BRUSSELS: The Bois de la Cambre is the green lung of the city. It is also a major traffic throughfare that connects the south of the city to the centre. It is the local's best kept secret, few tourists who venture to Europe's capital know that the city is full of parks, woods and even forests and fewer venture to this part of Brussels. The closure of the Bois de la Cambre to traffic last year caused an uproar. While, it gave much needed respite to locals in the days of lockdown, once restrictions were relaxed, drivers were angry with its closure that led to huge traffic jams. The issue was partially resolved through politics and court cases and a compromise was found which opened a part of the park to cars but which made another part of the park car-free permanently. This summer, the founders of Le Kiosque, a space opened last year, are working on a project to make the Bois de la Cambre more well known. Together with René Sepul, a food writer and book publisher, they will … [Read more...]
Alchemist tops OAD Europe Top Restaurant list
Alchemist by Rasmus Monk was crowned best restaurant in Europe in the Opinionated About Dining list released on Monday evening. This is the first time ever that a Danish restaurant tops the OAD-Europe list. Second was Restaurant Frantzen in Stockholm, Sweden followed by Etxebarri in Axpe, Spain, Andreas Caminada in Furstenau, Switzerland and Lido 84 in Gardone Riviera, Italy. Speaking about the top award, Steven Plotnicki, founder of the OAD-list said “it an amazing accomplishment for someone who is only 30 years old. Diners are lucky they will be able to enjoy Rasmus's cooking for decades”, said Steven Plotnicki, founder of the OAD-list, after the livestreamed launch of the 2021 list. The OAD-list is a restaurant system that determines the experience level of the people that vote for the restaurants. Each reviewer is assigned a weight that reflects the number of restaurants he/she has visited and those restaurants’ rank in the list. “I couldn’t … [Read more...]
Reale reopens as Romito aims to make fine-dining more accessible
CASTEL DI SANGRO: Niko and Cristiana Romito have reopened their 3 Michelin star restaurant Reale on 10 June and have decided to pursue the route they took last year. They want to make their cuisine and restaurant more inclusive and also a reflection of the chef’s vision of what it means to eat well today. “Each of us is a child of our own experience. Whether we like it or not, it determines the attitude and approach towards the choices that shape our future,” said Niko on the reopening of the restaurant. After this long pause, I feel a stronger need to share my gastronomic thoughts with my guests and also past customers who will perceive a decisive yet consistent evolution,” Niko said. And while waiting to welcome guests again from all corners of the world at his restaurant, he also wants a new audience that wants to experience gastronomy at Reale for the first time. He is turning his attention in particular to younger generations who will be protagonists of the world to … [Read more...]
Ultra-Violet by Paul Pairet retains top spot in OAD Top 100 Asia for third year
HONG KONG: Ultra-Violet by Paul Pairet, a single table experimental restaurant in Shanghai, China that unites creative cuisine with multi-sensory technology is the top restaurant of the Opinionated About Dining Asia list. The restaurant retains the first place for the third consecutive year. It is the first restaurant of its kind in the world and has been open since 2012. French chef Pairet has continuously challened diners' preconceived notions of taste and cuisine. The Top 100+ Asia Restaurants of 2020 was unveiled by global ranking system Opinionated About Dining yesterday, 7 June. A new category catering for casual restaurants has been added to the list to bring a new range of casual and budget-friendly restaurants for the judges' consideration. Continuing its rise on the list to second place was Zén – Frantzen by feted Swedish chef Bjorn Frantzen. The restaurant is led by executive chef Tristan Farmer in Singapore. Occupying a three-story shophouse on Bukit Pasoh Road, … [Read more...]
The Best Chef Awards 2021 candidates announced
AMSTERDAM: The new 100 candidates from around the world for the 5th The Best Chef Awards have been announced. The event takes place on September 13, 14 and 15 in Amsterdam. Together with the currently ranked chefs, this year's Top 100 will be selected through voting by all 200 chefs as well as a group of anonymous professionals as from this week. The system was changed this year. As from February 25, and for 100 days, the Best Chef announced one candidate per day in no specific order via their social media channels. "This year, we have a very diverse and interesting group of chefs from around the world. It is a group that brings together some seasoned heavyweights together with a younger generation of talent that is likely to bring change to the fine dining world in the years to come,": said Christian Gadau one of the founders of The Best Chef. He said they were looking for a group of chefs that can represent not just the present but also the future of gastronomy worldwide. … [Read more...]
Two Sicilian chefs make it to top tier, Jessica Rosval is female chef of the year
Two Sicilian chefs have made it to the top echelons of Italian cuisine according to Italian food guide Guida del' Espresso. The Italian guide, whose editor is Enzo Vissari, is highly influential and many times has spotted 'talent' before other more international guides recognises chefs and restaurants. Ciccio Sultano and Pino Cuttaia, chefs of Duomo di Ragusa and La Madia in Licata join the top chefs tier together with David Oldani of D'O di Cornaredo in Milan. There are now 13 restaurants in total with the '5 hats'. These are Casadonna Reale in Castel di Sangro, Seta at the Mandarin Oriental in Milan, St Hubertus at the Hotel Rosa Alpuna in San Cassiano di Badia, Le Calandre in Sarmeola di Rubano, Lido 84 in Gardone Riviera, Madonnina del Pescatore in Senigallia, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Piazza Duomo in Alba, Uliassi in Senigallia and Villa Feltrinelli in Gargnano. Ciccio Sultano, chef of Duomo said he had thought of closing the restaurant in 2020 only to change his mind. … [Read more...]
Two new restaurants for Carlo Cracco in Milan and Portofino
MILAN: Italian chef Carlo Cracco has opened a second Milan restaurant last month inside the Hotel Excel Naviglio Milano and will open his third in Portofino in Liguria in June. “I had to close two restaurants, I have opened one new one and a second will be in Porto Fino so I hope to be at a par again. The pandemic has all hit us hard. We could complain and discuss on many things but I am from Veneto and we have always been taught that instead of complaining you should be working on the future,” Carlo said. He was answering a question by Food and Wine Gazette at a masterclass organised by the Italian Belgian chamber of commerce as part of a True Italian Taste initiative. Carlo Cracco is an Italian chef famous for his flagship restaurant Ristorante Cracco in Milan in an iconic space inside the Galleria just off the Piazza Duomo. “The new space allowed us to be able to open immediately because it has a very big garden. This was not only essential for me but it also gives a … [Read more...]
The art of making the perfect risotto with Carlo Cracco
Italian chef Carlo Cracco needs no introduction. Veneto born, he worked with Gualtiero Marchesi and Alain Ducasse before making a name for himself in various restaurants before venturing on his own and opening various restaurants including his flagship Ristorante Cracco restaurant in Milan. When you think about Italy and its food, the first thing that comes to mind wis certainly pasta. But risotto would come a close second. Carlo Cracco grew up in a region famous for its Vialone Nano rice variety but when he moved to Milan he learned that the preferred rice was the Carnaroli. At a recent master class with Carlo Cracco, he revealed all his know how on how to make a great risotto as well as preparing two recipes to showcase how to prepare the perfect risotto. It was part of a series of events being organised by the Belgian-Italian Chamber of Commerce as part of the True Italian Taste project. "A risotto is a recipe that is unique in the international panorama. It is not easy to … [Read more...]
Why we should be rooting for Daniel Humm and his decision to go fully plant-based
When Eleven Madison Park, New York reopens on 10 June, it will be the world’s first three Michelin star plant-based restaurant. Will it retain three stars when Michelin inspectors visit again? Will they make an exception? Will they see this as the sign of the times? And more importantly, can Daniel Humm reinvent himself as the world’s leading vegetable and plant-based chef having reached the pinnacle already once? For those who don’t know Daniel Humm, he is chef and today the owner of Eleven Madison Park, a three Michelin star restaurant in New York and one that has already been World’s 50 Best Restaurants no 1 restaurant in 2017. The Swiss chef is not one to shy away from challenges and his story is nothing short of fascinating. Having failed to make his mark in cycling when he was young, he set his sights on cooking as a way of reaching the top. One story he says is that of being sent home when he was young for telling his art teacher he could not draw a house he had in mind … [Read more...]
‘Casse-Croute’ by Karen Torosyan to slowly come to an end with final service on 29 May
BRUSSELS: Casse Croute, the 'takeaway' service of Bozar chef Karen Torosyan which regaled Brussels and Belgians with his renowned 'pies' throughout the pandemic will slowly come to an end. The chef who decided not to open the Bozar Restaurant's terrace and wait until he is allowed to serve guests indoors in June said that the last Casse-Croute service will end on Saturday 28 May. After that, he and his team will be taking a week off before focusing on the opening of the restaurant. Karen Torosyan told Food and Wine Gazette he did not want to open the terrace because of the uncertainties linked to the Belgian weather. "Guests come to the restaurant to enjoy themselves. We cannot guarantee a good service with the incertitude and for this reason I prefer to continue to deliver the Bozar experience home during May." The chef said he could not complain and thanked his customers for their custom during these months when restaurants were closed in Belgium. "It was not easy. I enjoy … [Read more...]