When West meets East, a french chef in the jungle.

Kind of fish paste sausage, boiled, then deep fied and serve with chilli sauce. Very addictive in front of the TV

The hairy fruit, very close to the litchi, but more fruity and juicier.

Satay, chargrilled meat skewers, served with spicy peanut sauce, sooooooooo good!!

The worst fruit on earth, smells bad, taste bad and look bad too. But such a delicacy in South east asia.

Travelling, one of the most important thing a chef should do.

The reason?

Discovering new flavors, new cultures, learning new ways to create and gather enough knowledge to be able to marry two traditions.

Beside the fact that travelling is enjoyable, it will bring a chef closer to people, helping him to understand the roots of a culture, very often, far from our own and difficult to grasp. The longer we stay in a country, the greater the chances to immerse ourselves in their habits by the way of local friendship, taking us on, what is for them, a gastronomical tour.

May it be fried cricket, fermented shrimp paste, Durian (a south-east asian fruit that smells so bad that it’s forbidden to bring some in hotels and airplanes) or a simple curry, their respect for the culture and the food is usually above average.

In Malaysia, I’ve been taken on hour-long ride across country to sample their most famous delicacies, not always to my taste I should say, but every time it was fantastic, the hospitality displayed surpassed by far what I’ve known in Europe. People with little means, opening their door and lying a spread of food fit for a king, by the quality and quantity, sitting you down at the best seat in the house, watching you eat and making sure that you had everything you needed. Pure generosity.

On my opinion, this is the way to discover, and the more you respect their culture, learn their language and traditions, the more they will initiate you to hidden aspect of their gastronomy.

Their attitude started to change towards me when I could speak a bit of Malay; suddenly, invitation for lunches and diners started to pour, they realised that I was interested to know more about, not only their food, but them too. I was then, discovering Malaysia.

These memories, are sealed in my mind, I’ve discovered products, flavors, tastes and sights that forever shaped my way of cooking and enjoying food. If any of these persons read this, I would like to thank you for that, you’ve made me a better Chef and a better human being in the process.

culinary yours