In one of 2017’s bigger culinary announcements, Shaun Presland is back as Saké group executive chef and resident chef at Saké The Rocks.
It makes sense that Neil Perry’s Rockpool group would appoint one of Australia’s most esteemed chefs to revitalise the contemporary Japanese restaurants.
He laughs when he says he feels like he’s never left – though as of last week he still hadn’t done the ordering.
Shaun is back at the reins of Saké after stints at Melbourne’s Kisume, a residency at London’s Carousel and a pop up at the Tate Modern. You might not know he was also placed 2nd at the Washoku World Championships in a field of 125 chefs from around the world. Traditional Japanese food is collectively known as *Washoku or ‘food of Japan’.
He’s spent fifteen years training & perfecting the very Zen art of Japanese cuisine in Japan and elsewhere including seven years exclusively dedicated to sushi. Since starting in the small hill town of Yamagata, Chef Presland has worked with the greats from Hiroshi Miura, Kenji Nishinakagawa to Nobu Matsuhisa.
Shaun highlights the vibrancy and freshness of Aussie produce through contemporary Japanese food. Sustainable ingredients and traditional technique are married with a need to push the envelope by incorporating un-Japanese ingredients.
TML recently enjoyed a share style banquet at Saké to showcase Shaun’s new menu. Here are some highlights:
*Registered as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity – Japanese cuisine’s simplicity is offset by its detailed sophistication and magnificent presentation.
http://www.sakerestaurant.com.au/
