Two Chefs, Two Stars: Chefs Ensui and Hakuun on their Shared Success

"Serving as the formative training ground for chefs such as Ryosuke Ito of Ensui and Shingo Sakamoto of Hakuun, this restaurant’s kitchen once gathered a generation of cooks who would go on to shape fine dining across Asia, including Ryohei Hieda of Eika in Taipei, Hideaki Sato of Ta Vie in Hong Kong and Tomoya Kawada of Sazenka in Tokyo. Under owner-chef Seiji Yamamoto, the environment was demanding and opportunity-rich, with challenges like the “akamutsu test,” where perfectly grilling prized rosy seabass became a benchmark of skill. Time there instilled a mindset of constantly questioning fixed ideas, finding new ways of thinking about ingredients, and learning to turn negatives into positives. Long hours observing Yamamoto’s approach, including after-hours video shoots in which he shared his ideas and techniques with the wider world, gave the team a sense that they were part of a larger effort and still influence how they present cuisine today. Many of the chefs who passed through its kitchen now hold two or more MICHELIN Stars, and they credit their drive to catch up with and one day surpass Yamamoto as a powerful force that propelled them forward; both Ito and Sakamoto trace their philosophy, ingredient focus, resilience and deliberate thinking back to their years following in his footsteps." - Suma Wakui