BRUSSELS: Toshiro Fujii, known as Toshi, who has worked for more than 10 years with San Degeimbre at L'Air du Temps as his sous-chef and who has been at the helm of the SAN group of restaurants in Brussels and Gent for the past four years will open his own restaurant together with chef Sang Hoon Degeimbre this month. This will be the third Brussels restaurant of Sang Hoon Degeimbre though this time he will be partnering and supporting Toshiro in creating and developing his own identity and cuisine. The restaurant will open its doors on 26 March in Saint Gilles instead of restaurant INADA which closed following the chef's retirement. Inada was a well known restaurant run by Japanese chef Inada who cooked French cuisine with a Japanese twist. Toshi has been running the SAN restaurants in Brussels and Gent since the first San restaurant opened in the Saint Catherine area in 2015. The Japanese chef from Kyoto worked in various kitchens in the south of Belgium after leaving … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2019
Sergio Herman becomes first international mentor of Fundazion Uccelin
CADZAND: Sergio Herman has become the first international mentor for Fundazion Uccelin, a foundation set up by Swiss chef Andreas Caminada to support new talents and help them gain experience internationally both in kitchens, in front of house and with artisans and producers.. "When I created the Foundation, there was nothing like it. This industry has given me a lot and I wanted to give back by helping young talents find their way through facilitating training." he told Food and Wine Gazette. In Cadzand, at Air Republic, one of Sergio Herman's restaurants, the Swiss chef announced that he was welcoming the Dutch chef as the first mentor to support this initiative. "We are very happy and thankful that Sergio has taken the time to engage with the Foundation. He was one of the first chefs to support us when we organised a charity event and he is the first international mentor. With his experience and knowledge, Sergio is a perfect ambassador for our industry," Andreas … [Read more...]
MAD Symposium to set up gastronomic academy in Denmark
The Danish Government and MAD, the Symposium set up by chef René Redzepi have announced the setting up of a gastronomic academy in Denmark. The Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, and the Danish Minister of Environment and Food, Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, have declared that they will support MAD (food in Danish) with a commitment of DKK 25.2 million (USD 3.8 million) over the next four years. Rene Redzepi said we want to make the academy a place to learn all the things we don't seem to learn when we are becoming cooks. Melina Shannon di Pietro who runs the MAD Symposium said the work begins now. "With this new funding we will begin planning and designing the Academy and its course of study. Later this year, we’ll be hosting two intensive pilot programs to begin shaping our curriculum with an eye on the future, when we will accept applicants for immersive courses focused on topics such as leadership and management, environmental sustainability, and how to run a … [Read more...]
What’s on the menu at the new LESS eatery in Bruges
LESS Eatery (Love, Eat, Share, Smile) by Hertog Jan*** is the new concept created by Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens in the centre of Bruges following the closure of their flagship 3 Michelin Star restaurant Hertog Jan at the end of last year. The new all-day eatery serves food from morning till late in the evening. A lot has been written about this new opening. Here we look at what's on the menu. The day starts with breakfast that is served between 8.30am to 11am. Sweet dishes includes homemade Danish pastry which Gert has been perfecting in recent months to granola and Greek yogurt. There also are savoury dishes like eggs benedicts or artisan baguettes with savoury or sweet toppings. When the breakfast service finishes, there is a transition to lunch which is served from 12 noon till 2.30pm. Bites and drinks are served in between breakfast and lunch and also in between the lunch and dinner service. Among the bites available one can choose a selection of … [Read more...]
Jimmy Lim’s restaurant in Taiwan chosen by Asia’s 50 Best restaurants as rising star
Jimmy Lim's JL Studio in Taichung, Taiwan has been announced as the One to Watch in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants. The One to Watch title is presented to a restaurant that is outside the Asia's 50 Best list but is identified as a rising star in the region. Opened in 2017, JL Studio reflects the upbringing and cultural influences of chef-owner Jimmy Lim. Born in Singapore, Lim presents modern interpretations of classic dishes from his home city. Combining traditional Singapore flavours and refined cooking techniques, Lim’s “Mod-Sin” menu translates and elevates much-loved Singaporean dishes with creative flair and a progressive approach. Chef Jimmy Lim said: “Having JL Studio named this year’s One To Watch is a huge validation for myself and the team. Although we are a very young restaurant, this honour encourages us to continue challenging ourselves, striving for excellence and discovering new ways to reinterpret Singapore cuisine.” William Drew, Group Editor of Asia’s 50 … [Read more...]
Nobody injured following fire at The Jane: restaurant to be closed for four weeks
UPDATED: The Jane in Antwerp will be closed for at least 4 weeks, chef Nick Bril has announced following a fire that interrupted lunch service today 9 March and led to the cancellation fo the dinner service. "In view of the damage from the fire, we will unfortunately be closed for at least two weeks. We will have our vacation period and we will continue to work during those two weeks to repair the damage. We hope to open again in four weeks." The Dutch chef in charge of The Jane said luckily there were no injuries and the fire brigade quickly controlled the fire. Colleagues from restaurants Spiga d'Oro in Mechelen and L'Epicerie du Cirque in Antwerp immediately offered to take guests that had a reservation at the restaurant this evening. Nick Bril said "we greatly appreciate the solidarity of our colleagues and will keep you updated as soon as we have more information." "We want to apologise to all guests who were at The Jane for lunch for the abrupt end. We will get … [Read more...]
New LESS Eatery by Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens in Bruges
'We wanted to create a cosmopolitan space, something new for the city' Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens have opened LESS Eatery in Bruges. The new ‘eatery’ as they call it welcomes its first guests on Monday March 11 and it is an impressive space. The eatery on one of the main squares in Bruges will be open from breakfast till late dinner with customers able to walk in for a coffee and a pastry in the morning, for bites during the mornings or afternoon and lunch or pre-theatre dinners to late dinners. This is the first time that Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens have a restaurant in the city centre. They operated Hertog Jan, a three Michelin star restaurant in Zedelgem on the outskirts of this Belgian city as well as the old LESS in the former Hertog Jan spot. The latter is expected to become a traditional Flemish restaurant. Joachim and Gert told Food and Wine Gazette that they wanted to move to the centre because they wanted to create a cosmopolitan space with a … [Read more...]
Exceptional 2016 Bordeaux vintage on show in Antwerp
The 2016 Bordeaux vintage has been billed as the best since 2010 and from a recent tasting of a number of wines in Antwerp that is really the case. The Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux brought together representatives from over 50 chateaux in Bordeaux for a unique dinner with the trade and press in Antwerp recently. It is not normal for so many representatives of Bordeaux wineries to be present for such a tasting. Among the wineries present for the dinner were Château Figeac, Clos Fourtet, Château Clinet, Château Beychevelle, Château Branaire - Ducru, Château Langoa Barton, Château Leoville Barton and Château Talbot to mention just a few names. For the dinner, I was sitting next to the director general of Chateau Giscours and Chateau du Tertre Alexander Van Beek and his wife Véronique Sanders, the president of Chateau Haut Bailly. They told me this was a really special occasion because it was the largest ever gathering of representatives of Bordeaux wineries they could … [Read more...]
‘We need to be better humans’- Margot Janse
Things were looking bright for Dutch born chef Margot Janse just before disaster struck. Two years ago she decided to quit her job and focus on building her charity which she had set up as part of her work at one of most well known fine-dining restaurants in South Africa, The Tasting Room at the Le Quartier Francais. A change in the ownership of the hotel which housed her restaurant made her adjust her priorities in life. “I stayed to work for another year but then realised this was was no longer my world. It was time for change but the question I had was what would I do about the children I had been feeding through the charity. I thought that the new owners would keep the charity which was connected to the hotel but given my name was so closely associated with it, I feared they might change the emphasis of the project. So I decided to take it with me and started to think what I could do, how I could handle the logistics of serving 200 meals a day from a domestic kitchen and with a … [Read more...]
26 hands Milan dinner at Trippa sells out in 60 minutes
A 26 hands dinner organised by Diego Rossi of Trippa Milano was sold out within 60 minutes. Called Amici Miei (my friends in Italian), the event brings together 13 young and promising chefs from across Italy. This unique event takes place at Trippa Milano on 9 April during Design Week. The chefs taking part in the event are Stefano Terigi, Benedetto Rullo and Lorenzo Stefanini (Ristorante Giglio), Juri Chiotti (REIS Cibo Libero di Montagna), Federico Sisti (Antica Osteria Il Ronchettino), Damiano Donati (Punto Lucca), Francesca Fooders Barreca & Marco Fooders Horseman (MAZZO), Alessandro Miocchi & Giuseppe Lo Iudice (RETROBOTTEGA), Simone Cipriani (Essenziale), Gianluca Gorini (DaGorini Ristorante) who will cook together with Diego Rossi. Trippa is a traditional style trattoria with a modern twist that was created by Pietro Caroli, the man in charge of the … [Read more...]