The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2021 awards will be hosted in Antwerp, Belgium on 5 October. Returning after a year’s stop in 2020 due to the global pandemic, an extensive event programme hosted in Flanders will culminate in the awards ceremony in Antwerp.. The organisers have said that the new 2021 ranking, which will be unveiled as part of the gala ceremony will take into account recent and ongoing travel limitations and dining restrictions by combining the votes cast in both early 2020 and 2021. The annual restaurants list is created from the votes of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, a group of more than 1,000 people made up of food writers and critics, chefs, restaurateurs and international culinary experts, with a 50/50 gender balance. Each Academy member usually votes for 10 restaurants, with at least four of these from outside their home region. To counter the restrictions on international travel and limited dining opportunities of the last year, the … [Read more...]
Emilie Qvist Kjaergaard: A chef’s quest to open a restaurant in the middle of nowhere
Young chef Emilie Qvist Kjaergaard is opening a restaurant in the middle of nowhere and has impressed even René Redzepi for her courage. The 26 year old Danish chef, who has accumulated experience in places like Amass and Relae in Copenhagen and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York went to a small fishing town in the northern part of Jutland for the first time in February and will be opening a restaurant there next month. "It is a fishing village in the middle of nowhere. There is nothing but a harbour and 2,000 inhabitants. But instead of seeing it as a bad thing, we choose to see it as a good thing. We want to show that other parts of Denmark are great," Emilie told Andrea Petrini during an online panel discussion called Green Minds think Alike. René Redzepi, commenting on her decision to open the restaurant Medvind said he did not think people realised just how crazy this decision was. "The place where she is opening a restaurant is a really special place but it is … [Read more...]
“I’d rather be stable and work hard for five years to catch up financially” – René Redzepi
COPENHAGEN: When Noma reopens on 1 June it will be a special reopening despite the difficulties the restaurant has faced over the past months. With most of the team dispersed around the four corners of the world. René Redzepi has decided to wait for the reopening despite the financial and mental hardships of the past few months. And for the first day, he is inviting 100 guests who have made a difference in people’s lives throughout the pandemic. “At first we called hospitals and asked to invite doctors but they told us that this was not possible because of Danish rules on bribery. They are not able to accept any gifts. Instead we have called on our local guests to nominate someone that has made a difference. It could be a doctor, a nurse or someone who has carried the groceries for someone in need. We had 3,500 applications and our staff were crying going through the applications reading some of the heartbreaking stories. We want to bring in these people as a way of thanking them, … [Read more...]
Three-month residency at Mandala Club, Singapore for Mirazur
Mirazur is set to launch an exclusive 3-month residency in Singapore at Mandala Club. From the 14th May until the 11th August 2021 and for the first time in South East Asia, the Mirazur team will take over KIN and Clan Cafe at Mandala Club and offer guests a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the exceptional cuisine of Mirazur. This is the first time that Mauro Colagreco returns to Singapore after clinching the top spot in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Located in Menton, France on the stunning Côte d'Azur, Mirazur is the brainchild of chef-patron Mauro Colagreco. It holds the highest international accolades, including the ultimate three Michelin stars and the No.1 slot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. Mauro's culinary style is celebrated for seamlessly blending sea, garden, and mountain flavours. The residency will provide the perfect platform to share in Mirazur's signature Lunar Menus - driven by nature and aligning with the moon's … [Read more...]
Pass the baton: Relae has a new future
COPENHAGEN: Christian Puglisi, chef and owner of restaurants Relae, Manfreds, Baest, Mirabelle Bakery and Mirabelle Restaurant is one of the industry's top innovators. And he has proven it yet again with a new idea that will enable young chefs to prove their worth as he leaves them in the steering wheel. After deciding to close the restaurant last year, the chef of Relae and Manfreds has decided to give young talented chefs the opportunity to step onto a big stage. "I will leave my restaurant Relae in your hands if that is so. For 3 months, you will get the framework that has been a success for 10 years straight with your hands on the steering wheel. You set your team, your menu and your ambition." The chef said that after months of reflection he believes the future of Relae must be to pass the relay - and to leave it in the hands and ideas of the next generation. "Relae came to life after the financial crisis of 2008 where a small and humble basement was the only option … [Read more...]
El Barri, Albert Adria’s dream closes because of COVID-19
BARCELONA: El Barri, Albert Adria's dream, which he built together with the Iglesias brothers is being dissolved. The restaurant group of the Iglesias brothers which also comprises a partnership with Albert Adria that includes the el Barri group of restaurants (Tickets, Hoja Santa, Pakta and Bodega 1900) has declared bankruptcy according to Spanish press. El Barri was Albert Adria's dream to keep Barcelona in the international culinary limelight after the closure of the legendary el Bulli. The future of the restaurants is not yet known. The only restaurant that is sure to remain open for the time being is Enigma, a restaurant that was created by Albert Adria and which does not form part of the partnership with the Iglesias group. He told Efe on Thursday that he did not know whether it would open this year or next year. However, the acclaimed Spanish chef, who together with his brother Ferran Adria made many people dream with their gastronomic creations that revolutionised … [Read more...]
UnBOXed: Four chefs, one dinner
BRUSSELS: Cédric Allard, a story teller and foodie has created unBOXed, a way to reinvent gastronomy at home. He has brought together four chefs from two Michelin star restaurants in Belgium and Luxembourg to create a unique menu that will be served on three separate days May. The four chefs are Tim Boury of Boury Restaurant, Nick Bril of The Jane, David Martin of La Paix and Cyril Molard of Ma Langue Sourit have worked together to create different dishes for the 'box'. Artist Denis Meyes is also part of the project. The unBOXed concept aims to not be just a dinner but rather an experience that combines gastronomy, art, pleasure and excellence at home. It is bringing a restaurant at home in your comfort for a unique experience. Everything has been thought to create a restaurant experience down to the smallest details. All it takes for the dishes is just some time in the oven and the dishes are ready to be served. The dishes are dressed in the same way they would be at the … [Read more...]
Time to change at Jordnær: two families, one mission – well-being
Tina and Eric Kragh Vildgaard of restaurant Jordnær, a two Michelin star restaurant created inside a humble three-starred hotel in the suburbs of Copenhagen have been reflecting a lot over the past months during the time that restaurants have been closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Danish government announced the date of the reopening of restaurants on May 6th, the restaurant will open only four days a week and in particular not on the weekend making it one of the only restaurants in Scandinavia, if not the only one to take this road. This is not being done out of necessity but a deliberate choice to seek a better and healthier balance between work and personal/family life that results in a happier, more motivated, well-rested and creative team. “We have 6 kids and they are getting older and older. They always participate in all kinds of activities during the weekends and we never get to be there because we chose to be in this industry. So why not try it?." … [Read more...]
Viewing Italy through a new culinary lens – Laura Lazzaroni on the New Cucina Italiana
Laura Lazzaroni may not win a lot of friends when she says that it is time to metaphorically kill the ‘nonna’ or grandmother philosophy. But she has a point. She writes about it in the introduction to her new book The New Cucina Italiana: What to Eat, What to Cook and Who to Know in Italian Cuisine published by Rizzoli New York. “I meant it to be shocking to get the point across. Of course we all love our nonne (grandmothers) and they are extremely important. Our younger generation of chefs are respectful of tradition but they’re also emancipating and moving away from the stereotype. What grandmothers have done was fantastic particularly when it came to the craftsmanship of their hands, for example making fresh pasta. But, if we have to be honest, some things were not that great because they either did not have the technology or they did not understand the chemical reactions happening within ingredients. We also need to remember that for many young chefs in Italy today, the … [Read more...]
The New Cucina Italiana: a book that takes us to Italy at a time when we cannot travel
What do you think of when you think about Italian food? Some might think about pizza, spaghetti al pomodoro, cacio e pepe or carbonara. Or even of dishes that have been created outside Italy but which have little to do with what Italians really eat. But that is far from what a new movement of Italian chefs are working on. For those like me who follow the Italian scene rather closely some of the names of this movement may sound familiar. For others, these are chefs that are still under the radar but who are slowly but surely establishing themselves as the new frontier of Italian cuisine. Niko Romito, for example needs no introduction internationally. Paolo Lopriore, on the other hand, has worked under the international radar for a very long time even if for many young chefs in Italy today, he is a guiding light. I’d heard about him in passing but rarely delved into depth about what he has meant for Italy. At Spessore a few years ago, all the young chefs were raving about this … [Read more...]