Yasuhiro Sakakibara on Singapore cuisine, watches and his new Lexus ES
15 Oct 2018|8,340 views
It's only his second time in Singapore but the Chief Engineer of the all new seventh generation Lexus ES has already fallen in love with our local cuisine, especially the ones that are a little spicy in nature. According to Yasuhiro Sakakibara, his favourite dishes here are chilli crab and satay. In fact, one reason why he loves flying Singapore Airlines and claims it is the best in the world is because our flag carrier serves satay on board.
But unlike most Singaporeans who enjoy accompanying our chilli crab or satay with an ice cold beer, Sakakibara-san prefers picking bourbon whiskey, a type of American whiskey, a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn, as his poison.
A self-professed gastronomist, it's no surprise that much of the inspiration behind his latest creation is drawn from the food he eats and the spirit he drinks. He explains that engineering a car such as the ES is much like the preparation of a Michelin-starred dish.
The ingredients and materials have to be of highest quality, the chefs and engineers have to pour their hearts and souls into what they are creating and what the customers want must also be well understood. Taste and presentation aside, the dish must also be rich in texture, which he likens to the Viscotec interior trims of the all new ES, a Lexus-first three-dimensional painted finish on the leather surfaces that comes across a bit like an optical illusion.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Sakakibara-san also draws inspiration from the watches and clothes he wears; a humble solar-powered Seiko, which costs just about ¥100,000 ($1,230) and Madras dress shoes, a Japanese leather footwear brand.
While neither Seiko nor Madras are the typical labels that come to mind when you think of a luxury Lexus sedan, Sakakibara-san explains that his Seiko has been beyond reliable, affordable and comfortable around his wrist while his shoes, which are also inexpensive, bear a lot of attention to detail and allow him to be on his feet all day without ache.
His point being that when you think of the world's finest luxury, you don't have to look as far as names like Bentley or Rolex.
With the all new ES, Lexus is upping the ante again in areas such as comfort, dynamics, space and quality. Sakakibara-san also showed us how the stitching in the cabin is more than just about even sewing. Rather, it also involves how precisely the holes for the threads are made, and how seamlessly the threads are pulled.
According to the 53-year old, the all new ES is, more importantly, more than just a luxury sedan for white-collar hot shots. With its new Global Architecture-K platform and Toyota 86-derived rear suspension, the car also dances like a dream. "On the way to work, or on the way to dinner with the family, the ES is like a soothing jazz soundtrack. But alone, on winding roads, it can be as exciting to drive as being in the front row of a rock concert," he says.
When asked how he manages his time between being a Chief Engineer for Lexus, the father of three boys smiles and says that with modern technology, staying in constant contact with his family is as easy as having a Line group chat, which is especially important considering the fact that his two older sons, aged 22 and 25, no longer stay with him.
The oldest son has even found a job at Honda, to which Sakakibara-san exclaims, "Why Honda?!"
On weekends, most of his time is spent with his 18-year old undergraduate son and his wife, going on walks and nice dinners. He does hope that his youngest son will follow his footsteps, career-wise.
"But of course, the journey will not be easy. Every engineer, young or old will be faced with dozens of problems day in and out. I hope he will be able to challenge them calmly, stay hungry, stay humble and supersede his father."
It's only his second time in Singapore but the Chief Engineer of the all new seventh generation Lexus ES has already fallen in love with our local cuisine, especially the ones that are a little spicy in nature. According to Yasuhiro Sakakibara, his favourite dishes here are chilli crab and satay. In fact, one reason why he loves flying Singapore Airlines and claims it is the best in the world is because our flag carrier serves satay on board.
But unlike most Singaporeans who enjoy accompanying our chilli crab or satay with an ice cold beer, Sakakibara-san prefers picking bourbon whiskey, a type of American whiskey, a barrel-aged distilled spirit made primarily from corn, as his poison.
A self-professed gastronomist, it's no surprise that much of the inspiration behind his latest creation is drawn from the food he eats and the spirit he drinks. He explains that engineering a car such as the ES is much like the preparation of a Michelin-starred dish.
The ingredients and materials have to be of highest quality, the chefs and engineers have to pour their hearts and souls into what they are creating and what the customers want must also be well understood. Taste and presentation aside, the dish must also be rich in texture, which he likens to the Viscotec interior trims of the all new ES, a Lexus-first three-dimensional painted finish on the leather surfaces that comes across a bit like an optical illusion.
But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Sakakibara-san also draws inspiration from the watches and clothes he wears; a humble solar-powered Seiko, which costs just about ¥100,000 ($1,230) and Madras dress shoes, a Japanese leather footwear brand.
While neither Seiko nor Madras are the typical labels that come to mind when you think of a luxury Lexus sedan, Sakakibara-san explains that his Seiko has been beyond reliable, affordable and comfortable around his wrist while his shoes, which are also inexpensive, bear a lot of attention to detail and allow him to be on his feet all day without ache.
His point being that when you think of the world's finest luxury, you don't have to look as far as names like Bentley or Rolex.
With the all new ES, Lexus is upping the ante again in areas such as comfort, dynamics, space and quality. Sakakibara-san also showed us how the stitching in the cabin is more than just about even sewing. Rather, it also involves how precisely the holes for the threads are made, and how seamlessly the threads are pulled.
According to the 53-year old, the all new ES is, more importantly, more than just a luxury sedan for white-collar hot shots. With its new Global Architecture-K platform and Toyota 86-derived rear suspension, the car also dances like a dream. "On the way to work, or on the way to dinner with the family, the ES is like a soothing jazz soundtrack. But alone, on winding roads, it can be as exciting to drive as being in the front row of a rock concert," he says.
When asked how he manages his time between being a Chief Engineer for Lexus, the father of three boys smiles and says that with modern technology, staying in constant contact with his family is as easy as having a Line group chat, which is especially important considering the fact that his two older sons, aged 22 and 25, no longer stay with him.
The oldest son has even found a job at Honda, to which Sakakibara-san exclaims, "Why Honda?!"
On weekends, most of his time is spent with his 18-year old undergraduate son and his wife, going on walks and nice dinners. He does hope that his youngest son will follow his footsteps, career-wise.
"But of course, the journey will not be easy. Every engineer, young or old will be faced with dozens of problems day in and out. I hope he will be able to challenge them calmly, stay hungry, stay humble and supersede his father."
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