Opportunities for famous chefs to come to Japan from overseas and collaborate with domestic chefs are becoming more frequent than ever. It's not just because the coronavirus is over. This is proof that there are so many chefs in Japan.

The big name who came to Japan this time was British chef Kirk Westaway (hereinafter referred to as Kirk) of Singapore's 2-star Michelin restaurant JAAN by Kirk Westaway. The guest will be Mr. Carmine Amarante (hereinafter abbreviated as Carmine), head of Armani/Ristorante in Ginza, Tokyo.

Carmine, an Italian born in Naples, previously worked as a chef at the one-star restaurant Heinzbeck Tokyo in Marunouchi, Tokyo. He became the executive chef of Armani/Ristorante in 2020, and in 22 was awarded the world's only Chef of the Year award at Italy's Gambero Rosso. In 23, he won the highest prize of XNUMX forks for the second year in a row at Gambero Rosso's ``World's Top Chef Italian Restaurants.'' Carmine is devoted to researching Japanese ingredients such as fish and vegetables. His creations are currently attracting a lot of attention, including how he incorporates Japan's unique meats into Italian cuisine.
How amazing was the fusion of these two chefs? I would like to immediately report on the collaboration dinner ("10-HANDS DINNER") held on October XNUMXth and XNUMXth.

All in a high-quality space
An explosion of exquisite products

The interior of the store has a high ceiling and is comfortable. The spacious waiting area gives you an early sense of the special time that is about to begin. Once you're seated, you'll notice that all the cutlery is stamped with the Armani stamp. You can tell that even the napkins are of high quality by the feel of them.

Two types of bread came out piping hot right away. The generous amount of butter that comes with it is sprinkled with thyme. This is salty butter from England, and the sprinkling of finely ground thyme is apparently a remnant of the shop where Kirk worked as a junior.

After toasting with Franciacorta's ``Ca del Bosco,'' the first thing we were served was four kinds of amuse bouche. There are two types of cold ones: ``foie gras mousse'' (by Kirk) and ``sea urchin brioche'' (by Carmine).The former has the richness of the foie gras with mellow onions, and the latter is made with brioche and Hokkaido bafun sea urchin. The sweetness matched. There are two types of hot dishes: ``Red King Crab'' and ``Pancakes with Crystal Caviar'' (both by Kirk), but the former is made of tightly packed crab meat that reminds me of the taste of laksa in Singapore. In the latter, the cheddar cheese inside the pancake combines with the salty taste of the caviar for a nice flavor.

Perhaps because both of them are familiar with Asia, both the ingredients and the flavors are universal, yet they seem to have created a dish that is more in tune with Japanese people. From the first bite of the amuse, my stomach was gripped.

Next, Kirk's ``Tomato Collection Fresh Basil Sorbet'' is very Italian-inspired. A variety of tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, and raspberries are placed on top of the richly sweet tomato puree, and a basil sorbet is placed on top. It's an exciting dish with a fresh, slightly different sourness from the tomatoes, the sweetness of the puree, and the cooling sensation of the basil, all of which run through your mouth.

The peak in the first half was Carmine's ``scallop caviar saffron sauce.'' ``I tried grilling scallops teppanyaki style'' (Carmine) says that the scallops have a more straight-forward taste than sautéed in butter. The rich flavor of the scallops is complemented by the light saltiness of the high quality caviar, which is softened by the sweetness of the saffron sauce. It turned out to be a very elegant finish. I hate that they paired it with Chablis Premier Cru.

Kirk's ``Shizuoka Red Shrimp'' is an extremely elaborate dish in which boiled red shrimp is wrapped in Chinese cabbage, surrounded by 100% shrimp hollandaise sauce, and topped with browned butter. "We added saffron to the sauce to give it a sweet taste," says Kirk, but in any case, it's overflowing with the flavor of the shrimp. I may have wanted the green color visually, but the leaves looked a little strange and I felt like I could do without the Chinese cabbage.

Japan's unique seasonal ingredients
The skill to incorporate it into Italian cuisine shines

Then, the peak in the second half continues with a wave attack. Both are by Carmine: ``Riso di Semola Black Truffle'' and ``Kinki.''

First of all, it's my first carbohydrate, other than bread. It's a risotto-style version of traditional Neapolitan rice-like pasta, but the surface is topped with granular black truffles. ``I usually flavor it with saffron, but I tried seasoning it with chicken consommé and Parmesan,'' says Carmine. It's actually delicious, as if it's something from a home-made medicine basket. It comes in a small Arita ware pot (in the photo, it's a flat plate), but I wanted to refill it at least twice.

Next is grilled kinki served with aqua pazza sauce. Carmine explains. "Kinki is from Abashiri in Hokkaido. It's grilled with Bincho charcoal and then lightly smoked with straw to give it a smoky aroma." The skin was crispy and the white meat was chewy without losing any of its elasticity. Certainly, a faint fragrance is preferable. The last line, ``I also added a little bit of ginger'' (carmine), probably resonates with the Japanese taste buds. I once had a fish dish with ginger at a two-star French restaurant that turned out to be a disaster, and I was struck by how admirable the carmine's skill was. This is despite the fact that ginger and Western food do not go well together.

The final dish was Kirk's ``Guinea Fowl Onion Marmalade''. It's a half-and-half combination of organic sausage and French guinea fowl terrine, served with Kirk's specialty guinea fowl sauce made with sautéed onions. Together with the truffle, the complex flavors were brought together into one. I felt like it was a little too light to be a big deal, but...

There were two types of desserts to conclude the event, and the ``Monte Bianco'' by Mr. Akiyama, pastry chef of ``Armani/Ristorante'' was outstanding. It is an innovative Mont Blanc with a cute shape. The dessert wine we paired with was “Venezia Giulia “Pensiero” 2018,” which brought out the deliciousness of the dessert even more.

Not only the food, but also the French and Japanese service staff, as well as the Italian sommeliers, who understand each dish well and work together as one to provide smooth service. It is also worth mentioning that. The combination of food, service, and alcohol made the 4-hands feast an unforgettable night.

Armani / Ristorante
Armani, 5-5-4 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo / Ginza Tower 10th & 11th floors
Tel: 03-6274-7005
11:30-15:00, 18:00-23:00
Closed: Monday
Dress code: smart casual

Text by Toshizumi Ishibasi