaido to make the best dashi i ever tasted, also the most expensive one at $4.50 food cost for half a cup.

Kyoto is located in inland Japan, and it was difficult to obtain fresh fish in the old days. They only had the option of using cured fish, or fish that did not spoil too quickly. Kyoto-style sushi has evolved from those old preserving methods and features lots of cured or lightly pickled fish but presented with the aesthetic of Kaiseki cuisine.

After the preparation of the fish was done, we went upstairs to the main kitchen to watch Tanigawa prepare for service, we watched him make dashi and an incredible turtle soup while the cooks were busy preparing all the small garnishes. Kichisen is a well-oiled machine, by the time the guests arrived everything was in place.

Kaiseki is the equivalent of Western fine-dining, but more deeply-rooted in tradition. Kaiseki cuisine tells a story. It’s an art form that balances the taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food with an emphasis on fresh local and seasonal ingredients. Dishes are beautifully arranged and garnished, often with real leaves and flowers, as well as edible garnishes designed to resemble natural plants and animals. It was quite amazing to watch Tanigawa plate everything himself during service. ” I don’t want to let the young cooks plate. They don’t have the Art yet!” he said at one point.

Kaiseki follows a particular order of dishes that you could compare to a tasting menu you would get at a fancy restaurant. There’s the equivalent of an amuse-bouche, followed by sushi and several small side dishes. Then there’s sashimi, a ‘lidded dish’ typically a soup which in this case was a delicious looking Dobin Mushi served in a teapot with fresh Matsutake mushrooms we had picked up that morning at the market.

The epic meal continues with a grilled seasonal fish, it was served at Kichisen on a stunning display with smoking leaves which i wasn’t quick enough to photograph. There are palate cleansers such as pickled vegetables, a hot-pot, a tofu dish, a miso based soup and intermezzos in between.

Seasonal fruit is served as dessert. Those perfect persimmons were brulee on top which i found interesting. They were so sweet that the natural sugars caramelized immediately on the surface. Kichisen also has a huge stock of plates, bowls, cups..etc which changes every month with the menu. The colors match the seasons.

After the lunch service we got a class on Kyoto-style sushi from master Tanigawa. He demonstrated his skills but also put us on the spot to make sure we were paying attention. We learned how to prepare Hamo properly (pike eel) by chopping it thinly to crush the bones in between the flesh and the skin. We learned how to make Tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelet) from Ikehara and Sabazushi (pickled mackerel sushi – Kyoto’s specialty) from Tanigawa.

And yes, there was lots of no,no,no,no,no.. as he watched us nervously handle the fish with our left hand while hesitantly forming rice balls with our right hands. He would correct us and make us try again and go.. no,no,no,no,no,no again. He never used the encouragement stick on us, though.

We finally sat down at the sushi bar after a long day and enjoyed the fruit of our labor. Tanigawa showed us pictures of him with fancy French chefs like Pierre Gagnaire and chatted about the Michelin guide (he recently received 2 stars), fancy cars, Ed Hardy clothes and fashion in general. “People who can’t dress, can’t cook.” he said. We also all went to drink at Sake bar on an another night.  Yes, it’s a different Tanigawa outside the restaurant. And a quite surprising one.

Yoshimi Tanigawa is definitely one of the most fascinating person i ever met.

Don’t forget to buy a copy of Bon Appetit magazine in February to learn more about this fantastic chef…

KICHISEN

Kyoto-style kaiseki restaurant

5 Tadasu-no-mori (Morimoto-cho), Shimogamo, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto

Phone: 075-711-6121
FAX: 075-711-8993

http://www.kichisen-kyoto.com/

A few weeks ago, i was on a coffee break when i received a call from Bren Herrera of Flanboyant Eats. “I’m doing an interview with Joël Robuchon. I need you to translate.” she said. I poured the coffee over myself. “You, you.. want me to talk to God!?” i think was my answer. Needless to say, i quickly agreed.

The two-hours interview and cooking demo was filmed at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in New York City a few days ago and this post is a behind-the-scene sneak peek. Look for the footage on Bren’s blog (and here too) in a few weeks and possibly on NBC daytime. I’m very grateful to be part of this unique experience. Thanks Bren!

Joël Robuchon operates eighteen restaurants in cities worldwide, in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Macau, Monaco, New York City, Paris, and Tokyo, with a total of 25 Michelin stars among them - the most of any chef in the world. He’s considered by many the most influential French chef of our generation for his work post-nouvelle cuisine era which earned him the accolade in the media of Chef of the Century. A Meilleur ouvrier de France himself he has mentored distinguished chefs such as Gordon Ramsay and Eric Ripert and he still employs some of the finest chefs on the planet.

When we met, Mr Robuchon had just received the news that the much-respected Miele guide, which reviews 450 fine restaurants in 16 Asian countries, voted L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Hong Kong the number one restaurant in Asia, while his Macau and Tokyo venues came in at number 3 and 20. Does your head spins yet?

I admit i was a little bit nervous. I have never done live translation before but i was quickly put at ease by Mr Robuchon’s hospitality and by Bren’s infectious energy. The camera started rolling while my friend Marc of No recipes took pictures (all the photos on this post) and the relaxed conversation started in front of the bar and covered topics ranging from Cuban food to the aesthetic of Japanese food.

Mr Robuchon invited us to the kitchen to demonstrate a quick recipe, a langoustine wrapped in brick pastry with basil, deep fried and served with a basil puree. Bren was put on the spot and asked to prepare a langoustine on her own. She did so well he jokingly offered to open a Cuban restaurant with her: “You don’t mind partnering with me as long as i bring the money, right?”. You’ll see the great chemistry these two have on the video.

You can tell a master chef from looking at the small details. And fine cooking is a succession of masterfully executed small details. Joël Robuchon doesn’t season the same way the rest of us mere mortals would. He takes a pinch of salt and leans over closer and with complete focus sprinkles it over the surface evenly, almost like if he was conscious of where each grain of salt would fall. He repeated the same operation with hot chili. I don’t know if i’m the only one to notice but he’s intense.

The seasoned langoustine was wrapped in brick pastry (like filo, but finer and more crepe-like in texture) with a basil leaf. “If the basil leaf is too big you should remove the central vein”, noted Mr Robuchon. He wrapped it up and secured it with a toothpick.”The toothpick should always go sideways”, he said.

The little langoustines packets were deep fried in grapeseed oil, or any neutral oil at 180′C (that’s 350′F). “You should pay close attention to color, when it’s the lightest shade of golden brown, it’s ready”, he said.

And ready it was, the langoustines had the perfect mother of pearl shine when cut into. Bren was put in charge to sauce the plate with the basil puree. ” I’m gonna do little dots because i know you like little dots, Mr RobuchON!” She said with her warm latin accent. To which Mr Robuchon answered with a big smile: “C’est Robuchon, pas du Reblochon!”

Bren surprised everybody when she said she wanted Mr Robuchon to try a flan she had made a day earlier in DC and brought with her. The delicate operation of unmolding a flan had to be done in front on nothing less than the Chef of the Century, two of his trusted chefs for more than 15 years (one of them is a MOF) and the filming crew with camera rolling. Bren is fearless.

The operation went without a glitch. As you can see the flan came out beautifully and Mr Robuchon and his crew digged into it, pushing each other for the bigger portion.

Mr Robuchon complimented the fact that it was extremely smooth and creamy and without any air bubbles in the middle. “A sign of a very good flan!”. He was even more impressed by the fact it was cooked in a pressure-cooker. I told Bren afterward she should start a mail-order flan business. It was really that good.

We sat at the bar and got into a long conversation with topics ranging from what he thought about being called the Chef of the Century to mentoring his chef Takeo Yamakazi at his restaurant in Monte-Carlo, whom Bren had met a few months earlier. We talked about his feelings when he closed the legendary restaurant Jamin in Paris in 1996, his semi-retirement and what inspired him to start over again.

He gave us his opinion on fusion food and told us how much he dislike molecular gastronomy. He talked about his food purveyors and the relationship he has with them. He showed us a plate of fresh, tiny porcini mushrooms he had received that morning and talked about respecting the food we cook and eat.

Joël Robuchon struck me as someone passionate about his craft who gained stardom status in spite of himself. He’s a discreet character who doesn’t care much for the showbiz side of the business but who attracted fame anyway simply because genius doesn’t need trumpets. Quite a refreshing encounter in a midst of a generation of chefs with tattoes and over-inflated egoes. He was modest and even spiritual at times, so much in fact that i couldn’t help think to myself: “He’s way more zen than you, dude.”

More than anything, Mr Robuchon seemed at a very good point in his life. The fabulous 3 star Michelin restaurant that made his reputation in Paris in the 80′s and 90′s also kept him prisoner of his own fame until he decided to break the chains. And he never looked back. Now he’s traveling the world, learning about different food cultures while reigning over his restaurant empire. And wherever he is, you’ll find him cooking on the line. Even after a long flight.

Bren went for the photo-op and what a photo-op! On Bren’s right is Philippe Braun. Mr Braun is Mr Robuchon’s 23 year business partner and executive chef of the Paris restaurant. On her left is Mr Bouchenoire, a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, who’s also the executive chef of La Table de Joel Robuchon. Both are incredible chefs.

Mr Robuchon who had already been very generous with his time took a few more pictures with the crew and signed cookbooks. And we said goodbye. What an afternoon!

Special thanks go out to Michelle and Dana who were both terrific assistants, Marc of No Recipes for pulling off great photography without proper lighting. Without him there would be no preview for you to see. And thank you Mr Cameraman for forgiving me for forgetting your name. And of course a big thank you to the Star of the show, Bren of Flanboyants Eats who made this memorable experience possible for all of us.

Et biensûr un grand merci a vous, Mr Robuchon!

A few days ago i went to visit my friend Olivier who agreed to do a little cooking session for us. Olivier has worked for some of the finest French chefs out there like Alain Ducasse and Michel Guerard to name a few. More recently he was executive sous-chef for Daniel Boulud at his flagship restaurant in New York before getting a job as a private chef. Olivier is also thinking about starting his own blog. Do you think it’s a good idea? Tell him what you think in the comments.

This is a little sneak peak at what’s going on in the kitchen of the rich and famous. That’s what you would call a ‘simple’ weeknight dinner at home if you had a few billion dollars in the bank. I’m really looking forward to have Olivier make old school French dishes like Becasses en Sarcophage for us when winter comes, you’re probably familiar with that one if you’ve seen Babette’s Feast but it takes a true expert to make it right.

The menu after the jump…

Salade de Langouste d’Australie

Légumes de la Méditerranée

~~~

Côte de Veau Roti

Légumes Vert des Paysans de New York

Sauce d’une Laitue

~~~

Coupe de Cerises Frappé, cuite et granitée. Créme Fouettée Kirschée

The first course is a Salad of New-Zealand Spiny Lobster with fresh raw vegetables like radish, baby fennel, baby artichoke, baby cucumber, red onion, green pepper, candy beet as well as fresh chickpeas, purslane and tomato confit. The vegetables are thinly sliced on a Japanese mandoline. Fingers aren’t listed as ingredients so watch out.

The Spiny Lobsters legs have been cooked. The meat has a mother-of-pearl shine to it. The taste is sweet. They go first on the plate with part of it sliced. Then the vegetables, purslane and tomato confit are artfully arranged around it until you get an harmonious ‘painting’. Who said (good) chefs weren’t artists?

This guy is pretty pissed or maybe just jet lagged from his long trip from Australia. Olivier explained to me that spiny lobsters are shipped in airplanes inside big thick air balloons with a little water to avoid any stress. Stressed Lobster = Nothing to eat for you. They have a layover in Los Angeles where they take a big bath in salted water and relax overnight. Then to New York the same way. That’s like first class for lobster and he still looks pissed. I don’t get it! Anyway, i’ve never seen a spiny lobster with a head the size of my head before. Impressive, isn’t it?

An emulsion sauce made from greek yogurt, cucumber, mint, green pepper, olive oil and salt and pepper is made and drizzled at the last moment with an extra touch of olive oil. A hot dried chili pepper powder is then sprinkled over the top. I feel almost guilty.. i ate the whole salad. Myself. [gulp]

The flavors are bright and pure with a touch of heat combined with the briny and sweet taste from the spiny lobster. The creamy dressing with the slight tanginess from the greek yogurt and the floral notes of fresh purslane brings it all together. Nice balance and textural contrast. Fantastic to look at.

Olivier, i promise i won’t make fun of your receding hairline anymore!

Next course is a Roasted Veal chop with a Veal Jus, a Lettuce-Brown Butter Sauce and Local Farmers Vegetables. Look at those beautiful copper pans. Too bad they’re a bitch to maintain but i love them anyway.

The veal chop is tied and roasted with garlic and thyme. The ratte potatoes are cooked separately with aromatics then cooled in the liquid so they absorb all the flavors. Then they are peeled and added to the roasting pan along with cippoline onions and garlic confit. The veal chop is glazed with foamy butter at the end.

It’s been a long ride to get here. Let the veal chop rest for a while. Shhhh..

The veal chop is then sliced against the grain and sprinkled with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Once again, fingers aren’t part of this preparation so try to keep them attached to your hand.

The rest of the garnish goes in… snow peas, sugar snap peas, fresh peas, asparagus, cippoline onions, ratte potatoes, girolle tête de clou (literally translates to ‘nail-head chanterelle/girolle’) and heart of romaine with creme fraiche and cracked pepper. The veal jus is drizzled over and around the plate.

Now for the secret sauce, a whole head of lettuce is blanched and cooled rapidly. The excess water is squeezed out and the cooked lettuce is then blended with brown butter. It’s then strained and seasoned with salt and pepper. At the last moment before serving cream is whipped and incorporated into the lettuce-brown butter sauce along with some veal jus. Incredibly good.

The sauce is drizzled around the plate and served immediately. I feel almost guilty… again. I ate the whole thing. [re-gulp] Where do i start? The veal was cooked to perfection. Pure tenderness. This whole dish in fact was harmony. The combination of veal jus, lettuce-brown butter sauce and cream created something so luscious that it’s hard to describe, but it hits all the right notes. The vegetable bounty was spot-on and the perfect accompaniment for the tender veal. When you’re done eating you’re just happy. And that’s what it’s all about.

Olivier, once again, i promise i won’t make fun of your receding hairline anymore. This was fantastic.

The dessert course was a combination of cherries, some cooked and some granité, with a Kirsch-flavored whipped cream. The cooked cherries were cooled into their own syrup. Doesn’t it look good?

The cherries go first at the bottom of a martini glass. The cherry granité goes on top with a spoonful of kirsch whipped cream. Make a run for your camera now. Can’t waste a second.

The verdict is… delicious! Once again, it doesn’t get much better than this. One of the best way to enjoy cherries as far as i’m concerned. The combination of soft, icy, chewy, creamy is perfect. It doesn’t take long to get to the bottom of the glass. Yup that one too! I didn’t share with anyone. [re-re-gulp]

Have the chef write the recipes for you. Make a few wise-ass comments about his receding hairline. Forget the recipes on the kitchen counter. Shake hands. Go home feeling like a billionaire. Receive a phone call later telling you what an asshole you are (the recipes!) – to which you answer: YES CHEF!

Merci Olivier.