Weekend Cooking: Grande Maison Paris

Last week I went to watch a Japanese movie that is set in Paris called Grande Maison Paris at a local cinema. I was actually very surprised to see this movie showing, but it turns out that this particular cinema complex shows quite a lot of foreign films, which is unusual for one of the big chains! Most of the films were Indian but I will keep an eye out to see what else they show as it was pretty easy to get to!

The movie opens when we see Japanese chef Natsuki Obana getting a phone call to tell him that he has maintained his two Michelin star rating. Whilst you would think that is something to be celebrated, he is devastated as he has been striving for years to get a very rare 3rd Michelin star for his Paris restaurant. If he had of been successful, he would have been the first Asian chef to achieve this in Paris. The chef is not the only person who is disappointed either. His team have worked very hard for him, and take the news badly.

Chef Obana and his team are cooking for a very fancy dinner and for various reasons a number of things go wrong. One of the guests is his main backer who subsequently calls him in and tells him that he is ending his lease, and that he has another chef lined up to take over the space. Obana makes a deal. If he can get a three star review from Michelin, he can stay. If he cannot, then the restaurant will close and he will return to Japan.

Obana leads a talented, multinational team in his kitchen, but he isn't always a great leader. He doesn't listen to the people around them, or their ideas and this soon leads to a clash with his sous chef, Rinko, which leads to her leaving the team. It turns out that Rinko is the one with the interpersonal soft skills and her leaving causes the team dynamics to change.

Part of the issue for the restaurant is that, being outsiders, it is often difficult for them to get the best ingredients from the suppliers. Often, they are are told that the best quality ingredients are only available to the top restaurants in the city which is very frustrating when you are trying to get to be one of those restaurants. Sometimes, the market traders pretend they cannot understand the orders. 

In reaction to the deal he has made, Obana determines that the only way that he is going to achieve what he is striving for is to be almost more French than the French, despite his team telling him that he should be using their uniqueness as a way to shine.

There are ups and downs as Obana is threatened with closure several times, with interpersonal relationships being strained and one of the team members bringing their personal issues close to causing a tragedy.

It is only as Obana begins to work with his team, instead of dictating to them, and brings more of himself and his team to the food that he is creating, that he begins to see what the possibilities might be for the future.

If you need no other reason to watch this movie, then watch it for the food porn! Oh my goodness, there is so much delicious looking and sounding food in this movie! Obviously, given that the storyline is about striving for that third star, we are talking very, very high end food, but the way that the dishes are put together on the screen, the cooking and plating sequences! So beautiful. It is probably best not to go and see this when you are hungry.

One of the key messages is about French cuisine itself, about how it continues to evolve into something new. Yes, there are the classics but there is also room for new ideas, concepts and tastes, as long as your get it right!

Interestingly, I have only just learned that this movie is actually a spin off from a very successful Japanese TV series called Grande Maison Tokyo. Learning this has given me an a-ha moment as there is a point in the movie where we see the Tokyo restaurant and I was a bit perplexed as to why that would be! It also explained a couple of the tangents in the movie which added some drama but I found myself wondering why it needed to be there. I am definitely going to see if I can find the TV show to watch!

I really enjoyed watching this movie, especially for the food elements, and I was cheering on the team from Grande Maison Paris right to the end!

I have watched several things over the last few months that have a French/Japanese crossover. I watched a movie called Umami which starred Gerard Depardieu as a French chef who nearly dies and decides to just disappear to Japan to look for an old rival. Another movie I watched was Sidonie in Japan about a French author who goes to Japan on a book tour and keeps on seeing the ghost of her husband. I also started watching a series on AppleTV called Fools Gold. I must get back to that and finish watching it. 

Here's the trailer for Grande Maison Paris

I am sharing this with Paris in July hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.

Weekly meals

Saturday - Chicken enchiladas
Sunday - Roast beef and vegetables
Monday - Pork chops, mash, broccoli and gravy
Tuesday - Out for dinner
Wednesday - Chicken Stir Fry
Thursday - Beef Casserole pie
Friday - Chicken and broccoli pasta bake

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