René Redzepi, chef of Noma, is partnering with Thorsten Schmidt, dubbed the Nordic Alchemist to open a new restaurant Barr on 5th July inside the old home of noma on the city's iconic waterfront. "For years, I have been talking with René about creating a new kind of restaurant in Copenhagen. We have been holding out for the perfect space – and we finally found it," Thorsten said. Barr will not be another Nordic restaurant. Rather, it will draw from the eating and drinking traditions of the North Sea; an area that spans Scandinavia, Benelux and the British Isles. The name Barr is an old Irish word for “crops” and an old Nordic word for “barley,” a staple throughout this stretch of Europe, and, of course, one of the foundations of beer. Barr will celebrate this diverse region’s cold-country cooking, its breweries, and its shared devotion to conviviality. Schmidt said that the cooking of this region has always fascinated him – from classic dishes like the humble frikadeller … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2017
Bon Bon’s Christophe Hardiquest to open summer bistro in Brussels
Christophe Hardiquest, two Michelin star chef of the highly regarded Brussels restaurant Bon Bon is realising his dream of opening a bistro even if this will only be for two months. Having decided to close his two Michelin star restaurant in July and August to modernise and refurbish the kitchen completely, Christophe together with his wife Stephanie have decided to take over Chez Marie, a restaurant that has been closed for over two years in the area of Flagey in Brussels. The bistro, called Mon Bistro d'été by Christophe Hardiquest will be serving classics away from the constraints of fine dining restaurants though you can expect a very high quality given that he will be moving together with his team and will be at the helm of the bistro for the two months. This is part of his Brussels project which started last year with a reflection on how to interpret Brussels and Belgian classics. In an interview with Food and Wine Gazette last year, Christophe had said that "it is also … [Read more...]
28 and a half minutes trying to uncover the secrets of Jay Rayner
Jason Rayner is big …..not only in a physical sense but also his presence. Jay as he prefers to call himself, is a man who is ‘Big in Britain’. He is held high in regard thanks to his success as a writer, journalist, author, critic, by his solo flight stage shows, television appearances, radio programmes and one time trip to the USA, as an expert on Bravo channel's Master Chef spin off. This barrowload of awards and accolades reminds us and him, who he was and is. For his big name and big reputation he could even be a 21st century Renaissance man if there is room for that. With his own performing Jazz Quartet in London which strikes a noticeable similarity to Woody and his set in New York, and a wife who sings with him about food and drink, he’s almost the full circle of talent and diligence. Jay arrived in New Zealand in May with opinions and his book to perform the show The Ten Commandments and share it with readers, writers and broadcasters. I was granted 30 minutes of his … [Read more...]