Chef Maxime Gilbert’s choice of culinary offerings is like a complex wine—textured and layered that slowly bursts into flavours in the mouth. There’s a play of crunchy smoothness in his meats and the vegetables have a dash of salt, sweet and umami for a portion size perfectly plated to be considered a piece of fine art on the table.
All this is instinctive and originates from his birthplace Cognac near Bordeaux in the west of France. Cognac is also a hub of the famed wine-growing region where he attended a hotel management school. He later learnt the ropes of cultural cuisine with mentors like chef Gregory Coutanceau and Yannick Alleno.
“A perfectly plated dish can upgrade your meal,” says Gilbert, who was in India for an epicurean evening of ‘Culinary Chronicles’ as part of an exclusive ‘Rendezvous’ series presented by The Chambers at the Taj Mahal hotel in New Delhi.
Currently, Gilbert is helming the kitchen at Ecriture, which means ‘writing’ in French, a contemporary French restaurant in Hong Kong by the hospitality group Le Comptoir. Ecriture opened its doors in 2018, and has been awarded with two stars by the Michelin Guide Hong Kong & Macau 2019-2022 for its modern French cuisine using Japanese ingredients.
Living in Hong Kong for over a decade, Gilbert has travelled and worked in different parts of the world such as the UK, US, France, Morocco, China and Hong Kong. But how did the idea of combining only two cuisines come about?
“My cuisine is about the mixing of layers, evolving flavours in every bite. It is like writing a story or something that you cannot see but feel or taste just like wines that slowly break down flavours,” he says.
The French and Japanese mix is clearly defined in his traditional techniques integrated with exceptional local produce and ingredients from both the countries, “You have to keep evolving to attract more people to your cuisine,” he says.
Despite his roots in Bordeaux, which is also a foodie heaven, the use of premium ingredients is a characteristic of the French cuisine that sets it apart from others. But the chef doesn’t approve of this fact. “There isn’t something like a perfect French cuisine,” he says.
“Locally-sourced, fresh ingredients are a few mainstays in my cuisine, especially with wine, cheese, olive oil and seasonal veggies, but I feel there is nothing like the best cuisine. It should be ‘yummy’. We, as chefs, need to discover more, evolve more, learn so much in this journey from one another,” he explains on how conveniently he gets Japanese seafood fast delivered in Hong Kong daily from Tokyo and France.
Gilbert values his well-heeled diners in a cosmopolitan city like Hong Kong or, for that matter, anywhere in the world, for their familiarity and appreciation for cultural fare or use of exotic ingredients. “The diners are well-travelled individuals, aware and the reason why this makes me think, improve and innovate more, to meet their expectations,” says the 40-year-old executive chef.
While he supports the changing culinary scene, where more and more cuisines are adapting local sources, he feels, “Now, there is more kindness around and appreciation for local, young chefs with talent who create dishes to surprise their diners.”
A recreation of Ecriture’s eight-course menu, offered during his New Delhi visit, was an exceptional delight. It was all about ingredients and local produce that support slow-cooking with an extensive wine list. Take for instance, the mushroom custard, jelly, coffee, Uni (an edible fleshy part of sea urchin) served in passion fruit and paired with Chardonnay, besides a caviar tart in scallops, celeriac and beurre blanc, and a zucchini tart with citrus, saffron, black truffle, beurre blanc (a white butter sauce made with a reduction of vinegar or white wine).
The crab in peach and Brittany curry for non-vegetarians and a white asparagus in peach and Brittany curry for veggie lovers are unique and look exotic when Gilbert adds a twist to them, by making the two dishes look similar in presentation and, as he puts it, “so that vegetarians don’t get disappointed to see what’s on the other plate”.