Atelier Nespresso is an event that periodically puts the spotlight on coffee and gastronomy in culinary capitals around the world. Previously held in London, Stockholm, Antwerp, Lyon and Sao Paulo, it was recently in Asia for the first time last November 2016. Select chefs, sommeliers, bartenders, hotel managers and other VIP guests from around the region gathered together for the two-day affair in Tokyo. Lifestyle Asia and Gallery Vask/ Vask executive chef Chele Gonzalez were the two representatives from the Philippines on this regional stage.
“Atelier Nespresso is a culinary voyage of discovery,” shared Nespresso’s President and Representative Director Alexander Schoenegger. “The event [symbolizes] the mutual quest for quality and culinary excellence to combine one objective we have—to satisfy the most refined palates together with our partners in fine dining and luxury hospitality.” Nespresso collaborated with world class chefs Yoshihiro Narisawa and Tetsuya Wakuda to prepare a unique gastronomy experience. A five-course dinner was put together highlighting dishes infused with Nespresso variants with the Happo-en Gardens as the backdrop.
ATELIER NESPRESSO at Happo-En
At the gala dinner held in the Happo-en Gardens, a popular wedding venue in Tokyo, chefs Yoshihiro Narisawa (Narisaway, Tokyo) and Tetsuya Wakuda (Waku Ghin, Singapore; Tetsuya, Sydney) collaborated together on. dishes infused with Nespresso flavors like Lungo Leggero with Langoustines (by Wakuda) and Ristretto with Kuroge Wagyu (by Narisawa). These were paired with wines and sakes throughout the evening. Japanese pastry chef Norihiko Terai of Aigre Douce, also made a Yuzu Fig Compote dessert finale for select guests.
Nespresso infused cocktails using Nespresso Grand Cru Ristretto Origin India resulted in concoctions like the Orangepresso, Oubu and Nut Cracker. Award winning bartenders Hoshi, Noriyuki Iguchi (Gaslight) and Makoto Katsumata (Bar Four Seasons, Bar Seven Seasons) were the creative minds behind the conception of the innovative cocktail flavors.
Coffee Better In A Riedel Crystal
The trip was also opportunity to sip from the special Riedel crystal glass created especially for Nespresso. Coffee master and sommelier Giuseppe Vaccarini explained that when tasting coffee, it is important to look for the balance between acidity and bitterness. Drinking for a Reidel glass enhances the coffee experience by refining flavors and aromas of the brew. Vaccarini added that drinking coffee from a glass (in general) is better than porcelain because it keeps the temperature longer, and likewise enhances and improves sensation.
In the Philippines, Nespresso is distributed by Philippine Foodservice Inc. Nespresso is available in rooms and lounges of hotels like Discovery Primea, Peninsula Manila, the Shangri-La Group of Hotels, Conrad Manila, City of Dreams Manila, Discovery Shores and Amanpulo. Nespresso is also served in restaurants like Antonio’s, Vask, Txanton and Artisan Cellar Door.
Words by Cheryl Tiu
