In part two of my interview with culinary legend Tetsuya Wakuda I learn more about who Tetsuya thinks are the world’s best chefs. I also discover what makes a great menu, what inspires him, and how to make a dish from Tetsuya’s.

Who do you consider the three best chefs in the world, and why?

To be honest, very hard to rank. Every restaurant I go to I like something about it – the way they serve, the taste, etc. Always I learn from all sorts of chefs and I'm really grateful to them. It's very hard to choose.

First of all I love restaurants, and I love chefs, and all these individual chefs have given me encouragement. Also every time I visit a great restaurant I get inspired and it raises my spirit. They give me energy to work for tomorrow. Not like I want to be better than them, just “gee it's so good, I have to learn more”. You know I like too many restaurant and their chefs, this naming three is not enough.

Any come to mind that really stand out?

In Osaka (Japan) there is a very tiny 8-seater restaurant called Kahala. It's actually one of my favourites along with many other restaurants. The chef Yoshifumi Mori is over 60 years old. What kind of food everyone asks me, but I can't even explain it, it is his way of doing it. All sorts of essences of cuisines put together, it's an amazing, amazing restaurant. I love the place, I love the way he is doing it. I think every chef has a dream to have a restaurant like that – only for 6 to 8 people, whatever you feel like, no menu. I think if you can make a living out of it it’s wonderful.

I love Italian food as well. For me Buon Ricordo (in Paddington, Sydney), is one of my favourites. And for many years I've known owner and chef Armando Percuoco. In the early days of owning my own place I had a lot of headaches with dealing with guests and stuff. I would always talk to Armando, he is always so cool. He is like a big brother to me.

And Tony Bilson, as he gave me my career.

When was your best cooking moment, or best moment as a chef?

When I cook something well and at the end of the night the guest says “thank you very much it's been a wonderful night, we had great food and service, thank you very much”. It's when people say that. It doesn’t matter how many years I have been doing this, positive feedback from the customer means a great deal, it is important to me and to many chefs, and to people, I think.

Which restaurant do you most want to eat at but haven't?

I go out to many restaurants, I don't eat at home. By myself, I don't cook. When friends come I might cook, for myself no. Cooking is a giving thing. I don't know, I love cooking, but sometimes even I make something, I taste it, “oh it's not bad”, but I lose my appetite, I can't eat, and end up leaving it. Next thing it is a few hours later I get hungry so then I go out to eat. So I don't bother cooking for myself, I go somewhere to eat.

Many chefs that have worked for me move on to other places, particularly overseas and I like to try their restaurants. For example a Japanese chef, Yuichi Kamimura, opened a restaurant last December in Niseko called Restaurant Kamimura so I'd like to go there to see him. 

Another one, an Australian chef, who worked for me, Matthew Crabbe, is now executive chef for Kyoto Hyatt’s Touzan restaurant. I haven't been there, so I'd like to see him.

I heard from our diners that have been there that they are both doing very well. I know them well and that I haven't been there makes me feel so terrible. I should go…I'm dying to.

What makes a great menu?
Majority of guests happy, that’s a great menu. We cook for many unknown people so a great menu is when people like the food.

How often do you change the menu?

We change often but just bits. We have many courses, certain things always stay on and then we change. Sometimes it’s because it is time and other times because certain things aren't available.

Plus, we have a lot of overseas diners, almost half, from London, Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, and so certain dietary requirements need to be catered to and some people like this, or dislike that, some people only eat meat or fish. So we are here to please the people, so we listen to what they like, as long as we have the produce we can cook anything the guest wants. Naturally we have to change every day in some way.

Besides your Confit of Ocean Trout do you have any other signature dishes, or ones that are becoming signatures?
Insert Trout.jpg
Spanner Crab Custard is signature I guess, people always want more. Who makes a dish a signature dish, it is the diners. Guests keep coming back for it, it becomes popular and a signature and it becomes hard to take it off my menu.

What are the inspirations behind your creations, and when or where do you get your best ideas?
I love supermarkets. Supermarkets, shops, cheese shops, delicatessen, fish markets, you know. Sometimes I go to see my friend the butcher. For me I'm not sitting in an office or you know, sitting down writing the menu, I'm not the clever one. I'm more sort of a feel for it chef, or when I get to the fish market I say “oh gee, I'm going to use this or I'm going to use that”. Inspiration comes from when I see the actual produce, feel it, buy something, simply grill something and taste, and think “oh I like that, next time I want to do this way, that way”. That is my way.

To read part 1 of the Tetsuya interview click here.

Recipe

Tetsuya Wakuda’s Tartare of Tuna with Goat’s Cheese
Note - Make sure the cheese is not too salty
Serves 4

• 250gm (8oz) Tuna, finely diced
• 1 pinch White Pepper
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Anchovies, finely chopped
• 60gm (2oz) fresh Goat’s Cheese, finely chopped
• 3/4 tbsp Chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1/2 tbsp Mirin
• 1 pinch Sea Salt
• 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
• 1 pinch finely chopped Garlic
• 1/2 tsp finely chopped Ginger
• Garnish
• Baby Shiso
• Mâche

Mix together all the ingredients.
Divide between 4 serving plates, and garnish with shiso and mâche leaves.