Noriyuki Sugie, chef de cuisine, Asiate, Mandarin Oriental, New York City
-- Hotels, 12/1/2007
 Chef Noriyuki Sugie |
Japanese-born Noriyuki Sugie shelved his dreams of becoming a rock guitarist to orchestrate a new wave in the hotel industry’s culinary scene.
As fervent about cooking as music, Sugie masterfully BLENDED best practices learned on three continents with his own innovative touch to make Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental, New York City, one of the world’s most lauded hotel restaurants. NOW READY TO TRANSITION FROM ASIATE TO HIS NEXT CHALLENGE, Sugie talks about menus, mothers and why less is more.
HOTELS: What attracted you to cooking as a profession?
Sugie: It was serendipitous.I wanted to be a musician. When I was 15, I took a job in Tokyo at a California-style restaurant in order to support my passion as a guitar player in a rock-n-roll band, which was heavily influenced by American and British music.
After completing high school, I entered Tokyo’s (prestigious) Tsuji Culinary School in Osaka, Japan. I soon discovered that I was fervent about cooking as I was about music. I also saw that I could earn a better living as a chef.
There are many similarities between the two. Like music, cooking is all about harmony. Orchestrating a meal is like creating an unforgettable score: Classic dominant ingredients are the bass chords; accents such as unexpected spices and flavors provide the high notes. Presentation is like a mesmerizing solo. Like any performance, you have to put on a good show.
HOTELS: Who were your mentors?
Sugie: In the beginning, I was influenced strongly by my mother’s traditional Japanese cooking as well as frequent forays with my family into fine dining establishments that offered Chinese, Japanese, French and Euro-Western cuisine. Dining in Tokyo had a sense of occasion, getting dressed up, seeing and being seen. The food presentation was pure theater.
HOTELS: Your cuisine certainly reflects that cultural diversity. How did you cultivate a multi-national approach to cuisine?
Sugie: I took traditional Asian-style technique and melded with classic French training while furthering my studies at Tsuji Culinary School in Chateau de l’Eclair, France. I spent the next five years expanding my French culinary skills and my knowledge of French wines while working at three Michelin-starred restaurants in Bordeaux: the three-starred L’Aubergade, the one-starred Le Moulin de Martorey and the two-starredHostellerie de Vieux.
By the mid-1990s, I saw that American cuisine was moving to the forefront. That really piques my curiosity. So I went to Charlie Trotter’s in Chicago as chef de partie. At Charlie Trotter’s I learned what defines fine dining in America, including the quality of the food served and the crucial role that excellent team leadership plays in maintaining an establishment’s exceptional standards.
After two years, I was ready for something new, so I and headed to Sydney to work as sous chef at Tetsuya (named “Restaurant of the Year” twice during Sugie’s tenure) by the Sydney Morning Herald.
HOTELS: What led to your decision to open your own restaurant?
Sugie: I had evolved my skills over 10 years. I was eager to venture beyond the kitchen. So, I opened Restaurant VII in Sydney as chef and partner. The experience exposed me to restaurant management and gave me complete artistic control. The food was intricate, sumptuous. It combined French-Japanese cuisine. Service was definitely ‘theater.’ (Restaurant VII received rave reviews, celebrity status and capacity crowds. Shortly after opening, the establishment was named “Best New Restaurant” by the Sydney Morning Herald)
HOTELS: What didn’t you carry on with that venture?
Sugie: Ultimately, I decided that restaurant management was not for me.
HOTELS: How did you get your current post at the Mandarin Oriental?
Sugie: I think serendipity was at work again. I was participating in Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group’s guest chef program and cooking promotional dinners at the Bangkok, Hong Kong, London, and Bermuda properties. After a worldwide search, I was interviewed and selected by Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group as chef de cuisine for Asiate, (the 90-seat signature restaurant located on the 35th floor sky lobby of Mandarin Oriental, New York).
HOTELS: How would you describe your concept for Asiate?
Sugie: Artistic and modern, yet elegant and subtle. Eeclectic. I want to capture the elements of French and Japanese cuisine. Our presentation style tries to reflect the harmony inherent to every aspect of the hotel.
HOTELS: How are you menus changing?
Sugie: We’ve added savoury game dishes to Asiate's Fall/Winter menu this year: wild boar, hare, squab and whole roasted guinea hen with organic winter vegetables. I also want to feature Balmain Bug (a close relative of the rock lobster from Australia). It's difficult to get in the States at the moment, but once it's available, you'll be seeing it on the Asiate menu.
HOTELS: How hard it is to source product for such a varied menu?
Sugie: Quality product is available, but, sometimes, you have to look a little harder. For example, duck from the United States tends to be very tough. We found a farm on Long Island that provides extremely tender duck.
HOTELS: What is the next big trend?
Sugie: I think we will see a movement back to more classic cuisine but with the added benefit of using the high quality organic ingredients that are so readily available now. The small plates/tapas/bento box trend will continue with healthier, more organic twist—less a la carte. There also will be an ever-increasing focus on the pairing of food with wine, cocktails, beers and sakes.
HOTELS: What are your secrets for success?
Sugie: Everything must feed off each other. It comes down to communication. The more knowledge everyone has, the better they can perform their functions. Don’t allow the front of the house and the back of the house to run independently of one another. Success also comes from motivation and making everyone matter.
HOTELS: Is the customer always right?
Sugie: Our mission to completely satisfy and delight our guests. If they ask for something which we cannot accommodate, we will offer an alternative. Service has to be flawless to ensure guests are comfortable and that they enjoy their meal.
HOTELS: What are your tips for upselling?
Sugie: Food knowledge of the waitstaff is imperative. They need to be trained to listen to guest preferences so that they can work that into the upsell. It helps if dessert items are sharable. In this body conscious age, the best way to make dessert harder to refuse is to make it unique, something the guest cannot pass up.
HOTELS: What are the best aspects of being a hotel chef?
Sugie: Having the support of the other departments such as public relations and sales. That gets the restaurant’s name as well as mine into the press and into the hands of travel agents, etc. It allows me to focus on the restaurant. It also helps because we can brainstorm new ideas based on consumer trends and eating habits.
