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Italian, Japanese chefs serve up best of both worlds
2019-12-27 
Japanese Michelin-starred chef Kazuo Takagi (right) is invited by Italian chef Eugenio Iraci (second from right) to throw a collaborative dining event in Beijing. [Photo by WANG DONGMEI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

For the first time in its six-year history, Opera Bombana invited a two-Michelin-starred Japanese chef to join his Italian counterpart in Beijing to create a unique fusion-dining event-all accompanied by a specially created sake menu and sake-themed cocktail list.

From Dec 5 to 7, the restaurant hosted an East-meets-West dining experience, bringing together Japanese Michelin-starred chef Kazuo Takagi and Opera Bombana's executive chef, Eugenio Iraci, working alongside sake sommelier Ueno Toshio and professional mixologist Jonny Amir.

It was the perfect escape from the cold winter winds outside as diners settled in for a meal featuring outstanding ingredients from around the world paired with warming, mellow sake.

The meal started with a selection of welcome snacks created by Iraci, including a taco-like black-olive wafer with pizza flavors, a cannoli of potato filled with Jerusalem artichoke cream, and a tonnato sauce in red-pepper jelly, each combining traditional Italian flavors with modern presentation and culinary techniques.

Both the amuse-bouche and first course were created by Takagi, demonstrating his unique presentation style and attention to detail. The steamed monkfish liver in the amuse-bouche is an ingredient rarely seen in Beijing.

A dish created by Takagi for the event combine authentic Japanese cuisine with a nod to Italian fare. [Photo by WANG DONGMEI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

The first course of Ora King New Zealand salmon used an ingredient in the sake-making process-shio koji-to tie into the theme of the menu. The salmon was paired with egg-yolk vinegar, green asparagus, grilled shiitake mushrooms, and yuzu essence and juice.

To honor Italian cuisine, Takagi uses tomatoes in his main beef course. It looks like a Western dish at first glance, but instead carries authentic Japanese flavors.

A duo of desserts showcased the chef's differing takes on ice cream. Opera's pre-dessert dish created by chef Filippo Mazzanti featured a traditional Italian gelato infused with toasted rice, while Takagi's dessert featured an ice cream made with sake lees paired with a grilled sake zabaglione.

It's the second time that Takagi has been invited to Beijing to collaborate with an Italian chef. Takagi thinks the differences between Italian and Japanese cuisines celebrate their distinctive cultures.

"But we both love eating, and the similarity is that we respect the ingredients, and the basic cooking principles are the same. So, for me, this kind of event is fun," he says.

A dish created by Takagi for the event combine authentic Japanese cuisine with a nod to Italian fare. [Photo by WANG DONGMEI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

The techniques he used at the event were mostly Japanese, while the presentation was based on Western styles. He enjoys these kinds of experimental events that entertain diners as they eat and offer a sense of theater.

Takagi usually spends half of the year traveling the world to learn about new ingredients, and discover new techniques and new philosophies, which have a huge influence on his cooking.

He says he can't really describe his cuisine because his dishes are always influenced by his trips. This visit to China will be no different and will influence his dishes in the future.

He likes to link art and food through his cooking. In his mind, art has a more intellectual and emotional effect on people, but food has a much deeper, more tangible impact. "Because you are not going to take a piece of art to put in your mouth and swallow, that's a physical action-art will never be able to replicate that experience," he says.

In Iraci's opinion, Italian and Japanese cuisines both rely on the quality of the ingredients.

A dish created by Takagi for the event combine authentic Japanese cuisine with a nod to Italian fare. [Photo by WANG DONGMEI/FOR CHINA DAILY]

"When you talk about Italian food, 80 or even 90 percent of its outcomes depend on the caliber of the products you are using," he says.

"Every region and every recipe have specific ingredients that have to be the most genuine and most authentic, and the approach of Japanese chefs toward the ingredients has the same respect, the same importance."

He is a firm believer that everything starts with the ingredients, and the ingredients themselves tell the chef what to do-and what not to do.

As for the differences between the two cuisines, Iraci thinks it's all about technique. He believes what is most interesting about Japanese cuisine is that it's like a treasure trove of techniques.

"A lot of people are aware of the techniques in Italian cuisine, but when you look at Japanese food, some of the techniques behind them are a complete mystery to the customers," he says.

He thinks the techniques used in Japanese cuisine are like spells.

"It's something that refreshes your approach toward a certain ingredient," he says.

"Also, one of the words people hear about Japanese cuisine is 'umami', but it's not usual to see it in Italian food, too."

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