How Hutong, Mott 32 and Yamazato are paving the way for Asian fine-dining restaurant ‘chains’ in the West
British food critic Andy Hayler, the first person to have visited every three-star Michelin restaurant in the world, says there are at least two reasons there are few Asian fine-dining “chains”.
“In general, fine dining is not something that easily lends itself to mass roll-outs in the way that can be done with pizzas or burgers or dumplings,” Hayler says. “There are actually few fine dining ‘chains’ in general, with the obvious exception being L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon.”
That Robuchon has the most recognisable name in the culinary world is important – as Hayler says it’s all about brand awareness. “European consumers are mostly less aware of Asian brands,” he says. “There are exceptions, of course, especially in consumer electronics and cars, but it is fair to say that in general Asian brands are lesser known in Europe than the other way around.”
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Hayler says that this is largely because it takes time to build a brand. “In Asia, there is at least a lot more awareness of chefs in the English-speaking world, like Gordon Ramsay and Alain Ducasse, than famous Asian chefs in the West,” he says.
However, that is changing. “A decade ago, Japanese food was barely known in the West other than generic dishes like sushi and tempura. These days, La Liste has several Japanese restaurants near the top of the global rankings,” he says. “As Asian chefs and restaurants become better known in the West, and as people travel more, there is more incentive for Asian restaurant brands to expand to Europe and the US.”
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Hayler is confident that more high-end Asian restaurants will head west over time. A few have already paved the way.
Yamazato is the in-house restaurant of the Hotel Okura chain. First opened at Hotel Okura Tokyo (now The Okura Tokyo) in 1962, Yamazato has since expanded to five cities outside Japan – Shanghai, Macau, Bangkok, Taipei and Amsterdam. The Yamazato in the Dutch capital was the first location to open outside Japan back in 1971, and in 2002 it became the first Japanese restaurant in Europe to be awarded a Michelin star.
Yamazato restaurants serve traditional Japanese cuisine, including teppanyaki, sushi and seasonal incarnations of kaiseki, but the hallmark of its 10 restaurants is that the head chefs, who have more than two decades of experience, are dispatched from Okura Tokyo to ensure standards are maintained and authenticity preserved. Yamazato restaurants also tailor menus to the region they are in.
As Asian chefs and restaurants become better known in the West, and as people travel more, there is more incentive for Asian restaurant brands to expand to Europe and the US
More Okura hotels, and presumably Yamazato restaurants, are expected to open in Taichung, Manila, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh and Yangon.
Meanwhile Hutong is Hong Kong Aqua Restaurant Group’s first foray into the US. The original Hutong opened in Hong Kong in December 2003, and its Chinese menu was so successful that a decade later the concept expanded to The Shard in London.
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In the summer of 2019, Hutong opened on Lexington Avenue in New York City, where the famed Le Cirque had been. Less than half a mile from Central Park, the location has a distinct art deco look while its menu incorporates signature dishes from Hong Kong and London.
As the name suggests, Hutong offers dishes inspired by Chinese cuisine, specifically those of Beijing, Sichuan, Hunan and Shanghai. Hutong’s signature Red Lantern, a traditional Chinese wooden basket overflowing with red Sichuan chillies and pieces of fried softshell crab, is a show-stopper.
There is, of course, Peking duck with pancakes and a range of dim sum served at lunch. Also on the menu is a Wagyu Millefeuille, while cocktails include the Sichuan pepper-rimmed Comfortably Numb.
Finally, there is Hong Kong’s famed Mott 32. Named after 32 Mott Street in New York City, said to have been the site of the first Chinese grocery store in the city, the Hong Kong flagship opened in 2014. The first North American location followed three years later in Vancouver in 2017, and a third eatery opened in Las Vegas in December 2018.
Mott 32 quickly became a hit after opening in Hong Kong, and soon began racking up awards, including accolades from the South China Morning Post’s 100 Top Tables.
That most recent opening in Las Vegas is a confident move into a market full of big names. Located inside the Palazzo, at The Venetian Resort, Mott 32 has brought its signature dishes, including the apple wood-roasted Peking duck, which takes 48 hours to prepare and must be ordered in advance. Further locations in Bangkok and Singapore are in the works.
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The Nobu empire
Perhaps the most famous name in Asian cuisine is Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa. Nobu and his chain of eponymous restaurants are the antithesis of the other eateries mentioned, with their creator having earned fame outside his native Japan before returning years later.
Nobu started his culinary career in Japan, but later moved to Peru where he opened a restaurant. He then headed to Alaska before eventually landing in Los Angeles, where he opened his own restaurant, Matsuhisa.
Success and fame followed, and eventually Robert De Niro, a fan of Matsuhisa’s, invited Nobu to open a restaurant with him in New York City.
Nobu is a global phenomenon today with restaurants in Milan, London, Qatar, Greece, Dallas, Honolulu, Moscow, Dubai, Mexico City, Budapest, Manila and Hong Kong. Nobu’s Tokyo outlet opened in Aoyama in October 1998, then relocated to Toranomon in December 2006, decades after Nobu started his legacy in 1987 with Matsuhisa in LA.
There is also a chain of Matsuhisa Restaurants (owned solely by the Matsuhisa family) as well as a growing chain of hotels, with half a dozen properties in development which will eventually expand the portfolio to 18. Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter .
Nobu notably earned fame outside his native Japan before returning years later – but now a new wave of trendsetting eateries, led by Tokyo’s Yamazato and Hong Kong’s Hutong and Mott 32, are expanding into Europe and North America