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Travels throughout Asia have influenced this French chef in both his personal life and the winning dishes at his restaurant, Sur Mesure at Mandarin Oriental, Paris. He delves into his inspirations with Katie Monk
and no country that I’ve visited – whether it be Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China, Japan, the US or Russia – has left me indifferent. Of course there are things that can shock us, but the main thing is to always maintain a positive attitude. Travelling keeps my ideas fresh and cooking in tune with international trends.
and to the French countryside. Travel has helped me to look at cooking with a new eye. I’ve spent a significant part of my life in Asia, and if I am very indebted to French food, I owe no less to Asian cuisine. The philosophy of life in Japan suits me very well, so I like it there. I particularly enjoy Nishiki Market in Kyoto. All my trips have been wonderful and inspiring for my work and my life to a wider degree.
is at Le Cherche Midi– a delicious Italian restaurant in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, lecherchemidi.fr. I ate my most memorable meal at Pierre Gagnaire, pierre-gagnaire.com. His langoustine tartare –its flavours in perfect harmony – is a dish I still think about.
taught me that work when it is willingly chosen can be truly fulfilling. It was Bernard Ganachaud who inspired me to follow the path of becoming a chef. I used to walk by his bakery every day with such yearning. I started off in Australia, where I worked as a chef’s assistant and, being French, my colleagues were always looking to me for advice, although I didn’t know much at the time. L’Escoffier gave me the foundation of my education, while Joël Robuchon, Claude Deligne and Alain Chapel are chefs who inspired and helped me early in my career.
I love to cook mushrooms; they are so versatile and take on flavour unbelievably well. Fish too, of course, because it’s so fragile and delicate. You have to be extremely precise when working with it. Cooking with vegetables is really interesting too: I don’t think we have yet figured out everything that can be done with vegetables and it is exciting to learn. As for meat – it’s not so much my thing, because I don’t eat very much of it.
in the Tuileries Gardens, or train in the modern Japanese martial art of kendo. However, my all-time favourite place to relax in Paris is close to home at the Mandarin Oriental hotel’s spa, mandarinoriental.com/paris. It’s a real haven, with treatments inspired by traditional Chinese medicine, which really appeals to me.
are in the famous culinary tome, Le Guide Culinaire by Auguste Escoffier. This book is still the main reference for me, and remains very relevant.
but I like the great reds from Bordeaux and, of course, enjoy champagne!
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