Gault et Millau 2019 Publication Collaboration Event – Report

On Tuesday, February 5 – the release date of “Gault et Millau 2019” – Gault et Millau Japon held a collaboration event at Restaurant L'affinage in Ginza, Tokyo.

Chef Sulpice's cuisine, wrapped in herb aromas rarely seen in Japan, was taken up by Chef Takara, who once shone at a restaurant in Savoie, in a menu that sublimated into a magnificent collaboration. The two chefs' worldviews were bound together by the land of “Savoie,” and with the finest ingredients each brought from Japan and France – plus Champagnes and wines such as Laurent-Perrier “Grand Siècle” and Domaine Takahiko “Nanatsumori” – a one-of-a-kind special course was realized.

Chef Jean Sulpice first visited Japan in 2013; this was his third stay, the first since 2015. Each time he visits, Chef Sulpice says he “looks forward to making French cuisine together with Japanese chefs, using Japanese ingredients,” and he showed a strong interest in Japanese ingredients such as Omi beef and citrus.

Chef Takara has experience cooking in 1990 at “Hôtel Ombremont” near Lake Bourget in the Savoie region. Saying “Jean and I share Savoie in common,” he wove this encounter into the menu structure as a story.

The hallmark of Chef Sulpice's cooking is its aromatic richness. For the main meat dish, “Beef fillet cocotte wrapped in the scent of juniper berries, with a wild-herb salad,” he brought juniper-berry branches – not found in Japan – all the way from France, captivating guests deeply with their rare fragrance. Chef Takara, who said he “deeply empathizes with and is inspired by this straightforward attitude toward ingredients,” assembled rare ingredients such as Goto Islands kue grouper and top-grade Omi beef along with various citrus, eagerly explaining each one to Chef Sulpice.

Chef Sulpice responded with great curiosity to the charm of the Japanese ingredients Chef Takara presented, asking question after question. And Chef Takara, receiving the young French talent with his seasoned skill and a wide repertoire, splendidly led the Japan collaboration to fruition. The memory of this special collaboration was surely engraved deeply in each guest's heart.

~ Collaboration menu ~
Amuse-bouche (Chef Sulpice): Soupe d'oeufs aux cèpes
White asparagus in marble and crab meat (Chef Takara): Asperges blanches en marbre et chair de crabe
“Petit-gris” escargot plins, herb aromas (Chef Sulpice): Plins d'escargots aux herbes
Crisply seared kue, vin jaune sauce (Chef Takara): Poêlé de KUE avec écailles, sauce au vin jaune
Beef fillet scented with juniper, wild herbs (Chef Sulpice): Boeuf fumé au genièvre – Herbes sauvages
Fourme d'Ambert mousse, truffle scent (Chef Takara): Mousse de Fourme d'Ambert
Citrus, sorrel, vanilla composition (Chef Sulpice): Agrume-Oseille-Vanille
Flambéed Chartreuse, chocolate fondue and blackberry (Chef Sulpice): Chartreuse flambée, chocolat fondu et sorbet à la mûre

~ Wine pairings ~
Laurent-Perrier La Cuvée Champagne
Alphonse Mellot, En Grands Champs 2016, Sancerre
Domaine Takahiko, Nanatsumori 2016, Pinot Noir
Domaine de Montbourgeau, L'Étoile, Vin Jaune 2010
Château Dauzac, Grand Cru 1989, Margaux
Laurent-Perrier, Grand Siècle