When you meet celebrity chef Jun Tanaka at Taste of Abu Dhabi this weekend, don’t make our mistake of assuming he cooks Japanese food… or even British food, or American food, for that matter.
Tanaka, who was born in New York, lives and works in the UK, and is of Japanese origin. His food, however, is French, and it is scrumptious.
tabloid! caught up with Tanaka ahead of his participation at the first Taste of Abu Dhabi, taking place from November 6 to 8 at the du Arena.
Q. Tell us about your participation at Taste of Abu Dhabi. What can people expect from you?
A. I’m going to be doing the chef’s theatre, so I’ll be cooking one of my restaurant dishes. It’s going to be a loin of venison, which is the most tender part. I’m going to cook it inside a spiced salt crust, which is dough made out of salt and spices and flour, and you encase the venison inside this. What it does, it infuses the venison with all the flavour of the salt and spices. I’m going to serve that with some caramelised chicory and some walnuts. I’m also doing the cookery school. I’m going to show how to perfectly cook and prepare a piece of fish. It’s going to be pan-fried mackerel with blood-orange fennel and pomegranate.
Q. Your speciality is [French] food. How do you find the reception of such a cuisine in this part of the world?
A. I think European food is becoming more and more popular with locals in the Middle East. You have a lot of chefs opening up restaurants. Even in Abu Dhabi, there are a few chefs opening up a branch of their restaurants. It’s an influx of different influences coming to different parts of the city.
Q. How about you? Would you consider opening up a restaurant here?
A. Absolutely. I’m in the process of opening my first restaurant in London, so that will be some time next year. I firmly believe the first one has to be in London. Once I establish that, I will definitely look to doing something in the Middle East.
Q. You’re coming to Abu Dhabi for the first time. What are you most looking forward to during your visit?
A. Just trying all the different food from the restaurants and meeting all the chefs.
Q. You’ve been to Dubai before. How do you find the food scene in the UAE in general?
A. Absolutely fantastic. In terms of European food, obviously, it’s not going to be on par with somewhere like London. In the last five years, Dubai has exploded with all sorts of European restaurants, but Middle Eastern cooking is also fantastic.
Q. Tell us about your favourite food.
A. My favourite food to cook is French Mediterranean, which is French food but a little bit lighter and more vibrant. It’s from the south of France, [and has] olive oil and loads of vegetables. That’s the kind of food I’ll do in my restaurant. In terms of eating, I love Japanese food; I grew up with it, and it makes me feel like I’m at home.
Q. Tell us about your future plans in terms of new projects you’re considering.
A. My primary focus is the new restaurant that is opening next year. After that, I will be looking to expand that concept, so maybe open one or two more in London, and then definitely somewhere abroad.
