It was a pleasure – and yes, a great honour – to spend a good part of an afternoon last month with a chef who has long been one of my culinary heroes.
My interview with Pierre Gagnaire, condensed down into 20 key questions and answers, runs in the Japan Times today (Sunday 13th March) here…
In many ways, it felt like picking up the conversation from the last time I met with chef Gagnaire, some eight years ago. That took place at his first Tokyo restaurant (near Omotesando), just after it had been awarded 2 stars – under chef Olivier Chaignon, who is now in charge at L'Osier – in the very first Michelin guide to the city. The interview is still up in the Japan Times archives here…
I also posted about the excellent lunch I had at his new restaurant, soon after it opened in the ANA InterContinental Tokyo in 2009, here…
But while I've dined chez Gagnaire on other occasions – both here in Tokyo and also London – nothing will compare with the very first time I first ate his cuisine, at his 3-star flagship restaurant on Rue Balzac in the mid-90s. Memorable indeed!
Thank you so much, chef Gagnaire!
