Beni, Vidi, Vici!
We sit with Chef de Cuisine of béni Singapore Kenji Yamanaka and ask him to introduce his restaurant to us, what inspires him, and get into the mindset of a Chef who aims to integrates French fine dining cuisine and Japanese produce including the Ozaki A5 Wagyu Beef from Miyazaki prefecture.
CWA: Tell us a little about your restaurant and what it means to you.
béni is an important restaurant to me. When I came to Singapore, I got involved in everything from restaurant names, logos, concepts, in-store design, cutlery, etc., starting from scratch and going through good and bad times together. There have been many suggestions for me to change the original concept, one which I strove to protect, because they don’t understand why the original beni concept is so important to me. They weren’t there at the beginning, suffering the hardships and challenges. I
CWA: What spurs and inspires the cuisine you make?
It's the customer's smile. béni is a counter restaurant. I can directly see their face's expressions and gestures when the customer brings my food to their mouth. When I get busy, I don't have time to see all of the customers. However, I try to look at our customer's first bite. When I see the smiles of our customers, it remind me why I became a chef: the smiles of our customers.
CWA: What’s fascinating or interesting about your work experiences working in Japan and how does it shape your experiences working in Singapore?
In Japan, there is the word "Shitazumi '': the experience during our long training period will have many important lessons, but it is not a waste of time. For example, as various sources are derived from the basic source, the next new creation is made only when the basic skills are mastered. Recipes and information are now easily read online and in books.
If new staff work for a restaurant for three months, they’ll get the restaurant's recipes eventually. However, many young staff do not know the basic skills. Because they have been learning only superficial work. I think it is my mission in Singapore to teach them basic work and skills.
It is also important to build a relationship of trust with the ingredients suppliers to respect each other. The relationship is very important, whether in Japan, or in Singapore. Thanks to that they have sent us good ingredients and I have introduced many rare Japanese ingredients to Singapore people.
CWA: How does a day in your life look like, from the moment you wake up to the moment you close up and sleep?
From the moment I wake up until I go to bed, I always think about cooking. I’m not joking! I always keep myself open to new ideas and information . Refreshing is also important. From there, that’s how new menus and concepts get created.
CWA: What do you hope people get out of your food at your restaurant?
I am often told by customers that my cooking is very hearty and that makes me very happy. It won't be the same dish if there is no heart, even if you follow the recipe to the T. The original meaning of restaurant is " recover yourself" " back to the best condition" . If the customer who eats my dishes feels peaceful and heartfelt, that’s the best result.
To order the great food from Chef Kenji Yamanaka, please go to
https://benisingapore.oddle.me/en_SG/ to order or visit Grab!
