On the evenings of 28 and 29 May, Vicky Lau, chef of one-Michelin- starred Relais & Châteaux member Tate Dining Room will host a highly anticipated culinary collaboration with guest chef Junghyun ‘JP’Park of Atomix. This is the first visit of the guest chef Junghyun Park to Hong Kong. Praised by critics as one of New York City’s hottest new restaurants, Atomix is the innovative one-Michelin-starred Korean fine dining concept by husband-and-wife team Junghyun and Ellia Park. Successfully fusing traditions from their native Korean roots with a progressive vision, the couple launched Atomix in the heart of NoMad as a follow-up project to their first-born restaurant, Atoboy. Not even a full year into its opening, Atomix was awarded one Michelin star amid glowing reviews from the nation’s top publications. Among its many accolades include New York Times’ Top 10 New Restaurants 2018, Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America, OAD’s Top 100 North American Restaurants 2019 … [Read more...]
Death of Belgian chef Eric Martin announced
Belgian gastronomy is mourning Eric Martin, chef and owner of Maison Lemonnier who was unexpectedly found dead in his room last Saturday during a holiday abroad. His son, Tristan and the team at Maison Lemmonier said that just like Eric would have wanted, they will remain open and will continue to receive guests as they have done for the past 15 years from Thursday 19th April. The father and son duo had been working together since 2008. Their hotel and restaurant, Maison Lemonnier is found in the idyllic Lavaux-Ste-Anne in the Belgian Ardennes. Eric studied law but had already made his decision that he would cook instead. His son followed in his footsteps and after studying at Paul Bocuse Institute joined him in Maison Lemonnier in spring 2008. Eric's philosophy was always that of taking all the necessary time to prepare food and to eat food. Their restaurant had one of the most impressive wine lists in Belgium. Pierre Resimont, chef of L'Eau Vive and a friend of … [Read more...]
Afton Halloran, the roast beef rebellion and 10 European food trends
At the age of 11, Afton Halloran decided to become vegetarian. A year later, at school, she had to learn to cook during a home economics class. The class started with how to make a proper English tea but as weeks went by things became more sophisticated and the pupils learnt to make cookies, soup etc. One day, they had to learn how to make a proper roast beef dinner. “When I heard this, I went to the teacher and told her that I had no reason to learn this recipe because I had become a vegetarian. At first the teacher looked in shock, then she became angry and asked and just how do you think that you will ever find a husband.” Afton Halloran was speaking at the European Food Summit organised in Ljubljana last month. Dr Halloran has over the past 12 years built up a robust background in the field of sustainable food systems and she is also consultant to the Nordic Council of Ministers working on a project called the Nordic Food Policy Lab. Although she is no longer vegetarian … [Read more...]
Sauce by The Langham to launch soon
Sauce by The Langham is an expert-led cookery school located within The Langham, London that is set to launch in mid-May 2019. It will offer a range of classes that have been enthusiastically designed to put the joy into cooking. Tucked away in the heart of the five star hotel, Sauce’s top of the range kitchen is the place in which trade secrets will be shared and the best ingredients will be available for preparations. Experiences inspired by all of The Langham’s renowned outlets including Palm Court, Artesian, Roux at The Landau, and The Wigmore will be offered, alongside classes led by executive chef, Chris King and Michel Roux Jr who will share and explore the delights of cooking (and eating!). Classes at Sauce will be interactive, inspiring, and, most importantly, fun. The school is a space to create great memories and gain priceless knowledge from leading experts within their field. Whether it’s a desire to master the basics or pick the brains of a favourite chef, Sauce will … [Read more...]
Summa 2019: a family reunion in Northern Italy organised by Alois Lageder
For over twenty years, Weingut Alois Lageder has been inviting winegrowers from all over the world to an annual collaborative event in Magrè at the Alto Adige Wine Road. While a few dozen kilometres down the A22 at VinItaly in Verona, everything is about business, the Summa is more like a friendly family gathering of winegrowers, individuals who not only care deeply about the authentic expression of their wines, but also about the preservation of natural resources in their vineyards. It is no coincidence that numerous participating estates at this year’s Summa are certified organic or biodynamic – and the organiser himself, Alois Lageder, is the president of Demeter Italy. In total, there are 111 wine producers from ten countries (Italy, Germany, Austria, France, China, Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Portugal & New Zealand), who will be presenting their wines on Saturday/Sunday 6–7 April in the picturesque ambience of Casòn Hirschprunn, a 17th century Renaissance … [Read more...]
Odette in Singapore takes top spot in Asia’s 50 Best restaurants 2019 awards
Odette in Singapore has taken top honours at the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 awards ceremony, succeeding four-time winner Gaggan in the No.1 spot. Chef Julien Royer’s Odette claims the coveted titles of the best restaurant in Asia and the best restaurant in Singapore. Housed in the iconic National Gallery Singapore, Odette serves Asian-inspired modern French cuisine, each dish presented with impeccable style and characteristic perfection. Taking its name from Royer’s maternal grandmother, Odette earned Asia’s Highest New Entry Award in 2017 before debuting on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list last year at No.28. The 2019 list of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants was announced at an awards ceremony at Wynn Palace, Macao. The 2019 list reflects the diversity and vitality of the ever-evolving Asian gastronomic scene, featuring 10 new restaurants, including a first-time entry from Malaysia (Dewakan, No.46) and a new restaurant in the Philippines (Toyo Eatery, No.43), a country … [Read more...]
Henry Harris reunites with Dennis Gustafsson for one-off supperclub at Bouchon
On Sunday 7th April, chef Henry Harris will be taking to the kitchen at Bouchon, Malmö in Sweden, joining owner and executive chef Dennis Gustafsson, for one night only. The dinner is particularly significant, as the pair have a longstanding relationship, with Dennis having worked under Henry at his critically acclaimed restaurant, Racine in Knightsbridge between 2002 and 2015. The friendship Dennis and Henry formed, is a testament to the importance that Henry places on mentorship and young talent. Bouchon shares many similarities to Racine in its approach to offering a bourgeois style of cooking. Dennis embraces the philosophy and tradition of Lyon in his cooking, championing local ingredients combined with French delicacies, whilst also allowing his instinctive knowledge of the shifting seasons to inform the daily changing menu. The exclusive menu will pay tribute to Racine and to the dishes the pair were cooking together nearly a decade ago. Highlights will include … [Read more...]
Fourth edition of Foodfest to be held in Cadzand in June
The fourth edition of FoodFest, the event organised by Cadzand, the Netherlands by Sergio Herman, Syrco Bakker and Iman Soomers will be held on 2 and 3 June. The event which used to held at the former Strandkerk in Cadzand will move to the platform Maritiem Plaza next to restaurant AIRrepublic with a breathtaking view of the North Sea and the Royal Yacht Club of Cadzand-Bad. This year's festival will take place over two days unlike previous events that took place just on a Monday. For this year's edition the organisers are teaming up with the founders and creators of WECANDANCE, elrow Town Antwerp & Fire Is Gold: Wim Van der Borght & Bart Roman, CEO’s of Atmosphere Architects. WECANDANCE (Electronic beach festival in Zeebrugge) will provide the music line-up at FoodFest. A number of international chefs are expected to take part in the Foodfest though these have not yet been announced. They will also feature in lunches and dinners at … [Read more...]
Gastronomic imperialism: ‘Diversity is being killed by quest for success’ – Andoni Luis Aduriz
Spanish Andoni Luis Aduriz, chef of one of the most innovative restaurants in the world, Mugaritz, has warned that guides, lists and social media are all contributing to a lack of diversity in gastronomy to the extent that if chefs and restaurants want to be successful they need to follow a particular model and be the same. “Isn’t this colonialism, isn’t this imperialism?” In a passionate presentation at the European Food Summit held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, the chef said that in the past, guides like Michelin or Zagat served as the mediators between what was going on in the kitchen and what came out to the public. “These guides were written or printed to connect the public to chefs. The end result, however, has been that certain models were established,” Andoni said. “Michelin in Europe defined the quality and the way that a restaurant needed to operate to be eligible for a star. If you don’t follow a certain approach and meet all the criteria you are not considered and are … [Read more...]
Collaboration is key, we cannot exist in a vacuum are main themes of European Food Summit
Chefs, food writers, scientists, winemakers convened in Ljubljana, Slovenia for the European Food Summit to discuss not just the state of food today but also the importance of making connections, thinking outside the box, thinking beyond the confines of borders and to listen to what nature is telling us. Slovenian chef Ana Ros and Andrea Petrini, the conference curator came up with a very interesting lineup of speakers to tackle a wide range of topics. Andrea Petrini conference curator set the mood for the conference with a video which showcased beautiful images of gastronomy. It started off like a tourism video but turned darker as he tackled issues like issues like migration, riots, climate change and sustainability among others. In his concluding remarks he pointed to the fact that while we speak about sustainability, this conversation and the actions that need to be taken are just the start. Andreas Caminada called on the industry to stop whining and start taking responsibility … [Read more...]