There is one constant of chefs that have made it to the very top of the culinary world. It is hard work, dedication and incredibly long hours of work. Reaching the top is extremely hard but staying there is no walk in the park either as chefs know that one mistake or bad review could shatter all their dreams. Few chefs have had the courage to give it all up and move on to do other things. The restaurant business is considered glamorous for many and the very best chefs may be considered to be stars in their own right appearing on television programmes, publishing their own books and becoming household names, even if few people can ever go to their restaurants. They have thousands of people following them on social media and huge recognition. Sergio Herman was at the top of the game when he decided to close his 3 Michelin star restaurant Oud Sluis on 22 December 2013 after 25 years working to put it at the top of the World's culinary map. Sergio Herman, Fucking Perfect is a … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2015
Interview with Jack O’Shea: Chophouse essential for nose to tail cooking
There is no question that Jack O'Shea knows what he wants. And he is determined to get it. With the Brussels Jack O'Shea Chophouse finally open, he is now focusing on growing the business to turn it truly global. A long-time proponent of nose to tail cooking and with the intention of wasting nothing, he is now leading by example having opened his first restaurant. "I have always loved cutting and selling meat. But ultimately you never have control of what happens to the meat when it leaves your butcher shop. The ultimate position would be to have your own restaurant and control how the meat is served, to make sure that it is cooked to perfection or as good as it can be," Jack tells me when I met him at the Chophouse in Brussels recently. But the restaurant has also given him the economies of scale he needs to not only follow his philosophy of wasting nothing from the animals but also to grow the business. "What the Chophouse will do is help me to centralise and stabilise my … [Read more...]
After Chophouse, Jack o’Shea to re-open Slabbinck in Uccle, Brussels
Fresh from the successful opening of the Jack o'Shea Chophouse in central Brussels, Jack o'Shea, one of Europe's leading butchers will be opening his third store in Uccle, Brussels. In many ways, the opening of this store is a tribute to André Slabbinck, a famous poultry butcher who died tragically last July when a car hit him and his partner Nadège as they were about to ride their motorcycle. It was a tragic story that shocked the Belgian and particularly the Brussels gastronomic community, because Slabbinck was considered to be one of the best Belgian artisans in gastronomy and a master when it came to poultry. When I met Jack o'Shea, a 10th generation butcher, a few days ago at the Chophouse (read the interview tomorrow) he told me that he wanted to pay tribute to André Slabbinck with the opening of his third shop in Brussels. "It was a tragic story. With this butcher shop, I want to reinstate his exceptional range of poultry products and in a way pay tribute to him. We … [Read more...]
Are you sure you know what you are eating?
Have you washed that salad you bought from a supermarket that has been labeled as washed? If not, you might think twice the next time you open that bag and serve it without washing it. This is the description of what your salad label really means: "Washed and ready-to-eat salads: Cleaned by sloshing around in tap water dosed with chlorine, often with powdered or liquid fruit acids to inhibit bacterial growth. The same tank of treated water is often used for 8 hours at a time". A shocking book is being published this week by Joanna Blythman. The name of the book is Swallow This: Serving Up the Food Industry's Darkest Secrets. In an article written by Blythman in The Guardian last week. she writes in incredible detail on what is happening in the food industry. It is a preview of the content of the book. And believe us, it does not make pleasant reading. We have already highlighted this article as a 'must read' in our weekly top reads on food and wine. But, if you've missed … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #22
Many of us have stories and anecdotes of group dinners gone bad. I've heard so many anecdotes from friends and experienced a few that this article could have easily been one I wrote. It might actually tempt me to share a few funny stories in the coming weeks about group dinners gone bad. So if you have any, don't hesitate to drop us a line. In the meantime, enjoy this article published in the Guardian. Most of today's top UK chefs have had stints with Marco Pierre White. He was the most influential and creative chef of his generation before he decided to retire from actual cooking in 1999. Here is a great interview with him in which he speaks about celebrity chefs. He also makes some interesting points about being able to do what he wants because he does not have 'three Michelin stars tying him to his stove'. We love Tokyo and hope to return as soon as this is feasibly possible. Noma's chef Rene Redzepi has been in Tokyo over the past weeks cooking at a pop-up restaurant. Here is … [Read more...]
L.E.S.S. by Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens (Hertog Jan)
L.E.S.S. the bistro by Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens of three-Michelin starred Belgian restaurant Hertog Jan is a relatively new restaurant in the idyllic city of Bruges. It was opened in the place which was previously Hertog Jan before they moved to their new premises in Zedelgem in July 2014. It stands for Love, Eat, Share and Smile and the idea is for friends or family to gather in a warm and relaxed atmosphere. When I visited Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens a few days ago, I asked what they aimed to achieve with L.E.S.S. and how it complements their three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan, "It was quite hard to distance ourselves from the old location because for us it was like our baby," Gert said. "We took it over as a brasserie and we worked very hard for five/six years to gain three stars. I started alone working in that kitchen and there were days when I was baking my bread at 6am in the morning and I was still doing mis-en-place at 1am or 2am." But … [Read more...]
A tasting of Grafé Lecocq wines
The tasting room beneath the Court of Justice in Namur (Photo by Manu Crooy)When we visited Grafé Lecocq to discover the story behind this Belgian wine 'negociant' that ages wines within the citadel of Namur and then stores the bottles under the cathedral of this Belgian city, we were surprised by the quality of the wine we tasted. Not that we should have been, the winemaker had come highly recommended. But what made the discovery so surprising was the purity of the wines and the winemaker's attention to let the terroir speak for itself. It might sound like a cliché but trust us it isn't. The wines of Grafé Lecocq would be a perfect way to test your knowledge of wines because they reflect a typicity which is not often found these days as many wine producers pander to wine critics who sometimes prefer power and oak over anything else. And I want to stress this in a positive way because I found the wines (even the entry level ones) to reflect the terroir from where they … [Read more...]
Bo Bech and San Degeimbre: a unique four hands dinner
There is something really special about the love of food and cooking. Most of our celebrations always end up having food, family and friends as the central element. So when you get two passionate cooks like Sang-Hoon Degeimbre of L'air du temps and Bo Bech of Restaurant Geist cooking together in a four-hands dinner you end up realising that when it comes to food, we all speak the same language. There is something very special about a four hands dinner. It brings together cooks who may not know each other very well but it helps to cement a friendship and showcase their different cooking styles. There are clearly many differences between the two chefs. Bo is a bubbly personality, San is more calm. In a way it is like comparing chalk and cheese. But put them together in a kitchen and they created a magical menu at the first four hands dinner for 2015 at L'air du temps. The story of the two chefs also has many similarities. Unlike most chefs, both San and Bo did not start their … [Read more...]
Bo Bech: Easier to remember the truth than the lie
Bo Bech, of restaurant Geist, is a bubbly personality who knows exactly what he wants. Having made his name in Copenhagen at Restaurant Paustian, where he was awarded a Michelin star, he decided to set up Geist in 2011 because he did not like the way food was going. When Sang-Hoon Degeimbre, of two Michelin starred Belgian restaurant L'Air du Temps invited him for a four-hands dinner in Liernu he replied immediately without hesitation. Bech is well-known in Denmark for the Danish answer to Kitchen Nightmares. But he is also a chef who leaves a huge impression. Both Sang-Hoon and Olivier from L'Air du Temps tell us how this restaurant has left a really great impression and they highly recommend that we visit if we are in Copenhagen. You can understand why from the cooking style of Bo Bech, but also from his philosophy. While he is making the sauce, which is about to accompany what seems like a simple dish but has incredibly complex flavours (the cauliflower with truffle and a … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #21
We have come across a number of very interesting articles this week on food and wine. We hope you have time to read a few of them. It is always great to read inspiring stories and this one on French chef Anne-Sophie Pic in eater.com by Lesley Chesterman is fantastic. It is long but really worth a read. Noma's pop-up restaurant in Tokyo has served its last dinner this week. The Guardian has a stunning photo reportage of Noma in Tokyo, in pictures. We've come across a list of top five restaurants in the South of France published by Oliver's Travels as well as a list of 5 best value restaurants. While some like Mauro Colagreco's Mirazur Restaurant, who we interviewed for Food and Wine Gazette, are on our bucket list, others are extremely interesting to note. Bone broth is becoming more trendy according to this article in the Guardian. Bone broth has been made for centuries and is made by simmering animal bones (usually beef or chicken) for a very long time to extract maximum flavour … [Read more...]