Discovering ‘Nouvelle Chinois’

－－－What is Nouvelle Chinois?

It’s a style of serving Chinese dishes individually, like French cuisine. Born in Hong Kong, it transformed the tradition of large shared platters into multi-course dining with small portions and artful plating — allowing 8 to 10 dishes per course.

―――Why did you choose Chinese cuisine?

Working the Chinese section at a department store restaurant, he realized Chinese cooking was the perfect fit — both to cook and to eat. The range from Shanghai to Szechwan to Cantonese cuisine offered endless depth.

Pursuing His Own Vision of Noodle Flavors

―――Why did you choose Hashizumen?

When opening his own restaurant, he sought noodles that could best express the flavor profile he envisioned. Hashizumen’s rich variety of kneaded noodles, which make it easy to express seasonality, was the deciding factor.

－－－Tell us about the burdock noodle dish.

A noodle dish built entirely around burdock — with clam-based dashi, clam meat, and crispy fried burdock. Seasonal varieties like spring ‘shin-gobo’ (young burdock) allow the dish to express the time of year.

―――How is noodle service different in Nouvelle Chinois?

Rather than a large bowl, he experiments with half-sized portions and different vessels. For busy services at his larger restaurants, he uses Hashizumen’s firmness-retaining noodles and reverse-engineers the boiling time to ensure the noodles reach the table in perfect condition.