Australian Gourmet Traveller - (05)May 2020 (1)

M

ichelinstars.A lifetimeachievementaward.A

JapaneseMasterofCuisinetitle.TetsuyaWakuda

haschalkeduphisfairshareofaccolades,butthe

chefneverunderestimatestheallureofa roastchook.

“Whenchefshostat home,theyjustwantgoodgrapejuiceand

a roastchicken,”saysWakuda.“It’ssimpleandeasytoprepare.”

(Fortherecord,henominatesArmandoPercuocoofItalian

restaurantBuonRicordo,as masterofthebestroastchicken.)

Simplicityis thenameofthegamewithWakuda’srecipes

inthesepages.Theyreadlikea domesticversionoftheJapanese-

Eurofoodhedishesat hiseponymousrestaurantTetsuya’sin

Sydney,andWakuGhininSingapore.“Thesearedefinitely

notfine-diningrecipes,”hesays.They’redesignedtospark

inspiration,towelcomeadaptation,tobeflexibleaccording

tothecook’stimeandskills.“Ifa hostis sweatingawayin

thekitchen,that’snotentertainingpeople,”hesays.“Even

breadandbuttercanbea memorablenight.”

Wakuda’sloveofseafoodis apparent– sashimihere,a

sautéofspannercrabthere,a sideofMurraycodthrownon

thegrill.Unsurprising,really,fora manwhosemostfamous

dish is a confit ocean trout, and whose love of fishing is such

thatheoncecommissioneda custom-builtfishingboatto

sailTasmania’sHuonRiver.

Andit’sAustralia’sbounty,fromtheoceanandland,that

hewantstobringtoWakuGhinwhenit reopens.(Renovations

havebeenongoingforseveralmonths;likesomanyhospitality

businesses,it’sfeltthebiteoftheCovid-19pandemic.)

WakudahashiseyeonMooloolabatuna;pinotnoir,whisky

andDutchcreampotatoesfromTasmania,andmarbledbeef

fromtheRangersValleyinnorthernNSW.“Beefusedtobe

neverfattyenoughforSingaporeantastes,”hesays.“Butnow

theypreferlessmarbledbeef,andAustralia’sis thebestforthis.”

WakuGhin’somakase-onlypolicywillberelaxedtoallowfor

à la cartedining,inparta responsetodiners’enthusiasticsnack

orderingwhilewaitingintherestaurant’sbararea.“Singapore

dinersareverydynamic,”hesays.“Theysaythenationalsports

hereareeating,drinkingandshopping.”Hisfavouritewayto

explorethecity’svibrantfoodsceneechoeshisapproachto

homecooking:honest,casualandbestdoneina group.“Australia

hasthepubcrawl,andherewehavea hawkercrawl,”hesays.

“Inbothcases,youruniformis shorts,a T-shirtandsandals.”

Tetsuya’s, 529 Kent St, Sydney, NSW, (02) 9267 2900, tetsuyas.com

Left:ChefTetsuyaWakuda.

CrabFIDspoonfromTheDEA

Store(usedthroughout).All

otherpropsstylist’sown.Tuna

Allpropsstylist’sown.PREVIOUS

PAGESElkeLucasjugandcups

inblack,andTetsuyaOzawa

plate(withbread)inblack,both

fromTheDEAStore.All other

props stylist’s own.