COPENHAGEN: Noma will set foot in Japan for a second time, this time in the city of Kyoto. The 10-week pop-up will take place between March 15 and May 20 at the Ace Hotel, Kyoto. And the foundations are being set for the transformation of noma as we know it in 2024. René Redzepi said that for the past two years, they had been studying, travelling and researching the city of Kyoto and the Kansai region, in particular kaiseki cuisine. “This spring, we return to the place where so much of our own journey began.” René Redzepi, chef of noma, one of the most influential restaurants in the world said it is incredibly inspiring for the team to have the opportunity to explore this unique tradition in the beautiful city of Kyoto during the height of the sakura (cherry blossom) season.  “We cannot wait to pack our bags - a group of 95 people, from apprentices to owners - and live in a new corner of the world, to meet new people and to learn from a different culture and see things … [Read more...]

LJUBLJANA: Ana Roš, the Slovenian chef who has managed to put Slovenia on the global gastronomic map thanks to her culinary work at Hisa Franko has embarked on a new project opening a bakery in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. Pekarna Ana is a new boutique bakery which opened its doors earlier this month as Ana Roš offers a glimpse into her world of creativity at Kobarid and Hisa Franko. In this project, she has joined forces with one of the prominent representatives of modern European bread baking Nataša Đurić and Anže Kranjec the young pastry master, trained at the prestigious Ecole Bellouet Conseil. At Pekarna Ana, the trio serve sourdough bread and pair it with assorted sweet and savoury pastries. “Opening a new venue is never an easy decision,” said Ana Roš. “The idea came about when Hiša Franko’s amazing baker Nataša Đurić shared with me her readiness for new endeavours. Nurturing her incredible talent and potential, we’ve decided to design a new project together and … [Read more...]

MODENA: Franceschetta 58, the bistro of Osteria Francescana led by chef Francesco Vincenzi has announced it will be going on tour in Florence, Rome and Torino. The bistro, opened by Massimo Bottura in his home town Modena to complement his three Michelin star Osteria Francescana will welcome Italian chef Marco Ambrosino on 28 September in Modena. Marco Ambrosino was the first chef of the Milan restaurant that has been the talk of the town 28 Posti before leaving to return back to the south of Italy earlier this year. Ambrosino will be bringing his flair and Nordic approach to Mediterranean cuisine with a four hands dinner at Franceschetta. On 25 October, Franceschetta 58 will host Locale, a restaurant and bar in Florence that figures in the 51st place of the World's 50 Best Bars 2021. The chef Simone Caponnetto and barman Matteo Di Ienno will host chef Vicenzi in Florence on 3 November for a return dinner. The chef of Franceschetta and his team will head to Rome as hosts … [Read more...]

Peppe Cutraro of Peppe Pizzeria in Paris was awarded with the pizza maker of the year award. Meanwhile Francesco Martucci's I Masanielli in Caserta and Anthony Mangieri's Una Pizza Napoletana in New York have tied for the best pizzeria in the world. The results were unveiled by the 50 Top Pizza list released at the Palazzo Reale in Naples. Third place went to Giuseppe Cutraro's Peppe Pizzeria in Paris. This was the first time that a 50 Top Pizza World list was compiled. 50 Kalo and 10 Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria in Naples captured fourth and fifth place, sixth went to I Tigli in San Bonifacio, seventh to to Francesco and Salvatore Salvo pizzeria in Naples, eight to Seu Pizza Illuminati in Rome, ninth to La Notizia 94 in Naples and Tony's Pizza Napoletana in San Francisco took the 10th position. Forty Italian pizzerias, 25 from Europe, 15 from the United States, 15 from Asia-Pacific, 4 in South America and 1 in Africa complete the 2022 classification for the top 100 … [Read more...]

BRUSSELS: Racines, a restaurant that has established itself as one of the best Italian restaurants in Brussels, if not Belgium is introducing a new concept for Friday lunch. Since last Friday, friends Ugo Frederico and Francesco Cury have introduced what they call 'la pasta popolare del venerdi' or a traditional and popular pasta that they will serve each Friday. The first pasta dish last week was Rigatoni alla Gricia, a popular dish from Roman cuisine which is made with rigatoni, pecorino romano, black pepper and guanciale. They will be serving one pasta dish each week together with a selection of their favourite antipasti and a dessert. This Friday's pasta dish will be Rigatoni alla carbonara, another Roman classic. But they will be revisiting some of the most traditional and popular dishes that have made Italian cuisine what it is around the world. Among the other 'popular' pasta dishes that they will be serving in the coming weeks are the Amatriciana and the Puttanesca … [Read more...]

GALWAY: JP McMahon, a leading Irish chef that has helped to place Ireland on the global culinary map with his restaurant Aniar and one of the best food events in the world Food on the Edge has announced the closure of Tartare after five years. In a press statement, JP said running three restaurants has been very difficult since COVID-19. He said he particularly found the shortage of good quality chefs very challenging. "Energy and labour costs have spiralled in 2022 and the sustainability of our business is challenging. With having the other two restaurants, running Food on the Edge, alongside other commitments, I felt we had to consolidate and focus on the bigger picture," he said. "It is with sadness that we announce that we will be closing our beautiful Tartare on 4 September," JP McMahon said. "We are very proud of what we achieved over the past 5 years. We want to thank our customers and particularly our loyal regulars. And most importantly we want to thank our staff over … [Read more...]

LONDON: Fresh from his success at the World's 50 Best restaurants awards which were announced in London earlier this week, Alberto Landgraf, chef of restaurant Oteque in Rio de Janeiro has announced the opening of a new restaurant in London later this year. His restaurant placed in 47th place in the 2022 edition, an impressive result given the pandemic and the lack of travel over the past few years. Since its opening Oteque has won all accolades quickly reaching the 100th spot in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in its first year of opening in 2018. Now, three years and a pandemic later, it has reached 47th spot in the list making it one of the top rising restaurants in the list. Alberto will bring his Brazilian city flavours and soul to London giving his own personal touch. Alberto Landgraf said: "I am really happy that my first international project is going to happen in London. It is very emotional for me as I started my career twenty-two years ago in this city. When … [Read more...]

Christophe Hardiquest, the Belgian chef who closed restaurant Bon Bon at the end of June will take over the helm of La Mere Germaine, a restaurant in Chateauneuf-du-Pape in France. He has also announced that he will be reopening Bon Bon, the two Michelin star restaurant in Brussels but with a new format. The chef shocked the Brussels culinary scene earlier this year when he announced the closure of restaurant Bon Bon to pursue other projects. He had said that he wanted to create new projects and not necessarily put all his focus and energy on one restaurant. The Belgian chef was always present in his restaurant when it was open which meant he was constrained from pursuing other projects. He has taken the time during the pandemic to reflect on his future and the future of gastronomy and the new projects are an indication that he is coming back with even more energy. After a short-break, the Belgian chef has announced that he will reopen the old restaurant Bon Bon in a … [Read more...]

There are 20 new restaurants from 15 different cities in the list of restaurants ranked from 51st to 100th ahead of the annual awards ceremony that takes place on Monday 18 July in London. The highest new entry on the list is Trèsind Studio, Dubai, UAE at No.57 Asia has 14 entries in the ranking this year spread across seven cities including: Mingles, Seoul (No.71), Fu He Hui, Shanghai (No.64), Neighborhood, Hong Kong (No.76) and Wing, Hong Kong (No.100), and two restaurants from Japan – Sazenka (No.59) and new entry Sézanne (No.82). India makes an appearance as well with Indian Accent in New Delhi snagging a spot at No.92. Of the three restaurants from Singapore, Zén (No.70) and Meta (No.95) are new entries and join established favourite Burnt Ends (No.94). The four restaurants from Thailand include Le Du (No.65) and Sühring (No.66) as well as new entries Samrub Samrub Thai (No.75) and Raan Jay Fai (No.85). Several new territories boast establishments featured on … [Read more...]