Modern French Cuisine: Shuzo Kishida of Quintessence

by Kyoko Nakamura @ 24 Nov 2017

Quintessence is a French word with a Latin origin, meaning “the essence”. In ancient Greece, the people believed that the world was structured by five essental elements: earth, air, fire, water and quintessence. The fifth element was considered to be magical powers. When Chef Shuzo Kishida was working with Chef Pascal Barbot of L’Astrance, the three essentals of quintessence they cooked by were: produce, cooking techniques and seasoning.

Apropos to cooking techniques, Chef Kishida has always been paying homage to Chef Barbot’s style where low temperatures and slow-cooking
methods are employed; the sole reason he has only one degustation menu. Quintessence has been receiving three Michelin award for ten consecutive years since 2007. Since the inception of the restaurant, the signature goat milk bavarois has been welcoming every patron that walks through its doors. Chef Kishida emphasises on core of the dish: seasoning, salt and olive oil.

When he worked in France for the first tme, he was surprised with the quality of the salt and olive oil available. He believes that even staple pantry items, when of exceptional quality deserve veneration and he highlights them as the highest standard of his cuisine. This dish comes with a glass of Markus Huber, 2015 Grüner Veltliner Berg. The wine has a creamy texture and a lingering gentle sweetness that stems from the grapes. It doesn’t have much acidity, hence able to enhance the pure taste of goat milk and olive oil.

Modern French Cuisine: Shuzo Kishida of Quintessence

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