The Clove Club to host Franco-Japanese event with stellar Paris chef line-up

The Clove Club's Isaac McHale is to hold a collaborative tasting menu event with Franco-Japanese chefs Atsushi Tanaka, Hideki Nishi, and Ryuji Teshima.

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McHale (pictured) will appear as part of the new Opinionated About Dining group owned by Steve Plotnicki, with each of the chefs preparing two dishes for an eight-course tasting menu. There will be just 50 places available for the evening, with each ticket £150 per person.

Each of the visiting chefs is originally from Japan, but all are now based full-time in Paris.

Tanaka is chef at 5th arrondissement restaurant A.T., and has previously worked at establishments such as Quique Dacosta, De Pastorale and Pierre Gagnaire, alongside stages at top Scandinavian sites.

Nishi now runs the Michelin-starred Neige D’Ete in Paris’ 15th arrondissement, and together with his Japanese wife and all-Japanese team is now known for a menu that blends traditional French cooking with Japanese techniques. Nishi’s CV includes the formidable George V, also in Paris.

Ryuji Teshima is from the Michelin-starred Restaurant Pages, and has also made his name in combining the two cuisines, including his signature beef dish, which uses imported Ozaki beef from Japan.

More details of the menu are yet to be announced.

Commenting on the event, Plotnicki said: "While chefs like Ducasse and Alleno dominate the Parisian food scene, hardcore foodies know that some of the best cooking in the city is happening coming from the new wave of Japanese chefs who have made the city their home.

“Atsushi, Hideki and Ryuji are three of my favourites, and it made sense to introduce them to the British dining scene by pairing them with the London-based chef whose no-nonsense cooking style and dedication to excellence most resembles what you will find at their own restaurants."

McHale said: "I have been a big fan of Japanese food and cooking technique for 22 years now…so I jumped at the chance to welcome the guys into the kitchen of The Clove Club, and to get a sense of how they cook French food with a Japanese sensibility. I am really excited for the collaboration and to show them the great produce we have here in the UK."

McHale runs the Clove Club, which opened in 2013, alongside partners Daniel Willis and Johnny Smith.