The 15th edition of the most prestigious sommelier competition in the world will be held at the Elisabethzaal in Antwerp between 11 and 15 March 2019. The event returns to Belgium after 50 years when the first ever competition took place in Brussels. This unique triennial world championship is the initiative of A.S.I. (Association de la Sommellerie Internationale/ International Sommelier Association). It will be organised in conjunction with the Belgian Sommeliers Union and their president William Wouters, a resident of Antwerp. The first edition of this competition took place in Brussels in 1969. Now three years after it was last held in Mendoza, Argentina, the competition returns to its roots in Europe. Two cities were in the running to host the 2019 competition and surprisingly Antwerp overcame Bordeaux. “Antwerp is an extremely important harbour for importing wines worldwide. Furthermore Belgians are well-known for being true wine lovers and experts. We are obviously very … [Read more...]
Archives for September 2018
First Pizza Rossini festival showcases Italy’s most heretic pizza
Mention a pizza with pineapple and it is likely to make most Italians cringe with shock and awe. But the most heretic pizza with unusual and unexpected ingredients is the Pizza Rossini, a pizza margherita with egg and mayonnaise that will take centre stage at the first ever festival organised in Pesaro, Italy between 28 and 30 September. This pizza, a tribute to Rossini is very simple. It is made with a margherita base, generous amounts of hard-boiled egg and mayonnaise are added. It may sound bizarre but according to the most sceptics, it is still excellent. In this city in the Marche, the Rossini-mania has taken over moving from music to pizza. The festival, that will be organised in Piazza del Popolo in Pesaro, is part of the celebrations on the 150th anniversary of the death of Rossini. The aim is to make this recipe, a symbol of this city, known to as many people as possible. The name of the pizza pays tribute to a composer who is world famous. He is author of the Barber of … [Read more...]
The Jane Instantly, an Instagram account to help you secure one of the most sought after tables in the restaurant world
The Jane restaurant in Antwerp, Belgium considered to be one of the most sought after tables in the world has made it easier for customers looking to book at The Jane to get a table. Nick Bril, chef of The Jane and co-owner of the restaurant with Sergio Herman said that after hearing a million times that it is impossible to get a table at the restaurant he thought it a good idea to launch an active platform instead of posting about last minute table availabilities in in their normal feeds. To this end, the restaurant has created a new Instagram account called The Jane Instantly. Every week, the restaurant will list the possible booking options which makes it considerably easier that checking the website. "This feed will be all about weekly booking options, so the communications via that profile will be for offered options that week," Nick said. Restaurants have used social media before to try and sell last minute tables that become available but this is a very interesting … [Read more...]
Virgilio Martinez opens Ichu Peru in Hong Kong
Virgilio Martinez Véliz, the celebrated chef behind Central restaurant in Lima, Peru, has launched ICHU Peru in H Queen’s. Located in the heart of Hong Kong, ICHU serves contemporary Peruvian cuisine in a modern, bistro-style setting. “Our intention is to replicate the atmosphere of Lima’s local cevicherias,” explains Martinez. “We want to honour Peru’s no-fuss dining culture where the atmosphere is relaxed, the dishes are shared and the recipes highlight fresh ingredients and traditional flavours.” Although the mood is relaxed and casual, the menu reflects Chef Martinez’s sophisticated knowledge of Peruvian cuisine. Appetisers include Pargo al Rocoto featuring thinly-sliced snapper with celeriac, avocado and aji rocoto, and Ceviche Clásico, a punchy dish comprising snapper, choclo, red onion and sweet potato. Signature starters include Palta Quemada, a light combination of charred avocado, aji limo, tomato and cassava, or the flavourful Tartar de Lomo con Maiz using premium … [Read more...]
10th edition of Jong Keukengeweld: getting young chefs to cook for young people in Flanders
67 young top chefs from Flanders, Belgium will be taking part in the 10th edition of Jong Keukengeweld which offers young people between the ages of 18 and 30 the possibility to dine in one of 67 restaurants across Flanders for the price of 49 Euros including wine, water and beer. The price rises to 50 euros if the restaurant has a Michelin star or a Gault & Millau score from 15/20. The Flemish tourism minister Ben Weyts launched the campaign earlier this week saying that the 10th edition features a record 67 top chefs each with a passion for local products and Flemish gastronomy. "Young people are going to be spoilt for choice," he said. He said that Flemish gastronomy is bursting with talented young chefs that are striving for perfection while focusing on flavours and stimulating senses. The 67 chefs, which include 23 newcomers were selected by a jury led by Jan Buytaert. "Through this initiative many young people are finding their way to top Flemish kitchens he … [Read more...]
Lineup for Chef’s Table season 5 and 6 announced
Chef's Table, the successful documentary series that focuses on innovative chefs around the world has announced the new lineup for seasons five and six. Season 5 debuts on Netflix on September 28. The chefs featuring in this series include Albert Adria, the brother of Ferran Adria who today runs a restaurant empire in Barcelona with restaurants like Engima, Tickets and Pakta among others. The season also features Cristina Martinez who is known for her Philadelphia based barbecue and taco restaurant and her work advocating for immigration rights. The other two chefs in season 5 are Bo Songvisava who applies the principles of slow food to Thai cuisine has her restaurant in Bangkok called Bo.Lan. You can read our interview with Bo here. The chef together with her husband Dylan Jones run the restaurant and they are vocal advocates of sustainable and ethical farming using organic ingredients as possible. The fourth episode features Musa Dagdeviren who has a group of restaurants … [Read more...]
Bookings for Noma’s second seafood season to open on September 18
Bookings for next year's seafood season at Noma will open on Tuesday, September 18 at 4pm CET. Bookings will be open for the season that starts of January 8 and will run till June 1, 2019. Noma, the Copenhagen restaurant of René Redzepi will be closed between the Game season which ends on 23 December and January 8. This is the second seafood season after the launch of the new restaurant earlier this year. With the reopening of the restaurant, the Noma team have changed the way they work. They divide the year into three seasons during which the menu changes dramatically to match the type of ingredients that are at their peak at any given time of the year. Currently the restaurant is in its vegetable season. This is followed by the Game season. which starts on 2 October and runs till 22 December. The latter is the only period of the year when the restaurant serves meat. The seafood season brings the best of what Scandinavia has to offer given that the produce from the sea is at … [Read more...]
The chicken piri piri in Algarve
Renowned author Malcolm Gladwell came up with the concept that 10,000 hours of practice are needed to become world-class in any field. That principle seems to hold true for Restaurante Algarve in the sleepy village of Guia. Since the 1960s, the same family (through different generations) have been serving chicken piri piri using the same recipe. There were four generations of the family when we visited, the great-grandmother still supervising the cooking in the kitchen. You will not find much information about the restaurant online. It has been run pretty much in the same way since it opened. If you walk past the restaurant, you may even think twice before entering. It’s like time stood still. The decor is still very 1960s and 1970s, the tables give you the impression that they've remained the same from that time, but the family have been cooking the same chicken piri piri for many years and they have clearly perfected it. The restaurant serves chicken piri piri, a tomato salad, … [Read more...]
The last wine: Going once, going twice…. sold
When Gut Hermannsberg's general manager and oenologist Karsten Peter opened a bottle of the Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Trockenbeerenauslese 1921 vintage in 2017 to replace the cork he was astonished by the concentration, complexity and freshness of the wine. He was heard exclaiming 'the wine is as fresh at the new morning'. This was the last bottle of the wine that remains in the Rarities Cellar of Hut Hermannsberg, a bottle that that is not only historical but also comes from a phenomenal vintage. The neck of the bottle is decorated with a banderol, where one can read the ornamental script: Presented as a celebratory libation to honour the President of Germany, General Field Marshall von Hindenburg, at the liberation festivities in Cologne, on 21 March 1926. This last wine bottle is being put on auction. The couple who own Gut Hermannsberg, Dr Christine Dinse and Jens Reidel, along with the general manager Karsten Peter, made the decision to auction the 1921er for this … [Read more...]
Earliest harvest in decades for 2018 Austrian wine vintage
Extreme heat and lack of rain and moisture has characterised the 2018 Austrian wine harvest but for the most part, Austria's grapevines were able to withstand the heat. "We had an early and very ripe vintage on our hands, one in which persistent high temperatures led to consistently higher levels of alcohol and lower levels of acidity. Volume will be just above average: we are looking forward to a harvest in the magnitude of some 2.6 million hectolitres," said Johannes Schmuckenschlager, president of the Viticultural Association. The 2018 vintage will be one of the earliest harvests in decades. The vines budded later than usual this year, which in comparison to the previous two years provided the advantage that they suffered no damage from frost. The heat wave that set in just after budding in April and May led to one of the earliest flowerings since records have been kept. In most winegrowing regions, flowering was finished in May, which amounted to an enormous head start in the … [Read more...]