ANTWERP: The next edition of the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2020 will be held in Antwerp, Belgium. The Northern city of Antwerp, less than 50 kilometres from Belgium's capital Brussels will be hosting the award ceremony. The news had been in the air for the past few months but now it has been confirmed by the World's 50 Best Restaurants. Although no date for the event has been announced, it is likely to take place in early June to coincide with the UNWTO World Forum on Food Gastronomy, taking place in Bruges. These food-focused events will see the world's top chefs converging in Belgium. Antwerp is the second largest city in Belgium after Brussels and is known for its design, art and architecture, fashion, jewellery as well as its food. Food lovers, it’s time to brush up on your Flemish. The annual gastronomic fiesta of events that is The World’s 50 Best Restaurants will be hosted in Flanders in 2020, culminating in the famous awards ceremony in the fine city … [Read more...]
Gert de Mangeleer to cook at HAKU in Hong Kong
HONG KONG: On 22 and 23 August, Belgian chef Gert de Mangeleer will cook at HAKU Hong Kong with Agustin Balbi in a special four-hands collaboration series. The event takes place over two nights with guests being able to experience an 11 course menu that highlights the chef's shared love for pure and organic flavours with a special focus on choosing sustainable premium ingredients. “When chef Gert and I first met in Milan, we were already following each other’s work for a while. We had a great conversation over dinner and realised we had a lot in common when it came to our views and philosophies around food,” said Agustin Balbi. “A collaboration dinner has been on the agenda ever since, and we are excited to finally present this dinner series in Hong Kong.” Gert, who rose to fame by achieving 3 Michelin stars at Hertog Jan, which closed in December last year will be presenting a number of signature dishes as well as some experimental dishes that have been created for the … [Read more...]
Cyrus Todiwala to open first restaurant outside London
LONDON: Renowned celebrity chef, Cyrus Todiwala best known for appearing on The Incredible Spice Men and BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, has announced he will be opening his fifth restaurant alongside Café Spice Namasté and Mr Todiwala’s Kitchen, in his first move outside of London. In late August, Todiwala will be launching Tandem, a celebration of authentic Indian cuisine and cocktail mixology located in a picturesque and decorative Grade II listed building in the heart of Leicester city. The restaurant and bar will offer accessible luxury, with the memorable interior taking inspiration from both Portuguese and Goan influences. The heavily anticipated restaurant will seat 150 diners, but the structure and striking interior will allow for an intimate experience with five distinct spaces, including an exclusive chef’s table for executive dining and a stunning rooftop terrace. Having teased the launch on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, Todiwala said: “I have always wanted to expand my … [Read more...]
Maxime Gilbert to host Vincent Thierry at Écriture on 12 August
HONG KONG: Le Comptoir’s 2-Michelin-Star contemporary French restaurant, ÉCRITURE, will host award-winning chef Vincent Thierry of CHEF’S TABLE, The Dome at Lebua for a special collaboration dinner on Monday, August 12. Joining forces with Écriture’s own Maxime Gilbert, the two pioneering French chefs will present an exclusive 9-course joint menu featuring creative French cuisine available for one night only. A native of the Loire Valley – known as the ‘Garden of France’ and renowned for its wine, goat’s cheese and fresh produce – Chef Vincent sums up his cooking ethos as “classic French cuisine with simplicity and unpretentiousness”. He chooses only the best, preferably organic products, following an 80/20 principle; 80% of the produce is sourced in Thailand, with the remaining 20% consisting of premium imported products that cannot be found locally. Vincent honed his skills in Michelin-star kitchens across France before being selected by the celebrated Le Cinq Four … [Read more...]
Douro Boys Cuvée 2017 and Vintage Port 2017 to be released at October auction
Imagine a wine that is the result of a blend of the best barrel of red wines from five different winemakers and a port from the the best casks of vintage Port from the exceptional 2017 vintage. The Vale do Douro was an unknown river valley ‘somewhere in western Europe’, when João Ferreira Álvares Ribeiro, Jorge Roquette, Dirk van der Niepoort, Cristiano van Zeller & Vito Olazabal teamed up in 2003 as the ‘Douro Boys’. They wanted to make their native wine region better known in general, to introduce their red wines to the world at large, and to reposition the Port wines on the market. They have accomplished all of this. Today, the Douro Valley figures as an indispensible section on any sophisticated wine list. To celebrate their fifteenth anniversary, each of the five estates Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Crasto, Niepoort, Quinta Vale D. Maria and Quinta do Vale Meão has sacrificed its best barrel of red wine and their best cask of vintage Port from the exceptional 2017 … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura’s Al Meni to return this weekend with ‘green event’ in Rimini
Massimo Bottura, the acclaimed Italian chef is bringing 12 promising international chefs and 12 chefs from his region, Emilia-Romagna to Al Meni for a food festival he created a few years ago. The event takes place on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 June. Bottura will be directing the 24 chefs who will create magic under the Circo 8½ a giant coloured circus tent, set between the sea and the Grand Hotel that evokes a great master of world cinema: Federico Fellini. They will be the protagonists of 'Al Mèni' (meaning "hands" in Romagna dialect),. During these two days, the chefs will be taking turns working together in pairs in the large open kitchen to create unique dishes at street food prices. Nearby, an open-air market will be organised on the seafront promenade, offering gourmet and handmade products, meetings with authors and experts, workshops, itineraries with a personal shopper to discover quality products, and areas dedicated to designer street food and ice-cream. To top off … [Read more...]
Travel to Italy this summer with Cucina Tipica: An Italian Adventure
Cucina Tipica: An Italian Adventure is the story of Jacoby Pines, a disheartened American who arrives in Italy on holiday, and decides he never wants to leave. What follows is a wine-soaked, food-filled, travel-laden adventure about one man’s quest for an antiquated existence in the modern world. This is the third novel by Andrew Cotto, an award-winning author whose regularly contributed to The New York Times and has written for Parade, Men's Journal, Rolling Stone, The Huffington Post and Conde Nast Traveller among others. The story takes you through the villages of Liguria, Tuscany, Umbria and Marche. You will read about the wines of the various regions and meals of fried calamari, shrimp, bream and whole anchovies, steamed prawns, pasta with pesto and clams, a mixed roast of lamb, sausage, rabbit and pasta with black truffles not to mention the bistecca fiorentina (t-bone steak) or the uccellini in brodo (white beans with tomatoes in borth) among others. What follows … [Read more...]
Classic cookbook Great Dishes of the World available online for first time
ckbk, a new service providing digital access to the world’s best cookbooks, today announces that it is making Robert Carrier’s classic cookbook, Great Dishes of the World, available online for the first time. Great Dishes of the World had a huge impact on its publication in 1963, and went on to sell more than 10 million copies in numerous editions. According to cookbook editor Jill Norman, “With Great Dishes of the World, Carrier persuaded readers to look beyond their usual culinary boundaries and to experiment, inspired by his confident and exuberant style.” When the 1000 Cookbooks project asked chefs and authors to identify the cookbooks which most influenced them, Great Dishes of the World was one of the top choices. Shaun Hill, a Michelin-starred chef who started his career in Carrier’s London restaurant, welcomed the news: “Robert Carrier is an underrated influence. His food was unashamedly luxurious, with plenty of cream, eggs, … [Read more...]
London is Europe’s pizza capital closely followed by Paris according to 50 Top Pizza
London has emerged as Europe's pizza capital in a newly unveiled list of the 50 top pizzeria's in Europe. 50 Kalo, the pizzeria in London which opened in July last year tops the list. The pizzeria of Ciro Salvo is the second one after the one he opened in Naples in 2014. He is the third generation of master pizza makers, Ciro has won accolades from some of the world's best guides. In total, London has 8 pizzerias in the 50 top pizza list closely followed by Paris with 7. Bijou, in Paris placed second while Baest in Copenhagen placed third. 50 Kalo di Ciro Salvo Pizzeria, London, UKBijou, Paris, FranceBaest, Copenhagen, DenmarkOber Mamma, Paris, FrancePizzeria Luca, Copenhagen, DenmarkKytaly, Genève, SwitzerlandLilla Napoli, Falkenberg, SwedenAddomme, London, UK L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, London, UKGazzo, Berlin, GermanyMother, Copenhagen, DenmarkL’Antica Pizzeria, London, UKNnea pizza, Amsterdam, NetherlandsPaesano pizza, Glasgow, UK,Pizzeria Montana, Frankfurt, … [Read more...]
Recipe by Valentino Cassanelli: Seared scallops with coral carbonara, bitter herbs and sea urchin
Serves 4 For the carbonara sauce 25 g pork cheek, seasoned20 g butter1 clove of garlic80 g scallop coral0.3 g saffron30 g white wine12 g basmati rice200 g fish stock6 g Pecorino Roman0.1 g ground pepper5 g yuzu Brown the garlic clove, the bacon and the coral in the butter, then add the white wine, rice, saffron and fish stock. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the bacon and the garlic and then emulsify with the help of the blender gradually adding the pepper, pecorino and yuzu. Obtain the sauce sift it. Sea urchin emulsion 150 g sunflower oil60 g urchin pulp5 g yuzu3 g salt45 g fish stock Emulsify all the ingredients by adding the oil. Serve at 45 ° C. Black garlic cream 40 g black garlic30 g water10 g extra virgin olive oil3 g lemon juiceBlend and emulsify all the ingredients. Bitter herbs 200 g wild herbs1 l water15 g salt10 g lemon juiceMaldon sea saltExtra virgin olive oil Clean the herbs and wash them thoroughly. Blanch them in salted and … [Read more...]