“Believe it or not, Perrier-Jouët has always been my favourite go-to champagne,” chef Christian Recomio says, adding that he’s particularly fond of Perrier-Jouët’s Belle Époque 2007 and 2008. “And to be honest, what we’re doing here at Sitka—in general— is sharing good food and champagne with good company to create a one-of-a-kind experience at Sitka.”
There certainly hasn’t been anything to top his collaboration with chef Taku Sekine of Parisian restaurants Cheval d’Or and Dersou, which took place last year. Joined by restaurateur Jenifer Kuah, Recomio and Dersou poured a combined total of 30 years’ culinary experience into a takeover of Sitka Restaurant on 17 October and a four hands dinner at Sitka Studio upstairs recently.
It was up to the two chefs to fuse their cooking styles and find a way of paying tribute to Perrier-Jouët’s exceptional cuveés. While Sekine’s previous experience of apprenticing and working at the Michelin-starred Beige Alain Ducasse Tokyo fed into the collaboration, Recomio – who also runs the award-winning Moonfish Cafe in Aberdeen – had his own approach.
The result: a kitchen takeover of Sitka on the first evening, where seven signature Cheval d’Or dishes (priced at RM150) were presented with a glass of Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, and a more elaborate tasting menu (RM475) for the second evening. The eight-course four hands dinner on the first night – which juxtaposed Recomio’s inventive, unconventional culinary ethos with Sekine’s highly successful cocktail pairing concept from Dersou – also featured Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, along with three Perrier-Jouët and Lillet cocktails.
“It was so much fun working with Christian,” Sekine enthuses, reflecting on a menu that included a light-as-air crab tartlet with first-draw soy and a pillowy bun stuffed with Wagyu tonkatsu and spicy mustard. The cocktails, meanwhile, ran the gamut from a refreshing opener of Lillet Blanc with Monkey 47 gin and elderflower to a Kir Royale-esque muddle of macerated mulberries, lemon verbena, and Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut, finishing with Lillet Rosé, bourbon, and mint. “I’m always happy to work with other chefs because I love sharing culinary knowledge with them – and I hope the feeling is mutual.”
“Likewise, it’s very easy to work with Tak. I’ve been wanting to cook with him for a while now,” affirms Recomio, whose stamp was apparent across a dish of cavatelli and maitake mushrooms infused—surprisingly—with coffee, and an ice cream sandwich-like dessert of jackfruit and parmesan. “I think there’s a lot of synergy between us. Tak is obsessed with Asian culture and cuisine, and that is what made us together.”
