Acclaimed Danish chef and restaurateur, Mads Refslund, has launched a new pop-up restaurant at Soneva Fushi, the award-winning luxury resort in the Maldives. Located at Fresh in the Garden, a treetop dining destination that overlooks the resort’s extensive organic island gardens, the pop-up is based on Mads Refslund’s signature concept of Fire and Ice. “I always find inspiration in nature so to have the opportunity to cook among the treetops of Soneva Fushi is very inspiring,” says Mads Refslund. “The key focus of the pop-up concept at Fresh in the Garden is ‘Fire’ and ‘Ice’, showcasing our natural instinct for how to work with nature’s bounty. The menu is evenly split: in ‘Ice’ items are untouched by heat, allowing them to reveal their pure beauty that nature has provided; in the contrasting ‘Fire’, cooking over live flame is used to enhance the ingredients. Together, the two sides create harmony and balance." The 12-month pop-up will offer guests at Soneva Fushi a rare … [Read more...]
The World of Aperitivo: a new Antwerp pop-up store
ANTWERP: The Italian dolce vita icon Martini, versatile Belgian lifestyle brand Serax and Italian caterer Franceso & Julia have teamed up to open an aperitivo experience store at Korte Gasthuisstraat in Antwerp between November 26 and December 31. The pop-up store has the theme ‘The World of Aperitivo’ and is aimed at offering ideas on how to welcome and surprise guests during the festive season. The store is a gift shop for the holidays and offers a wide range of festive accessories, Italian snacks as well as limited edition Martini gifts and drinks. The World of Aperitivo shop has all the ingredients to organise special moments or to purchase gifts and gift packages. These can be personalised on the spot. The shop offers workshops on how to organise the perfect apertivo. Various chefs will give visitors demonstrations and tastings will take place in the kitchen. It will also offer the visitor access to the world of Martini and the aperitivo moment. It is open every day … [Read more...]
Belgium for foodies: Favourite female top chefs
Belgium for Foodies is a new book that has just been released featuring 350 places in Belgium. It invites the reader to discover Belgium's extraordinary culinary scene by taking you on a trip through the country from the North Sea to the countryside as well as the vibrant cities. Written by Femke Vandevelde with photography by Tony de Luc, the book is made up of various lists which enables you to choose what you want from young talents to favourite female top chefs, Belgian fries done right, dining at the bar, places to eat drink and read and much more. The following is a list of favourite Female Top Chefs from the book published by Luster. Cachet de Cire A warm welcome, a serious menu, a quiet garden and an affordable drinks list are all trademarks of one of the best culinary discoveries. Lady chef Greet Verbeeck and maître Fée Van Doorselaere put a lot of effort into giving you that little extra something. The superb wines – check out the Belgian ones – are also available … [Read more...]
Mauro Colagreco takes the helm of two restaurants within The Maybourne Riviera
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin: Chef Mauro Colagreco will take the helm of two restaurants within The Maybourne Riviera. The soon-to-be-launched hotel joins London's iconic Claridge's, The Connaught and The Berkeley as part of the Maybourne Hotel Group. The restaurants will be housed in the strikingly modernist hotel, built on a rocky peninsula high above the town of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. His flagship will be Ceto, focusing on the sea and will open on Saturday 9th October. Located on the hotel’s top floor with dramatic panoramic views out over the Mediterranean, it is a true parallel between the sky and sea and will reflect Mauro’s ambition and passion. However, Ceto will be more than just a restaurant, but also a ‘marine culinary workshop’ to deepen knowledge of the region’s aquatic species and research sustainable ecological solutions. Dishes will play with texture, flavour and cooking processes, with the grill the centrepiece of the restaurant’s open kitchen. The menu will … [Read more...]
Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills awarded with a Michelin star
Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills is the second Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura to clinch a Michelin star following the success of the first one that opened in Florence, Italy. Promoting modern Italian cuisine while embracing local Californian ingredients, Gucci Osteria is led by the young Italian chef Mattia Agazzi, under the guidance of chef Massimo Bottura of three-star Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy and Karime Lopez, chef of the first Gucci Osteria in Florence. Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura are a series of three contemporary restaurants that share the same values and principles under one Gucci Osteria umbrella. The restaurants are located in Florence, Tokyo and L.A. The Florence restaurant clinched a Michelin star earlier this year under the helm of chef Karime Lopez. Commenting on the award Mattia said, “This is a reward for the whole Gucci Osteria Beverly Hills team. It has been a very challenging time for the global hospitality industry, and we were forced to close … [Read more...]
Chefs United: A big event at Bon Bon in Brussels
Christophe Hardiquest and his Brussels restaurant Bon Bon is not new to big and ambitious events. A few years ago, he welcomed some of the World’s best chefs for a GELINAZ! Brussels Headquarters event that played over four shifts. Now, on the occasion of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants awards taking place in Antwerp in October, he has invited a number of chefs for a one night dinner called Chefs United. Together, the chefs will create a 10 course menu that is expected to create an electric atmosphere. The event takes place on Wednesday 6 October. On the evening Christophe will cook a 10 course dinner together with chefs Himanshu Saini, Maksut Askar, Manu Buffara, Norbert Niederkofler, Selassie Atadika, Riccardo Camanini, Brussels chocolatier Pierre Marcolini, Ana Ros and Paolo Griffa. Bookings will open tomorrow at 11am from the website. This is not the first time that Ana Ros cooks at Bon Bon. She had already been present for a series of events that Christophe Hardiquest … [Read more...]
Chef Dabiz Muñoz wins the Top100, followed by Björn Frantzen and Andoni Luis Aduriz
Chef Dabiz Muñoz of DiverXo in Madrid won The Best Chef Top100 Award during a live awards gala that took place in Amsterdam. Chef Björn Frantzén of Frantzén in Stockholm repeated his second place and also took the award for The Best Chef voted by Chefs. To round up the top three, Andoni Luis Aduriz of Mugaritz in San Sebastián made a huge jump from his previous 45th position on last year's list, to clinch the third spot. “Getting the number one in the Best Chef Awards is the biggest joy. An incredible pride and responsibility. For me, The Best Chef Award is one of the most prestigious publications in the world today, and an award like this is a dream come true. It recognizes many years of creativity, dedication, passion and hard work. The last years in the Xo world have been very intense and brutal, but my team and I are clear that this is only the beginning, and the best is yet to come. There are no limits in sight," said Dabiz Muñoz from restaurant DiverXo in Madrid, Spain, the … [Read more...]
When wine and food are in perfect symbiosis
Jonathan K. Berntsen is not just a chef but also a sommelier. Hit by the terrible year his Michelin-starred restaurant CLOU had to close but he has now returned with The Samuel, a restaurant located in an old historical villa from 1891 north of Copenhagen in Hellerup. What makes Jonathan special is that for him food and wine are in symbiosis and hence they need to be precisely equally weighted. These means that he often selects the wines before creating the dishes. This devotion to pairing has been acknowledged with numerous awards such as winning the Copa Jerez 2013 and again at the Copa Jerez 2019; the most prestigious international competition in food and wine pairing. His passion for wine is so big, that he actually uses it as a starting point for almost every dish he creates for The Samuel. Like the ‘Squid Pollock’, a dish born out of the notes from a very special Oloroso Sherry from Sacrastía AB from Antonio Barbadillo – a type of wine that isn’t traditionally consumed … [Read more...]
Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste opens as part of new partnership near Aix-en-Provence
This is a special year for Hélène Darroze. Fresh from the recently awarded three stars in the Michelin guide for her London restaurant Hélène Darroze at The Connaught" and two stars for "Marsan par Hélène Darroze" in Paris she has now announced a partnership to take over the entire food and beverage operations of Villa La Coste, a grand luxury hotel in Provence, France. She will be serving a cuisine in her image, imbued with emotion, sincerity and authenticity. Nestled at the heart of the Château La Coste Estate near Aix-en-Provence, the Villa La Coste is a modern-day luxury palace celebrating authentic and exclusive refinement, in total harmony with the artistic life of the surrounding estate. Seduced by the opulence and diversity of the vegetables and fruit from this French region, Hélène has chosen to make them the key focus of the menus she has created for the fine dining restaurant Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste. From appetisers to end-of-meal delicacies, they lead the … [Read more...]
Nick Bril and Sergio Herman part ways: Bril takes full ownership of The Jane Antwerp
ANTWERP: After partnering up for seven years at The Jane Antwerp, Sergio Herman and Nick Bril have decided to part ways. Nick Bril will take over 100 per cent of the restaurant's operational rights after the Dutch duo successfully creating one of the most stunning restaurants in the world. In 2013, the two chefs decided to start work on designing the restaurant concept for their project, their first venture outside the Netherlands set in the stunning military chapel of the so-called Groen Kwartier in Antwerp. The two met when Nick Bril started working in the former three Michelin star restaurant Oud Sluis at the age of 19. "The early days of The Jane have challenged and pushed me tremendously as a chef but also as a person. It has been a great ride. That's why I am even more driven to develop all aspects of The Jane Antwerp even further. Next to our rooftop gardens, the collaboration with August and our new project in the Maldives, that will be the main challenge I'll be focusing … [Read more...]