The closed food market in Valletta was in a state of decay, a few shops remained in what was once the place where people used to come from all across the island to shop there. There were butchers, fishmongers, cheesemongers and every family seemed to have their favourite supplier. That has changed thanks to the refurbishment of the Is-Suq tal-Belt as it is known by the locals. The food market opened its doors officially on 3 January and crowds have started to flock there first out of curiosity but also to savour the food that is on offer there. I still remember the trips to Valletta which ended with a visit to the market where my mother would stock up on anything from blood pudding to calf liver or Maltese sausage. But over time, the allure of the market was lost as people preferred to shop locally and supermarkets sprouted around the island. It died a slow death, dilapidated with just a few shops remaining that served mainly the dwindling Valletta population. Today the market … [Read more...]
New Spazio Roma by Niko Romito to open in January in Parioli quarter
Following the success of Spazio in Rivisondoli, Milan and the temporary location at Eataly Rome, Niko Romito, the chef of three Michelin star restaurant Reale, in Castel di Sangro, will open the third Spazio in Rome. The new Spazio, in the Parioli quarter of Rome, will retain the same format and philosophy of the other restaurants allowing the young students of the Niko Romito Formazione cooking school to gain experience in a real life restaurant. This time, however, Spazio will be pushing the boundaries by housing not just a restaurant but also a cafeteria, bakery as well as a cocktail bar. The idea is to create a space that enables the students from Niko Romito Formazione to get experience not just in a restaurant environment but also in a space that serves as a bakery shop, a breakfast place, a place where you go for an apero or cocktail or even a healthy smoothie. The restaurant will be open from breakfast till late at night. Spazio Roma is set to open towards the end … [Read more...]
Richard Ekkebus and the Amber philosophy to eliminate plastic from the restaurant
Chefs today can be activists promoting causes which are important for society. Richard Ekkebus, chef of restaurant Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong is conscious of the importance of giving back to society and has made it his philosophy to try and improve things. Ekkebus is on a mission to try and remove plastic waste from the restaurant. And it is something that he and his team monitor on a weekly basis. “In Hong Kong, we live in a city with over consumption and we have a huge problem when it comes to landfills and pollution. There are things that we can do to fight this. We have been thinking about ways to eliminate plastic within our operations. It is not just a question of limiting food waste but also of limiting packaging because we are only now realising that plastic is coming back into the food chain after 100 years of industrial and household use of plastic,” he told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview. Plastic is everywhere from the packaging to … [Read more...]
Souvenir restaurant to move from Ypres to Gent in March: ‘We wanted to retain access to our suppliers’
Viljhjalmur Sigurdarson, the Iceland chef of restaurant Souvenir and his wife Joke Michiel have announced that they will move their restaurant in the small Flemish city of Ypres to Gent. After four years in Ypres, Vili and Joke have decided to move due to roadworks which will make their restaurant in the village of Ypres inaccessible for a long time. When announcing their decision they said it was a very difficult decision but one that has been taken out of necessity. "It was time to reflect on how we could continue to do what we were doing," they said. Gent has become one of the most important culinary cities in Belgium. Earlier this year, Kobe Desramaults opened his new restaurant Chambre Separee after closing In De Wulf in Dranouter, 20 kilometres away from Souvenir. Vrijmoed and a number of other restaurants like Publik and Oak go from strength to strength. "We have had four beautiful years in Ypres. It has been a rollercoaster of hard work, rewards, sacrifices, great … [Read more...]
World Restaurant Awards to be unveiled in Paris on 14 May: “This is not another list”
The World Restaurant Awards will be unveiled for the first time ever at the historic Hotel de Villa overlooking the Seine in the heart of Paris on 14 May. Joe Warwick, the creative director of The World Restaurant Awards and Andrea Petrini, the head of the judging panel told Food and Wine Gazette "this is not another fucking list.” The awards will include restaurant of the year, new restaurant of the year, enduring classic - recognising the sustained excellent of restaurants open at least 50 years, event of the year covering pop-ups and temporary restaurant residences, forward drinking - rewarding clever thinking on drinking from wine, beer and cocktails to coffee, tea and everything in between and far-flung beauty - worth the journey to an isolated location. The brainchild of Joe Warwick who had the idea over 10 years ago and who had nearly given up hope of ever seeing it materialise, the awards will also feature less serious awards which the organisers hope create not only a … [Read more...]
Seven tables for dinner at The Jane Antwerp to auctioned in aid of Deaf Flanders
From today, you can bid for 7 tables at one of the most sought after restaurants in the world with a guarantee that you will get a booking next year. The Jane in Antwerp, the restaurant created by chef Nick Bril and Sergio Herman will be auctioning 7 tables from today till the 24th December. The winners of the auctioned tables will be able to experience a full culinary treat at the Jane, easily one of the most impressive restaurants in the world housed in a former church. The proceeds from the auction of these 7 dinners for 2 will all go to Deaf Flanders. The auction takes place during Warm Week, Music for Life and the winners get to pick their own date in 2018 without the need to take the standard reservation system. This is a unique opportunity to secure a seat in a restaurant that is extremely hard to book without having to go through their three month booking system. Stu Bru reported that a few days ago, Nick discovered that his four year old daughter was nearly … [Read more...]
Three Japanese chefs reflect on their experience in Belgium cooking with Gert De Mangeleer
The champagne bottles were out for two Japanese chefs who cooked at Hertog Jan in Zedelgem earlier this year. Both Zaiyu Hasegawa of restaurant Den in Tokyo and Hiroyasu Kawate, chef of Florilège in Tokyo clinched their second star earlier this week. The third chef to cook at Gert De Mangeleer's restaurant was Yusuke Takada from La Cime in Osaka whose restaurant also has 2 Michelin stars. It was the perfect accolade for these two talented chefs who have been traveling and working on collaboration dinners over the past year. We caught up with the three chefs who cooked at the three Michelin star restaurant in Zedelgem to get their views of their experience in Flanders cooking with Belgian chef Gert de Mangeleer. Hiroyasu Kawate When we caught up with Hiroyasu Kawate at Hertog Jan he told us his goal was to move ahead, to get better in what he does, to search for perfection and to enjoy himself. He did not know that he his restaurant would clinch a second star. “I want to … [Read more...]
COLLECTIVfood aims to revolutionise food supply to restaurants
Delivery of restaurant meals has been revolutionised through platforms like Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Now COLLECTIVfood aims to revolutionise the supply to restaurants connecting food producers directly with food producers cutting out the middleman and thus passing savings to both the customer and supplier. COLLECTIVfood Founder, Jeremy Hibbert-Garibaldi (great great grandson of Italian revolutionary General Garibaldi who helped to unify Italy), says “ the way that food is supplied into restaurants is old-fashioned, inefficient and ready for a revolution. We have built an easy-to-use procurement platform that directly connects restaurants and food producers and we are already seeing massive traction. It’s a win-win scenario.” One of their first restaurant customers, Notting Hill based rotisserie restaurant Cocotte , has seen huge benefits. “Through COLLECTIVfood we have a better quality chicken for a lower price, and since this is our primary ingredient it is significantly … [Read more...]
‘Results benefit the whole of Belgium’ – Sang Hoon Degeimbre after Michelin Guide publication exposes regional differences
The publication of the results of the Michelin Guide for Belgium have been the subject of intense debate on social media and also in the Belgian media with critics hitting out for the difference in treatment of the different regions in Belgium. But Sang Hoon Degeimbre, chef of two Michelin star restaurant L'Air du Temps and the most representative chef of the Wallonia region in Belgium has said that he feels saddened by comments claiming injustice, differences, lobbying and even 'favouritism' for the Flemish region. "This saddens me. Instead of celebrating our culinary heritage and dynamism in our country, we focus on the differences between regions. Of course I believe in Wallonia and its talents, in the work of chefs and producers which I work to promote on a daily basis." While 14 new restaurants received a Michelin star in the new 2018 guide, 12 were in Flanders, 1 in the Brussels region and 1 in Wallonia. The three restaurants that were promoted to 2 stars all hail from … [Read more...]
Boury, Vrijmoed and La Source clinch 2 Michelin stars in Belgium
Michelin today released its guide for Belgium and Luxembourg and upgraded three restaurants to the 2 Michelin star category in Belgium. The Belgian city of Gent was in the spotlight with Vrijmoed of chef Michael Vrijmoed clinching two stars while Oak and Chambre Separee, the restaurant by Kobe Desramaults both getting 1 Michelin star. The other two restaurants that were promoted to two Michelin stars were Boury of Tim Boury in Roeselaere and La Source of Ralf Berendsen in Lanaken. Restaurant critics in Wallonia expressed their disappointment that their region seemed to have been forgotten by the red guide. In fact there was only one new Michelin star in Wallonia, the Bistro Racine in Braine-le- Château. The young chef of Altermezzo, Jo Grootaers, crowned a superb year. After winning the Flanders young chef of the year by Gault & Millau, he was also given the title by Michelin and his restaurant in Tongeren won its first star. The female chef of the year went to Kathleen … [Read more...]