To continue the series of interviews with hospitality executives, Mikael Robin, Executive Chef at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences, will be featured. Wanderlust Tips USA is pleased to share his insightful in order to provide you with a variety of lively and multi-dimensional insights on the culinary sector in well-known restaurants.
The Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences offers the appearance of a tower with rich Parisian design, making it the ideal location for nighttime views of downtown Jamsil. Chef Mikael Robin has also dedicated his career to international cuisine at this location. He created many of the traditional, sophisticated, and expensive dinners that are associated with his accomplishments. Chef Mikael Robin will give readers with fascinating and instructive content, especially for those who are passionate about cooking or young people who aspire to be well-known chefs. Let’s learn more about this chef’s background and the underlying principles he wishes to portray.
Good morning, Mikael Robin. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My earliest childhood memories are inextricably linked to food and my love of it. This culinary predisposition solidified my decision to pursue a profession in gastronomy. I’ve worked in France, South Korea, England, the United States, China, Macao, Indonesia, Cambodia, and even on cruise ships. These international experiences have provided me with relationships, sharing, and generosity, which have served as the foundation for all of my job experiences in order to obtain knowledge and advance.
Consulting for the Beijing Olympics piqued my interest in Asia in particular. Soon after, I took over as Executive Chef at a fine-dining restaurant in Indonesia, and eventually transferred to Sofitel Foshan. After working in China, Macao, and Cambodia, I am now the Executive Chef at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul. I’d like to showcase a dish that complements the delicate balance of Korean culture and French dishes here.
What motivates you to pursue a career as a chef and the opportunity to work at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences?
Every day, the opportunity to share with others encourages me to be a chef and to work at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul. Sharing any kind of information or achievement with my coworkers comes first, and then with our suppliers. Every encounter is centered on the ultimate goal of delivering our all for the ultimate interaction: our guests. People are unquestionably the source of my greatest inspiration in life.
What drew you to the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences? Could you please tell to our readers about your most intriguing experience while working in this professional kitchen?
The ideal combination of heritage and innovation drew me to the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul. We follow the ‘Cultural Link’ value at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul, which is a balance of classic French food and the essence of local flavor. Everyone at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul is committed to communicating the ‘Cultural Link’ value to guests seeking a premium French experience in Korea.
What is the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences’ development strategy for reaching the restaurant’s target diners? Is it a distinct element of each country or a global blending of cuisines?
It is critical to us that our guests have an authentic experience. We work hard to maintain the originality of the tastes, flavors, and service techniques that complement our restaurants. Our staycation guests can enjoy a Parisian breakfast with croissant, Parisian egg benedict, and Mediterranean ratatouille at the Chic cafe Fait Maison. Our sommeliers will take you on a gourmet trip through France’s greatest wine region.
MIO brilliance and accuracy are obvious in every detail of modern Japanese gastronomy, from Omakase to Japanese modern courses with sake choices. L’Espace, a Parisian lounge, enchants tourists with Sofitel Ambassador Seoul’s unique afternoon tea set, ‘Le Goûter,’ and guests can enjoy it in the evening as a champagne lounge. Jardin d’Hiver, a gourmet café, will please your taste buds with beautiful French pastries. The cafe also has a chocolate section where our Chocolatier prepares a selection of high-end chocolates and chocolate cocktails. The roof bar Latitude32 offers amazing views from the 32nd story, as well as great cocktails in a space-themed setting. The bar is divided into three sections: craft beer, 500 different types of French wine, and whiskey & cocktail, all of which tempt guests with a range of alternatives.
What is your preferred cooking style? Modern or traditional cuisine? Which one is the focus of the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences?
Traditional cooking is my background. I’ve done that a lot in my career, especially in France. I enjoy innovative and trendy cuisine. High-quality ingredients are those that genuinely guide cooks, and in order to work with them with modernity, it is critical to first understand and appreciate them in order to produce a wonderful gastronomic experience for diners.
What do you consider to be your cooking strength? What is your favorite ingredient? What are your recommendations for Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences diners?
My cooking strength is a simple one that I believe all readers share: I love to eat, appreciate good food, and like both preparing it and sharing it with others. Scallops are my favorite ingredient. When made properly, I find them delicate, fragile, yet generously gorgeous and delectable. Feel free to ask for one if you happen to pass by. However, I usually advise all of my guests to listen to their stomachs; their “food mood” is likely the best guide for them to genuinely enjoy themselves.
What was your favorite dish while working at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences? I’m also curious about its implications.
Every new dish in a chef’s career is the best. All of our experiences contribute to our inventions, and then we go on to other flavors. Most of my favorite dishes are ones I learnt from others decades ago, such as the Feuillette de Coquille Saint-Jacque from my master Gerard Lebert, the Brochette de Langustines, or the Brie au Caramel from Mr. Cocoual and his wife Claudine in La Baule, France.
What aspects of your career at this restaurant make you the most proud?
What makes me most proud in this profession and in this restaurant is being a link, ensuring that the love for our beautiful artisanal work is passed on to younger cooks, similar to the ‘Cultural Link’ value of Sofitel Ambassador Seoul. Generations of people who have the same enthusiasm will carry on the generosity of service and hospitality.
How do you manage negative cooking reviews? Have you ever gotten unfavorable comments while working at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences?
When confronted with opposing viewpoints or harsh feedback, I usually try to be constructive. Fortunately, we don’t get much negative feedback at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul. Korean culture is very courteous, and a guest would normally need to have had a very unpleasant experience to complain.
What skills, in your opinion, must a person need to be a great chef? What are the most crucial requirements for working at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences?
A excellent chef must be generous, consistent, diligent, a team player, and generous once more. To work at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul, you must enjoy people, both guests and colleagues. Getting outcomes via hard work is ultimately a success that is based on individuals.
Do you have any recommendations for aspiring chefs, particularly those interested in working at the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences?
I’ve had a genuinely amazing career thus far, and if I could give any young chefs one piece of advice, it would be to constantly surround yourself with professionals who are eager and dedicated to training you in your new industry, much like those I had when I first started.
Your greatest rewards will be customer satisfaction and the growth of skills and knowledge. This principle still applies to me today, as I continue to learn and progress with the help of my leaders. New chefs must seek out suitable mentors, and I am confident that at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul, they will not only find the essential culinary abilities, but also the passion to achieve in their jobs and lives.
All of these are the messages Mikael Robin want to impart to readers, particularly young people interested in becoming chefs at Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences. Wanderlust Tips USA believes that by sharing this information, readers will learn more about Chef Mikael Robin and the Sofitel Ambassador Seoul Hotel & Serviced Residences.
Stay tuned for the following installments in our interview series, which will update a variety of exceptional cuisine and travel information from around the world.