1 / 1
The first stop for this series of memorable gastronomic adventures through six hand-picked hotels: the Ritz-Carlton Tokyo
Six countries. Six luxury properties. Two months. And, yes, thousands of e-mails to make this ambitious undertaking a reality.
“There was a lot of back and forth,” admits Daniel Aryes, Marriott International’s Director of Restaurants & Bars, Luxury Operations APEC, as he explains to us how this gargantuan culinary event came to be. The task was to come up with an exciting activation that showcases the deep roster of talents in their vast collection of opulent hospitality brands which include The Ritz-Carlton, Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, Edition, The Luxury Collection, JW Marriott, and W Hotels. “It really got bigger and bigger as we went along until we decided we had to narrow it down to the six properties we felt were in interesting food cities to begin with,” Aryes explains, “and then we started collaborating with each property to come up with unique and memorable food and beverage events throughout their assigned weekends.”
1 / 3
The Luxury Group Dining Series is a a multi-city series of events taking place from September to November 2024 that features six handpicked hotels including The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo, The St. Regis Bali, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne, The Athenee Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok, The St. Regis Mumbai, and JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach. The series was launched at The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo with a wine pairing dinner in the austere private room of Héritage by Kei Kobayashi.
Media guests and principals were treated to expertly prepared courses matched with wines from legendary Bordeaux house Chateau Haut-Brion. An undeniable celebration of French gastronomy, the two-night-only event demonstrated chef de cuisine Teruki Murashima’s firm grasp on classical cooking techniques. An amuse bouche of pate en croute, carrot mousse, and truffle macaron set us off to a good start and was expertly paired with Duval-Leroy Femme de Champagne Grand Cru. While all dishes were flawless, the clear standouts were the Brittany lobster with the Haut-Brion rouge 2005, and the 2017 with the Landes pigeon, which was a masterful example of haute cuisine. To pair with dessert, there were pours of Louis XIII ceremoniously decanted into crystal tulip glasses that set the tone for the decadent weekend to come.
See also: New Japanese restaurant in BGC: Kei Maki
1 / 3
The second day began with a tour of Toyosu Market where Ritz-Carlton Tokyo executive chef Sandro Gamba and chef Teruki navigate the massive marketplace with ease as they showed us around. Their enduring relationships with their suppliers ensure that they are always given access to the best of the day's fresh catch, and it is a relationship built on trust and fair trade. As we watch chef Teruki order the seafood for that evening’s kaiseki dinner, chef Sandro points out the peculiarities of their transaction. “As you can see, there are no prices displayed with the seafood,” he explains. “Our relationship with this supplier is different from his relationship with his other buyers, and so there is no fixed price. The seafood we pick out every morning for the hotel will arrive with its corresponding price, and we will pay, no questions asked. We believe that whatever price they charge us is the fairest price.”
1 / 2
This is not uncommon in Japanese culture, and this is just one of the endearing qualities that were displayed with pride throughout the weekend’s events along with their most treasured traditions. Tea is something beloved in both Japanese and western cultures, and Ritz-Carlton Tokyo partnered with revered Sugi Bee Garden for a curated afternoon tea experience that was also emblematic of the culture’s dedication to excellence. Sugi Bee Garden president Koichi Yuneda was on hand to share their company’s long history of working with nature to ensure that they deliver only the finest product, which the hotel’s executive pastry chef Jong Tze Khang utilized in making delightful pastries and desserts such as a manuka honey forage mousse, horse chestnut honey cheesecake, and raspberry honey madeleine, among many sinful afternoon delights.
1 / 6
Kicking off the evening, a beautiful geisha and her shamisen player regaled hotel guests at the lobby with their songs and dances of love lost and drowning their sorrows in sake—themes that are timeless and know no boundaries. As if on cue, we were then escorted to The Bar where we had the cocktail masterclass with head mixologist Kentaro Wada and his counterpart in Ritz-Carlton Kyoto, Yosuke Asano, both award-winners in prestigious cocktail mixing competitions. Their signature cocktails are inspired by the Nakasendo Trail that connects Kyoto and Edo (now known as Tokyo), displayed in specially made 3D-printed glass vessels by Italian manufacturer Dario Bellantuono of 3D Vault.
1 / 4
The culmination of a long, productive day was the sake pairing kaiseki dinner at Hinokizaka. In case the meal was not traditional enough, each dish was also paired with a beautiful bonsai from Omiya Bonsai Village in Saitama. Japanese Executive Chef Hisao Ishida happily worked with bonsai master Kanta-san and their master sake sommeliers to put together a kaiseki that showcased that morning’s Toyosu Market haul. The fresh seafood was first displayed before, one by one, we were served traditional plates of blow fish sashimi, amadai soup, grilled abalone, grilled Wagyu, tempura, and nigiri sushi of the tuna we sampled that morning at their supplier’s stall.
1 / 2
Feeling the effects of the generous pours of fine sake from the night before, the Sunday matcha-themed brunch at Towers was reinvigorating with calming views of the city below and far beyond. Towers’ executive chef Takuji Nakano matched his skills with chef Vladimir Veiga of LAB by Sergi Arola to marry together the latter’s Michelin-starred Portuguese flavours with chef Nakano’s French classical leanings. While there were once again steady pours of champagne which had become a running theme that weekend, the fine matcha from Kyoto’s renowned tea fields proved to be a harmonious pairing with the tasting menu of eight kinds of appetisers (including a Mt. Fuji salmon chaud-froid), poached sea bass in a creamy pool of clam, leek, and galangal, and veal served alongside Japanese langoustine with foie gras and madeira sauce. Tea Master Noriyasu Ueshima—a fifth-generation tea farmer with the highest honour from the Association of Sencha Masters for Hospitality—was on hand with his wife to brew their excellent green teas in different temperatures and levels of concentration. It was truly astonishing to see the meticulous attention given to each tea pairing, whether via hot cups or glasses of cold brewed tea.
See also: Mrs Saldo’s is back in Manila for an à la carte pop-up
1 / 3
The weekend came to a climactic end with a fun evening in chef Sandro’s favourite izakaya where we had delicious plates of grilled chicken leg quarters, sushi, and yakitori to pair with more excellent sake and entertaining conversations with the new friends we made that weekend. The Tokyo leg of the Luxury Group Dining Series truly set the bar high for the rest of the participating properties, which is now ongoing every weekend until the end of November.
NOW READ
Beyond bucatini: 7 quirky pasta shapes worth discovering
What makes a great cocktail menu? We ask Asia’s top bar owners and mixologists
Meet Me at the Bar: Abby Quila-lan of The Grasshopper Bar
Topics
Jaclyn Clemente Koppe is a food and lifestyle writer, as well as a consultant to some of the country’s beloved food and beverage brands. Her passion for food and drink is only surpassed by her devotion to her family, most especially to her soulmate, Pepa the poodle.
