The rainbow trout confit at Mezzaluna, an acclaimed fine-dining restaurant in Bangkok that overlooks the city from the top of the 65-story Lebua State Tower, is an impeccable example of contemporary French cuisine. As is the luxurious foie gras flan, which lies beneath a grilled morsel of red snapper in a broth of smoked duck — and the silky veloute sauce that accompanies a rectangle of breadcrumb-encrusted ayu (sweetfish) garnished with basil and cucumber. The techniques are classically French, but — like many of the dishes' star ingredients — chef Ryuki Kawasaki finds his origins in Japan.
Born in the city of Niigata, Kawasaki is one of a handful of pioneering Japanese chefs who are making waves in Asia and confounding stereotypes with dazzling interpretations of European cuisine, executed with original flair. In thriving urban centers such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok, the rapidly developing fine-dining scene is opening up new opportunities for talented chefs seeking to distinguish themselves outside of Japan and the cuisine of their homeland.
Kawasaki, 39, has a youthful look and soft-spoken modesty that belies his nearly 20 years of experience around the globe. He grew up helping his mother in the kitchen and developed a love of food at an early age. After graduating from Ecole Tsuji cooking school in Tokyo, Kawasaki traveled to France to train in the kitchens of Paul Bocuse before returning to Japan to hone his skills at one of Tokyo's citadels of French cuisine, Le Chateau de Joel Robuchon. Determined to find a way back to Europe, he landed a job at Sketch — Pierre Gagnaire's restaurant in London, where he ascended the ranks to sous-chef — and then relocated to Las Vegas to open Twist, another Gagnaire outpost. Although he had never considered living in Thailand before, he decided to take a chance when the offer came a few years later.