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We caught up with Sushi Shop‘s Head Chef, Pierre Boudy, to find out more about his hybrid cooking style and proudest career moments.
What inspired you to become a chef?
I caught the bug when I was little: my father and grandfather were chefs. While my parents worked at their restaurant, I used to cook for my brothers and sisters and as a teenager I started working with my father in the kitchen, sparking my passion. With a love of food and travel, becoming a chef seemed the perfect fit.
Tell us more about your culinary background…
I spent from 16-18 studying hospitality, graduating in 2 years, before heading to Chester for another year. Since then I have worked at Le Fouquet’s in Toulouse, Christian Constant, Cocottes in Paris and Palace Royal in Quebec. I have now been with Sushi Shop for 4 years.
What has been the proudest moment in your career?
It can’t be just one! But two highlights include creating my first menu for Sushi Shop, that reached 120 restaurants in 8 countries! Another is my diploma from Yakuse – only 10 French chefs have this diploma worldwide. A delegation of the Japanese government visited France to examine my work and to award the diploma, an incredibly high honour.
How would you describe your style of cooking?
It is a mixture of styles and genres, with Japanese and French influences. Drawing from my French experience, I always start from my knowledge of French kitchen basics and always ends with beautiful balanced dressings. To honour my Japanese influences, I ensure a touch “Kaiseki”, the harmony of Japanese textures and tastes, is in every dish.
What provides you with inspiration for the dishes on the new menu items at Sushi Shop?
I begin by focussing on popular Japanese cuisine and then add a creative French touch to each dish. Then it is about turning these flavours and textures into the perfect sushi and maki.
Tell us about the process you go through before launching new menu items…
I am constantly seeking new ideas and inspiration from all over the world and every type of cuisine. I research taste, colour, aesthetics and will visualise and imagine them and even draw them out. The first person who tastes my new recipes is my wife.
Then my kitchen team tries them, and finally I take them to Gregory (Marciano, Sushi Shop co-founder). When I work in collaboration with other chefs and artists, it is truly a partnership – a new adventure in sharing and creating!
Do you have any role models?
In Japanese cuisine, I love the recipes and flavors of Chef Nobu. In French cuisine, Paul Bocuse and the Chefs Lyonnais represent everything I admire in French cuisine – perfection, precision and timing.
What food takes you back to childhood?
I love chestnuts and mushrooms! I remember as a kid creating my first pasta dish with grated white truffle.
SUSHI SHOP: 2017 MENU BY KEI KOBAYASHI
Credit: Sushi Shop
Until I walked into the Marylebone branch of Sushi Shop, I had no idea that it’d been founded by two French entrepreneurs who were inspired after a trip to California. Regular readers will know that I lived in Paris for 3 years; I have no excuse. Grégory Marciano and Hervé Louis set up the deluxe delivery and takeaway service in 1998 after spotting a gap in the French market for affordable, restaurant-quality sushi and sashimi. It was an immediate hit with Parisians, and the company now has several branches in 14 countries. Londoners can currently enjoy fresh, made-to-order dishes in Marylebone, Notting Hill and South Kensington, with another three locations to follow by late 2017.
So, what’s different about Sushi Shop? If you popped into a branch, you might think that it’s just a French take on our current high-street favourites. This isn’t entirely off the mark as each dish is prepared using the traditional techniques which characterise French haute cuisine. However, their USPs differ greatly from those of their competitors, especially in the UK: each order is made from scratch using the freshest ingredients and they regularly collaborate with eminent chefs to solicit their feedback and make fine dining more accessible to the public.
Credit: Sushi Shop
Following collaborations with the likes of Joël Robuchon, Sushi Shop have now teamed up with Michelin-starred chef Kei Kobayashi. Born into a family of chefs in Japan, Chef Kobayashi lived and breathed French cuisine from afar until he finally moved to Paris to pursue his culinary dreams under Alain Ducasseno less (link to my review below). His dedication bore fruit in 2011 when he opened his eponymous restaurant KEI, winning a coveted Michelin star a year later.
The new menu for 2017 at Sushi Shop is the perfect marriage of modern Japanese influences and classic French techniques, i.e. East meets West on a plate. Chef Kobayashi has taken their Californian-style sushi and reinvented it by introducing some delicate and playful creations. I was recently invited to sample these at the menu launch in the Marylebone branch, which was preceded by a short demo from head chef Pierre Boudy culminating in the unexpected appearance of a blowtorch.
Chef Kobayashi’s signature dishes are as follows:
Credit: Sushi Shop
Gyu Special Roll: Carpaccio-style beef, lacquered with teriyaki sauce and topped with raw peppers, carrots, rocket, fried onions and sesame oil mayonnaise.
Chef Boudy chose to make this roll in his demo, and quite rightly so as it’s show-stopping sushi. Not only does it look impressive, it’s absolutely delicious: smooth intensity from the meat, crunchy salad and freshness from the coriander, which isn’t a common feature of Japanese cuisine.
£8.90 for 6 pieces.
Credit: Sushi Shop
Salmon Gravalax Roll: Gravalax salmon, with raw carrot, cucumber, salmon roe and black olive tapenade.
Again, the surprising additions of black olive tapenade, crumble, dill and mint elevate this salmon roll from average to sublime. Its exquisite form draws you in then the earthy, spicy notes convert you. The texture is softer then the Gyu roll, but the thinly sliced cucumber prevents it from being overly so.
£8.90 for 6 pieces.
Credit: Sushi Shop
Garden Maki: Raw carrot, cucumber red miso, peanuts and rocket.
I’m not keen on vegetarian makis in general as I feel like they’re missing a few ingredients. The Garden Maki puts paid to this notion by dressing simple salad with some subtle, unexpected flavours such as sesame, lime, maple syrup, yuzu zest and chili. It was so tasty that I’d be happy to feast on a few rolls alone to fully appreciate how the flavours come together in each mouthful.
£4.50 for 6 pieces.
Credit: Sushi Shop
Red Miso Cucumber Salad: Cucumber, red miso and peanuts.
Another crowd-pleaser of a dish: what’s not to like about cool, crunchy cucumber coated in a slightly nutty, sweet sauce?
£4.50 for 6 pieces.
Credit: Sushi Shop
If you haven’t booked a table for Valentine’s Day yet, how about swapping eating out for eating in? Priced at £35, the luxurious 42-piece box set at Sushi Shop includes classics like Salmon Avocado Rolls and Spicy Tuna Maki Rolls as well as the more contemporary Chicken Caesar Rolls. For the full list, head over to the website (link below), where you can place the order in a couple of clicks then sit back and let the food come to you.
Disclaimer: I was invited to review the 2017 menu, but all views and photos are my own, unless otherwise stated. Both remain the property of www.savlafaire.com
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