For Luca Fantin, the executive chef of the Michelin-starred and No.18 on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurant list, at his namesake Il Ristorante -- Luca Fantin, in Tokyo, Japan, it's all about the seasons.
However, this hasn't always been his culinary philosophy. That has changed since he first arrived in Japan 10 years ago. "I am an Italian chef cooking in Japan, where most menus reflect the seasons. The seasons are how people change menus, especially kaiseki. Italian cuisine is the same but seems to have lost a bit of direction in recent years. In Japan, it is inspiring to follow the same direction with a focus on local and not imported ingredients," says chef Fantin.
Il Ristorante -- Luca Fantin's contemporary and seasonal cuisine is the highlight of the Italian culinary scene in Japan, Fantin being the only Italian chef with a Michelin star. "Ninety percent of our ingredients are local. I cook contemporary Italian cuisine, made with Japanese ingredients in Japan. For example, if you eat cherry tomato in Japan and dress in soy sauce, it isn't Italian. But if you combine it with olive oil made in Japan it tastes like Italy."
Fantin's mission of sorts was to change the Japanese perception of Italian cuisine. Now, he says, people go for the experience, not just for the food. "The restaurant doesn't have an a la carte menu and normal Italian dishes are not served here. This was a bit challenging at first but Japan seems to have embraced what we do."
Il Ristorante — Luca Fantin. Photos courtesy of Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo
It has not all been roses for Fantin and it was difficult breaking through that barrier as Italian food outside of Italy has never been categorised as fine dining, he says. "It is usually pizza and pasta. For us, it was difficult in Tokyo. Many chefs with Michelin-starred restaurants have come to Japan and tried the same concept that they have in Italy but it has never worked. I learnt from their mistakes, the biggest being that they don't live in Japan."
It was important for Fantin to learn the lay of the land when he arrived in Japan, who found sourcing ingredients rather challenging at first. "When I first started out I used to import a lot of my ingredients. Then I decided that if I was going to open a restaurant in Japan I needed to explore the country. There was no point opening a restaurant overseas if I did not know what the country I open in has to offer." This is when he started exploring Japan and finding a lot of ingredients.
"I have studied Japanese ingredients a lot and I have also foraged for my own ingredients. I wanted to meet the men who supply me fish, meat and other produce. My Japanese isn't great but I can communicate. After a while, you arrive at some point when you don't need to speak that much. You go, you understand and you bond," he said.
"When I visited the fishermen who catch spine lobster, they prepared us a breakfast. Though they can be shy, once you form a bond they welcome you with open arms. I now have more than 53 suppliers, who also grow, breed, fish or forage just for me. One of my suppliers specialises in only fishing."
Photos courtesy of Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo
But produce isn't the only thing he has learnt about Japan. The chef says that he has understood technique, which Japanese chefs are renowned for. "Each technique used makes the produce better, which is why I learnt the ikejime technique [an ancient method for processing fish respectfully to preserve its quality]. Like sushi, if you look at it from a foreign point of view, it's just rice and fish. There seems to be nothing more to it. But it is actually the combination of acidity, sweetness, texture and ingredients in one bite. A bite that can evoke emotions. This bite is what I always try to achieve in my dishes. When I create a dish, the first bite is one that wakes me up. It's the same emotion you get when you bite into something you like."
Fantin says he cooks for himself and tries to pass on the message to his customers. "This is the food I like, this flavour, this texture, this less saltiness, this less fattiness, this is what I enjoy eating. My cooking has become more precise, more delicate, more technical and definitely more seasonal being in Japan."
Things, however, are a lot different at his second restaurant in Bali, Indonesia. "In Bali, we use 30% local ingredients because it is not close to Ubud and the quality of ingredients is not the same and most of the time are not consistent. We have our own garden, make our own honey and have our own chickens and eggs. But though we grow vegetables and herbs, the moment there is a storm, we have to start from scratch," Fantin says of Il Ristorante -- Luca Fantin at the Bvlgari Resort Bali.
Next on the menu is a collaboration with his doctor, Hiroshi Takashi. "We want to make food for babies, from the time they are born until they are three. It will be based on the nutrition that infants need. However, this hasn't materialised and is on hold. Dr Takashi has studied food and its medicinal values, and is researching on how to cure diseases through food. We want to work on this together but we never seem to have the time," Fantin said.
The cheese-loving, coriander-hating chef says his next move is to improve and not just by opening a new restaurant. "Our goal is always 'next season'."
