It is 2am, and Julien Royer, standing in the middle of Shimonoseki Fishery Port, is looking weary. The Singapore-based French chef of Odette, which topped the 2019 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list, had been jetting from one international engagement to another. A little more than 24 hours ago, he arrived in Singapore from the Netherlands, only to take the red-eye out to Fukuoka. The unrestful flight was followed by two-and-a-halfhours worth of rail and road transfers that finally took him to Shimonoseki, where meetings and tastings have been lined up. Yet the fatigue in his eyes is not just from his punishing schedule.
He has come to the fishery port in search of the premium-quality Japanese seafood that he loves; in search of an adrenalin rush at a fishery port seafood auction; in search of something he has never encountered. But on this whipping cold May night, the market seems empty with just a dozen or so trade buyers bidding in friendly fashion. The catch from the waters around Yamaguchi is a fraction of its usual quantity. He learns that the tides were so suboptimal that there isn’t even an amaebi shrimp in sight – something Royer is seeking out specifically for a dinner he is cooking the next day. He folds his arms and silently watches the men scribble their offers on scraps of paper, in a bidding process conducted in a code foreign to his Japanese interpreter.
A LEAP OF FAITH
If, at this point, Royer is silently wondering what he is doing in Shimonoseki, we too, are intrigued to find out. For, unless you are a history bufffamiliar with the 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki that ended the First Sino-Japanese War; a diehard fan of Shinzo Abe, who calls Shimonoseki his home constituency; or a fugu fanatic, (more than 80 per cent of Japan’s puffer fish comes from the city’s ports, giving it the title of Japan’s Fugu Capital), chances are, you would never have heard of this place.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2019 من The PEAK Singapore.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 2019 من The PEAK Singapore.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
From Screen to Store
Heini Zachariassen, founder of global wine rating app Vivino on how its first retail store in the world brings data-driven curation to wine lovers.
In the Dining Spotlight
Renowned Dutch chef Sergio Herman, whose name has been associated with the Michelin Guide in the Netherlands and Belgium, is expanding his Asian footprint with his Singapore outpost, Le Pristine in Grand Hyatt Singapore.
All for One
How would you navigate a corner if you were hearing-impaired or enjoy school if you were on the spectrum? These architects posit that inclusive design must be part of mainstream standards to improve overall living environments.
Pods and Swirling Staircases
This quirky and playful home designed by Park Associates is shaped after its owners, a young family with three children.
Stories Behind the Kebava
Sufiyanto A. S., one half of the duo behind the Kebaya.Societe Instagram account, has had enough of seeing Malay identity erased and forgotten.
Good to Go
Driving classic Jaguars on the legendary Goodwood Motor Circuit is all the magic a motorhead needs.
Seasons of the Snake
Japanese architect Tadao Ando once again works his magic for Bvlgari, with the Serpenti Tubogas as an artistic canvas for nature's cyclical transformation.
Phoenix Rising
One gutsy retired pharmaceutical executive rescued two-century-old Swiss watchmaker Bovet, and today, its presence is stronger than ever in Southeast Asia.
Con Amore, Leggiero, Presto!
Chan Weitian injects new insights into Presto Drycleaners, blending operational innovation with time-honoured values.
Preserving Paradise
Gaya Island Resort takes eco-tourism beyond the expected, blending conservation efforts with authentic luxury.
