Sergio Herman, the Dutch chef who closed one of the best restaurants in the world, the Oud Sluis, is set to open his third restaurant in the seaside resort of Cadzand-Bad in Zeeland, the Netherlands. The Japanese inspired bar and restaurant called Blueness will be housed inside the refurbished and extended Strand Hotel which also houses his restaurant Pure C led by chef Syrco Bakker. Last year, the Dutch chef who lives in Belgium also opened AIRrepublic, a restaurant located in a pavilion in the newly build marina of Cadzand within walking distance of the hotel and Pure C. The two restaurants in Cadzand both have a Michelin star. The new restaurant will be housed in the hotel lobby of the Strand Hotel. The opening of the renewed Strand Hotel will take place this summer though the exact date is not yet known. During Phase 1, the new Strandhotel will have 30 hotel rooms and 4 suits. The new hotel lobby and bar will be merged. The bar will be open daily and will have a … [Read more...]
Archives for June 2018
Kasper Kurdhal (Le Chalet de la Foret): The offer from Ferran Adria that was too good to accept
When Ferran Adria was riding the crest of popularity he offered Kasper Kurdahl, then 27, the possibility to become his sous-chef and go to Seville to open a restaurant with him. Most people would have jumped at that opportunity or pinched themselves to make sure they heard it right. But Kasper is not like that. While most people would think this is too good an offer to refuse, the Danish chef thought otherwise and reasoned that that it was too good an offer to accept so he turned it down. Were you too young I asked him. “No. I was very precise about it. If I had accepted, I would have become a product of el Bulli for the rest of my life. I did not want that. I wanted to be myself,” the Danish executive chef of Le Chalet de la Foret, in Brussels, Belgium told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview. Kasper doesn’t look back at that decision and does not regret it. “I am happy with the decision I took at the time. I think I did the right thing,” he said. “Ferran was a genius, an … [Read more...]
Esenzi to open in Malta later this year with Tim Butler at the helm
British entrepreneur Mark Weingard has the ambition to turn a new restaurant that is set to open in Valletta, Malta later this year into one of the world’s most spectacular restaurants and also one of the best in the world. The chef at the helm is Tim Butler, who is also chef and co-owner of Esenzi in Phuket. Esenzi will open in a new boutique hotel being currently refurbished on St Barbara Bastions which is considered as Malta’s best street with a spectacular view of the Grand Harbour. Mark Weingard has set an ambitious target of November for the opening of the restaurant. The 23 room hotel, Iniala, is scheduled to open around March next year. Tim Butler, the chef and co-owner of the restaurant told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview he has been visiting Malta every month since January to build his knowledge of local produce and to get a feel of the clientele and their habits. He is also experiencing the huge change taking place in Valletta with the constant openings of hotels … [Read more...]
Tim Butler in series of charity dinners in Malta
A series of dinners by Tim Butler, chef of Thailand restaurant Esenzi have been organised at the Maltese president’s summer residence at the Verdala Castle to raise money for charity over the past few weeks. The dinners are also a way for the chef to assess the local’s response to his cuisine as he is set to open a Maltese version of his signature restaurant Esenzi in Phuket while researching on Maltese produce, suppliers and also receive feedback from Maltese customers for his Asian inspired cuisine. Held in a majestic dining room in a palace built by the Knights of St John in 1586, Tim and Mark Weingard, the Englishman who has been investing heavily in Malta in the past few years and who will open the boutique hotel Iniala on the St Barbara bastions where the restaurant will be based welcomed a group of international food journalists for what was probably the first ever food related press visit on the island of Malta. Tim used Maltese produce from the sea and combined it … [Read more...]
Le Chalet de la Forêt: Creating emotions by joining the creative forces of two chefs
If you happen to arrive to Le Chalet De la Forêt blindfolded or haven’t paid any attention to how you got there, you will not believe that you are still in the Belgian capital, Brussels. Nestled in the immense Sonian Forest a bit further away from one of the main parks of the city, the Bois de la Cambre, is a chalet that houses this two Michelin star restaurant. The road leading to the restaurant is stunning whichever season you pass through it. Be it the austere winter months, spring, summer or autumn when the leaves turn golden, it always has a magical feel especially at dawn or dusk. In this location, Pascal Devalkeneer, the chef and owner of the restaurant and Kasper Kurdhal, the executive chef have joined their creative efforts and are starting to push boundaries hoping that they can take the restaurant to the next level. Why this restaurant is not really on the radar screen is something that intrigues me and you can learn more from my interview with Kasper Kurdahl in … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura reclaims top spot in World’s 50 Best Restaurants list
Massimo Bottura, chef of acclaimed Modena restaurant Osteria Francescana reclaimed the no 1 spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list 2018 when it was announced in Bilbao. El Celler de Can Roca, the restaurant of the Roca brothers placed second while Mauro Colagreco of Mirazur in Menton clinched third place. Eleven Madison Park, the restaurant which clinched top spot in 2017 placed fourth. After winning the award, Massimo Bottura said his first thoughts were with his teams in Modena and Florence but also Refettorio, the soup kitchen in Paris who sent him a photo saying they were all routing for him. “We built this together,” he told the audience. “I am not going to disappoint you. I will use this spotlight to show that chefs in 2018 are much more than the sum of their recipes. We can have a loud voice for change,” said the Italian chef. His wife Lara Gilmore said that it was an honour to win the award adding that all those present were winners because this was one of the … [Read more...]
Eneko Atxa opens Eneko in Bilbao
Eneko Atxa, chef of 3 Michelin star restaurant Azurmendi and Eneko, both in Larrabetzu in the Basque countryside has opened a new restaurant in the city of Bilbao. The Spanish chef from the Basque region also has restaurants in London and Tokyo. The Basque chef has opened the restaurant in the Euskalduna Palance on May 24 with the aim of serving traditional Basque dishes and showcasing the land, the culture, the traditions, the Basque producers and their work. This approach has already been recognised in the restaurant Eneko in Larrabetzu but he now takes the concept to Bilbao in the centre of this dynamic Basque city. The restaurant next to Azurmendi clinched a Michelin star late last year. Eneko Bilbao is based on traditional Biscayan cuisine, ancient recipes presented in an elegant and direct manner with all the intensity of Eneko's cooking style. The concept of Eneko Bilbao is based on Eneko's desire to recover and update recipes that are part of his personal culinary … [Read more...]
Q&A with Karen Torosyan: ‘You need to eliminate the excess’
In the second part of our interview with Karen Torosyan, chef of Bozar Restaurant in Brussels we get to know more about the chef who earlier this year bought the restaurant from David Martin of La Paix. The chef of Armenian origin arrived in Brussels when he was 18 years old and has established himself today as one of the most artisanal chefs in the country if not Europe. He is known for his pate en croute which made him famous not just in Belgium but also outside the country particularly when he won the pate en croute championship in 2015. But it was the evening that Michelin awarded Bozar Brasserie with a Michelin star that marked his career. On that day, Karen knew that he would be the master of his own destiny. Your best ever meal? I would say there are three. One was at Hof Van Cleve in 2013. The other was at Astrance both for the philosophy behind the cooking and also the service. It was unforgettable. Pascal Barbot is on another planet. The last was at La Paix the … [Read more...]
8 restaurants drop out of World’s 50 Best list including classics as 13 new restaurants get into 51-100 position
At least eight restaurants have dropped out of the World's 50 Best list according to a preliminary list of restaurants from 51-100 of restaurants published by The World's 50 Best Restaurants list. These include classic restaurants who have graced the list for many years like Amber in Hong Kong, De Librije in the Netherlands, Vendome in Germany and Hof van Cleve in Belgium. Other restaurants that have dropped places in the list include the Copenhagen restaurant Relae, Paris restaurant L'Astrance, Australian restaurant Brae and Argentinian restaurant Tegui. Among the newcomers to the list is the new restaurant by Albert Adria Enigma, the restaurant of Kristian Baumann and René Redzepi 108 in Copenhagen, Atelier in Munich, Alo in Toronto, Leo in Bogota, L'Effervescence in Tokyo, SingleThread in Healdsburg, Nobelhjart & Schmutzig in Berlin, Le Coucou in New York, A casa do Porco in Sao Paulo, Elkano in Getaria, Don Julio in Buenos Aires and Suhring in Bangkok. Two Belgian … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura brings together 24 chefs for Al Méni in Rimini on 23 and 24 June
It is sometimes called the G8 of international cuisine. On 23 and 24 June, close to the sea in Rimini, Massimo Bottura, chef of Osteria Francescana, will organise the fifth edition of 'Al Méni' an open air food festival where 12 chefs from Emilia Romagna and 12 up and coming international chefs join forces to serve top cuisine at 'street food' prices. Among others, there will be top Polish chef Adrian Klonowski, the Indian rising star Garima Arora or Tekuna Gachechiladze, the star of Georgian popular cuisine. 'Al Méni' is dialect in the region for hands and comes from the title of a poem by Tonino Guerra. Bottura came up with the idea for the festival 5 years ago. It is held under a circus tent inspired by the great Italian film director Federico Fellini in the square that is named after Fellini. It is aimed to be a celebration of the cuisine and produce of the region. The commune of Rimini turned the idea into an event. The chefs that are taking part come from all corners of … [Read more...]