It is a sunny though brisk morning. A perfect day for a lunch by the sea. If you had to ask me what would you like to eat right now at a restaurant, I wouldn’t really ask for much. The thing I miss most at the moment is a perfectly cooked spaghetti with fresh sea urchins. The last time I ate them, it was in Rimini last September but that is a distant memory. Maybe a mixed platter of grilled fish and seafood as a main course. I’m not really asking for much. I’m looking more for comfort food, for memories of better times. You’ll settle for just that you might be asking? I certaintly would not say no to a Cacio e Pepe by Riccardo Camanini. But you get the gist. The reality is that restaurants, for the time being, look like a distant memory particularly where I live. The question I keep asking myself these days is how was it possible to do so much before the pandemic came and forced us all, or at least, many of us home? And what’s going to happen when this never ending marathon of a … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2021
Vicky Lau is first Asian chef to clinch two Michelin stars for her restaurant Tate
HONG KONG: Chef and restaurant owner Vicky Lau is the first ever Asian female chef to clinch two Michelin stars for her restaurant Tate, a restaurant that breaks the boundaries between French and Chinese cooking. She was awarded the two stars for her restaurant earlier this week together with L'Envol in the St Regis Hong Kong which is under the guidance of French chef Olivier Elzer. There were no new three Michelin stars when the tyre company released the guide for Hong Kong and Macau this week. With these new additions, Hong Kong is now home to 12 Two Star restaurants, while Macau has 6 venues in the Two Star category. All 7 restaurants in Hong Kong and 3 restaurants in Macau continue to retain their coveted Three Star ratings. “We are honoured to receive this milestone accolade. This has been our long-term dream and we could not be happier forthis achievement, especially during these difficult times. In the future, we look forward to joining forces with like-minded … [Read more...]
Mauro Colagreco to open hamburger chain CARNE in Singapore
SINGAPORE: Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco, whose restaurant Mirazur is ranked 1 in the world according to the World’s 50 Best is launching CARNE, an innovative hamburger bar in Singapore next month. This is CARNE's first international opening. CARNE was born five years ago when Mauro set out to show the world that a hamburger chain could operate respecting the pillars of sustainable gastronomy with the highest quality. From that moment, he has been working with his team day by day to offer the best product changing the paradigm of mass food production. The first CARNE was opened in Mauro’s hometown of La Plata in Buenos Aires in 2016. Other openings across Argentina followed. In 2019, CARNE became the first hamburger chain the world to become a certified B corporation, a triple impact certification (social, environmental and economy) for businesses committed to doing better in the world. Colagreco’s premise is that the best dishes are made with simple, noble, high-quality … [Read more...]
Clare Smyth and Helene Darroze clinch three Michelin stars for their London restaurants
LONDON: Clare Smyth and Helene Darroze have both clinched three Michelin stars for their restaurants Core and Helene Darroze at the Connaught in London. Clare Smyth thanked the Michelin guide for recognising the hard work during such a tough time and thanked the team for all their dedication and hard work. “We couldn’t have done it without our amazing farmers, suppliers, our guests and everyone who has been on the journey,” with us said the chef who has been winning accolades after accolades for her London restaurant Core. On the other hand, this will be a January to remember for French chef Helene Darroze. After clinching two Michelin stars for her restaurant Marsan in Paris, she did one better going for three at her Helen Darroze Restaurant at the Connaught in London. “I cannot find the words to describe my emotions and happiness. I cannot find the words to say how proud I am of my team. Guys we did it. We did it,” she said. The Michelin Guide announced the new Michelin … [Read more...]
Food on the Edge founder launches ebook Cooking After COVID
Food on the Edge founder Jp McMahon, a chef, restauranteur and author has launched a new book Lessons from lockdown: Cooking after COVID. In the foreword, JP says that the year 2020 struck many of us as unprecedented. For some it was expected. “Pandemics happen. But for most of us, we believed they would not happen in our time, that they were a thing of the past. Whatever we thought about our contemporary way of life, the way in which we go about our daily lives, how we work, has utterly changed,” the Irish chef of Aniar Restaurant in Galway wrote. He created the book after cancelling the annual gathering in Galway in October 2020. Food on the Edge had become one of the top events in the field of gastronomy with the Irish chef inviting many top names in the world of food. Instead, he has invited many of his friends to write a message in this ebook that is available to people who are subscribed to the Food on the Edge newsletter. The list of contributors is huge and includes … [Read more...]
Humus Hortense starts Save the Harvest project
BRUSSELS: Chef Nicholas Decloedt of Humus Hortense has been working together with Caroline Baerten on a roots to leaves and a zero-waste approach long before this became a trend. Fresh from their new Green Michelin star, over the past weeks they have launched a project to help and support their farmer Dries Delanote of Monde des Mille Couleurs who lost all his restaurant clients due to the lockdown overnight. "The consequence was an enormous amount of food that was lost in the fields which was heartbreaking to see," Nicholas and Carolean said. Nicholas and Caroline started the project Save The Harvest under the hashtag #savetheharvest to raise awareness on the matter. "We want to raise awareness among the general public that it is not just the restaurant business that is struggling but the whole food chain of artisanal producers and ingredients that has been broken because of the lockdowns." Belgian restaurants have been closed since the end of October with no date yet for … [Read more...]
“Whatever the destination, the most important for me is the journey” – Alexandre Mazzia
MARSEILLE: Alexandre Mazzia, chef of Restaurant AM, the new three Michelin star restaurant in Marseille, France has the feeling that he has finally become a ‘cook’. “I can hardly believe this. It is unthinkable, unimaginable and yet its true,” the French chef who has been breaking boundaries with his unique perspective on food. A former basketball player, he opened restaurant AM in Marseille in 2014. Now, during the closure of his restaurant, he has been one of the most active and creative chefs during the pandemic opening a food truck selling his ‘jewels’ in a 24 euro lunch box. It is a project he wants to keep even when the pandemic is over. “As a child, my school report used to read ‘a dreamy pupil’ or ‘can do better’. But this never weakened my quest to create an identity for myself. I tried not to please everyone and instead focused on a more personal approach, focusing on learning about my territory, to understand the raw material and also to learn to appreciate myself” … [Read more...]
The Maltese ftira (flatbread) and how it made it to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list
MALTA: As the sun sets on the horizon children come out of the sea and asks her parents for something to eat. It is the middle of summer and nothing is more appetising that a local flatbread known as ftira with tomatoes, tuna, olives, capers, basil and olive oil. You could say that’s the taste of Malta, the taste of an island in the middle of the Mediterranean. This must be the most common ‘sandwich’ on the Mediterranean island and more often than not it is not the hobza tal-Malti (Maltese loaf) but rather the ftira typical of Malta that is used to quench the appetite after a summer swim. Now, that sourdough flatbread or ftira has been classified as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Local historian Noel Buttigieg, who took the lead in presenting the case to UNESCO knows the importance bread has held in local history. He has taken it upon himself to raise awareness and also help raise the quality of this Maltese bread. “We choose the Maltese ftira and … [Read more...]
Antonia Klugmann opens store in Trieste following success of ‘Antonia at Home’
VENCO: After the successful launch of 'Antonia at home' in April, Antonia Klugmann, one of the most influential young Italian chefs with a restaurant in the countryside in Vencò on the border between Italy and Slovenia has opened a store in Trieste. The aim is to bring the traditional cuisine of the region to the Italian city at the crossroads between Italy, Slovenia and Austria. “It is a completely different cuisine to what we normally offer in the restaurant,” said the chef of L’Argine a Venco. which had become a ‘destination restaurant’ prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The offer at the shop and also with 'Antonia a casa' is both regional and traditional family cooking. The Italian chef has taken traditional recipes from Trieste, where she grew up, and Friuli. “Using her memories, she is working on traditional recipes for the first time in her career,” said her sister Victoria Klugmann, who is in charge of communication at the restaurant. “But we are staying coherent to what … [Read more...]
Is Antwerp becoming Belgium’s gastronomic capital?
BRUSSELS: The Michelin Guide has released its new rankings for Belgium and Luxembourg including a new three Michelin star restaurant in Antwerp but there is one glitch. Restaurants are closed and have been closed since October and there is still no date for their reopening. COVID-19 has been devastating for Belgian restaurants. Closed in the first lockdown in March till June a relatively calm summer was followed by a difficult autumn which culminated with restaurants closing for a second time in October. Until now, there is still no date for the reopening. Some hope that the reopening could take place sometime in March, others are speculating it could well be in April or later. So the announcement of the new Michelin Guide was welcomed not with the usual anticipation. There has been considerably less commentary on social media despite the fact that there was a major shift in the hierarchical order of what many internally consider a fragmented country. The third Michelin star … [Read more...]