2018 has come and is about to go and it has been an incredible year for Food and Wine Gazette. Before I take you on a tour of what we covered during the year, I would like to thank you and express my gratitude for your constant support be it through reading, liking, sharing or even providing valuable feedback on a constant basis. We don't often hear about Maltese chefs but at the start of the year we put a spotlight on one of the most successful Maltese chefs Marvin Gauci interviewing him about his ventures, the opening of his restaurant in Budapest at the Corinthia Hotel and also how he intended to expand his business. Nick Bril announced the launch of a private dining room in his office next to The Jane in Antwerp called The Jane Table. Our first long form interview was with Bart de Pooter who touched upon the dinner at el Bulli which changed his perspective on food forever. That was barely posted when Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2018
Retrobottega opens Retropasta in Rome
A week after Alessandro Miocchi and Giuseppe Lo Iudice of Retrobottega got to know that their restaurant has been short-listed for the no reservations category in the World Restaurant Awards they have launched a new project called Retropasta. Ever day, Romans will be able to buy eight types of fresh pasta. These include simple pasta (tagliolini, fettuccine, orecchiette, gnocchi) and stuffed pasta (tortellini, agnolotti del plin, ravioli and tortelli). The pasta is made with organic eggs and flour and reflects the philosophy they adopt for their kitchen at Retro Bottega. They opened the restaurant as a partnership three years ago after working in some of Italy's top kitchens including Enrico Crippa's Piazza Duomo and Il Pagliacio in Rome. Their restaurant has been lauded for its modern cuisine in the heart of Rome. Close to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, food is served on two large communal tables. The restaurant is not only special for its food but it is also possible to eat … [Read more...]
Virgilio Martinez and Pia Leon to cook with Agustin Balbi in Hong Kong dinner in January
HAKU, the innovative Japanese restaurant led by Argentinian Chef Agustin Balbi, will be joining forces with Virgilio Martinez and chef Pia León of CENTRAL Restaurante in a one-night-exclusive collaboration dinner on Saturday, 19 January. The special 8-course menu include signature dishes that showcase the award-winning culinary prowess of the three chefs. Under the guidance of legendary Japanese chef Hideaki Matsuo (3*) of Kashiwaya in Osaka, the creations at HAKU have been curated through years of experience in the culinary field. Led by Executive Chef Agustin Balbi, the restaurant aspires to surprise and indulge guests with novel flavour combinations that showcase the chef’s creativity. Harnessing the ancient Japanese culinary practice of kappo where the five primary cooking techniques of grilling, steaming, frying, simmering and raw preparation are implemented, HAKU has added its own innovative flair to satiate the appetites of local gourmands. Virgilio Martinez's Central … [Read more...]
Three weeks after clinching 3 Michelin stars Dani Garcia announces he will turn restaurant into hamburger joint
Many in Dani Garcia's shoes will probably still be uncorking the champagne bottles after he clinched his dream of attaining 3 Michelin stars for his restaurant in Marbella, Spain. But 22 days after achieving his dream the Spain chef has shocked the gastronomy world by announcing he will close the restaurant on 21 October, eleven months after he was awarded 3 stars by the tyre company. "These days have been deeply beautiful but we will never reach this point again. We will never live something like this again," he told his team when he announced to them he would be closing the restaurant and turning it into a hamburger joint. "When you reach this point, it is time to think carefully about what you want to do next and what's to come. It has taken us 20 years to get to this point and we've gone through a lot of pain and suffering. But it will never happen again even if we create another 3 Michelin star restaurant," he said. "It is an experience that is impossible to live again. It … [Read more...]
Syrco Bakker (Pure C) and Nico Boreas (Sabero) clinch 2 Michelin stars in the Netherlands
Two new two Michelin star restaurants were added to the Netherlands when the tyre company announced the results for 2019 red guide. The new restaurants are Syrco Bakker's Pure C which is found in Cadzand and Sabero of Nico Boreas who opened Sabero in Roermond last spring. "This year is a very good year for the Netherlands," says Gwendal Poullennec, international director of Michelin Guides. "Not only have our inspectors seen consistently good cooking at the highest levels by the established chefs, but they have also found many new names to add. These young chefs, sometimes taking inspiration from their peers, are taking Dutch cuisine to new levels with their creativity, innovation and a thirst for finding new flavors to entice their customers." De Librije (in Zwolle), Inter Scaldes (in Kruiningen), and De Leest (in Vaassen) each retained their 3 star rating. In total there are now 110 starred restaurants in the Netherlands. In total, there are 18 … [Read more...]
Why 100 judges from across the globe are lending support to the World Restaurant Awards
This is not another list, Joe Warwick and Andrea Petrini repeat as often as is necessary to point out why the World Restaurant Awards is different to what is already out there. Does the world need another list is often the question they are asked time and time again. We have become accustomed to lists from this year’s top books to the essential places you need to visit before you die, to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, the La Liste, a data driven list, the Best Chef’s list, the Chef’s Choice for chef of the year and so much more. It is exhausting to keep track but unfortunately it is what generates clicks, interest and buzz in the age of social media. So what’s different and what’s new with the World Restaurant Awards and why have some of the world’s top names in the restaurant world from Massimo Bottura to Elena Arzak, from René Redzepi to Clare Smyth, from David Chang to Ana Ros, from Dan Barber to Helene Darroze and from Yotam Ottolengi to Manu Buffara given it their … [Read more...]
8 Belgian restaurants feature in first ever World Restaurant Awards longlist
Eight Belgian restaurants feature in the first ever longlist published by the World Restaurant Awards which was released earlier today. Another, Belgian pop-up and concept features in the ethical thinking category. The restaurants are Chambre Separee in Gent, The Jane in Antwerp, De Jonkman in Bruges, Bon Bon, Bozar Restaurant and Humphrey in Brussels, L' Air du Temps in Liernu and Hertog Jan in Zedelgem. They join Mary Pop-in, a concept by Eatmosphere which raises awareness on food waste in the ethical thinking category. 100 judges which include some of the top names in the restaurant world as well as food writers and influencers have nominated nearly 300 restaurants for the first ever long list featuring 18 categories (12 so called Big Plates and 6 Small Plates). Kobe Desramaults' restaurant Chambre Separee in Gent features in the Atmosphere of the Year category. Hertog Jan, of chef Gert De Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens which closes its doors next week was nominated for … [Read more...]
First long list of World Restaurant Awards announced: full list here
The first ever long list of the World Restaurant Awards which will be held for the first time in Paris on 18 Feburary has been announced. The long list has been compiled with the input of 100 judges which include some of the top names in the restaurant world as well as food writers from around the world. In all, 37 nationalities are represented in the judging panel. The long list includes restaurants from 43 different countries in the world. The World Restaurant Awards which will be held for the first time in Paris on 18 February will have 12 big plate awards and 6 small plate awards that will change on a yearly basis in consultation with the judging panel. The short-lists from which the winners will be determined will be announced in January. Judges are currently visiting the restaurants that have been short-listed in the categories and if you are social media savvy you might already guess some of the restaurants that have made it to the short-list. The awards, the … [Read more...]
Low Food – the beginning of a small Dutch food movement
If you ask a Dutch about their food culture they will probably tell you about their snert (the famous slow cooked pea soup) or the stamppot (vegetables mixed with mashed potatoes). Ask anyone not Dutch what they know about Dutch food and they might mention Gouda cheese or stroopwafels if you are lucky. But chef Joris Bijdendijk wants to change that. As the successful chef of restaurant Rijks in Amsterdam, he wants to create a small Dutch food movement that can serve to bring about the change and show the world that some great things are happening in the Netherlands. On 13 January 2019, the Low Food Symposium in Amsterdam will bring together some of the most successful initiatives that have sprung up in recent years and offer a platform for these new and promising developments. The Low Food Symposium is intended to be an annual event that brings together Dutch food pioneers who can be inspired and also learn from other pioneers in other parts of the world. Joris believes … [Read more...]
Lateral Cooking: Niki Segnit on the art of unleashing your creativity in the kitchen
Food writer Niki Segnit believes that by learning the basics of cooking you can unleash your creativity without needed to use a recipe book any longer. With the release of her second book Lateral Cooking, which she has been working on for the past 8 years, she explores the basis of 77 recipes which show readers how one dish can lead to another as they expand their culinary horizons and increase their confidence in cooking. Having worked on this book for 8 years, this is the companion to her first award winning book Flavour Thesaurus which won critical acclaim among chefs and food lovers alike. With Lateral Cooking she wants people to understand the connection between a custard, a creme caramel, a creme brûlée and an ice-cream. "Ultimately, they are all variations of the same theme," she explained. The book grew organically and she never expected it to take eight years to finalise but she continued to discover new things as she went about her research and she had to test each … [Read more...]