SIGNATURE: NEW CHEF LEADS WITH BOLD OPENING GAMBIT
It always feels special taking the elevator up to the Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo, and even more so as you disembark on the 37th floor. That opulent bar; that view across the city, with Mount Fuji on the horizon; that sense of having left behind the mundane, quotidian world far below.
MICHELIN-STARRED INTERN: BACCHANALLA’S CHEF LUKE ARMSTRONG PUSHES HIMSLEF TO THE LIMIT ON INTERNSAHIP AT JAPAN'S QUINTESSENCE
Keen to learn more about French-Japanese cooking and Japanese produce, the Australian chef used his off days to work for one gruelling month at the three-Michelin-starred restaurant.
In charge of the kitchen is an Australian chef who has worked in Europe and Singapore. He uses plenty of seasonal domestic ingredients to reflect the changing of the seasons. Grilling wagyu over bincho charcoal is his way of showing respect for this Japanese ingredient. The fish and meat are dry-aged to bring out their flavour. Prepared using French techniques, the dishes are creative, and the presentations beautiful.
