The modern restaurant industry has lost its “success pattern”

abysse. The interior of the restaurant, whose name comes from the French word for "deep sea," is so quiet that it feels like you are literally at the bottom of the ocean. Inside the restaurant in the early afternoon, I was struck by the sight of a young man wearing a sweater enjoying the food with a nervous but impressed look on his face. He is a student attending a culinary school. Chef Kotaro Meguro, the owner of the deep sea, talked about what the entire staff is aiming for at this location.

``Our generation, born in 1985, is no longer considered ``young'' in the culinary world.It's been five years since I opened my own business.At that time, I was in my 20s. I remember that if you look around you now, there are a lot of them.I think it's only in the last five to 20 years that the model patterns for chefs have become more diverse. As you say, there used to be a clear pattern of success in Japanese food and beverage industry: ``You leave cooking school, gain experience at a famous restaurant in Tokyo, go to France, train at a star restaurant, return home triumphantly, and become the owner-chef.'' However, the industry has changed significantly recently.

Instead of traveling to France, gastronomy hotspots are now all over the world, including Northern Europe, South America, North America, Australia, and Asia. Changes have come to the master-apprentice system and work styles, and on the diners' side, there are more and more noteworthy cooking competitions other than ``starred'', and as a result, diversity is considered a good standard for restaurant evaluations. It became so. In such a situation, isn't it becoming difficult to find a purpose and what to aim for?

To see the scenery from the top position with your own eyes

``I think that what I'm aiming for now is to achieve absolute ``class.'' Of course, when talking about more details, I would like to establish convincing ingredients and consistent dishes. But what I'm looking beyond that is to become a chef at a restaurant with an overwhelming presence.I honestly admit that this is my ambition. I am proud that my thoughts are my motivation,” says Chef Meguro. What comes to mind is an award ceremony for a cooking competition that I once attended. He himself was honored with a great honor, but as he watched the top chefs on stage that day, he firmly vowed, ``Someday, I want to see with my own eyes what they are seeing.'' It is said that it was.

With his eyes set on his ideal cuisine and what lies beyond, Chef Meguro's days are filled with a schedule that is neither a hobby nor work. For example, visiting restaurants. Although he sometimes goes to French and Innovative restaurants run by rival chefs, he says, ``Most of the time I go to eat sushi.I believe that sushi chefs are the ones who know the best about fish, so I go there to taste the best fish.'' "It's a lot of work," he says, because he wants to learn more about seafood, which is synonymous with Abysse cuisine. I mainly go to see solo exhibitions at the Utsugi Gallery. Afterwards, he often asks young artists he has become friends with to make the perfect vessels for serving his own dishes.

There are all kinds of artists who are in charge of taste in this glamorous world, but when it comes to chefs like Chef Meguro, who quietly and steadily burn with their fighting spirit, their seriousness shines through in a refreshing way. He is the person you should watch as he climbs the stairs step by step.

Kotaro Meguro

Born in 1985. Influenced by his grandfather, who was a Japanese cuisine chef, and his mother, who is a nutritionist, he himself became involved in cooking from an early age. After graduating from Hattori Nutrition College, she worked at several stores in Tokyo and then moved to France. After training at ``Le Petit Nice'' in Marseille, she returned to Japan and entered ``Quintessence''. In 2015, she became independent and opened a French restaurant "Abysse" that specializes in seafood and mountain bounty. In 2019, moved to Daikanyama.

abyss abysse

EBISU-HILLS 30F, 12-XNUMX-XNUMX Ebisu Nishi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

03-6804-3846

12: 00-13: 00 (LO)

18: 00-20: 30 (LO)

Closed Wednesday

Lunch 11 dishes of seasonal ingredients 12,000 yen

Dinner 13 dishes of seasonal ingredients 15,500 yen

*Tax and service charge not included

Premium X A new generation of chefs promoting Japanese food for the future

The Japanese food and beverage industry is dominated by excellent restaurants, including not only Japanese cuisine but also French, Italian, and Chinese cuisine. However, if you look deeper than that, you will see that a new generation has sprouted that will carry the future of Japan's food on their shoulders, and they are showing remarkable success. The "Premium Japan" editorial department selected 12 chefs who face food beyond all boundaries. I asked him what vector he was aiming for.

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