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| Doing what comes naturally
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For Executive chef
Rodelio Aglibot, cooking is a way of life.
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Executive chef: Rodelio Aglibot
Culinary education: City College of San Francisco Hotel and Restaurant Management Program, The Greenbriar Chef’s Apprenticeship Program
Concept: “New Asian” decor and cuisine, combining feng shui design principles with a deconstructed approach to Japanese cooking traditions, including a sushi bar.
Number of seats: 220; Private dining room accommodates 25
Owners: Nick and Dipu Haque
Check averages: lunch, $20; dinner, $45
Design features: stone patio, multiple fireplaces, Buddah fountains, fabric panels
Menu highlights: bento box “designer lunches”; whole striped sea bass, marinated in ginger and garlic, scored and tempura-fried, sauced with a reduction of sugar, ginger and scallions; Kobi beef tartar; uni risotto — made from sea urchin — topped with seared Japanese scallops in a truffle vinaigrette
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| What makes professional cooking a unique adventure? - Questions & Answers
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What core philosophy drives your professional approach?
I believe there is a purpose for everything in a dish. A chef has to understand technique and the style of the cuisine, but that’s not enough. And you certainly have to do more than just read a recipe. To me that’s just not cooking.
First and foremost, you must know your product, inside and out. That’s why I think it’s crucial to know how to break down a side of beef or a whole tuna and learn how to fully utilize a whole chicken. The level of knowledge required to identify muscles and the subtle differences between pieces of the animal is the only way to come to fully understand why a dish works.
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How important is classic French technique to your style of cooking?
For me French technique represents discipline. Presentation, structure, flavor and purity of ingredients all come from a strong foundation in the basics.
Beyond that texture is extremely important. My mentors taught me that food is an appeal to your five senses. So you’d never want an entire plate of something mushy, for example. One of the most neglected aspects of that approach is temperature. The range between hot and cold is not explored nearly enough.
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What impact has your background had on forming such a strong vision?
I was raised in Hawaii and California, in a Filipino household where cooking was extremely important. My dad cooked in the navy, so I always helped him in the kitchen. Though I went to UCLA to study engineering, it just wasn’t my calling. I moved to San Francisco and went to cooking school.
After finishing my culinary education, I developed a specialized skill and interest in opening restaurants. Lining up the right purveyors and training the kitchen staff are the keys to a restaurant’s success. Opening a restaurant is a fantastic learning experience and challenge.
I did take one detour. A few years ago some friends and I started a premium, sushi-grade, tuna supply company in San Francisco. We did very well and had a lot of fun, but I really missed the kitchen very much.
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Now don’t take this the wrong way, but your résumé indicates that you’ve moved around a lot in a relatively short career. Is there a method to your madness?
It’s sort of the nature of the beast when you specialize in opening restaurants. My usefulness is served when the kitchen is up and running and an executive chef is ready to take the helm.
I consider myself very fortunate to have experienced such adventures. It’s only been seven years since I’ve been working in restaurants, and there is always so much to learn. The more opportunities, the better the chance to grow.
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What are you learning at Koi?
I always wanted the chance to work with sushi chefs and learn traditional Japanese cooking.
Koi is also an interesting place because of the dining-room energy. The scene gets people here, and then the food brings them back.
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What values do you try to teach up-and-coming cooks in your kitchen?
It’s tough, because so many young cooks are looking for a nine-to-five job. They don’t appreciate that being a chef is a lifestyle choice that involves a large measure of both commitment and passion. You may not get to work for the most famous chef in the country, but no matter whom you work for, I believe there are things to be learned in every working experience.
I try to teach young cooks to think for themselves, to learn from their mistakes and to take some initiative. That’s the only way to learn how to trust your instincts and innovate without going overboard.
We have a good time in the kitchen, but I’ll tell you it’s not always easy. I don’t like to yell at people, but after someone makes the same mistake several times, it’s hard to take him or her aside again for a calm one-on-one consultation — especially in the heat of service.
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Is that a reflection of your own early kitchen experience?
San Francisco is a very competitive environment. You have to keep up in the kitchen and distinguish yourself from the others on the line by hard work and “extra credit.” Sometimes it can be a little brutal, but I believe it pushes people to do their best.
Sometimes my kitchen can get a little competitive. People either learn from me and each other or go work somewhere else.
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What do you see in your immediate future?
It’s funny you would mention that. Right now I’m just about ready to leave Koi and start my own restaurant in Los Angeles. Every chef has the dream of having his own restaurant, and now turned out to be the perfect time for me to make it happen.
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Do you have a name for it yet? What will it be like?
The tentative name is Rambutan, the name for a delicious fruit indigenous to Asia. I’m calling the concept “Asian Haute Cuisine,” meaning that I’ll take advantage of the full- flavored ingredients of Asian cooking, only with some updated interpretations for the Los Angeles audience. The plan is to explore some of the lesser known cuisines. I know there will be a version of chicken adobo on the menu, because that’s the quintessential Filipino dish.
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