You can love or hate food critics but what happens when critics have different opinions about the same place? And how does this help consumers? The purpose of reviewing restaurants is to help consumers make a choice. Peter Preston on the Guardian makes the point that restaurant evening has become a series of elegant essays too fray to chomp. It is worth a read. The wines of Liguria are really worth discovering. Andrew Jefford has written a very interesting article in this weekend's Financial Times about the wines and wineries of this beautiful Italian region. But you may need to head there. On the subject of Liguria, there is a mention of the Focaccia di Recco, a type of flatbread with cheese which comes from the village of the same name. You can find it in any bakery in Liguria. Here is a list of 9 Italian dishes you must try. Here is a great article about food and authenticity. It is about Mexican food but it is also valid for other cuisines. The Champagne house Maison … [Read more...]

In the peak of summer the daily routine tends to get lost. There are times when it is too hot to think, let alone write. You dive into the pool and it is warm, the sea temperature is 28C and not even a cool shower is possible because the water coming out from the shower head is too warm for respite. And that means that writing sometimes becomes harder. It is why this weekly round-up comes a day later. But, nevertheless, there's lots to read. Which is the most expensive city for food? And how do you go about deciding this? Hotels.com has come up with a study called the club sandwich index which looks at the price of hotel dining in major cities around the world. The study looks at the price of a club sandwich, a burger, a glass of house red wine and a cup of coffee in 28 different cities. The most expensive cities in order were Geneva, Paris, Hong Kong, Oslo and London. Elizabeth Auerbach, who reviews restaurants independently and is someone worth following on social media, recently … [Read more...]

While pasta is a simple dish to make, there are many ways to get it wrong. Here are 10 tips from Mario Batali on how to cook pasta. Andoni Luis Aduriz of Spanish restaurant Mugaritz was in San Francisco's Coi as part of the Gelinaz shuffle. Here is an interesting interview with this great Spanish chef. Read what he has to say about creativity. Fine Food Dude has an interview with Yanick Alleno chech of three Michelin star Pavillon Ledoyen and recently named the 2015 Chef of the Year by French restaurant guide Gault&Millau. Here is a list of recipes by Yotam Ottolenghi using cucumber. We must admit that we do not really use this vegetable as much as we should. These recipes may help change our mind. Paul Bocuse is one of the most important French chefs. He is a legend of French gastronomy. There is a restaurant by his own name and also the award Bocuse d'Or which has been instrumental in changing the ways we consider chefs creatives. Here is a very interesting review of … [Read more...]

It is rather exceptional that we start our weekly round-up with the printed word. It's not because we don't love print but rather because many seem to have given up on this medium. I could count myself as a news junkie but cannot remember the last time I bought a newspaper. I read considerably more books than the average reader and much as I love printed books, I cannot recall the last time I sat down and read a printed book from start to finish. The last time I tried to do so, I ended up buying the ebook version to be able to finish it on the go. Why do you need this background? Because, the latest issue of Fool, the magazine on food insanity brilliance and love is worth buying and reading. I got the latest issue yesterday and it is a superb read. It is called The Fusion Issue and has compelling content, excellent photography, excellent design and beautifully printed. There is a great interview with Inaki Aizpitarte of the famous Parisian restaurant Le Chateaubriand among others … [Read more...]

Here is the weekly roundup, earlier than usual, as we head to the Belgian coast for the Flemish Food Bash which promises to be a great event bringing 40 chefs together. We will bring you more information about the event in the coming days so please come back. Grant Achatz, chef of Alinea, the famous Chicago restaurant, was recently in Europe as a judge for the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year. He will soon be opening a pop-up restaurant in Madrid. Here he is interviewed by Gabriele Zanatta of Identita Golose. It is always a pity to spill wine, especially great wine, but sometimes it does happen and can be frustrating. Conrad, from the Wine Wankers, a hugely successful Australian site, has written about the subject and sampled a red wine stain remover called Chateau Spill. What difference is there to using white wine to remove the stains? You can see the difference in results here. There are always mixed feelings about the sublime pleasure of great food and wine pairing. Here is … [Read more...]

Have you ever booked a restaurant and never turned up? If the answer is no, you may be surprised to read that in the UK alone, the rate of people that do not turn up for bookings in restaurants is estimated at between 5 and 20 per cent. The cost of no-shows in the UK is costing restaurants £16 billion a year. Read about it here. This recipe (video) is in Italian but you get the gist. It is a splendid way of cooking tuna and it is incredibly simple and quick. For those who don't understand Italian, the time involved on each side is just over 10 seconds. The secret is to get the pan hot. Enjoy. We have experimented with cooking vegetables directly on charcoal but we have never tried cooking meat directly on hot coals. But after reading this we are tempted to give this method a try. Since we are on the theme of cooking, here is an interesting article on ice cream. The author gives you five things to consider about ice cream. If you like to make your own ice-creams, this is well worth a … [Read more...]

The Gelinaz Shuffle which sees a number of international chefs swapping places for a new days takes place in a few days. We've already written about the event before but here is an in-depth interview by Agrodolce with Andrea Petrini, the creator of this unique annual event that changes every year. It is in Italian but is really worth a read. We do not normally link to podcasts in our weekly roundup but here is one really worth taking the time to listen to. It is an interview by Tim Ferris, an author and entrepreneur with Sam Kass. There are many exceptional snippets worth pondering upon such as how he was baptized by fire in kitchens, how he uses mental preparation for high stress situation, unusual restaurants that put out great food, what it is like to cook for the President of the United States, food waste, common mistakes when grilling among others. Lists of places to eat always come in handy. Here is a list of top 10 restaurants in Barcelona for great value set … [Read more...]

This week marked the launch of Massimo Bottura's Refettorio Ambrosiano, a once-derelict theatre in Milan. It has been re-purposed to educate and feed refugees and working poor who reside across town, far from the multinational pavilions welcoming culinary tourists to this summer's Expo Milano 2015. Here, some of the world's best chefs, including Bottura, will be cooking for students and the poor using food waste transported from Milan Expo. It is an incredibly beautiful project and one which deserves all the support it can get. You can read about it either in English or Italian. The English link from the New York Times also has the recipe of Massimo Bottura's Bread is Gold, a dish he served at the Milan Expo a few weeks ago and one which will be served at the refectory in the coming weeks. One of the world's best restaurants Alinea, based in Chicago, will be going through a renovation. Grant Achatz, the chef of this restaurant, said the reason for this renovation is that they don't … [Read more...]

It is scandalous for supermarkets to throw bleach in their dustbins along with edible foods, said a former food minister in France Guillaume Garot, who proposed a law which forces big supermarkets to give unsold food to charities. The French national assembly has voted unanimously to approve this legislation which aims to tackle the huge epidemic of food waste, which highlights the divide between giant food firms and people who are struggling to eat. We have written on the issue of food waste and feel this is an initiative that should be applauded and followed. The world produces enough food to feed all the planet but billions of tonnes of food get thrown away every year. Each and every one of us need to do our part. We would also like to highlight an article we came across called the war on big food. The article looks into the problem of certain ingredients in food, like artificial colours and flavours, pesticides, preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, growth hormones, … [Read more...]

If there is one story you must find time to read this week, it is the story of Ben Shewry, the New Zealand-born public face of modern Australian cooking, running one of the world's top 50 restaurants. Widely regarded as the best chef in Australia, he had to battle with depression. Allan Jenkins writes an inspirational portrait of this chef, who has also been featured in David Gelb's Netflix documentary series Chef's Table. Hélène Darroze has been named the 2015 Veuve Clicquot World’s Best Female Chef. Here is an interesting interview with her in the Financial Times where she speaks about what drives her, her ambitions and personal life among others. Andy Hayler is unique. In 2004, he managed to eat at every three Michelin starred restaurant in the world. In this interview he says that not all restaurants are the same and there are distinct differences between the way in which countries are assessed. Read what he has to say about the most consistent country (some may be surprised) and … [Read more...]