Tom Aikens' Newest EDITION

December 06, 2022

In celebration of the recently opened Jade Room and Garden Terrace at The Tokyo EDITION, Toranomon. office caught up with the award-winning, Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens to taste a few of his magical creations and better understand the man behind numerous world-renowned restaurants. As his first restaurant in Japan, we were excited to chat with the ever-cheerful Tom, who told us what it means to finally have his footprint in Tokyo and about some of his fondest food experiences to date.

Set on the 31st floor adjacent to the lobby, The Jade Room and Garden Terrace is the hotel’s signature restaurant, offering fresh and innovative food to be appreciated by locals and travelers alike. Honoring the versatility and expressiveness ingrained in Japanese culture and cuisine, Tom Aikens’ menu pushes these boundaries further to deliver a fusion of contemporary Japanese and Western influenced dishes prepared using diverse yet refined cooking techniques — all enjoyed against an astonishing backdrop of the Tokyo Tower and city skyline.

Photography and Interview Mitchell Connell

What’s your favourite ingredient?

Flour is one of the most important ingredients as it is so versatility in everything we cook in the kitchen, but we are more and more conscious of guests own allergies and dietaries, that we always have to have something else in our back pocket.

I have always loved bread: it has been part of my world as far back as I can remember, from soft squidgy bread to hard crusty rolls and to sourdough. I have been very fortunate to have made bread under the guidance of some excellent teachers such as Pierre Koffmann, Richard Hart, Emmanuel Hadjiandreou and Michael James, all amazing bakers.

The one thing that I have always loved making the most with flour is bread, particularly sourdough. There is something truly comforting, rhythmic, almost hypnotic about making sourdough. You never become a complete master at it , as you are always learning no matter what.

An amazing thick skinned Amalfi lemon is not only beautiful to look at but full of flavour. Whether using the ski or juice into a sauce, vinaigrette or onto a piece of cooked fish can make a huge difference using the very best lemon. , or adding a little micro-planed lemon zest can also add a little extra citrus taste. Use the very best lemons you can find as it will give better flavour all round.

Scallops hand dived also are one of the tastiest shellfish species, they are sweet, juicy and they can handle a multiple number of flavours, from acidic, sweet, salty and savoury. They taste great grilled, poached, barbecued, or blow torched and even raw. I like them cooked simply just over hot coals, cooked in the ½ shell, with little olive oil, Maldon salt, butter, lemon zest, picked thyme, razor blade sliced garlic. Place a tsp of butter in the bottom of the shell, place the scallop on top, drizzle in a good olive oil, mircro-plane the lemon over, picked thyme leaves and garlic. Place onto the fire, making sure the butter goes nut brown only, then baste the scallop for 3-4 minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice.

What’s the first thing you steal from the EDITION mini bar?

There is a super tasty snack that I tried recently from the Edition Tokyo minibar, which was these freeze-dried truffle chips, which were unusual but rather Moorish. I don’t have a sweet tooth; however these were rather good I have to say!

How would you describe the perfect dish?

Great food is key to making a lasting impression on someone. The perfect dish does not have

to be super gastronomic; it can be simply done and perfectly executed with great service and an enjoyable atmosphere. Mystery and intrigue are what lead the dining experience, so a culinary journey should be at the forefront of any menu. Each dish should be well thought-out with a clear reason as to why it appears on the menu. This leaves a lasting impression, creating a nostalgic, feel-good experience for each person to reflect on in their own way – food is so personal, after all.

Which dish or ingredient is criminally overrated?

This ingredient isn’t necessarily overrated, however the one ingredient I see too often in most cities when it’s completely out of season is asparagus, and I don’t know why as there are so many amazing seasonal products that could be used as an alternative. The British love asparagus, but sadly it’s been allowed to grow all year round in some far-flung warmer climates.

What’s been your experience eating and working in Tokyo?

I am impressed how Japanese people carefully handle ingredients and the respect they pay to them. The same is true of the staff, who work very hard and memorize each recipe precisely. I have worked all over the world, and I have found that the Japanese have a very high level of awareness and skill. I just want to thank the staff. The unique Japanese culture is wonderful and fascinating, but I am especially impressed by the passion of the Japanese people.

There are a broad range of Japanese ingredients that can be used for all sorts of seasonings from Dashi broths, ferments, pickles, dried fish & shrimp, soy, a whole range of vinegars, dried kombu & kelp. Using very seasonal ingredients that are of the highest quality & even between the seasons, you have produce that comes into season for just a matter of weeks only. I think Japan is one of the top 3 countries to work in" for chefs around the world. It is so attractive because of the abundance of seasonal ingredients. Compared to the UK, Japan has far more varieties of fish and vegetables. Meat is classified into smaller categories.

There are a vast number of amazing restaurants that are always very consistent in cooking and creativity. Tokyo has the largest number of Michelin restaurants than any other city, so you can understand why!

What is the biggest mistake a chef can make in a kitchen?

Not listening or paying attention. You must be 100% focussed in everything you do to make sure that you are consistent in your cooking.

Being from the UK, cooking in Tokyo and other parts of the world. How do you gain an understanding of local cuisines?

Each time I build up a concept and curate new menus for a part of the world I am new to cooking in, I lead a thorough study of the market I am creating the concept/menu for beforehand to understand what the local market trends are, what is missing from that dining scene, what the locals needs and wants and what I could bring to the table. It is of course incredibly important to visit the city in question to get the answers to all these questions, therefore a full research and development trip is carried out which is the fun part. I will visit local markets to research what local produce is available, dine at local restaurants in the area to carry out a competitor analysis to experience first-hand what other restaurants are doing and doing well or not so well at. I talk to chefs who have been working in the city, finding out which suppliers they use and what they recommend in terms of ingredients. The quality of the produce and the food cost plays an essential part in the creation of a new menu, as I try to source my ingredients locally wherever possible.

Is there anything you refuse to eat?

When I was in Japan for the first time, I was given some soft poached milt (whale sperm) which I would not want to repeat! I also have a dislike to smoked salmon.

If you weren’t a chef, what would you be?

I consider myself as a bit of a thrill seeker, so I would probably be a professional jockey. My cousin was a profession jockey, winning the Cheltenham Gold cup 3 times in a row and so I used to spend a lot of time with him on occasions. For fun, he did some mild training with me and then let me loose on the tracks with one of his racehorses, which as you can imagine was insanely fast! I am surprised I managed to stay on the horse considering the speed, but it was a huge thrill, my adrenalin was sky high for some time after that.

What is your best food memory?

When I was 12 years olds, on a particular trip down to France, my father booked us into a Michelin Star restaurant/hotel, by complete accident. My father never used a guidebook as everything back then was recommended by word of mouth, or a notable place to go and try out. He only realised the magnitude of what he had booked when we arrived at the hotel to find our car surrounded by four guys wearing white gloves in white jackets and bow ties. That evening I had the most amazing meal that I have never to this day forgot. It is one of those inspirational gastronomic moments that I will always remember, ask any chef and I think they will have a story that is similar. 1984 so It was still the era of nouvelle cuisine, tiny little portions delicately put together with the tiniest of details.

The tastes and flavours were stunning. I had the most beautiful simple tomato salad with a stunning fragrant olive oil, basil, finely diced shallots, course sea salt, black pepper and chives, all these flavours I remember as if it was yesterday. For main course I had the most tender fillet steak that melted in my mouth – a tall tower of beef fillet that had been larded with beef fat, it was sublime and perfection in one, we also had the best chips ever, an accompanying stacked tower of perfectly cooked and cut potato, that had been cooked in proper beef dripping, crisp, golden glistening chips that where perfection.

The waiters lifting endless cloche after cloche for my parents with course after course of frogs legs and snails, which I of course thought was really weird eating garden animals. Then the pudding arrived, simple poached peach, raspberry coulis and a big ball of vanilla ice-cream that was just out of this world, my god I was now in seventh heaven, this was the first time that I had eaten real vanilla ice cream, can you imagine the taste explosion, I was in heaven and as I say I’ll never forget it.

Best advice you’ve ever gotten?

Follow orders thoroughly, work hard, have self-belief, be patient and persevere - sometimes working as a chef involves taking steps backwards and forwards to get to where you want to be.

Do you have a favourite fast food?

A great chicken burger!

What’s a must do in Tokyo?

There is so much to see and do here. Tokyo is an amazing city of both old and new as ancient shrines are surrounded by modern buildings. There are shrines, museums, marketplaces, a huge number of restaurants, literally no end of places to go and things to see, you could spend years exploring Japan.

Best hangover feed?

A good old fry up has plenty of ingredients packed with energy, carbs, and protein but sometimes I’ll opt for a warm hearty porridge for the ultimate start to the day.

What’s something you look forward to every single day?

A fresh new day always has something new to achieve and be better at. The simplest thing that can make a difference in your positivity for the day, knowing that I cannot really ever be in a bad mood, as it effects the outcome of a lot of things and it stops positive things from happening. My mantra is stay happy to fuel better energy for everyone around you.

What’s next for Tom?

My priority is to make sure that all my restaurants around the world are run smoothly and remain at the same standards of quality and service they strive to achieve. 2023 is shaping up to be an incredibly busy year with some very exciting new projects in the pipeline, so watch this space! There may even be some double trouble twin cooking happening!

Culture

Mowalola x Miss Sixty Launch with H. Lorenzo

I swing my legs over the ropes that guard the VIP entrance. Always over (I’m 5’10), never under. I’m late to the H. Lorenzo x Mowalola event, and the line wraps around the block. I don’t want to be an asshole, but I hate waiting in lines; it just ruins everything.

“Hey, my friend is DJing right now. My name should be down,” I say.

The youngish security guard looks me up and down. I have made an adventurous choice for this type of crowd. Neon pink hoodie, bright orange vest, my Raimundo jeans, and Jeremy Scott animal print sneakers. I let him take me in and look over his shoulder. Hmmm… I will be swathed in darkness when he lets me in. Dark night, dark clothes, dark makeup, furs, hoods, leather accessories, and sunglasses. I don’t recognize anyone, but it’s hard to tell who anyone is because I can’t see after 8 pm without my glasses. Night blindness. I can still catch a vibe though.

“She’s in the bathroom,” Mr. Guard says, interrupting my squinting.

“Who?” I ask.

“The woman in charge of the list.”

That’s a drag. I want to dance. Lately, I’m going out in the name of music.

“So…can I go in?” I ask.

“Just wait for her to get back.”

That sounds fine. I wait. The outdoor smoking area is packed. I hope the inside mirrors this, maybe with people dancing instead of blowing smoke in each other’s eyes.

“You got instagram?” The guard asks me after about ten minutes of flirting.

“Can I go in?” I said.

He laughs. He lets me in the event without a wristband.

Inside, I understand why the other guard was gone for so long. I make a mental note to not drink too much liquid; the bathroom line is almost as long as the line to get in. The party is popping, far from a flop.

I push through the crowd solo, following the speakers to the DJ booth. The immersive visuals provide me with enough light to make out Mowalola in a gold bikini and her low rise denim. My pulse races like the horse printed on the front of her coochie. That’s the point of the collection, obviously.

I spend a good thirty minutes grinding my hips before swaying to the open bar. I smile to myself, noting that it’s a mezcal forward menu. I see a drink that disgusts me, so I order it without hesitation. It’s a mezcal coffee concoction. My heart ’s ran through already, why not go all in? I hear Shigecki’s set start so I head back to dance. I’m jumping around, sweating, and I yelp when I pause for a beat. Strippers have materialized and are working poles opposite and behind the DJ booth. Good. Events should be sexy.

I end the night smoking my friend’s Korean strawberry cigarettes taking in the air of cool- when a man comes up to me wild-eyed exclaiming that we look just like one another. I look at him- no, not at all. I turn slowly, remembering what I should be doing: listening to DJ G2G’s set. Back inside, she is playing reggaeton type beats with lasers beaming out of her headphones (I want these). A rave in it of herself.

Too bad all the events end at 2 am in LA.

Culture

Vans Pipe Masters 2024

On the first night, Steve Van Doren and the Vans team hosted the heat draw for the competitors at a casual backyard barbecue. The son of Vans’ co-founder Paul Van Doren, Steve has worked in the family business for decades, and is now known as the Ambassador of Fun. Wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a cowboy hat made out of old shoes, he was definitely dressed for the part. The surfers, along with family and friends gathered in a relaxed setting as 40 men’s and 20 women’s names were drawn from a shoebox. The competition would run in 3 rounds, the top 4 men and 4 women with the highest scores moving onto the finals. When asked about their strategies, most gave answers along the lines of “get waves.” Refreshingly simple.

After waiting a few days for favorable conditions, the first day of competition kicked off with Women’s Round 1. It was finally time to see Pipeline in action. Banzai Pipeline is known as one of the most dangerous places to surf due to the powerful waves breaking over shallow and sharp reefs. With the potential to crash into the rocky edges or have leashes caught in caves, it takes a ton of skill–-and even more courage–to surf here. No stranger to these risks, the first heat included favorites Caity Simmers and “Queen of Pipeline” Moana Jones Wong, who showed off exactly why they’d been successful here in the past. Midway through the heats, Mother Nature decided to throw in another element as a light drizzle turned into a proper downpour. Rain or shine, the athletes went out unfazed, focused on getting their first points on the board.

After another short day’s break, the competition continued with the women’s second round and the men’s first. The beach was filled with spectators, locals and tourists alike, as the competition was free for all to attend. While fans rooted equally for the women and men, the most popular were the local Hawaiian athletes, which made up about half the competition. The women started off the day again, hyping up the crowd with incredible rides. One ride by Bettylou Sakura Johnson earned the first Bag of Cash of the day– a cash prize (of undisclosed amount) awarded in a brown paper bag to any surfer that pulls off a wow moment, excites the crowd, and pulls off something spectacular regardless of what the conditions might look like.

Winds picked up as the men’s competition began and two strategies quickly emerged: an aggressive approach, targeting any decent waves to build small scores; and a patient approach, waiting for the perfect wave to chase a high single score. Even the waves that were unrideable were a spectacle in itself. The sheer size, illustrated by the length of surfboards riding up and over, and the following crash of white water spray was hypnotizing. Then imagining having to experience it out on the water, duck diving under or being lifted over, brought a renewed respect for the surfers.

After watching these early rounds, it was time for office to head back to the cold. With the competition officially spanning from December 8-20, it seemed the forecast was gearing up for some massive waves— and it didn’t disappoint. Following from afar through Vans’ Instagram and live updates, we saw the full extent of what it means to surf at Pipeline. After a series of electrifying and daring surfs, the 2024 winners were crowned: Erin Brooks and Nathan Florence.

The thrill of watching top athletes compete at the highest level of their sport, even remotely, never fails to inspire. Few sports surrender so completely to the forces of nature as surfing does. And at its core, surfing is all about having a deep respect for the ocean—its unpredictable whims, its immense power, and its ever-changing moods.

Culture

The Cost of Queendom

December 17, 2024

One summer afternoon in New York, a few days after their New York premiere of the acclaimed documentary Queendom, office met up with documentary filmmaker Agniia Galdanova and producer Igor Myakotin at a tattoo parlor on the west side of Manhattan. While Agniia received a tattoo of the portmanteau “DOCU CUNT” across her fists, she — unfazed by the needle on her knuckles — answered our questions alongside Igor about the making of the stirring story that has traveled around the world.

One of the opening scenes of Queendom depicts a ritual many of us are all too familiar with in the 21st century. Jenna Marvin, the documentary film’s central subject, takes her friend along with her to take photos for Instagram. When she finds a suitable backdrop, she poses, poses, poses, and then reviews the photos. Dissatisfied, she gives her notes, and then returns to pose, pose, pose again.

By Brook Aster
Photos by Liv Solomon

The ritual may be familiar, but nothing else about the scene — from its setting to its stakes — is ordinary. The backdrop behind Jenna is a sweeping expanse of ice and snow in a small Russian port town called Magadan. Jenna is dressed in drag, but not drag of the Rupaul’s Drag Race variety; her drag has been referred to as “creature drag.” Her signature white face paint, platform heels and surrealist costumes, with their exaggerated sculptural proportions and use of duct tape and repurposed items, catches the ire of her neighbors and the love of online admirers alike. Jenna eventually accrued a following on social media for her public and technically illegal drag performances, which often involved little more than her walking or being in public spaces but nevertheless were often met with abuse and threats of imprisonment.

But when Agniia first encountered Jenna, she hadn’t yet reached the level of virality that would eventually come in the years to follow. The filmmaker was researching different drag performers in Russia for her sophomore project, which she thought would be a docuseries, when she heard from a friend about a young drag queen from Magadan. “I was like, this is impossible. I have to meet this person,” Agniia remembers. “And I could not actually go meet her because I was in Moscow and she was in Saint Petersburg, so I sent a friend of mine with whom I’d been studying with in film school, and she went and filmed the sample.” The simple video, showing Jenna and her friend getting dressed up for a party, struck something in Agniia. The drag was an earlier, more prototypical version of the style Jenna is now known for; less duct tape and ornamentation, but still that signature striking makeup. “Something sparked. I knew I just had to stick to this feeling,” Agniia says. She decided to turn the docuseries into a documentary solely focused on Jenna.

Around that time, the entire world came to a grinding halt: the onset of COVID-19 pandemic had just led to lockdowns around the globe. With only a couple thousand followers on social media at that point in time, Jenna had tried to branch out and connect with other drag artists in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, but faced rejection; her drag was extremely unconventional, and not even other drag artists quite understood it. “I think we found each other at the right moment, because nobody knew what to do, how to cope with all this,” Agniia says. “Jenna was saying that she was lost, and she also didn't know how to develop her art next.”

Unlike some of the other artists Agniia had initially researched, Jenna didn’t need much convincing to allow the camera into her life. “[Especially] after COVID came, there wasn't really [any] drag in my life,” Jenna recounts when I speak to her later over Zoom. “I realized that what drag is for me is not just a costume, a dress, something that you leave, that you take off and then in the dead of the night you put back on. Later, I understood that this is who I am, that I am art and I am drag, and that this is way bigger and more important than just clothing or costume.”

[LEFT TO RIGHT: Agniia Galdanova, Jenna Marvin, Igor Myakotin]

When it came time to move into production stages, Agniia sent a clip to Igor, who had been referred to her by a past colleague. When Igor saw the footage, he was similarly struck by Jenna — and even more struck to find out she shared his small hometown of Magadan. “It was just so fateful to know that I also come from this town, and I've never seen it through this cinematic lens, through the vision that Agniia has,” he says. “I was mesmerized by the footage, mesmerized by Jenna. I thought to myself, I have to do everything I can [for us] to work together, whatever the collaboration is gonna be.”

The two followed Jenna for over three years; Agniia first relocated to St. Petersburg, where Jenna had taken up residence after leaving her grandparents’ home in Magadan, and later Jenna moved in with Agniia in her home in Moscow. All the while, Igor and his team worked remotely from the United States to meet Agniia’s production needs. Inevitably, with all their time spent together, Agniia and Jenna became close.

“There is an unspoken rule in documentary filmmaking that you have to keep this line, and you can’t overcome certain boundaries,” Agniia explains. “In my first film, it was not an easy subject [to do this with] as well. I was following a family for seven months, and [we became] close, but I always was trying to keep my distance, and was constantly thinking about it. How much should I say? How much should I give?” But as she got to know Jenna, it became clear that this time, that distance wouldn’t be possible. “With Jenna almost from the very beginning, I was like, fuck it. That’s not going to work with this one. I'm going to break this rule 100%. I never regretted it, because that's actually what built up the trust that is there.”

As Jenna's public performances continued and began to garner more public attention, her online audience multiplied. Among her virtual admirers was French fashion maven Michèle Lamy, who would eventually sign onto Queendom as an executive producer. Lamy's discovery of Jenna led to an invitation to walk in the Rick Owens show in Paris — her first time modeling, and her first time leaving Russia in her life. Of course, Agniia and her camera followed. But most of their excursions were not so glamorous; many of Jenna's performances shown in the documentary were undertaken at a real risk to her physical safety, and by extension, to the safety of Agniia. But neither of them were daunted.

I remember who I am. And this is what carries me through this life.

After all, Jenna was used to both taking risks and documenting them well before she was the subject of a film; she and her friends long filmed the often impassioned, sometimes violent reactions of strangers and policemen to their mere existence in public spaces in drag. And after a protest performance in which she wrapped herself in the Russian flag, Jenna was kicked out of beauty school, her last attempt at a practical route before pursuing her drag as a full time venture.

The only time Agniia tried to dissuade her was on Paratrooper’s Day, a Russian military holiday often characterized by the drunk soldiers roaming the streets. The risk for violence was especially high. “On Paratroopers Day, people say you can't come out in skinny jeans or with nail polish,” Jenna describes. “[I think] you should do the opposite. You should really make a statement and come out wearing what you want to wear. I think that clothes, what we wear, is really at some point beyond our psyche, our mind, our understanding. It is as if it's a certain kind of spice that is enticing you and you follow the scent of that spice and you don't see anything else except that scent and you follow it. That's how I see it.”

“I was like, ‘girl, maybe we should not do that,’” Agniia says. “Igor was stressing out and she told us, ‘well, you don't need to follow me. I'm gonna go and do it. I don't care if you're coming or not.’” In the end, Jenna ventured out for her performance anyway, protesting the then-recent invasion of Ukraine. Agniia followed. Not shown in the film is that the two were arrested, and managed to talk the police out of their arrest.

Not too long after, she would have to leave Russia again, this time moving for Paris for good; the film follows her struggles to get a visa in time to leave the country after the onset of the war. “It's already been three years that I've been in France, and it is important for me to understand and remember who I am, and to remember that pain, those moments when we were back in Russia doing drag, fighting with the police and law enforcement,” Jenna says. “It is important that this resistance continues and that those voices are not being silenced. Yes, here there’s much more freedom, there are pride parades and queer people can get married, but this is an illusion because there are also places where you cannot get married and you cannot enjoy the same freedoms. I cling to who I am, who I was from the very beginning. I remember who I am. And this is what carries me through this life.”

“Meeting Jenna gave me hope for the future of the country, because governments come and go, people in power come and go, but the generations change at the same time,” Igor says. “So it warms my heart to see that someone like her came from somewhere like that. If I saw her back then at a similar age, it would be even more personal. I think I would’ve accepted myself as gay quicker, and I wouldn't be nervous or closed and not open to the world or myself… Working with this project also meant that we were amplifying the voices of many, many people who couldn't speak like Jenna could.”

For Agniia, the honor of telling Jenna's story is only paralleled by the honor of having her in her life. “We found each other,” Agniia says. “And what I learned from Jenna is so precious; about life, about art, about surviving. And I appreciate it a lot. This film grew so much larger than just a documentary, because I have a family now, a working family.”

Queendom is now available to stream on Apple TV.