From fisherman's son to spontaneous culinary whizz
Kiyomi Mikuni is probably one of those chefs who can create culinary magic when they are given surprise ingredients to conjure a last-minute meal.
No matter where he is cooking in the world, he will seek out new ingredients to add a local dimension to what gourmets have termed as Mikuni cuisine, which when narrowly defined, is French fare with Japanese touches.
So it's no surprise Mikuni, one of Tokyo's leading 'French' chef, raided the larders of Club Chinois in Orchard Parade Hotel to see what could complement his selection of dishes for the World Gourmet Summit in Singapore.
I spotted a wolfberry as a lonesome embellishment in one dish while a baby bokchoy was tucked beneath a main ingredient in another dish. And a piece of crispy shark's fin was marooned atop a piece of panfried gooseliver.
Tiny squares of tuna tartare was almost awash by soy sauce.
"That's Kikkoman soy sauce. I'm using the one made in Singapore," said the grey-bearded chef with a laugh.
"Whether I'm cooking in Paris, New York, Thailand or Singapore, I will always look for local ingredients to use in my dishes, whether they are meat, fish or vegetables," added the chef who runs a collection of eateries in Tokyo and organises Mikuni fairs all over the world.
On his childhood dream of becoming a chef, he said as a matter of fact: "My father was a Hokkaido fisherman and my mother was a farmer.So it was a natural thing for me to become a chef."
Which means he was already enjoying the best produce from the sea and land and cultivating a discerning palate from a young age in Hokkaido.
When asked what is his favourite food, his answer was typical of many Japanese. "Sushi!" he exclaimed with an innocent exuberance that you would expect from a child.
You see this childlike play on the plate too - mixed fresh fruits were merrily gathered in a clear kudzu-root jelly and partnered with a scoop of rock melon icecream.
But it's mainly adult fare, the kind that only the masterchefs can pull off to pander to fastidious gourmets looking for gastronomic surprises. Like a partnership of crisp-fried foie gras and perfectly cooked risotto encircled by a rich Perigueux sauce. As if it was not sophisticated enough, Mikuni crowned the gooseliver with a piece of sharksfin that has been fried to smoky crispiness. It's a coup of cuisine spontanee!
This, perhaps, is one of his best examples of a fusion of European and Asian flavours with the signature of Mikuni.
The roasted beef tenderloin swimming in red wine sauce and matched with creamy mushroom fricassee fared well too. It's one of those rare occasions when a red wine sauce is judiciously whirled to a fine balance of meat stock and wine, and not those hideously red gravy which is winey to a fault.
What was supposed to be a "half-cooked salmon" arrived totally cooked on a bed of endive confite. But it was all right, tender and juicy and colluded well with the bittersweet endive. You only knew the lemony creamy sauce was snubbed by the fervid salmon when you put both in your mouth. Bad cohabitation. Unless you forcefully turn them into mince.
Other quibbles - the generous pool of soy sauce instantly cured the tuna tartare into fish pickle and sank the flavours of avocado oil and yuzu while the grouper consomme didn't send us to umami heaven though it was named Consomme de la petite Daurade "Umami".
But still, Mikuni is a great chef, if he gets good produce and not having to make do with substandard or alternative ingredients.
I will happily gorge on his gooseliver and tenderloin again, if given the chance. And explore other creations, like the lobster souffle with Sauternes butter and Americaine sauce and roasted young pigeon and braised cabbage with garlic.
It's your turn to check out his epicurean delights. You've got till Friday (April 26) to do so, at Club Chinois.
It's $120++ for six courses at lunch and $190++ for eight courses at dinner.
