Ne Quittez Pas – loosely translated into “Please Don’t Leave”, is a new trendy restaurant in Tokyo, Japan that appeals to the green generation in a truly unique fashion, by using “dirt” in all of its dishes. To be clear, this dirt is not something one can dig up in their garden, nor does it taste like dirt. Instead, the dirt is comprised of coffee grinds, palm fibre and other plant materials that would usually be composted or go to waste.
Would you be comfortable with this as the feature ingredient in your meal?
Toshio Tanabe, the creator of Ne Quittez Pas, is not just another green entrepreneur with big ideas, he is a classically trained French chef who has worked in Michelin three-starred restaurants such as La Male and Esperance to name a few. His decision to use what other chefs perceive as waste, was a conscious decision to differentiate his menu from other restaurants as well as to further exemplify his restaurant motto of “power of life” because composting materials ultimately give back to the earth and help recreate new life. Toshio also aims to use only local ingredients and specializes in fresh seafood and vegetables.
Potato Starch and Dirt Soup
Dirt Ice Cream
Unfortunately this dirt infused meal is not financially feasible for anyone but the most eco-friendly food connoisseurs as a 5-course meal will set you back 150,000 yen. Other reviewers of the restaurant have also said the the chef’s skills working with the ingredients outshines the novelty of using dirt and that there is little to no earthy taste in the dishes.
Regardless, as a food-lover myself, I find it very interesting how something most would look at as unusable and garbage can be incorporated into world-class cuisine. This new concept could become popular but it is in my own opinion that only the truly talented will be able to utilize this idea to it’s fullest potential. In addition, consumers and the populace at large may begin to look more closely at what they regard as waste and instead of recycling, they may consider repurposing old/used materials.
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