Angelo Agliano with his team at Tosca di Angelo HONG KONG: If Angelo Agliano’s parents had their way, he would not be cooking today. For five years, while he was at school he would go to work in a restaurant in the weekends and also during the evenings. “They were against me working in a restaurant but I finally won my battle because that is what I really wanted to do.” It was not his perseverance when he was young that marked his career. For that, you need to fast forward some years when at the age of 26 he was asked to cook for French legendary chef Joël Robuchon’s 60th birthday. It is an evening he still remembers very vividly and not because he had to change four times such was the stress. ‘I remember that evening when Philippe Gobert, who was director for the Robuchon group told me he was giving me this present of bringing 13 chefs who worked for Robuchon to the restaurant for a private dinner. At table, I was cooking for chefs that were responsible for around 30 Michelin … [Read more...]
Face to face with snake soup in Hong Kong
HONG KONG: No one spoke a word of English when we walked in to She Wong Lam, one of the last remaining snake butchers in Hong Kong. We are early. She Wong Lam serves soup normally from 11am till 4pm but Andrea Petrini had promised us a breakfast that starts with what he called a ‘snake cappuccino’. We fill the small room which has been serving snake for more than 125 years. The air is heavy. Some say there is an intense smell of snake. If I had to be honest, I cannot really smell it. But there are cages with snakes at the entrance to the restaurant all marked as poisonous. Before we sit at table, three men who are working inside the shop show us the snakes that are in the wooden boxes that fill the shop. One opens a few of these drawers to show us the different varieties of snake which will eventually be butchered at the back of the shop. There is every variety of snake and on every box there is a mark that they are poisonous. Now, this is definitely not the place for anyone … [Read more...]
Low Food starts first gastronomic lab of the Netherlands
Launch of Low Food Lab in Almere (Photo by Jan-Kees Steenman, 2019) ALMERE: The Low Food Lab launched recently in Almere in the Netherlands. This open-source platform is an initiative of the Low Food movement – set up by chefs and food entrepreneurs Joris Bijdendijk, Samuel Levie and Joris Lohman. It investigates how gastronomy can offer solutions to societal challenges in the food system. Chefs, farmers, food producers and scientists will work together in the next two years in the Low Food Lab to explore the potential of new, forgotten, not-yet-explored and undervalued products in the Netherlands. Low Food Lab is powered by Flevo Campus. It will get a physical space at Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere. Multi-year programme The first ideas for the programme were presented on Friday 29 November at the Stadsboerderij in Almere in the presence of Alderperson Roelie Bosch. In a world where food security and the sustainability of the food and agricultural systems are two big … [Read more...]
Paul Bocuse’s loss of three Michelin stars is no surprise
The iconic dish at Paul Bocuse: Soupe aux truffes VGE created in 1975 LYON: In Lyon, France's capital of gastronomy, the city is waking up to news that Restaurant Paul Bocuse will lose its third star when Michelin announces its results on Monday 27 January. The news was published exclusively by Le Point who called the news 'an electrochoc' and the effect of a bomb in gastronomy. The restaurant in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or in Lyon had three stars continuously since 1965. But the news comes as no surprise because it has been rumoured since last year when Marc Haeberlin (L'Auberge de l'Ill), Marc Veyrat (La Maison des bois) and Pascal Barbot at L'Astrance all lost their three stars. Le Point said that Gwendal Pullennec, the Michelin Guide director was in Lyon yesterday morning to announce the decision to the restaurant team telling them the decision 'was taken collectively'. For many months now, there have been rumours going around about the increasing possibility that the … [Read more...]
The 12 trends that are likely to shape the 2020s
At the risk of making a fool of myself, the start of a new decade is normally a time for establishing what will be the trends in the next decade. And in this case, here are a few thoughts on where I think the world of food and wine and gastronomy is heading in the next decade. Looking back, it is hard to believe that things we take for granted today did not exist a few years ago. It would be hard to believe today that Instagram did not exist at the start of the previous decade. Today, the social media app has become the most important tool for chefs and restaurants. It is a force for what’s good and what’s bad in the world of food today. Nordic cuisine was barely on the radar though the world was starting to learn about Rene Redzepi’s work at noma, Spain was just rising in the ranks of gastronomy thanks to the work of Ferran Adria which put the country in the spotlight. And then came the announcement that el Bulli would close in 2012. We had the rise and rise of the World’s 50 … [Read more...]
Kawate from Florilege, Shimizu of Anis to cook at LESS Eatery for ‘Chef’s Invitation’
Gert de Mangeleer with Ruige Vermeire BRUGES: Inspired by his culinary discovery trips through Asia, Gert de Mangeleer is launching a new concept this year. Under the name Chef’s Invitation, Gert de Mangeleer of the Hertog Jan *** Restaurant Group will regularly invite his friends from all over the world to cook together in one of his restaurants. Two such events are already on the calendar for 2020. The very first ‘invitation’ takes place at LESS Eatery in Bruges on 29 and 30 January with chef Susumu Shimizu of Anis and chef Hiroyasu Kawate from Florilege (two Michelin stars and no 5. in the Asian 50 best). Both chefs have restaurants in Tokyo. This is not the first time that Hiroyasu Kawate from Florilege cooks in Belgium as he had already been guest of Gert de Mangeleer at the three Michelin star Hertog Jan before it closed. Japan is in the spotlight this year particularly because of the Olympic Games that take place this summer. But next to this sporting side, Japan is … [Read more...]
Magnus Nilsson becomes MAD Academy Director: “there is potential to change the way our food system works’
Magnus Nilsson, the chef of Faviken, an acclaimed restaurant in Sweden, that closed for good at the end of last year, has been named the first MAD Academy Director. “We are thrilled to have a chef, leader and thinker of Magnus’ caliber on the team. Magnus was the chef and driving force behind Fäviken Magasinet, the internationally-renowned restaurant. As the Academy Director, Magnus will not only oversee the development of the Academy’s programming, but he’ll be able to share his experience and insight with the MAD community,” said MAD’s Executive Director Melina Shannon-DiPietro. Chef and co-owner of restaurant Noma René Redzepi founded MAD as a two day symposium in 2011 with 300 chefs, restauranteurs, servers and writers gather in Copenhagen to discuss the future of food. Today, its programmes, publications and media span the globe and its educational videos have been seen by millions of people. The Swedish chef who rose to fame for his culinary genius and artistic qualities … [Read more...]
Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens to open BABU, a steamed bun concept in Ghent
Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens will open a new concept in Ghent later this year which will specialise in steam buns. The new steamed bun concept will be called BABU. The stuffings of the buns will be inspired by Gert’s travels around the world. Some of the menu items will include the Classic Bun inspired by Hong Kong’s char siew pau or roast pork bun. He will also present other stuffings such as Korean fried chicken with fermented white cabbage, Israeli falafel with hummus as well as a Merguez with fried onions. There will also be stuffings from Belgium such as the classic curryworst. He told Michelin Guide Hong Kong that he loves buns and believes that if the world can learn to accept hamburgers they will love steamed buns. BABU will offer a take-away service and will only have a few tables in the restaurant with the average spend expected to be around EUR 20. The new restaurant is designed to be an international concept. Bar Bulot to open in Antwerp and … [Read more...]
Norbert Niederkofler cooks the mountain at St Hubertus
SAN CASSIANO: Norbert Niederkofler loved the mountains but wanted to travel so he left South Tyrol to cook his way around the world. In 1993 he returned to the region and was given the opportunity to be chef at the pizzeria of the Hotel Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano at the base of the Dolomite mountains in 1994. At the time, the hotel restaurant was a humble pizzeria and signs of this are still visible in the restaurant kitchen of this 3 Michelin star restaurant. Norbert took this restaurant and slowly but surely has turned the St Hubertus into one of Italy's culinary meccas and one of the latest Italian restaurants to get the 3 Michelin star accolade. To get there, he’s had to change direction and that breakthrough came with the birth of his first son a few years ago. Prior to that, he had been cooking with some of the best ingredients he could get his hands on from langoustines to caviar and fois gras. "The birth of my son made me realise that I needed to change my ways," … [Read more...]
Ricardo Chaneton invites Virgilio Martinez, Pia Leon and Agustin Balbi at MONO in January
HONG KONG: A few weeks after the opening of MONO restaurant, Ricardo Chaneton has invited three South American chefs to join him for a unique eight hands dinner. Hong Kong based Agustin Balbi from Haku will join the power couple Virgilio Martinez of Central Restaurante and wife Pia Leon of Kjolle for a one-night-only event showcasing the multi-faceted cuisine of their South American roots. The dinner will take place on 22 January and will feature two dishes and a canapé from each chef. Mono is the latest addition to JIA Group's growing restaurant empire and is run by Ricardo Chaneton, formerly Head Chef of the 3 Michelin Star and World’s no 1 restaurant (2019) Mirazur. MONO opened its doors on On Lan Street, Central, introducing a new take on contemporary French cuisine by South American-born Ricardo, who has worked and trained extensively in French cuisine throughout this career. Virgilio Martinez and Pia Leon About Virgilio Martínez, Chef-Owner of Central … [Read more...]