The tasting room beneath the Court of Justice in Namur (Photo by Manu Crooy)When we visited Grafé Lecocq to discover the story behind this Belgian wine 'negociant' that ages wines within the citadel of Namur and then stores the bottles under the cathedral of this Belgian city, we were surprised by the quality of the wine we tasted. Not that we should have been, the winemaker had come highly recommended. But what made the discovery so surprising was the purity of the wines and the winemaker's attention to let the terroir speak for itself. It might sound like a cliché but trust us it isn't. The wines of Grafé Lecocq would be a perfect way to test your knowledge of wines because they reflect a typicity which is not often found these days as many wine producers pander to wine critics who sometimes prefer power and oak over anything else. And I want to stress this in a positive way because I found the wines (even the entry level ones) to reflect the terroir from where they … [Read more...]
Bo Bech and San Degeimbre: a unique four hands dinner
There is something really special about the love of food and cooking. Most of our celebrations always end up having food, family and friends as the central element. So when you get two passionate cooks like Sang-Hoon Degeimbre of L'air du temps and Bo Bech of Restaurant Geist cooking together in a four-hands dinner you end up realising that when it comes to food, we all speak the same language. There is something very special about a four hands dinner. It brings together cooks who may not know each other very well but it helps to cement a friendship and showcase their different cooking styles. There are clearly many differences between the two chefs. Bo is a bubbly personality, San is more calm. In a way it is like comparing chalk and cheese. But put them together in a kitchen and they created a magical menu at the first four hands dinner for 2015 at L'air du temps. The story of the two chefs also has many similarities. Unlike most chefs, both San and Bo did not start their … [Read more...]
Interview with the Master Chef: ‘Ask questions and never give up’
For many years, Michel Roux Jnr has been the face of one of the most popular culinary programmes in the UK, becoming a mentor to many young chefs who competed every year to reach the pinnacle of Masterchef: The Professionals. In Britain, the surname Roux is synonymous with the qualities of French haute cuisine. He has followed in the footsteps of his father and uncle who opened Le Gavroche in 1967 and instantly marked the revolution of restaurants in London. An award-winning chef, Michel Roux is known for his deep respect for the classical foundations of French cooking. He now has three restaurants in London. Le Gavroche, which he took over in 1991 from his father, is classic French with a lighter modern twist and his two recent openings are Roux at Parliament Square and Roux at the Landau. In the coming days, Food and Wine Gazette will feature an interview with the "Master Chef". Michel speaks about how challenging it was to take over Le Gavroche from his father in the early … [Read more...]
Behind the scenes at L’ Air du Temps with Sang Hoon Degeimbre
When I went to Liernu in the Belgian countryside some 50 kilometres outside Brussels to interview Sang-Hoon Degeimbre I was asked to stay for a 'light lunch' after the interview (read our interview here). Little did I know that I would be served with the 'business' lunch menu being currently served in the restaurant up to the end of December. I had previously eaten at L'Air du Temps and had listened to Sang Hoon's presentation at Chef's Revolution in Zwolle so I was familiar with his story. But after also interviewing him, I knew this was going to be a unique experience. First the table was literally inside the kitchen and I could just stand up and take photos and observe the calm buzz of a 2 Michelin star kitchen. Second the dishes were presented in most cases by Sang-Hoon himself who explained them to me. What struck me was the calm inside the kitchen despite the number of people that were preparing the lunch. But then I remembered what Sang-Hoon had told me earlier during the … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #10
From the wines of Mount Etna in Sicily, to wine writer ethics, how to boil an egg, food as a political issue, restaurant trends for 2015, a guide to Brussels or how one of the most renowned chefs claimed a rival sabotaged his new restaurant's opening night, this is my weekly roundup. Many thanks to my readers who send articles or links from time to time. These are always welcome. The wines of Mount Etna in Sicily have been exciting interest of wine lovers over the past few years like no other wine region in Italy. Jancis Robinson writes about the wines from this active volcano and picks 5 of her favourites. But while there were only 5 wineries producing Etna wines 15 years ago, most Sicilian notable wine companies have all invested in land on the mountain and some have even built wineries. But the locals claim only they know how to work in these really special vineyards Max Allen writes on www.jancisrobinson.com about wine writer ethics. He speaks about conflicts of interest and … [Read more...]
The impact of social media on the food and wine world
Social media is becoming more and more influential in today's world and, whether you like it or not, no sector of the economy is spared. What is the impact of social media on restaurants? How do some people use the power of social networking to their benefit? And what do you do if you find yourself in an embarrassing situation like having a blogger who refuses to pay the restaurant bill? This topic was the subject of a very interesting panel discussion at Chef Sache in Cologne animated by Ralf Bos. It is not an easy subject and the same issues also apply beyond the food and wine world. In many cases there is no right or wrong answer. The panelists were German chef Thomas Buhner, Giovanni Zanetti, the Wine Punk, Dr Ingo Scheuermann, a professor of finance who is crazy about food and fine-dining and writes about food on www.culinary-insights.de and Sebastian Wussler who created the Chefstalk Project. Giovanni Zanetti has a winery in Italy and sells pretty much all his wine … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #9
This week I have come across two great stories on two of the most creative chefs in the world. One is about el Bulli and Ferran Adria. The other is about Rene Redzepi of Noma. In the first you can read about whether el Bulli can be considered as a work of art. Adria has often said that "Being the first in not what's important. What's important is conceptualising". In fact that is what happened with elBulli. The restaurant is gone but the concept remains. And it has left behind a trail which could be compared to many artistic movements. If you are interested in creativity, this is a must read. The second article from The Wall Street Journal is about Noma's Redzepi who is another chef that never stops experimenting. It is a fabulous read about a chef who was on top of the world but had a bad year in 2013. He termed last year an 'avalanche of disaster' to the extent that he was thinking of writing a book about how to deal with a bad year. He says "we work as intensely and as … [Read more...]
L’ air du temps – Wallonia’s culinary cathedral
It took me six years to finally get to visit L'air du temps in Liernu, Belgium. The restaurant of Sang Hoon Degeimbre which has two Michelin stars has been on my radar because of his innovative cuisine. When I was listening to his story and approach to cooking at Chefs Revolution in Zwolle, I knew that a visit was a must. I went to the restaurant in Liernu, in the heart of Wallonia, Belgium with very high expectations because it had also come highly recommended by friends. It is normally rather risky when you approach something with such high expectations because you can end up with high hopes dashed. But in this case, the expectations were not only matched but also exceeded. The food was exceptional, the service without fault, the location stunning and on top of that the pairing of wines and water to the food was a memorable experience. The location must be stunning on a summer's evening when you can clearly see the restaurant's garden which supplies all the … [Read more...]
The new Rotterdam indoor food market
The new Rotterdam food market is set to become a destination for foodies around the world. Inspired by some of the best food markets in the world, it is being called the food walhalla of the Netherlands with 96 booths selling daily fresh products. It is open seven days a week under one roof in a shopping hall that is underneath what is being considered as the biggest artwork in the world. This indoor market opened its doors earlier this month. It is the first covered market hall in the Netherlands and the facility is expected to attract between 4.5 and 7 million visitors each year. The stunning architectural design in the shape of a horse shoe has a steel cable facade which is the largest of its kind in Europe. A colourful mural depicts a composition of produce on the hall's barrel shaped ceiling. It has been designed by architects MVRDV and is located in the city centre of Rotterdam. The roof is shaped by an arch of 228 apartments. This combination of market and housing is the … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #6
Food waste was one of the main subjects of the recent dispatches from the Mad Feed site. This week, Mad Feed released an evocative take on the subject. Massimo Bottura, the Italian chef of Osteria Francescana writes about the relationship between food waste and traditions and memories. It is the ninth essay in the series which was published for the Mad Symposium, Bottura touches upon the issue of food waste, speaking about a recipe he has created called Bread is Gold which evokes memories of his childhood. In the essay he also touches upon a project that he is working on together with some of the world's best chefs in May to turn the food waste that will be generated at the Milan Universal Expo into meals for poor people. He writes about the most valuable lesson of an Italian kitchen which is to make the most of nothing and to never throw anything away. "A ragu is nothing other than a sauce made with scraps of meet or fish or vegetables," he writes. It is a great essay and … [Read more...]