For Luke Mangan, some of his most memorable meals have been enjoyed far from the fine-dining restaurants where he’s made his name. Like sitting down to sushi and a cold beer for breakfast after an early morning visit to Tokyo’s Tsukiji fish market.
“Japan was my first international stop as a young chef and, honestly, it blew me away,” he recalls.
It was the beginning of a long relationship with a country whose food culture would profoundly influence his cooking. Over 15 years, Mangan opened three businesses in Japan, developing an appreciation for its extraordinary craftsmanship, precision and respect for ingredients.
And Japan is just one of the destinations that have helped shape the celebrated Australian chef’s career. From the classical kitchens of England and France to the exceptional produce of his homeland, each has left its mark on the way he cooks today.
Now, Mangan is bringing those experiences together in The Passport Series, a collection of destination-inspired dining events at Luke’s Kitchen, inside Kimpton Margot Sydney. Each immersive event will explore a different chapter of his culinary journey, sharing the flavours, traditions and stories behind the food.
The Japanese influence
For Mangan, it was the simplicity of Japanese cooking that made the biggest impression. He remembers the tempura restaurants and sushi counters where chefs devoted their lives to perfecting a single speciality, and the extraordinary pride they took in their craft.
“Even today Japan is in my food. I’m still heavily influenced by tempura and dashi,” he explains. “The lightness and clarity of the flavours, the way a few beautiful ingredients can do all the talking.”
It’s this enduring fascination that provides the inspiration for Japan After Dark, the second chapter of The Passport Series, on 25 November. The dining experience will celebrate the flavours and traditions of a country that has had such a profound influence on Mangan’s cooking.
A world of inspiration
Mangan’s culinary education also took him to England, where, at just 21, he cold-called the restaurant of legendary French chef Michel Roux and offered to work for free for a month. To his astonishment, Roux himself answered the phone.
That opportunity at The Waterside Inn introduced him to the discipline and techniques of classical French cooking, laying foundations that continue to influence his menus.
The Passport Series will continue exploring Luke’s influences with events celebrating, Britain, France and Australia before culminating in The Journey Home in November 2027. “England gave me discipline, France the technique and Japan the restraint and the lightness. Modern Australian food, to me, is all of that applied to our produce,” he says.
For Mangan, it’s an opportunity to share not just the food he’s discovered around the world, but the people, places and experiences that have made him the chef he is today, presented in the destination dining room that is Luke’s Kitchen at Kimpton Margot Sydney.
The Passport Series continues with Japan After Dark at Luke’s Kitchen, Kimpton Margot Sydney, on Wednesday, November 25. Bookings can be made here.
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