On my first trip to Easter Island in 2009, I went to eat one night at a Japanese restaurant near the base of the Rano Kau volcano.  The entire place was run by one man named Enrique Icka; there were no servers, no host, no cooks, just him by himself.  I ordered his specialty, ramen, and watched from across the room as he pressed the noodles out by hand and made me the best bowl of ramen I've ever had in my life.  I never forgot that meal, so nine years later, when I returned to the island, I called him and asked if he had space for me for dinner.  He told me on the phone that he was actually in the process of building a new restaurant in a different location and that it wasn't yet open.  I told him that I would love to say hello, and he directed me to drive outside of Hanga Roa until I saw the black castle. Then he hung up.

I got into my rental car and drove on the only road out of town, wondering whether I would figure out where I was supposed to be.  I needn’t have worried; when I came upon his new restaurant, it was quite obvious that there couldn’t be two of them. Enrique came out to greet me and invited me into the beautiful start to his unfinished restaurant, Kotaro Bistro.  I spent over two hours with him, and was completely fascinated by our conversation.  

Enrique is Chilean, and he had trained as a chef for 10 years in Japan, before working in Milan, San Francisco, Santiago, and finally Rapa Nui. He spoke with a heavy Japanese accent, having learned English in Japan.  He came across as very Japanese in his attention to detail and in his focus on perfection for perfection's sake alone.  He showed me around the space, and explained that he strongly preferred working alone.  Pointing out things as we went, he told me that he had built every element of the space by hand, from the welding and carpentry to each piece of furniture.   "My soul is in everything.  My fingers have touched every joint, every piece of wood, and I remember the exact moment that I put each one there.  When I cook, every onion, I peel.  No cooks, no prep guys, just me. People think I am arrogant, but I am only arrogant about the things that I know I can do well."  I was quite impressed.  To my amusement, he also told me that the frequent rain on Rapa Nui doesn't bother him, but when he is working during a storm, he stops after the third time he gets shocked.

Enrique also had a very interesting take on the hospitality industry.  To begin with, one of the very first things he said was that he hated people.  "I hate humans.  People are stupid.  I try very hard not to get customers. I tell them to not come."  He told me that he had always been OCD and that people were the one element he had never been able to control.  I pointed out to him that he might have picked the wrong industry.

When I asked him about being a chef, he told me:  "There are two kinds of chefs: the fat kind and the skinny kind. The fat kind eat everything, and it changes and ruins their palates.  I cook by smell, I only use the best ingredients, and every dish is prepared for the person that orders it.  I eat only rice and bread, I drink coffee, and I smoke weed.  I don't drink.  But I am a chef, and a gardener, and now a welder and a carpenter, and that is my medicine."

He certainly offered a unique perspective on the hospitality industry (I work in hospitality as well), but his candid style seems to work quite well for him.  If you visit the website for Kotaro Bistro, you can get a sense of this from his posts there.  For example, he has  an entire section titled Reason for dont eat in Kotaro, and separately, a note that says:

“If you communicate with me using WhatsApp can you be a normal and reduce your question in one message / I hate small talk / I always angry.”

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Enrique and sincerely hope his project continues to find success.  Based on the awards and reviews he has received, I don’t think I need worry.