- Written by: Mona Biedrzycka
A Chef Abroad, on Purpose
Julien Royer isn’t replicating Odette. He’s not opening a pop-up or launching a new line. Instead, while his three-Michelin-starred Singapore flagship undergoes refurbishment, the French-born chef is stepping into four of Europe’s most disciplined kitchens—not to perform, but to collaborate.
He calls it The Odette Odyssey, a kind of culinary tour with more humility than spectacle. Royer will cook a series of four-hands dinners this August and September with chefs he deeply respects: Eric Vildgaard at Jordnær in Copenhagen, Tohru Nakamura in Munich, Hans Neuner at Ocean in the Algarve, and Paolo Casagrande at Lasarte in Barcelona.
Royer’s food is French in DNA, but sharpened in Singapore. Over time, his approach has absorbed the techniques, ingredients, and discipline of Asia—delivering a style that balances rigour with emotion, precision with restraint. That evolution is part of what makes this Odyssey possible: the flexibility to adapt without diluting identity.
In a field crowded with collaborations that feel more like passport stamps than shared plates—flown-in pre-prepared showpieces with more airtime than inspiration—this series aims for something rarer: meaningful culinary conversation. Yes, there will be signature Odette classics, but adjusted to the location and local product. But the point isn’t newness—it’s alignment.
So why now? “To continue learning,” Royer said recently. That’s only part of the picture. When you’ve spent a decade perfecting your own language, stepping into someone else’s kitchen without leading is more than humility. It’s a recalibration, one that requires adjusting to another chef’s tempo.
The Stakes
Royer’s reputation rests on elegance and structure. Odette is a dining room of tonal harmony and no theatrics. Dishes arrive composed, balanced, and precise. Clarity doesn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of control. But here, Royer is voluntarily letting some of that go.
The Odyssey suggests something different: on-site planning, adapted menus, and trust. These dinners aren’t about demonstrating what Royer knows. They’re about tuning in to someone else’s system.
He’s not entering these kitchens as a guest of honour. He’s entering as a partner. And that means compromise. If Royer has something to prove, it’s that control doesn’t require duplication.
Four Cities, Four Conversations
Copenhagen – Jordnær*** (August 16–17)
Eric Vildgaard runs Jordnær with the intensity of a master tuner—precise, focused, and quietly expressive. His three-star kitchen in Gentofte is known for seafood purity, near-monastic energy, and plating that borders on obsessive precision—each dish composed with the focus of floral design and the control of a surgeon’s hand.
Royer and Vildgaard first cooked together in 2024, a collaboration Royer described as “one of the most inspiring and memorable exchanges I’ve ever experienced.” The trust was already there, along with deep admiration for Eric’s dedication to sourcing the finest ingredients and bringing out their purest flavours.
Now they return to a shared rhythm. Both chefs build flavour slowly, in clean lines. Both trust details. What matters is the mutual respect.
Munich – Tohru in der Schreiberei*** (August 20–21)
Tohru Nakamura has just earned his third Michelin star. His Munich restaurant blends Japanese ancestry with Bavarian precision—more fluent dialogue than a hybrid. His style is quiet, tactile, rooted in clarity, where every gesture counts and nothing is wasted. Like Royer, Nakamura keeps things calm. Let the dish do the talking.
August brings peak local produce, fermentation in the air. Two chefs fluent in detail, speaking different languages but agreeing on what’s essential. There’s room here for a subtle kind of excellence.
Algarve – Ocean** (September 5–6)
Of all the stops, Ocean may ask the most. Hans Neuner’s kitchen sits above the Atlantic and runs on marine time. The menu follows the tide. If the boats don’t come in, it’s not served.
Royer has never cooked in Portugal, and Ocean is a test of immediacy. Neuner’s brigade already moves in step with the coast. Royer will need to listen before leading. No ornamental flourishes. Just product, timing, and control.
Barcelona – Lasarte*** (September 12–13)
The Odyssey ends at Lasarte, where Paolo Casagrande leads the three-star flagship of Martín Berasategui. It’s a kitchen of Basque precision and Mediterranean grace.
Casagrande’s cuisine is built on structure and timing—an interplay of elegant geometry and flavour in sharp focus. Royer and Casagrande know each other’s work, and they align on discipline: flavour that arrives clean, techniques that behave, and plates that speak in a clear voice. No reinvention expected. Just mutual recognition.
The Pull of the Unknown
The idea sounds simple: four dinners, four cities. But in practice, it’s harder than it looks. These are not easy kitchens. These are not casual menus.
In a culture where chef collaborations often feel like high-gloss marketing exercises, Royer is proposing something more sincere. These meals—designed and prepared together, in place—don’t promise reinvention. They promise honesty.
And for Royer, that honesty may be the hardest ask. Because letting someone else set the tempo, while holding on to your own standards, isn’t relaxing. It’s a test of refinement.
The point isn’t spectacle. It’s fidelity to product, place, and partnership. And that kind of rigour, in the hands of chefs like these, doesn’t need a theme. Because like any true odyssey, it’s the path taken that shapes the return that matters most.
The Schedule
- Jordnær, Copenhagen – August 16–17
- Tohru in der Schreiberei, Munich – August 20–21
- Ocean, Algarve – September 5–6
- Lasarte, Barcelona – September 12–13
The Odyssey is curated by Bon Vivant — a global culinary embassy based in Barcelona, known for culinary diplomacy, chef-led residencies, and high-level chef collaborations. Reservations are managed individually by each restaurant. Expect them to disappear quickly.
Julien Royer will return to Odette once the European leg concludes. The restaurant is undergoing a quiet refurbishment—mostly kitchen updates, some spatial adjustments. The room might look the same. But something essential will have shifted—not just in the kitchen, but in the chef who left to listen.
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Editorial Notes / Sources
