A very popular feature on www.ivanbrincat.com was on what I enjoyed reading this week. However, some links were not necessarily related to food, wine or travel. Here, the focus will be more on what is happening in the food and wine world. We hope that you enjoy this collection of links as much as we do. Obviously we cannot spot everything, so feel free to send us your favourite links. Your favourite link or blogpost could make it to the weekly roundup. There is a back to school feeling as September starts (at least in many countries where school has already started) but with September there are new beginnings. So this week you will read about new places that have opened in London and Brussels among others. And if you are heading to Paris, you might want to save the link below to the best places selling 'pain au chocolat' in Paris. But the first link of the week is France's Michelin starred chef Alain Ducasse to ban meat from his restaurant in Paris. Being vegetarian in France is … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2014
A trip to Dierendonck, one of the best Belgian butchers
"Being a butcher is being a craftsman. Dierendonck, combines the professional skill of today with the quality of the past," Hendrik Dierendonck says. A visit to his Atelier in Nieuwpoort yesterday confirmed all the good things that we have been hearing about this butcher shop. No wonder it is considered to be one of the best butchers in Belgium. A look at his website, however, would instantly confirm that Dierendonck is a must visit for any foodie who finds himself at the Belgian coast. His produce is used by some of the top chefs in Belgium and the Netherlands (Sergio Herman of Oud Sluis fame, David Martin of Restaurant La Paix , Jan Wittevrongel of Ten Bogaerde, Kobe Desramaultsoud of In de Wulf to mention just a few). This should be enough to tickle your taste buds and visit. The choice of meat at the Atelier was exceptional. We opted for a 'contra filet' from West Flanders. The meat was exceptional in flavour though slightly chewy. It did not have the marbling of the … [Read more...]
Welcome to Food and Wine Gazette
Welcome to www.foodandwinegazette.com. This is the first post of the new website though you will find content which has been published before on www.ivanbrincat.com. Thank you for your support and I hope that you find the new format better. Given this is still work in progress, I would very much welcome your comments on how to make the site and its functionality better. I have decided to make these changes because the blog format was no longer valid particularly given even I was finding it difficult to find some old blogposts which I had posted. I hope that this format with its menus and categories helps you to find the content which you are looking for. A few words about the policies of this website. All that we review is independent and paid for. We will welcome guest posts because the format is such as to allow for it. This can only help to enrich the content of this website but this is on condition that the posts remain independent. We would like to develop … [Read more...]
Book review: The Road to Burgundy: The Unlikely Story of an American Making Wine and a New Life in France
Many people think of giving everything up to follow their dream. Very few, however, end up taking the plunge. This is the story of Ray Walker who had a secure career in finance until he took a wine-tasting vacation which ignited a passion for wine that he couldn't stifle. Now the interesting part of the story is that unlike most wine lovers who develop their passion over many years, Ray Walker could not be bothered about wine and actually could not really see the point or stand snobbish behaviour related to wine. But once the wine bug hit during a tasting of Burgundy wines, he could not get away from it and pursued his dream taking huge risks and sacrificing family life. Not speaking French, he took the plunge by watching TV or reading old books trying to learn the techniques of wine making and the language and daydreaming about what it would be like to create his own wine. He quits his job and gets his hands dirty with some winemakers in California before heading to France … [Read more...]
What we’ve been drinking last month (August)
Summer in Malta is long and hot, and having spent most of the month on the little island in the Mediterranean, drinking red wine was not really an option except on rare occasions late in the evening when the temperature drops below 30 degrees and the cool summer breeze is welcomed by people who are trying to rest before they face another hot day. Close to the sea, it is normal to try and eat fish as much as possible and although I am not fixated with having to always match a white wine with fish, the focus for the month of August has mainly been white wines such as Chablis, Sancerre, Falaghina and Zibibbo among others though here I share with you three whites and two reds. White wines Hugel Riesling 2008 (Alsace, France): Riesling is a grape you either love or hate. It is one of my favourite grapes for white wine because aside from its intense acidity and fragrance it is very refreshing and easy to enjoy. Many associate Riesling with sweet wines, which is clearly the case, but … [Read more...]
Forcado – a Portuguese Pastelaria in Brussels
The impact of returning back to Brussels last week from a holiday in Malta was not only hard because of the temperature difference (nearly 20 degrees) but also because of the contrasting weather. From sun and blue skies to heavy rain and dark skies, the contrast could not have been starker. After finishing the shopping chores, we were heading to the centre to buy a wedding present early in afternoon when on the right side of Chaussee de Charleroi on the way towards Avenue Louise we noticed Pasteleria Forcado. Now, I had read about this Portuguese place and its exceptional pastries but I had not yet looked up its location. Given it was early afternoon and a good time for a coffee, we decided to stop and give it a try. I parked on Rue Americain and we headed to this welcoming coffee shop and tea room. The impact was immediately positive. The interior of the place is clinical but at the same time very welcoming. The tasting room and serving area is spotlessly clean and the famous … [Read more...]