French connection: Jean-Michel Lorain goes upside-down in Thailand

Born into a family of chefs in Burgundy, France in 1959, Jean-Michel Lorain was always destined for culinary heights, and he certainly hasn't disappointed. At the age of 27, he became the youngest chef in France to win three Michelin stars - a distinction he shared with his father, Michel - for the family's traditional French restaurant and Relais & Châteaux hotel, Côte Saint-Jacques. He's gone on to receive accolade after accolade under his own steam and shows no signs of slowing down.

In fact, if anything, he's only getting more adventurous. His latest project takes him far from his native France and the family restaurant he's worked at for most of his career to Bangkok, where he recently opened his first Asian outpost - J'aime by Jean-Michel Lorain at the U Sathorn Bangkok. Of course, it's still a family affair. His daughter, Marine Lorain, is running the show while he spends 90% of his time back at Côte Saint-Jacques, which he eventually hopes to pass on to her too, keeping the family legacy alive for as many generations as he can.

Meanwhile, J'aime, which opened in late 2014 to become the first restaurant created by a three-Michelin-starred chef in the Thai capital, is something of a departure for Lorain from the tradition that typifies Côte Saint-Jacques. Not only is the style of service typically Asian, the décor is upside down. "The windows go from the ground to the ceiling, there is a piano on the ceiling and everything is upside down," Lorain grins. "It's a bit funny, a bit bizarre - but it works."

As does the style of service Lorain has chosen for J'aime, even if it is something of a surprise for many of the restaurant's guests. "The concept of the restaurant is French food with an Asian style of service, with lazy Susans, for example," he explains. "French cuisine is always presented as something strict and formal, so my idea was to present it in a more casual way with an Asian family style of service so everybody can share the food. Sometimes, guests are a bit surprised but, afterwards, they love the concept."

Classic cuisine

The food itself, though, remains exquisitely French. The menu Lorain has put together for J'aime - which is brought to life in Bangkok by his protégé, Italian chef Amerigo Sesti - showcases 25 years of his cuisine, plus a few new dishes, with mains such as pan-seared duck foie gras and breast of pigeon, and desserts including the typically French millefeuille 'Napoleon'.

"The inspiration for the service was Asian but, with the food, we propose something entirely French. It's not fusion cuisine - it's really French," he says.

Behind the scenes, Lorain has been involved at every juncture of J'aime's conceptualisation, despite the fact he spends 90% of his time at his restaurant in France, believing a three-Michelin-starred establishment needs its chef on site. J'aime, he notes modestly, is less exclusive and high-end than Côte Saint-Jacques, being merely a restaurant created by a three-starred chef. "It's more of a casual concept," he says.

Nevertheless, Lorain always oversees every aspect of his kitchen designs and has even brought in a tableware consultant for J'aime to ensure the presentation of the tables is absolutely tip top.

"We worked together with a French designer to add our own chinaware, and everything on the table was designed by us," he notes. "Then, when it came to the kitchen, I tried to have the maximum input in the design, drawing all the plans and choosing all the equipment. I also made on-the-spot visits to verify the progress of the works.

"Not all chefs work in the same way so not all kitchens are designed on the same model. It's very important [to get the kitchen design right], as we spend many hours in it. If the kitchen is not well designed, you can lose many hours. For me, a kitchen must be functional, not too small nor too big, pleasant to work in and with good equipment in the right place."

To ensure the finished product was exactly as Lorain wanted it, his daughter was always on hand to oversee progress.

The right ingredients

Of course, the process of setting up in Bangkok hasn't been entirely stress-free - although things have improved markedly since 1993, when Lorain first tried his hand at opening a restaurant in the city.

"I opened a restaurant 20 years ago in Bangkok, but the owner was obliged to close it after two to three years because we had a big [financial] crisis in Asia and especially in Bangkok," he recalls. "I'd always thought about opening a restaurant again in Bangkok, so last year I did it.

"The challenges I face now are different; 20 years ago, the produce was a problem because there wasn't much arriving in Bangkok but, now, there is lots of produce in Bangkok and Asia, and we can also import the rest easily from Europe," he adds.

At the moment, Lorain's team uses 50% local produce and 50% imported from Europe, but is always working to source more ingredients locally.

"It's still not easy, because the quality isn't consistent, but day after day, we have more - I'm always talking with other chefs and trying new producers," he says, adding that the key difficulties he faces in Bangkok now are around training.

"People are not trained to serve the food as we want it to be served," he explains. "And keeping people from moving on to other jobs is also a challenge. Luckily, I have my daughter as the restaurant's maître d'. She has created a great ambience, so people stay. We also have our own training programme, which the staff love as they can learn about French food and the way to make and serve it."

Looking to the future, more Bangkok locals will have the chance to learn at the hands of Lorain and his team if the next project he has planned for the Thai capital goes ahead.

"I want to try to develop another business in Bangkok around French fast food," he says. "I want to propose something different, something healthier - a better quality of fast food than you can find on the streets now."

His main aim, however, is to continue his family's legacy in France, with his daughter now learning important lessons at the helm in Bangkok.

"I'm the third generation of chefs in my family at my place in Joigny, so I want to pass my place to my daughter. This year will be the 70th anniversary of Côte Saint-Jacques, and my goal is to keep the story going," he concludes.

First published in Foodservice Consultant. www.foodserviceconsultant.org.