NEW ZEALAND: Jake we last spoke with you in 2016 (May issue) and now it is a good time to talk again about this moment in 2020 because our paths have crossed and we are in in the same country at the same time because of COVID-19. Where were you when you heard about it, what was happening then, where are you and, of course, what are you doing now? From the top down, I am staying still and safe in my family’s beach house in New Zealand…for the moment and how ever long that needs to be …in a sleepy village on the edge of the South Pacific Ocean on the Coromandel Peninsula. The area has subtropical weather and there is a lot going on in nature. Bananas and persimmons are ripening in the backyard, the second lot of figs are coming in, there are quinces at the neighbours, feijoas are dropping like rain, field mushrooms are everywhere and wild blackberries are ripening along the roadside. The skies are bright blue all day, every day, with puffed clouds sailing east en route to … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2020
(33) Noma to reopen as a burger and wine bar. “We need to heal”
COPENHAGEN: Noma, one of the most influential restaurant in the world led by René Redzepi will reopen its doors as an outdoor wine bar serving burgers. Redzepi said ‘these are crazy and uncertain times. Copenhagen is about to open it’s restaurants. And so will Noma. However, before we reopen Noma as we know it we will transform it into a no reservation, drop in only, wine and burger bar.” “We feel in the first phase of the reopening that we want to be open for all. We need to heal. So let’s have a glass and a burger. You are all invited,” the chef said. The restaurant will be open as from Thursday 21 May at 1pm. The reopening will happen in two steps. The outdoor wine bar will be open in the gardens at Noma which overlook the lake in Christiania. The restaurant will not take any reservations and will be open for everyone. You can stop by for a glass of wine or you can stay for more and if you are hungry there will be two burgers on the menu, a noma cheeseburger and a … [Read more...]
(32) Rijks restaurant to reopen on 1 July: will continue to serve takeaways till then
AMSTERDAM: Despite a government decision to allow restaurants to reopen on 1 June, Joris Bijdendijk, chef of Rijks restaurant has decided to continue to offer takeaway meals until 1 July. Joris said that when the Dutch government announced reopening measures as from 1 June they allowed only a maximum of 30 people including the staff to be in a restaurant. "We've tried every possible option. We concluded that it was impossible for us,” Joris told Food and Wine Gazette. The Dutch chef said their main focus was to survive the crisis with a creative and positive approach. The aim is to retain the whole team. “The best option for the time being is to keep on cooking the best possible Rijks 'at home meals' that you can possibly dream of until July 1. More than ever, we need your support to overcome these last takeout weeks,” he said. Since the lockdown that forced the closure of the restaurant, Joris has been serving not just takeout meals in the Dutch capital but also breakfasts … [Read more...]
(31) Two restaurants team up for four-hands take-away menu in Gent
GENT: Two chefs and two restaurants in the Flemish city of Gent, Belgium, have teamed up to offer a four hands takeaway menu this weekend. Sebastian Sandor of Heritage Restaurant and Ignace Wattenberge of Lys d’Or are getting together (not literally) to serve guests in Gent as more and more restaurants try to find innovative ways to reach customers during the COVID-19 lockdowns. Their restaurants are currently closed because of the lockdown in Belgium with no date yet set for the restaurant reopening. The two chefs will prepare a four course menu which includes shrimp with white asparagus and elderflower, monkfish with chicory and a green sauce, a shoulder of lamb with aubergine, morels and shallots and a dessert of strawberries, basil, white chocolate and yoghurt. The four-course menu costs EUR 45. Both chefs have experience in top restaurants in Belgium and focus on fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. … [Read more...]
(30) Ana Ros calls for transparency, information
KOBARID: Ana Ros, chef of Hisa Franko in Kobarid was one of the first to take the risk of opening the booking system for her restaurant in Slovenia as from 1 June despite not knowing whether this would be possible or not. And customers responded. She has an almost fully booked restaurant despite the fact that they don’t know whether the restaurant can reopen or not or whether customer can fly in to Slovenia or not. But like many others around the world, she is now calling for some clarity as to the future. “We are not being given any information, we do not know anything regarding opening dates or plans. There is no transparency with regard to decisions,” she said on Instagram. After saying that “it was time to start singing ‘Bella ciao’ and fight for our rights and our businesses,” she had to take to Instagram again to clarify that it was sad that people misunderstood her post. “My post was not political. The post from yesterday is a wake-up call to all people who work in … [Read more...]
Dierendonck to open second shop in Brussels
BRUSSELS: Hendrik Dierendonck, the renowned nose to tail Belgian butcher will open his second shop in Brussels. The Belgian butcher announced he has taken over Le Charolais, a family run butcher shop in Rue Vanderkindere in the heart of the ‘Quartier des Artisans’. Rue Vanderkindere is probably the foodie street par excellence in Brussels with many speciality shops including among others cheesemonger Julien Hazard and pâtissier and baker Le Saint Aulaye. This is the second shop that Dierendonck will open in Brussels after opening a shop in Rue St. Catherine in central Brussels in 2017. When he was young, the Belgian butcher used to work with his father Raymond Dierendonck in St Idesbald on the Belgian coast in summer while in winter he spent his time in Brussels. No date has yet been announced for the opening of the butcher shop. The original intention had been to open Dierendonck on Rue Vanderkindere this month but plans have been delayed because of COVID-19. In … [Read more...]
What Next: What if the future of a restaurant is more than just a restaurant?
BRUSSELS: A few days ago, I received an email from a reader of the newsletter which we send out every Sunday morning. A long email with personal reflections on how the restaurant and wine world has changed in just a few weeks. Go back to February and few if any could possibly imagine what we have been through over the past weeks. There were many questions without any answers. They were all pertinent questions as to what the future of the food and wine world would look like. As a former news journalist, my reaction every time there is a crisis is to read as much as I can. You could call me a news addict or junkie. And over the first few days I had what could be described as writers block though in reality it was not writers block but rather a feeling of pointlessness. But as time went by, I tried to delve into depicting best practices from around the world. It is a small way of raising awareness, of giving ideas to restauranteurs and people in the restaurant business and also … [Read more...]
(29) Gennaro Esposito on how we will dine in the coming months: “A dinner should not be a Russian Roulette”
Italian top chef Gennaro Esposito has warned that when restaurants reopen after the COVID-19 lockdowns, changes will be significant to the point that it will require a lot of goodwill from customers to go to restaurants. “It is only right to ensure that a restaurant reduces the risk for its staff and customers. A dinner should not become a Russian Roulette,” he said. The Italian chef was interviewed on Il Mattino after he came up with a proposal on how to reduce the risks of diffusion of COVID-19 in restaurants. He set up BrotherinFood with colleagues in his region to propose ways of how eating out can be as safe as possible when lockdowns are removed. He has faced criticism from some colleagues for his proposals. In the interview with journalist Luciano Pignataro, he said “Many of my colleagues have not understood that this is a global pandemic and reopening restaurants is not an act of courage. It is, of course, important on a commercial and entrepreneurial level, but also … [Read more...]
(28) Kadeau announces it would reopen in June after ‘working tirelessly to find our way back to life’
COPENHAGEN: Kadeau have announced they will reopen the restaurant after being one of the first serious casualties in the restaurant world when they filed for bankruptcy. Kadeau Bornholm will reopen in June while Kadeau in Copenhagen will reopen after the summer break, the restaurant group announced on their Instagram page. "Finally some good news from our side. Ever since we shut down almost two months ago, we have been working tirelessly on finding our way back to life," the restaurant group said. "We cannot wait to welcome you back." The restaurant group said that times were still uncertain and extremely hard for the industry and encouraged customers to visit their favourite restaurants when they reopen. "No one should have to live the same nightmare we just did." Customers who had bought gift cards and prepaid reservations will be accommodated by the team at Kadeau. Kadeau in Copenhagen had two Michelin stars while the restaurant in Bornholm had one. The … [Read more...]
50 Best for Recovery programme launched
The organisation behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is replacing its annual list, awards and related events with a three-pronged campaign, entitled 50 Best for Recovery – supporting restaurants worldwide in partnership with S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna. The aim is to provide tangible financial relief where possible, as well as create and collate helpful resources for restaurant businesses as they emerge from the pandemic and seek actionable advice and support. The launch of 50 Best for Recovery follows the announcement in March that the proposed event programme for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2020 – which was due to take place in Antwerp, Flanders in June – has been postponed until 2021. Furthermore, the annual list of the world’s finest dining destinations will not be released this year in any format. Instead, those restaurants voted onto the 2020 ranking-designate will be fully recognised in 2021, circumstances permitting. It announced the 50 Best Recovery Fund which … [Read more...]