i. Biography
One Michelin star for Pertinence in 2018 marks a kitchen working inside French discipline without treating that discipline as fixed. In Ryunosuke Naito’s Paris restaurant, the craft is described through clarity, force of flavour, restraint on the plate, and a French frame opened to ingredients and ideas from beyond the dining room.
Formation
Technical formation came first at Lycée de Suwa de l'université Tōkai, where Ryunosuke Naito grounded his work before entering French haute cuisine. From 2005, the study intern post at Taillevent placed him inside a kitchen culture built on repetition, hierarchy and exactitude; the value was in accumulated standards rather than speed of advancement. The line through Paris, Courchevel and back to Paris set grand culinary discipline against a later, more personal authorship. By 2017, chef-ownership of Pertinence gave Ryunosuke Naito responsibility for both the food and the complete restaurant experience, with the room serving as the frame for focused cooking and cross-cultural instinct.
The Work Today
Market-fresh cooking at Pertinence is built around powerful flavours and a refreshed reading of French culinary tradition. Global references enter the food, but the work is not a collection of effects; the plates are composed around balance between intensity and finesse, recognition and surprise. The French-Japanese register is shown in foie gras with turnip daikon, mango and amaretto, where richness is set against freshness, sweetness and aromatic depth. Ibérico pork pluma with mushroom eryngii and Roquefort mousse gives another cited expression of that approach, joining savour, texture and a French blue-veined note. Seared scallop with laksa sauce, sous-vide carrots and paper-thin slices of rainbow carrots shows the restaurant’s global inspiration and artistic plating, with colour and delicacy kept in service of flavour. The present work is concentrated rather than broad: a small room, a precise cuisine, and a partnership with Liew that began in professional kitchens before becoming a restaurant of their own. Pertinence reads as a narrowing of intention after a career moving through Paris, Courchevel and back to Paris.
Signature
Signature dishes include Foie gras with turnip daikon and Seared scallop with laksa sauce.
Peer Recognition
Ryunosuke Naito has received Michelin Guide France: One Michelin star for Pertinence (2018). Ryunosuke's honors include One Michelin star for Pertinence (2018).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Ryunosuke
What is Ryunosuke Naito's present role?
Ryunosuke Naito is chef at Pertinence — French, Modern Cuisine.
Where did Ryunosuke Naito train or study?
Ryunosuke Naito trained at Lycée de Suwa de l'université Tōkai.
What recognition has Ryunosuke Naito received?
One Michelin star for Pertinence (2018).
