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Japan has as many three Michelin-starred restaurants as France: Here's why
18 Feb 2021
Chef Christophe Gibert from La Baie at The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka explains how and why Japan is such a remarkable source of Michelin stars in French cuisine, including his own: the amazing dedication, commitment and passion to learning and interpreting a foreign cuisine.
The figures speak for themselves - and are astonishing: Japan boasts 577 restaurants holding Michelin stars. When you add the fact that 29 restaurants hold the maximum three stars - a number matched only by the home of Michelin, France - the levels of excellence confirm Japan as a culinary destination like no other. The question is, how do they do it?
One chef with considerable insight - as well as one Michelin star at his restaurant La Baie at The Ritz-Carlton, Osaka - is Christophe Gibert.
After almost two decades living in Japan, he is perfectly positioned to understand how the trinity of Japanese produce, execution - and a dose of perfectionism - combine to dazzling effect. Impeccable French cuisine runs in his DNA as his father was a pastry chef. While Gibert started out in the world of delicious, beautiful and intricate patisserie creations in Brittany and Normandy, he subsequently moved to Paris and then Nice where he met a Japanese woman who would become his wife.
"I went to Japan on holiday and discovered a really interesting country. I came to eat at La Baie, two months later got a job there and today am only its third chef since it opened 24 years ago." That dedication and commitment is typical of chefs in Japan - whether Japanese or global - in dedicating themselves to a restaurant, a cuisine - or even just one dish.
"I do French cuisine for French palates using the freshest Japanese produce. It takes a lot of time to understand Japanese produce - it took me five years just to discover each different region."
It raises the question as to the similarities - and differences - between French and Japanese cuisine: "For me they're completely different. Japanese cuisine is based on the incredible quality of produce and the simplicity of dishes. The simpler it is, the better it is. I fell in love with the diversity of produce here, while there's also a harmony of flavours here. When you eat a dish, nothing is shocking."
He explains how he is also so impressed by the execution in Japan, something he saw back in France when Japanese chefs would do culinary internships - known as stages in French- and would impress everyone with their courtesy, respect and concentration. "When I came here to Japan I understood why! They do what they learned - difficult, technical creations like pâté en croûte - at a very high level. Now increasingly they put their own identity on things. They look for perfection, but also to improve every day a little bit more, to arrive at the very best."
Gibert explains that he is the only French national in a kitchen of sixteen who serve around 60 guests a day at lunch and dinner. Specialties include blue lobster that are kept in an aquarium in the kitchen to ensure maximum freshness. "We cook it with cognac, a touch of Asian sauce and a steam it with seaweed. As someone from Brittany I love seaweed! Another dish I love to make is abalone from Hokkaido, it's very appreciated by Japanese guests. We do it a French way but with Japanese technique. So a classic beurre blanc, with the abalone liver stirred in the sauce, making it very creamy."
As an example of dessert, he again demonstrates the brilliant culinary combination of France and Japan: "I went to Okinawa with my wife and son and discovered these fabulous tiny pineapples so we made a very fresh seasonal dessert of exceptional quality. A fine meringue filled with a pineapple marmalade, passion fruit mousse and coconut cream."
Gibert adds and changes new dish every few weeks, depending on the seasonal produce. With nine sommeliers and a great wine collection from around the world - not to mention cheese from Bernard Antony in Alsace - the picture is complete of a first class Michelin-starred French restaurant - which just happens to be 6,000 miles from France. In common with his peers in Michelin-starred kitchens across Japan, Gibert carries immense pride and dedication to his work, attributes which are set to ensure that he and many others continue to fly the flag for Japan as a critically-acclaimed dining destination featuring a galaxy of Michelin stars.
