Racine

The story

Racine in Reims: Michelin 2-Star Japanese-French Cuisine by Chef Kazuyuki Tanaka

The Source of the Pleasure of the Table

At 6 Place Godinot in Reims, Chef Kazuyuki Tanaka—known to guests as Chef Kazu—has planted his roots deep in the Champagne region. His restaurant, Racine, is a testament to a singular vision: a Japanese-born chef who came to France to master French cuisine and now elevates the bounty of Champagne with a rigorous, precise technique that is unmistakably his own. The name itself speaks to this philosophy—rooted in the chef’s desire, in the essence of nature, and in the very core of culinary pleasure.

The dining room is an enclosed space, yet open to the city and its surrounding countryside. The kitchen is fully visible but operates in near silence, like a silent film. Marine Tanaka welcomes guests to one of only four tables or four counter seats, where diners sit facing the chef and the ballet of cooks. This intimate setting, with just eight covers, makes every meal a private performance.

Chef Kazu’s cuisine draws directly from the Champagne region’s land and waters. He gathers vegetables, fish, meat, and game, then transforms them—or sometimes leaves them in their natural state—with an almost Japanese exactness. His approach is shaped by a passion for gastronomy that began in childhood, as his parents ran a restaurant on the island of Kyushu, a place renowned for its rich offerings from both land and sea.

Racine holds two Michelin stars, a recognition of cooking that is both excellent and deeply personal. The menus, named with Japanese terms, reflect the chef’s dual heritage. The Suki menu (4 sprouts) is served only at lunch, while the Daisuki menu (6 sprouts) offers a broader exploration. For a fuller experience, the Marine Menu presents six courses, and the Kazuyuki menu extends to nine slices. Each is a sequence of flavors that honors the ingredient first, then the technique.

This is fine dining stripped of pretense—silent, focused, and rooted in the pleasure of the table.