Teach a man to fish
MASAKI SUGISAKI • chef patron • Dinings SW3
WORK • Wednesday Routine
MASAKI SUGISAKI • chef patron • Dinings SW3
Neighbourhood you work in: Chelsea
Neighbourhood you live in: Wandsworth
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I run and own the modern Japanese restaurant Dinings SW3 in Chelsea, and Wednesday morning is normally when we receive a lot of fresh fish and seafood directly from our fishermen in the Southwest of England. As a Japanese chef in London, sourcing the quality of ingredients required for my style of cooking has always been the biggest challenge, but I’m proud to have developed direct networks with sustainable British fishermen. This means my kitchen’s hectic in the mornings, but it’s a super exciting moment for a chef.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I'm in the middle of a four-hands dinner series called Gill to Tail. It’s a sustainable seafood event where we celebrate using every part of the fish. We've already had dinners with some amazing chefs: Jamie Lee from Kødbyens Fiskebar in Copenhagen, and Kyu Jeong Jeon and Duncan Robertson from Bokman and Dongnae in Bristol. I'm now busy planning for next week's edition with Mark McCabe from Henrock in Bowness-on-Windermere. All the chefs share our ethos, and we create a menu together using sustainably sourced ingredients. (Book the McCabe events, next Tuesday and Wednesday, here.)
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Top of my list right now is a restaurant called Sollip, from Korean chefs Woongchul Park and Bomee Ki. I met them at an event outside London and I’m a big fan of their style. It’s a simple, minimal but well-thought-out concept, which is very inspiring. They’re such lovely people too.
Any weekend getaways?
My favourite getaway is a little town called Stockbridge, which is only an hour and a half’s drive away. It’s a very cute town with a beautiful chalk stream filled with fish. I love going there with my friend and fellow chef Valentine Warner to fly fish.
What was your last great vacation?
I’m a big fan of Cornwall. It’s a little far, but totally worth it. I normally visit my fishermen friends there, head out to the sea on their boat and learn their sustainable methods. In return, I teach them traditional Japanese techniques on how to kill seafood to keep its quality. I also visit my friend Dan Cox, who runs Crocadon near Saltash. He’s the most talented sustainable chef I know. He harvests the majority of ingredients himself and creates amazing dishes.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
Hand-forged cutlery from my friend Alex Pole. I met him at an event in Norway and fell in love with his products. Since then, I’ve been doing collaboration events with him every year and have even learned how to forge chopsticks. I love that his products are full of personality. He’s now making whole sets of cutlery, which I’ve ordered and developed with him for the restaurant. I can’t wait to start using them.