On December 11th, the French Embassy hosted an unprecedented collaboration dinner featuring Japanese and French cuisine, as the leaves in the gardens reached their peak crimson red.
This special event was planned approximately two years ago. With the cooperation of the French Embassy, Mitsukoshi Isetan Holdings organized this unprecedented dinner as part of an event to promote Japanese food culture overseas. The event was also marked by the recent tragic incident in Paris. President Onishi took the stage to kick off the event, saying, "A tragic incident occurred in France the other day. Let's begin by observing a moment of silence." He continued, "Our company strives to promote the best of Japan to the world, and this time we have planned a collaboration dinner featuring France's proud French cuisine and Japan's proud Japanese cuisine. This is an unprecedented, one-night-only dinner where the flavors of Japan and France collide on a single plate." He went on to confirm that this was a dream dinner. The full-course meal, known as haute cuisine, was overseen by Hirohisa Koyama of the Japanese restaurant "Aoyagi." "Haute cuisine" comes from the French word "haute," meaning "best," and "cuisine," meaning "cooking." The term was coined to express the pinnacle of culinary excellence, drawing parallels with haute couture, the pinnacle of fashion. It was a culinary feast, characterized by artisanal techniques and handcraftsmanship, and meticulous attention to detail, from appearance to taste. Koyama, who is active both in Japan and France, brought together a special Japanese team comprised of four restaurants: "Tenichi," a tempura restaurant; "Kiccho," a Japanese restaurant; "Toraya," a Japanese confectionery shop; and "Aoyagi." Each restaurant has a long history. On the French side, Sébastien Martin, the French Embassy's personal chef, was in charge. A major feature of this dinner party is the idea of bringing together Japanese and French cuisine on one plate. From amuse-bouche to dessert, there will be an appetizer plus five dishes in total. The ingredients, carefully selected for their origin and with a sense of the season, are the ultimate in winter delicacies.
■ Cherishing the Japanese culture and sense of the seasons that have continued since ancient times (Tenichi)
■ We were particular about the chopsticks because we wanted to make sure the dimensions were correct (Kitcho)
"As it is a rare opportunity to cook in the kitchen of the French Embassy, we prepared chopsticks to serve the Japanese food with. We wanted guests to be able to fully enjoy the flavors of winter by using a culture that is different from that of forks and knives. We were particular about the chopsticks because we wanted to make sure the dimensions were correct. Then, in order to express the sense of season that is so important in Japanese cuisine, we cut bamboo leaves to use as accents like vessels. We also procured seasonal ingredients especially for tonight, such as hairy crab from Kasumi in Hyogo Prefecture. We hope that you will be able to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience in the modern era while also conveying the beauty of Japanese cuisine." (Yuki Yoshio, Kitcho)
■ This banquet is a special night. The menu took over two months to develop (Toraya). "We aimed for a purely Japanese dessert, creating an amuse-bouche and dessert using seasonal ingredients. For the amuse-bouche, we baked rice crackers made with miso, topped with brown sugar yokan and French Camembert cheese. We wanted to create a completely new surprise for our guests, and it took over two months to develop this menu. Not only was this a special evening, but we rarely offer desserts as part of a course, so this was a rare opportunity, almost a first. In that sense, we put a lot of thought into it and it took a lot of time. It was a valuable experience to be able to create desserts that fit the flow of the course while still maintaining the traditional approach to making sweets. Furthermore, with regard to the two souvenir sweets, we hoped that the aromas would convey the Japanese seasons. Our desire to convey the seasons and Japanese culture is the same as the sweets in the course." (Toraya's Hisao Sato and Yasuji Sugiyama) />■ Only French cuisine has a culinary culture comparable to Japanese cuisine (Aoyagi)
Sébastien Martin, who was in charge of five French dishes during the approximately two and a half hour banquet, made an impressive statement with a smile: "It was a great pleasure to work with such great Japanese chefs."
A competition of the passion and skill of Japanese and French chefs. The one-night-only banquet came to a close, filled with the surprise and excitement of first-class cuisine.
【Menu】
■Appetizer (amuse-bouche)
"Dateyaki egg with lobster" Aoyagi
"Canape with boiled monkfish liver on ice" Kitcho
"Bite-sized oysters with lemon" Tenichi
"Miso-flavored gluten with brown sugar yokan and cheese" Toraya
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■First dish (Entree)
"Freshly cut cold flounder and Brittany lobster with Miyazaki caviar" Bunbako Hassun (bottom tier)" Aoyagi
"Flounder mousse with tartar sauce" Bunbako Hassun (top tier) "Flounder tartar with ravigote sauce" French Embassy・SEbastien MARTIN
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■Second dish (Entree)
"A winter gift from the Sea of Japan, Kasumi Seiko crab, with a base of roe and roe, served with pickled persimmon, sesame cream, sprinkled yuzu, and split yellow yuzu pepper." Kicho
"Hairy crab served with a delicate bouillabaisse jelly and cream." French Embassy・SEbastien MARTIN
■Third course (Poisson)
"Shrimp wrapped in saimaki, scallops, shrimp stuffed shiitake mushrooms, and ginkgo nuts." Tenichi
"Flounder fillet Normandy style." French Embassy・SEbastien MARTIN
■Fourth course (Viande)
"Beef stewed in blackcurrant sauce, served with foie gras." French Embassy・SEbastien MARTIN
"Aomori Prefecture's 'Hareten no Hekireki' rice."
■Fifth course (Dessert)
"Two types of Japanese sweets" "Warabi mochi (bracken-starch dumplings) and baked apple mochi (baked apple mochi)" by Toraya
"Dom Perignon jelly and a small tarte tatin made with Ruby apples, topped with the scent of yuzu" by French Embassy and SEbastien MARTIN
■ Souvenirs
"Matcha kinton (sweet green tea sweets)" and "Yuzu jelly" by Toraya
