Thanks to you, Gourmet News has reached its first anniversary. We owe this entirely to our readers, and we would also like to thank President Shimada of Ginza The Clockroom, which is the publisher.
Well, in October, the restaurant held an event to celebrate the first anniversary of Kuriiwa Minoru's "Sakeban Nikki," which started serialization earlier, so I decided to hold an event to celebrate the first anniversary of my "Gourmet News." So Shimada invited me to have a meal that would also serve as a meeting. So I said, "I've made a reservation for November 1st at the Gucci restaurant that opened on October 28th, so how about going?" A Gucci restaurant! Isn't it already there? Is that Bulgari? Is the beige Chanel?
The author, who has no connection to brands, is just confused. Of course, when I was young, I was also interested in fashion. As I mentioned last time, when I was a university student in the early 1980s, I went to "pool" in Ura-Harajuku to buy clothes, and later, when I started teaching at a university, I asked a student who knew about fashion to be my stylist, and I started wearing Karl Helm and Agnes b. Personally, I was obsessed with Gaultier, and I ended up buying a lot of clothes at the flagship store in Galerie Vivienne in Paris even though they didn't fit me, so I was quite scattered. However, my stylist, Mr. I, was a mode lover who only wore Yohji Yamamoto, known as "Yohji-kun," and the other students I was close to were all young people who wore stylish fashion, such as "Paul-kun," who loved Paul Smith. At the other end of the spectrum were people who were avid fans of so-called branded goods such as Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana (Dolce & Gabbana!), and Chanel (Chanel!), with Gucci being a typical example, and being something that would make fashionistas feel embarrassed (sorry). The only exception for me was when I wanted a Versace brace worn by Sadatora Araki, a popular entertainer in the late 90s (who retired early after taking over a real estate agency in Ashiya), so as soon as I arrived in Paris, I took a taxi and went to Versace.
Being such a writer, I have a certain allergy to Gucci, and since Ginza doesn't suit me at all, I felt even more pressured when I arrived at the entrance to the Gucci restaurant on Namiki-dori. It was green and flashy! Yes, it wasn't a ristorante. It was an osteria. Apparently the official name was "Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura."
Ristorante is a French restaurant, and the grand maisons of Ginza include "Lecrin", "L'Osier", "Esquisse", etc. For Italian restaurants, the old "Sabbatini" and "Enoteca Pinchiorri" come to mind.
I guess Osteria is a brasserie in France. Trattoria is a bistro. In Paris, many brasseries are decorated with gorgeous Art Deco-style decorations reminiscent of the Belle Epoque, so this is like a gorgeous Gucci version of that. Either way, there is no tension like a grand maison. The clientele is mostly young couples and small groups of women. When the mismatched duo of a bearded gentleman in an expensive suit and an elderly tramp appear, it's like a nonsense from an intermission at the Gucci Theater.
Now, Mr. W, the leader of the black suits who greeted us, was clearly the son of both families, and his collection of hundreds of bottles of grappa was displayed in the bar corner. He graduated from a music college and studied abroad in Italy, but I missed him after that. The black suits were serving at the Grand Maison, while the staff in uniforms that were a Gucci-style arrangement of the uniforms of family restaurant staff were briskly walking around the store. On our way out, a woman dressed in family restaurant style came to see us off from the hall on the fourth floor to the entrance door on the first floor in a special elevator. They were all very considerate. However, when we entered the store, the black suits were waiting at the reception on the first floor, but the last order had passed, so the reception was already empty. It felt a bit out of place, but oh well. The family restaurant group looked great in lovely aprons with small floral patterns, and when I mentioned them to a friend, he suggested it was Marimekko. I quickly looked it up and found out it was a Finnish manufacturer, and although the aprons were a little different with large floral patterns, they were similar in their flashy feel.
The meal consisted of only a seven-course meal. Shimada-san pointed out to me that 15,000 yen is not too expensive, and that it is a Ginza price. As a poor university lecturer, I realized that Ginza is out of place. However, this explains why Gucci calls itself an osteria. Its rival restaurant, Bulgari, also in Ginza, calls itself a ristorante, "Bulgari Il Ristorante Luca Fantin." The seven-course meal is priced at 18,500 yen, and a nine-course meal is priced at 24,500 yen. Among the star-ranked Italian restaurants listed in Michelin Tokyo, the only one that is luxurious or brand-related is Bulgari's ristorante. Therefore, Gucci needs to differentiate itself from Bulgari. With a pop storefront and an innovative modern Italian concept, they are likely aiming to become a popular restaurant by attracting young people.
The food also seems quite innovative, with ramen-style pasta and scallops used for dessert. However, once you try it, you'll understand that it's very easy to eat and doesn't deviate from the delicious Italian food you're used to. A quarter of a century ago, I went to Table d'Anvers, run by the Conticini brothers in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, which was highly praised by Gault & Millau. Although it had one star in the Michelin guide, I went there because it had been rated the equivalent of two stars by Gault & Millau, which promotes new French cuisine. However, all the dishes that were served were far too unusual to be delicious. They were neither bad nor unpleasant, and the strange tastes, which I had never tasted before, left me perplexed.
But Gucci's food may look innovative, but the taste is extremely conventional. But isn't that what makes it a brand? Even in fashion, the truly innovative style is the mode style, where they even create things that make you wonder if they are something that people should even wear. The brand continues to be loved by many people because it maintains a sense of ease and conservatism that makes it comfortable to wear even when it feels new. This is probably why the family restaurant crowd and the black suit crowd coexist. Gucci's Osteria is nothing other than a gourmet food version of the Gucci brand.
I think this restaurant is worthy of a Michelin star. If you are interested, please come and visit us. Thank you for the delicious meal, Mr. Shimada.
This month's recommended wine
"Bolgheri, the Italian Bordeaux wine"
"Ferchiaino 2016 DOC Bolgheri Rosso Giovanni Chiappini" 6,000 yen (excluding tax)
I have already written that it is easier to understand Italian wine if you think of it in parallel with French wine. The two major red wine producing regions, Bordeaux and Tuscany, are similar, and Burgundy and Piedmont are similar. Barolo and Barbaresco are made from a single variety of Nebbiolo, which is highly volatile and is generally served in a Burgundy glass. What about Tuscany, which is made from Sangiovese and its sub-varietals (such as Brunello), there is an area where the same varieties as Bordeaux are planted and wine is made with the same cepage. The representative wines are "Sassicaia" and "Ornellaia", which were originally called Super Tuscan and treated as IGT and Vin de Pays (local wine) in France, but in 1983, they obtained the "Bolgheri" designation (DOC). Furthermore, in 1994, Sassicaia was able to use the designation "Bolgheri Sassicaia" on its own. The varietal composition of the Chiappini Felchiaino we are introducing this time is also 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, and 10% Sangiovese. The ratio of Cabernet to Merlot makes it the same varietal composition as Medoc wines. The difference is that Sangiovese, which is native to Tuscany, is used as a secondary variety.
Of course, the taste of the same grapes will change depending on where they are grown, so I think that a rich wine with strong tannins will feel a little richer than Bordeaux. The Chiappini family moved to Bolgheri from the Marche region in 1954. They were olive and vegetable farmers, but they started making wine in 1995 and began selling it in earnest in 2000. They are an emerging winemaker. However, this Felchiaino is a masterpiece that will fully meet your expectations, as it has quickly gained high praise due to its favorable location next to Ornellaia. If you drink this wine in succession with the Chateau du Breuil from last time, you will have compared Bordeaux and Bolgheri and will be able to feel the difference. Please give it a try.
For inquiries about the wines featured,
To AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
Seki Osamu FACE BOOK
Seki Osamu Official Website
