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At your Leisure: Fusion Powered
Photos via AWkitchenITALIAN-JAPANESE CHEF AKIRA WATANABE REVEALS HIS SECRETS FOR CRAFTING Beautifully PIQUANT FUSION DISHESAkira Watanabe, the chef famous for fusing Japanese ingredients into Italian dishes, is proud when he talks about opening a second AWkitchen restaurant in Jakarta, at Plaza Indonesia
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Photos via AWkitchen
ITALIAN-JAPANESE CHEF AKIRA WATANABE REVEALS HIS SECRETS FOR CRAFTING Beautifully PIQUANT FUSION DISHES
Akira Watanabe, the chef famous for fusing Japanese ingredients into Italian dishes, is proud when he talks about opening a second AWkitchen restaurant in Jakarta, at Plaza Indonesia.
Creating more than 50 dishes a year, the chef, who owns almost 30 restaurants, opened his first place in Indonesia at Plaza Senayan.
'My secret to success is having a great solid team-and fresh selected ingredients,' Akira says.
While the Plaza Senayan restaurant has many pizza options on the menu, the new restaurant offers more exotic innovations involving antipasti and pasta, as it targets upper-crust Jakartans and office workers near Menteng, Central Jakarta.
The Plaza Indonesia restaurant offers diners a sophisticated atmosphere, with yellow lights illuminating the dining area.
The interior emits a cheerful vibe of yellow, turquoise and orange, which all combine to create an ambiance matching Akira's colorful menu.
On offer the day I visited were several signature items from the restaurant's menu, including linguine lobster, tender Italian veal shanks prepared osso bucco and spaghettini in garlic oil with spicy cod roe and Japanese mushrooms.
There was also an Italian-Japanese fusion pasta called capellini Genovese with sea urchin, Black Angus beef tataki with soy truffle sauce and a classic Italian pannacotta pudding in berry sauce.
Akira arrived, sporting a black cap to secure his locks and wearing a chef's uniform, and then escorted us to a cooking demonstration.
As the prep team arranged fresh shellfish, scallops and blue crabs, Akira showed us how to make fettuccine in Japanese mushroom cream sauce and his personal favorite, spaghettini pescatore with tomato cherries.
Watanabe's Japanese upbringing was apparent when he began sauteing dried porcini mushrooms: As the aroma of the mushrooms arose, he carefully added a Balinese white wine and stirred gently.
As he finished the cream sauce (which took barely eight minutes), he poured it over fettuccine cooked al dente and another scrumptious smell escaped.
'Seventy percent of the ingredients are imported. Many of them are sourced from Japan,' Akira told us. 'We have more than 100 farmers in different prefectures, each focusing on different ingredients.'
A focus on produce always shines through. Akira has published three books sharing AWkitchen's secret recipes that all focus on the importance of vegetables.
A career of 25 years in the hospitality industry started when Akira took a job with Hasegawa Industries' global dining section.
However, it was a curiosity for Itameshi, or Italian food, that brought him to Milan, where he studied for three years before landing a gig as the representative director of Art-Food International as well becoming the owner and chef of the Reins Group.
Akira opened his first AWkitchen in Nakameguro, Tokyo, in 2004, he said. 'The first year was not good at all, because Japanese people were not used to it.'
He kept at it and prevailed: AWkitchen currently has nine branches in Japan and two in Jakarta.
Akira also owns several other restaurants, including a vegetarian shabu-shabu establishment, a sandwich shop and a pizzeria.
The 51 year old, who previously worked for famed restaurants such as Tableaux in Dainkanyama, Japan, as an executive chef, readied to make our spaghettini pescatore.
'This is my favorite dish, and I am always very careful when picking ingredients.'
As the chef started cooking the crab, shrimp, scallops and oysters for our second course, his demeanor quickly changed: The prep team forgot to leave a bowl of salt out and he called for help from his Japanese team.
It's clear that Watanabe's attitude inside and outside the kitchen is quite different. He is very strict when cooking but outgoing after work.
For example, he says he loves to play rock music when hanging out with friends.
'My hobby may seem far from my kitchen ritual, but it actually shows similarities: Strong character.'
It's the same with Italian and Japanese dishes, he adds: Different in style but always focusing on the importance of natural flavors.
As the team brought the salt, the chef sauteed anchovies with garlic, pouring a tomato sauce and shellfish broth.
Akira says that it was the Italian warm dip bagna cauda that became his most challenging innovation.
The original Italian dish is served with boiled or roasted vegetables, especially cardoon, carrot, peppers and artichokes, that are consumed in a similar manner to fondue.
'I am the first chef who served bagna cauda in Japan. It is probably the most famous bagna cauda in Japan today,' he says.
Finally, the seafood pasta was set to serve.
The chef finished his plating by putting the spaghettini and meticulously arranging the seafood on top of the pasta.
The presentation showed the contrast between the texture of the cooked hard-shell seafood in bright red and the soft texture of the spaghettini.
As he put his final creation on the table, everyone gathered to smell the aroma of crab, scallops and squid that blended harmoniously with the hot tomato sauce. Once again, only eight minutes were needed to create the dish.
The chef made preparing the courses look easy, although he doesn't want to deter would-be cooks.
Selecting ingredients is the tough part, Akira says. 'Everything else other than picking ingredients can be easily learned.'
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Off the menu
Contributor Banyubening Prieta sat down with Akira Watanabe after the launch of the chef's latest restaurant. Here are excerpts of their interview.
Fave chefs?
Among his favorites, Akira cites the famed Nobuyuki Matsuhisa, founder and chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Nobu as well as at Matsuhisa, which was named one of the Top Ten Restaurant Destinations in the world by The New York Times. Also on Akira's short list are two famed chefs from the Bay Area in California: Alice Waters for her organic restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and Thomas Keller of French Laundry in Napa Valley.
Off days?
'I rarely have free time, but when I have I usually go to the gym'a minimum of four times a week. Other than that I play guitar. I love rock music.'
Why Indonesia?
'I appreciate friendship. It was because of a friendship with my partners of two years. I was convinced to open my restaurants in Jakarta. Indonesians have a culture similar to the Japanese.'
Any plans for expansion?
'We're thinking to open another AWkitchen in Bali. We are thinking to create an exclusive AWkitchen that serves 30 people only. The plan is to create a private dining experience.'
What's the difference between AWkitchen in Japan and Indonesia?
'Here, I notice that people love spicy and salty food. So based on their tastes, I exclusively adjusted my menu to suit the Indonesian palate. For the Japanese, I know most of the people already love Japanese and Italian food, so it was not an issue.'
How important is a good back-of-the-house team?
'It is the second key, after ingredients. It is important to create a certain attitude in the kitchen'that is why I think it is important to also have Japanese chefs in my team. One works for AW Kitchen Plaza Senayan and the other works for AWkitchen Plaza Indonesia.'
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Pasta House AWkitchen by Akira Watanabe
Plaza Indonesia Level 2
Telp. 02129924325
Instagram: @awkitchenjkt
