EDITOR’S LETTER
Why Japan? It took me a while to gather my thoughts when Art Director Fiona Lascelles asked me why I wanted Japan as the theme for the first of Cuisine’s series of deep dives into the diversity of our global table. There’s a lot to consider about Japan, so much contradiction and the constant element of surprise, the crossover of the new world with tradition at every turn. I just love that. And what better country to kick-start a conversation around the complexity – and the fun – that a culture can demonstrate through its food?
David Neville explores the art of yoshoku, a much-loved marriage of Japanese and Western cuisines with his take on mentaiko (Japanese-style spaghetti) adapting it even further to include fresh New Zealand tastes. Fiona Smith proves that by identifying and using quality ingredients along with a few basic techniques you can master her beautiful collection of home-style Japanese dishes, and Martin Bosley gifts you his supreme recipe for dashi stock – the backbone to so many Japanese dishes – and a sensational pāua shabu-shabu. Guest chef Naoya Higuchi shares some recipes that have been the secret of longevity and success at his popular restaurant Kappa in Queenstown, and Emiko Davies presents her simple, Japanese family meals and explains why ‘love’ is most definitely an essential ingredient.
If you are Tokyo bound, don’t miss Kenneth Nars on page 138 as he shares his seriouseaters’ guide to the world’s biggest city, where you might be forgiven for being overwhelmed by choice. Kenneth is the brilliant brain behind a new app driven by a global community of passionate food lovers committed to creating a global restaurant guide like no other. Another absolute coup is an outstanding piece on page 120 by Jane Lawson, an immensely talented food-and-travel writer who suffers from extreme Japanophilia and splits her time between Sydney and Kyoto, creating the most immersive and unique experiences as the host of Zenbu Tours. Meanwhile, Anna King Shahab brings you inspiration closer to home with a whip around the country to highlight our top tastes of Japanese flavour with Kiwi flair, and in Auckland we visit the longest-running Japanese restaurant in Takapuna, where the locals know the true value of a deliciously long-term relationship.
There’s still plenty to shout about with regards to Aotearoa, as we showcase our Women In Food & Drink Awards winners for 2024 on page 32. We are super proud to have Jess Murphy – our inaugural Global Ambassador chef – finally join team Cuisine to provide some luscious ideas for figs on page 22, while 2024 Hall of Fame recipient Annabel Langbein is back within our midst (yes, you read that right and it’s about damn time) to salute the unmatched versatility of zucchini. What a thrill to see Annabel once again in our mix.
Although we’ve covered all the bases for you including salty, spicy, sweet, sour, bitter and umami, I know we haven’t been able to do it all; but when you visit Japan you want to return again and again and so will we. All that’s left to say right now is itadakimasu.
ART DIRECTOR Fiona Lascelles
SENIOR FOOD WRITERS Ginny Grant, Fiona Smith
ASSISTANT EDITOR & SENIOR WRITER Tracy Whitmey
SENIOR WINE WRITER Mary-thérèse Blair
WINE PANEL CHAIR Simon Nunns WINE JUDGES Corey Hall, Pete Turner
CONTRIBUTORS Ben Bayly, Martin Bosley, Scott Copeland, Emiko Davies, Benjamina Ebuehi, Naoya Higuchi, Calum Hodgson, Anna King Shahab, Annabel Langbein, Jane Lawson, Adele Lofthouse, Claire Mccall, Jess Murphy, Kenneth Nars, David Neville, Felicity O’driscoll, Alexia Santamaria, Alice Taylor, Sally Travis, Stephen Wong. Restaurant reviews are conducted by Cuisine contributors.
PHOTOGRAPHERS & STYLISTS
Amber-jayne Bain, Jason Creaghan, Emiko Davies, Hana Davies, Laura Edwards, Lottie Hedley, Jess Hemmings, Melanie Jenkins, Aaron Mclean, David Neville, Tony Nyberg, Sam Stewart, Yuki Sugiura.
DIGITAL STRATEGY MANAGER Andrew Johnson andrew@cuisine.co.nz ph: 021 266 1845
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