It was a crispy autumn morning last week when I visited L’Air du Temps for the second time in just a few weeks. This time I had come to interview Sang-Hoon Degeimbre, the chef of this two Michelin star restaurant in Liernu, around 50 kilometres outside Brussels. I was intrigued by his story, particularly because of the inventiveness of his cuisine and also after having listened to his presentation at Chefs Revolution in Zwolle. How could such an inventive and talented chef be self-taught? What was the driving force behind his creativity? I was also wondering what led Sang-Hoon to open the restaurant in Liernu, when he could have moved his restaurant closer to a main city. But driving to the restaurant, I realised that this question would be redundant because of the beauty of the Wallonian countryside and the purity of the air. “Sometimes when I come here early in the morning I just head to the garden and just look at the sunrise and the countryside and that is really something … [Read more...]
De Vitrine (Gent): Much more than just a bistro
There is something special about going to a restaurant and not having to worry about choosing what to eat. When we went to De Vitrine in Gent last Saturday we sort of knew there was no a la carte menu. Until a few years ago, this would have been a veritable nightmare with my phobia of cheese, but now that this has been overcome, it is to a certain extent a breath of fresh air. It removes the hassle of choosing and when you visit a restaurant which is good and where the choice is extensive, having a menu is to a certain extent limiting because you know that you will be missing something special. So going to De Vitrine, the brain child of Kobe Desramaults of Michelin starred In de Wulf in Dranouter and De Superette (the bakery in Gent) was on our to do list for our weekend in Gent. De Vitrine complements In De Wulf perfectly as Kobe himself told me at Chef Sache in Cologne (read our interview with him next week) because it allows him to apply his nose to tail philosophy by ensuring … [Read more...]
Interview with Eneko Atxa (Azurmendi): Putting the guest at the centre of the experience
Eneko Atxa's restaurant Azurmendi retained its 3 Michelin Stars for 2015 when the new classification for Spain was announced on 19 November. The restaurant, perched on a hillside just outside Bilbao does not need any introduction among food connoisseurs. Ranked 26th in the World’s 50 Best restaurants, it is also the winner of the sustainability award. Eneko, the 37-year-old chef of the restaurant told Food and Wine Gazette, when we interviewed him in Cologne during Chef Sache 2014 last month that the most important honour for him is to finish a service and ensure that his guests are happy. "I always say that we have to fight every day to ensure that our guests are happy. If we achieve this every day for 365 days a year, then we win. This to me is the most important honour. Obviously awards are important because they help us to get more people to the restaurant. We are not obsessed with the awards, but with the guest. For us, satisfaction of each guest is the most important," Eneko … [Read more...]
De Superette (Gent): The bakery with a difference
I still remember the days when I was a child and I used to go with my father to buy bread at a bakery close to our house in Malta. The baker would be visible in the background, all white and covered with flour. At times, it was he who would serve his clients. The oven used to be at the back of the bakery, visible to clients and one could get a whiff of the bread baking in the oven as soon as you turned the corner of the street where the bakery was. Alas these days it is difficult to find a bakery making its own bread. Memories have a great impact on our interaction with food. So a visit to De Superette in Gent last weekend triggered a lot of nostalgia. De Superette is the brainchild of Kobe Desramaults of restaurant In De Wulf, who dreamt up the concept together with Rose Green and Sarah Lemke. It centres around the bakery. The stone oven and the baker's work space are at the heart of De Superette. It is a place where you go to buy bread but it is also one where you … [Read more...]
Rene Redzepi (Noma): Taking care of his customers long after the bill is paid
In a few days time, the restaurant Noma will be celebrating its 11th anniversary since it opened its doors in Copenhagen and changed the culinary world in Scandinavia. There is so much to say about this chef and it has taken a while to get down to writing about Rene Redzepi's exceptional presentation on his food philosophy at Chef's Revolution in Zwolle organised by Jonnie and Therese Boer of De Librije. Rene Redzepi needs no introduction. His restaurant in Copenhagen is number one in the world and he is not only a chef but also a great innovator. Like many of the best chefs on the scene today, he also spent some time working at Ferran Adria's elBulli, but while the latter was innovating with techniques when the restaurant was still open, Redzepi is mainly innovating with new flavours and also heavily experimenting with fermentation. Last year, at Noma they invested in what they call "fermentation bunkers". Instead of building a state of the art facility which would have cost 5 … [Read more...]
Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur) showcases three great dishes using collagen
Mauro Colagreco, chef of Mirazur, the highest ranked restaurant in France, according to the World's 50 Best restaurants, likes to showcase the ingredients that come from his location in Menton just on the border with Italy. At Chef Sache in Cologne, he presented three fish based dishes to showcase the quality of the ingredients of the area. He opted to use collagen in different ways to show how this natural 'gelatine or glue' from fish can be used to bring out not only flavour but also creativity. He therefore uses fish or some pieces of fish, such as the offal, which might otherwise be thrown away. Colagreco said collagen could be used either as a glue or as an emulsion. The first dish he presented was a classic fish soup which was turned into a gelatine and served with a langoustine from San Remo which is very typical of the region. The Argentinian chef made a classic fish soup using onions, fennel and garlic. He aromatised it with saffron and, like in bouillabaisse, … [Read more...]
Alain Ducasse redefines haute cuisine by serving just fish, vegetables and cereal
Alain Ducasse doesn't need any introduction. He is considered to be one of the world's greatest culinary artists and is only one of two chefs to have held 21 Michelin stars in his career. He was also the first chef to have three Michelin star restaurants in three different cities. He has inspired the cuisine of many of today's contemporary chefs and his books on cooking and desserts and pastries are considered to be reference books. Recently, he reopened the restaurant Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée after several months of refurbishment of the hotel. His newest creation tells a very personal and radical story and as he himself says in the above video. He does not know whether this this should be considered as today's cuisine or tomorrow's cuisine. But he is building on the work he began more than 25 years ago and presents cuisine in its simplest form inspired by a trio of ingredients: fish (from sustainable fishing), vegetables and cereals. He says this cuisine is … [Read more...]
Interview with Mauro Colagreco (Mirazur): Finding good produce will become a luxury
Try as I might, it is difficult to remember the last person I had interviewed before Mauro Colagreco, the Argentinian two Michelin starred chef of Mirazur ranked 11th in the World's 50 Best restaurants and the first restaurant in France. It could easily have been a Prime Minister some 13 years ago on my last assignment as a journalist. It was a completely different world without social media, without blogs or smartphones, Twitter or Facebook, though already back then, my passion for food and wine was already becoming visible. It was therefore with a sense of trepidation that I asked Mauro to be interviewed. After all, who was I to ask one of the World's best chefs to sit down and be interviewed for www.foodandwinegazette.com. He gladly accepted without much fanfare. "Let's do it now," he said without giving me any time to prepare myself. True, I had done my homework earlier with the intention of interviewing him, but still, I was offering to carry out the interview in French … [Read more...]
Interview with Joachim Wissler (Vendôme): Sensational plates always have a story
Joachim Wissler, German chef of Restaurant Vendôme, is considered to be one of the best German chefs if not the best. He heads the 3 Michelin star restaurant in the Schloss Bensberg hotel in Bergisch Gladbach, near Cologne. He is known for his blend of classical cuisine, creativity and modernity. The restaurant is number 12 in the World's Best 50 Restaurants 2014 and also the highest ranked German restaurant. He gave an excellent presentation at Chef Sache recently (more on this in the coming days) and also accepted to be interviewed by Food and Wine Gazette. In this interview he speaks about the importance he attaches to stories behind each dish. How would you describe your cooking style? I´ve had my apprenticeship in classic French cuisine. Over the years you change as a chef. You can hardly use terms like “avant-garde, modern or classic” to describe my style of cooking. My cuisine and style is part of me. I want to express memories, experiences and imaginations that … [Read more...]
Kobe Desramaults (In de Wulf): A bold and unique cuisine
Kobe Desramaults of In de Wulf is considered to be one of the brightest young chefs in Europe and definitely one of the most high-profile Belgian chefs. His Michelin star restaurant in Dranouter, a village in West Flanders on the border with France is in the middle of nowhere. There is a reason why it is there, however, since it is the place he remembers from his childhood and also where his mother's restaurant was. The restaurant has become a major culinary destination. Desramaults won the best restaurant award in the OAD (Opinionated about dining) in 2014 and has become in a way similar to Noma in that this is a unique cuisine without cliches, classic produce or sauces. Desramaults was the first chef to take the stage at Chef Sache 2o14 . He showed how his cuisine focuses on all sorts of produce and it was no wonder that the presenter spoke about Kobe’s cooking as being a light cuisine for a conscious eater prepared by a conscious cook. The Belgian chef said that vegetables … [Read more...]