Paris, Tokyo: Ryuji Teshima

In this new episode of Paris, Tokyo, meet Michelin-starred chef Ryuji Teshima, also known as Teshi. His restaurant, ‘Pages’, opened in Paris’s 16th arrondissement in 2014 and interprets traditional French cuisine in light of his Japanese culture.

After graduating from a cuisine and sommelier school in Japan, Teshi cut his teeth in France with two representatives of local gastronomy: ‘Les Berceaux’ in the heart of the Champagne region, with one Michelin star, and ‘Lucas Carton’, one of the oldest Michelin-starred restaurants and located in the place de la Madeleine in Paris. He honed his skills in working with meat, first with star butcher Hugo Desnoyer and then with another expert, Benoît Quéru. Now, his wagyu beef has gained a reputation that crosses borders. He doesn’t neglect fish completely, having once worked at the fishmonger’s in ‘Terroirs d’Avenir’ in Paris, which specialises in artisan fish.

His kitchen, which opens onto a space created by Japanese architect Shinko Noda, serves turbot with lemon cockle jus and aged beef, along with tea panna cotta. There are no limits for this chef who declares that he has learnt, over time, to free himself from the strictness of recipes to find his own culinary form of expression.