Sometimes, life just gets in the way. Once partners, chefs Masashi Horiuchi and Hugo Blanchet found themselves carving different paths of their own. Horiuchi found his calling in Malaysia, establishing not one but two esteemed restaurants—Entier and Potager. Meanwhile, Blanchet set down roots in Paris, where he opened Marrow to explore his innovations with haute gastronomie and launched Hubo, an artisanal sandwich shop. Fifteen years later, the two chefs found their paths crossing once more in a special one-night-only collaboration between Entier and Marrow.
However, it wouldn’t just be a four-hands collaboration. Born and raised in the South of France, Entier’s head chef Romain Fabre shares a natural connection with Blanchet—both stemming from the same roots and belonging to a similar generation. Two minds might be better than one, but with three, expect the extraordinary, as they came together to shape a new story of their own.
The collaboration menu played out like a dialogue, each chef with an idea of his own, responding with creations that complement each other.
Horiuchi—who hails from Fukuoka, Japan, and spent most of his career in French kitchens—enjoys incorporating French techniques with Japanese influences. His approach to this was captured in the abalone and foie gras dish. In Fukuoka, abalone is a treasured speciality, typically focused on its natural sweetness and tenderness. Here, it made a striking pairing with foie gras because of its contrasting textures, served with a rich grenobloise sauce, a hallmark of French bistro dishes.
The dialogue shifted to Fabre, who brings a contemporary flair to French classics. His vision unfolded in the caille aux raisins, a traditional Provençal dish featuring a roasted quail with grapes and raisins. The quail was infused with cognac and further elevated with duck lardons and sourdough, adding texture while balancing the sweetness of the grapes and raisins. Served alongside was a choux farcis, a classic countryside cabbage dish—a nod to historical French pairings, where cabbage was often served with game meats.
From Marrow’s end, Blanchet brought his passion for experimentation to the table, showcasing standouts from his restaurant. One was the octopus wrapped in kadaif noodles, which adopted Mediterranean and Middle Eastern influences. But, most importantly, it wouldn’t be Marrow without Blanchet’s signature bone marrow—wrapped in bread dough seasoned with turmeric and ginger powder, then sliced open and served with smoked tomato purée and roasted pumpkin seeds. It was simply divine.
The reunion came full circle in this six-hands collaboration, celebrating the many forms that French cuisine could be interpreted. You never truly know where fate will lead you, but I’m grateful that it led me to Entier that night.
Lead image: Caille aux raisins
