Four-hands dinners are the trend.
Though they offer diners an exclusive, one-night-only tasting menu, the chefs actually have more to gain from such collaborations.
For one, they’re a welcome break from the restaurant routine. Introducing a change from the norm—be it the service or menu—helps break the monotony.
For another, four-hands dinners (or six or eight, even 10) are an opportunity to learn and broaden the chef’s knowledge and experience.
Take the case of Nicco Santos of Hey Handsome who was in Japan recently to team up with chef Yusuke Namai of Ode, one of Tokyo’s hottest restaurants.
For one night, the two worked on a cohesive menu that introduced guests to Namai’s modern take on Japanese cuisine and Santos’ Filipino-Indonesian repertoire.
Building relationships
To guarantee the seamless marriage of their individual culinary styles, Santos flew to Tokyo days before the event to sample Namai’s food. He discovered that his dishes, like those of the Japanese chef himself, were whimsical and fancy, but definitely accessible.
“He expresses himself through his food,” Santos said. “When you eat it, you’ll find that there is so much soul. He is quiet but deep.”
Santos adjusted his initial lineup of dishes to match what Namai would serve. He made sure that his items blended in at the degustacion.
“I didn’t want to be far different from his style. I wanted to coexist with the restaurant. He trusted us enough and I didn’t want to let him and his team down.”
In the end, the dinner was a success as Namai thanked him and his chef for making the guests happy, adding that he was very proud of them.
Over a short period, the two chefs were exposed not only to each other’s ingredients, techniques and cultures, but also to each one’s work ethic and philosophy.
Namai liked the way Santos combined and balanced fresh ingredients with fermented, aged and smoked food, while Santos admired how much Namai respected his produce.
“I noticed that in his kitchen, walang sobra—not even a gram of rice. There’s no waste. Everything is precisely calculated,” Santos said.
Also, Namai knows each of his suppliers, and how each produce has been treated, processed and delivered.
“I want my cooks to think and work the same way. I came out of the whole experience more educated,” Santos added. —CONTRIBUTED
