Tokyo, Where French Technique Meets Asia

Tokyo is widely regarded as one of the world’s great culinary capitals. Among the chefs who sustain the depth and diversity of its food culture, Daniel Calvert stands as a defining presence. Rooted in French technique and shaped by Asian ingredients, his sensibility has been refined through experiences in London, New York, Paris, and Hong Kong. All of these influences now pour into the city of Tokyo through his cooking, where layered flavors come together to create entirely new expressions on the plate. What kind of cuisine, then, is being created through the meeting of Tokyo and Calvert today?

Calvert was born in Surrey, in southeast England, and by the time he was thirteen, he had already decided to pursue a career as a chef. At sixteen, he stepped into a professional kitchen. His early training took place at some of London’s respected establishments, including The Ivy and Pied à Terre, where he built a strong foundation. He later continued his development at Per Se in New York, rising to the position of the youngest sous-chef in the restaurant’s history, and at Epicure in Paris, where he honed both technical precision and creative discipline.

Calvert, from Surrey, set his sights on becoming a chef at the age of 13 and trained in renowned restaurants in London, New York, Paris, and Hong Kong, refining both his technical skills and creativity.

A major turning point in Asia came during his tenure as head chef at Belon in Hong Kong. There, he established a distinctive style that combined the structure of French cuisine with an intuitive understanding of Asian ingredients. Under his leadership, the restaurant rose to the top ranks of Asia’s best restaurants. His bold yet thoughtful approach, anchored in technique and a deep respect for ingredients, set him apart within the region’s gastronomic landscape.

In 2020, Calvert chose Tokyo as the stage for his next chapter, a city where culinary cultures intersect and where people possess an extraordinary awareness of food. The sensitivity to seasonality, the unique systems of sourcing, the presence of countless artisans, and the city’s relentless pace all demand excellence from those who cook within it. For a chef, it is both an inspiration and a test.

what is in season now and what they should be eating at this very moment. From fine dining establishments to small specialty shops and even convenience stores, a remarkable attention to seasonality and ingredients permeates daily life. Even simple foods such as Yaki-imo*, roasted sweet potatoes[10.1], sold on the street or handmade soba, one of Calvert’s favorite meals,[11.1] are appreciated with seriousness and care. In such a city, compromise is not an option.

*Yaki-imo: A traditional street snack in which sweet potatoes are slowly roasted over hot stones and enjoyed in the colder seasons. Its gentle sweetness, warmth, and nostalgic appeal make it a small but enduring symbol of everyday life in Japan.

At Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, Calvert launched the restaurant SÉZANNE, which quickly gained recognition internationally and earned a place among the most highly regarded restaurants in the city and beyond. Every dish is prepared à la minute, and more than ninety percent of the ingredients are sourced from within Japan. This disciplined approach is deeply connected to the ecosystem of Tokyo and regions across Japan.

SÉZANNE offers an experience of Japan’s finest ingredients, crafted to reflect the changing seasons.

At the heart of Calvert’s philosophy is a profound respect for ingredients and for the producers who raise them. During a visit to the coastal city of Himi in Toyama Prefecture, located several hundred kilometers from Tokyo, he was struck by the exceptional quality of the seafood that emerges from the region’s harsh conditions and distinctive geography. Encounters with local fishers and producers deepened his understanding of how place shapes flavor. That understanding now informs his work in Tokyo, where these ingredients are reinterpreted through his own culinary language.

Chef’s Table private dining room at SÉZANNE

This philosophy is clearly expressed in his signature dishes.

One example is CRISPY SKIN KINKI FROM ABASHIRI WITH SAFFRON FROM OITA. The dish can be seen as an expression of Japan’s sea and land, transformed in Tokyo. Kinki, a prized fish from the cold waters of Abashiri in Hokkaido, is grilled over charcoal until its skin becomes delicately crisp. It is then paired with saffron sourced from Oita.

CRISPY SKIN KINKI FROM ABASHIRI WITH SAFFRON FROM OITA. Charcoal-grilled kinki from Abashiri, Hokkaido, with a delicately crisped skin, paired with Oita-grown saffron to express Japan’s sea and land.

Saffron is among the world’s most precious spices, and Oita-grown saffron, in particular, is said to yield only about one gram from one hundred flowers, making it an especially rare and highly prized ingredient. By incorporating this saffron and marrying its delicate fragrance with the richness of Kinki, Calvert creates a dish that fuses regional Japanese products with a refined, contemporary sensibility. Although the ingredients originate in distant areas, it is in Tokyo, before a highly discerning audience, that their true radiance is revealed.

Another dish that deserves attention is SHANGHAI HAIRY CRAB MARINATED IN YELLOW WINE FROM JURA WITH KOSHIHIKARI RICE. This plate represents the very type of high-end culinary fusion that the city of Tokyo not only accepts, but actively celebrates.

SHANGHAI HAIRY CRAB MARINATED IN YELLOW WINE FROM JURA WITH KOSHIHIKARI RICE. A Tokyo-born fusion dish combining Shanghai hairy crab marinated in Vin Jaune from the Jura region with Koshihikari rice.

The delicate flesh and rich roe of Shanghai hairy crab are lightly marinated in Vin Jaune from the Jura region of France, a distinctive yellow wine known for its long aging and concentrated character. It is then paired with Japanese ingredients and seasonal elements, creating a composition that unites three distinct culinary traditions: Japanese ingredients, French technique, and the culinary heritage of Hong Kong. Such a combination finds a natural home within Tokyo’s open and sophisticated dining culture. 

It is this openness of Tokyo to ideas that draw from multiple culinary traditions that allows Calvert’s cuisine to connect so strongly with the city. The city does not merely receive external influences. It absorbs them, refines them, and transforms them into something new. In turn, Calvert absorbs Tokyo’s intensity, its precision, its reverence for seasonality, and channels them back into his work.

For him, Tokyo is not just a base of operations. It is a living, breathing collaborator in the act of creation. The future of his cooking, shaped by everything this extraordinary city offers, is only just beginning.