'I like discovering the new facets of familiar vegetables," says chef Hiroyasu Kawate of Florilège, No.2 on Asia's 50 Best Restaurant 2024 list, in Tokyo, Japan. Having opened in 2009, Florilège won two Michelin stars in 2018 and five years later was awarded the Michelin Green star.
"We reopened Florilège in its new location [Azabudai Hills] last September and the focus, as always, is vegetables. Though we are a French restaurant, we use a lot of Japanese ingredients and techniques. At the previous location, I found the chefs too far from the diners, despite having counter-style seating. I wanted one table, like a chef's table, a table that faces the open kitchen. Everyone uses that one table; the customers, the kitchen staff, the service," says chef Kawate.
Florilège's table is 13m long and is in "table d'hôtel" style. If you are not a communal table person, there are private tables on offer, though only four.
Florilège in Tokyo.
"Years ago, in France, having one table was probably the most classic way of service. Also in Japanese culture we have a lot of restaurants with one table, like in omakase. So we've mixed both the cultures together and tried new things," says chef Kawate.
"What is paramount to me is striking a balance as a restaurant, ensuring that diners relish their experience. The more I try to express my current views through cooking, the more I find myself gravitating towards dishes that feature vegetables.
"My cooking focus has also changed to vegetables, more than ever before. Everyone does Japanese Wagyu beef and though it is delicious, it is common to find on menus, not only in Japan but around the world, too. This is why I've chosen to concentrate on plant-based dishes to maintain a good balance in the menu.
"At the beginning, everyone thought sustainability was all about using vegetables and not meat. But now, that thought process has shifted while still being focused on vegetables. Though only 75% of Florilège's menu is focused on them, we get a lot of foreign customers asking if they will be served meat or fish, considering the word is out about us going green. Maybe in the years to come, our menu will change to being 85% plant-based. I believe in new age sustainability; in doing things step-by-step."
Vegetable dishes at Florilège.
Chef Kawate's passion for sustainability is seen in his menu. Using locally-sourced ingredients, wherever possible, his menu comprises aubergines, mushrooms or soybean flan, all which have complex flavours.
"In Japan, we get a log of seasonal vegetables but this isn't the reason why we do more vegetables. My other restaurant in Okinawa doesn't really use seasonal vegetables," he says.
"At the beginning of Florilège, the menu and the cooking techniques leaned more towards French, since that is my background. I love France and most things French, but now I concentrate more on Japanese culture and ingredients. Though my menu is more of a mix of both cultures, cooking techniques and ingredients."
At Florilège 3.0, which is its current iteration, the main focus isn't vegetables, it's finding a balance on the menu. "It is easy for me to look at a diner and see if the food is delicious or not delicious. But we want the diners to not only taste the dishes but find the harmony in the menu. For the main course, diners can choose meat or vegetables. The balance is the point."
However, Florilège is not perfect. "We are 50% of what we aspire to be," says chef Kawate, who loves using beans. He doesn't use ingredients like foie gras, which he considers "basic and boring". "Ingredients like this cannot surprise diners." However, this rule applies only to Florilège and none of his other restaurants.
Unsurprisingly, chef Kawate enjoys fermented vegetables the most. At the restaurant, the use of fermented vegetables is not just in the produce. "Even when we make sauces, none of the base sauces use animal or seafood products. It's all vegetables. We try different kinds of vegetable fermentation for these sauces or as flavour enhancers."
Though chef Kawate now wants to go further with his sustainability mission. He wants to help improve the food waste situation since he is a chef. But as he says, "all in time".
Partnering with longtime friend, chef Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo, chef Kawate opened Denkushiflori, which comes from the names of both restaurants. The first overseas outpost of this collaboration is in Bangkok, where the menu is a blend of French techniques with the essence of Japanese cuisine and a few Thai touches.
Chef Kawate has also teamed up with Dej Kewkacha, chef-patron of Kyo Roll En, to open Oyatsu no Jikan. The first store outside Japan keeps with the quality and inspiration of Florilège. Various French cooking concepts such as texture, temperature difference, contrast and dressing are applied to creating the best kakigori at Oyatsu no Jikan, which translates as "time for snacks".
To get a taste of Florilège without going to Japan, keep an eye out for Aug 28, when chef Kawate will be part of a collab dinner at Le Du in Bangkok.
