Tetsuya – Tetsuya Wakuda

The purpose of this book, Tetsuya Wakuda's first, is to convey to his audience and fellow restaurateurs the importance of simplicity. In the introduction, he asks chefs and cooks to make simplicity abundant, which I think is a very poignant quote.

Japanese-born Wakuda, who has been based in Australia since 1982, has attained legendary status in his adopted country where his Sydney restaurant, Tetsuya's, opened in 1989, is always booked out.

His style of cooking would probably be considered fusion, and he places a lot of emphasis on seafood. Broadly speaking, Wakuda uses Oriental flavours fused with Western techniques and cuisines - i.e. French, Italian - combined with fresh Australian produce.

Wakuda is an exceptional chef, quite an inspiration, and from reading the book it is clear not only that his life revolves around food but that he has a thorough understanding of the produce he is working with.

The book contains career anecdotes and I love his story about the journey of his signature dish, confit of Petuna ocean trout with fennel salad. He isn't afraid to experiment - the mark of a great chef - and some of the results of his cooking are simply phenomenal, stupendous, mouthwatering.

In fact, while I was looking at the dishes in the book, I began to imagine what an experience it would be to eat at Wakuda's restaurant and sample some of what appears to be his large repertoire of seafood.

Two of his fish dishes which caught my attention were roasted barramundi with bitter green truffled peaches, and roasted scampi seasoned with tea and scampi oil.

What I particularly like about this last dish is the way he uses Ceylon tea and scampi oil to bring life and flavour to the dish and the colour and harmony presented on the plate.

by Tim Tolley, head chef, Vong, London

Tetsuya - Tetsuya Wakuda. Grub Street, £25.
ISBN 1-902304-85-3