ALOIS TRAINT RECEIVES MICHELIN STAR

On Monday, March 26,  2018,  Chef de Cuisine Alois Traint (47) was awarded his first Michelin star at SHIKI Fine Dining restaurant.

Traint, an Austrian national, is one of the first non-Japanese executive chefs in Europe who, along with his international team, has cooked his way to being awarded this honor for Japanese haute cuisine.  In Austria, SHIKI is the first Japanese restaurant that has received a Michelin star. 

When SHIKI first opened in February 2015, Alois Traint was a sous chef. His extraordinary talent was already evident. Since November 2015, when he was promoted to Chef de Cuisine, he has given the varied fine dining menu his own, very unique touch. Before he began cooking at SHIKI, he completed stints at the Flosz, Vestibül and Schwarzes Kameel.

The use of regional and seasonal ingredients, which he harmoniously integrates into his recipes, make his SHIKI creations so compelling. Having made Vienna his city of choice, the chef presents modern interpretations of Japanese haute cuisine, which – just like some of Tokyo’s top restaurants  – do not slam the door on western influences. On the other hand, many of Europe’s leading chefs are following the same trend by integrating Asian elements into their creations. 

The fact that SHIKI Japanese Fine Dining won this award once again refutes the prejudicial notion that Japanese cuisine begins and ends with sushi, tempura and noodle soups served in bare-bones settings. Restaurateur Joji Hattori addresses this perception with great passion. “We have achieved the feat to establish Europe’s only restaurant that presents Japanese cuisine combined with European fine dining culture – right here in the heart of Vienna. Winning awards like the Michelin star affirm our mission to overcome the clichés attached to the cuisine of my homeland,” observes owner Joji Hattori, who also happens to be a musical conductor. 

“It gives me immense pleasure that our continuous efforts to offer the culinary best of two worlds at the SHIKI and bring them together to create a fine dining experience have been rewarded with the honor of a Michelin star. And I am proud of the fact that on the global level, I am one of the few non-Japanese chefs (apparently you can count them on one hand) that have been given this award for their Japanese cuisine,” muses a delighted Alois Traint.