Philippe Mouchel

After being spotted by the great French chef, Paul Bocuse, it was unlikely that Philippe Mouchel would ever have a normal career. He was just 22 when Mr Bocuse, known as the Emperor of Cuisine in France, asked him to join his Tokyo restaurant enterprise. Philippe thought he was too young and inexperienced. Though he had been cooking since he was 16, he had spent two years away from the stoves in the army. However Mr Bocuse had been impressed by the young man's work at his restaurant in Lyon and insisted that he go.

Philippe went to Tokyo for four years and then to Hong Kong for the opening of another Bocuse restaurant. After that he spent time working in America, back to Japan, and then to Melbourne for the opening of Paul Bocuse at Daimaru. Philippe Mouchel gained great acclaim at that restaurant. Its closure was hugely mourned. Despite being in a difficult position in a shopping centre it had a big following due to Philippe's excellent cooking. He attracted a good team around him and his decision to leave preceded the restaurant's closure by just a couple of months. There was much speculation about what he would do. Fortunately he stayed in Melbourne, and is now chef partner of Stuart Langton at Langton's.

The style of the restaurant could not be more different. Where Bocuse was white, frilly, with a pink rose on each table and reached by several escalators; Langton's is chocolate brown, sleek, and down below Flinders Lane street level. Despite the restraint of the design and its location, Langton's is much more showy than Bocuse. But it's a very different show, all about movement and action from the bar area and the huge display kitchen. Dominating the scene is the state-of-the-art Bonnet stove which Philippe designed, reputedly costing some $180,000. Around the hallowed piece of machinery a team of impeccably hatted chefs work. No shouting, no temperament, very little cooking smell and noise. Expensive extraction systems do the trick.

For Philippe it's a completely different working environment, and one for which his customers have very different expectations from the days of Bocuse. These days, the aim is to enjoy himself. In speaking to him just before and after opening, he kept on using the words, 'we'll have fun'. Certainly that is the image conveyed to customers, of a more relaxed chef, of less formality, but the reality is a bit tougher. "Don't confuse informality with a lack of professionalism. When it comes time to deliver you must do it very properly, but easily". The illusion of ease means a lot of very hard work going on before and after the restaurant doors are open.

And after a year of hard work and fun, Philippe and partner Stuart Langton have decided to close two days a week. The work has paid off. In August, Langton's won both the Mietta's Industry Award for best new restaurant, and for best restaurant within its price category ($45-60). The pricing is an important part of Langton's successful strategy. Though it's set-up is as spacious and luxurious as many, prices are kept significantly lower. There is less emphasis on expensive ingredients, with some simpler dishes. But still a substantial number which are labour-intensive and require a large and skilled team. The restaurant is big with its private rooms and bar area, in addition to the main dining room; overall it seats around 120.

There have been critics who say that Philippe Mouchel is not cooking as well as he used to. Some are just plain nostalgic for times past, others are unable to adjust to the different situation and different style of service and of dishes. It's a tribute to Philippe's flexibility and temperament that he has been able, yet again in his cooking career, to adjust to a new audience. Earlier on, it was under the guidance of Bocuse that he adjusted in foreign countries. Now in his own restaurant, he has developed a style from breakfast dishes, through lunch specials to bar snacks, which will become a benchmark of modern Melbourne brasserie food. Sadly this has been misunderstood by some, including one critic who referred to Philippe Mouchel as having been the greatest chef in the country but whose food is now "like watching veterans' golf". It's a new game at Langton's, not a tired one.

Philippe Mouchel has not changed from being a great chef because his dishes cost less. Some ingredients he uses now are less costly and their taste is certainly different to what he was using many years ago in France and Japan. Poultry, butter and cream - fundamentals of French cuisine, are different, but, he says, you adjust. People's tastes are different and their expectations of quantity and time spent at a table. Philippe remembers spending many hours at the dining table as a child, growing up in Normandy, with both his parents good cooks. In Melbourne, with his Japanese-born wife, they share the responsibility for cooking in the limited time he has at home. It is often Japanese food, as there are now quite a number of shops where the right ingredients can be found.

On his menu at Langton's there is a tempura, and he uses a teppanyaki grill for several meats. With some Japanese influence and a determination to adjust French cooking to the Australian palate, Philippe has developed lighter dishes. Lighter to digest and lighter on the pocket. If there is a lack in this great chef, it is his total inability to grandstand, to declaim and to lose his temper - publicly.

A couple of years ago I spoke to Philippe whilst he was at Paul Bocuse and remember him saying how he wanted to do something himself but "wasn't sure if [he] could do it because [he] would be spending [his] time in the kitchen and could not be out front." There's a charming photo of Philippe used in Langton's ads which pictures him with hands clasped as if in prayer. What's that they say about answered prayers?

A 1997 interview with Phillipe Mouchel.

Phillippe Mouchel's Recipes

Squid ink risotto with sauteed calamari
Twice cooked veal shanks accompanied by barley and pumpkin risotto
Caramel ice cream accompanied by fines tuiles aux