HONG KONG: Vicky Lau, chef of TATE Dining Room in Hong Kong is introducing Date by TATE, a new private home dining experience and online gourmet shopping platform that brings a Michelin-starred restaurant experience directly to the home. The service is designed to be enjoyed for any occasion from birthdays to date nights or simply celebrating the end of a busy week. Date by TATE enhances the at-home dining experience with a fully-catered multi-course menu, beverage pairing and a specially curated music playlist. “Date by TATE isn’t your average restaurant takeaway and delivery service. Our team has worked tirelessly to design a French Chinese home gastronomic experience that reflects the quality of any dine-in journey at TATE Dining Room, down to the last details. In today’s stressful COVID-19 era, we hope to give our guests all the tools they need to celebrate meaningful occasions over exquisite cuisine, even despite the current lockdown restrictions,” said Vicky Lau, chef … [Read more...]
Iceconic, the new ice cream concept by Gert de Mangeleer
BRUGES: Visitors to Bruges this summer will be able to get a taste to Iceconic, a brand new ice-cream brand created by star chef Gert de Mangeleer. The first location of Iceconic is the 't Zand in Bruges where a pop-up store is open until the end of August. It may well be the 'Willy Wonka' of ice-cream as the chef and co-owner of the former 3 Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan has created five ice-cream creations. Gert has given is personal take on the ultimate ice cream experience focusing on purity of taste as well as high quality of produce to create a combination of silky and light texture of the freshly churned ice-cream. Iceconic is a collaboration with Friesland Campina, known for its high quality dairy products and also a strong partner for professional end users with their brand Debic. Gert was asked to think of surprising flavour combinations and went into his food lab to create this new story. He has created three basic flavours, vanilla, yogurt and … [Read more...]
‘Never renounce to books and to quality ingredients’ – Massimo Bottura
MODENA: Massimo Bottura needs no introduction. Known mostly for as the chef-patron together with his wife Lara Gilmore of Osteria Francescana in Modena, today he is the best known Italian face in the world of gastronomy. At a recent e-Class he explained his mantra to never renounce to books and to great quality ingredients. The e-Class was organised by the Italian Chamber of Commerce of the Benelux country as part of the True Italian taste initiative, which aims to showcase the exceptional produce that comes out of Italy. And it was fitting for Massimo Bottura to represent and showcase these ingredients. I’m given the opportunity to ask Massimo a question and I wanted to understand his take on Italian cuisine outside Italy. Over the past few years, the Italian offer outside Italy has improved considerably in all corners of the world. While pizza and pasta remain Italy’s most ‘exported food’ there is another, more sophisticated approach to cooking Italian food outside Italy. At … [Read more...]
Nature Chic, a dining room under the trees in Brabant Wallon this summer
Nature Chic is the name of a new concept created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Four people have joined forces to create a culinary experience in the middle of nature. John Paquot, the proprietor of the Ferme d’Odenge, Alain Bianchin, chef of Michelin star restaurant Alain Blainchin and Andre Poes, a sommelier and owner of Nectars du Sommelier and Mickael Williquet have joined forces to create this experience where nature takes centre stage and forms the dining room. During the summer months in Orbais, in the Brabant Wallon region of Belgium, Nature Chic will welcome guests next to a river in the heart of the Belgian countryside. The 'dining room' is open from Thursday to Sunday Under the trees, guests are welcome from 7pm for an aperitif in the middle of the vegetable garden. Champagne and seasonal cocktails are served together with the latest creations prepared from the vegetable garden by the team at Brigitin. At around 8pm, guests will be taken to their table for dinner … [Read more...]
Norbert Niederkofler launches Cook the Mountain – The nature around you book
BRUNICO: At the ALPINN restaurant, over 2,300 metres above sea level, chef Norbert Niederkofler has finalised a project that started in 2008. "Cook the Mountain" - The nature around you is the book he has been working on over the past 10 years. The chef, who became famous for his Cook the Mountain philosophy at St Hubertus said he is telling all the stories of the mountain culture, the mountain food, the producers, their way of working, sustainability, how they used to work in the old days and what they have been doing to recover and bring back these traditions for the next generation. Printed entirely on apple paper (made from apple waste) and in a fully recyclable box, the book will be on sale as from October. The chef has announced that the 400 page book is being sold from his website. The first 500 copies will be signed by the chef himself and will be numbered. "With this book, I want to motivate people to become part of this harmony that exists between nature, culture … [Read more...]
Al Meni to return in September
RIMINI: Al Meni, a food festival celebrated under a circus tent in the Italy city that gave the world Federico Fellini, will return in September. Usually held in June, the food festival created by Italian chef Massimo Botttura will be held from 25 to 27 September this year. Disrupted by a storm last year, which forced the closure of the street market on the first day of the festival, this year's edition had to be postponed because of the COVID-19 crisis. Massimo Bottura came up with the idea to create a food festival which has as its centre, the world famous 8 1/2 circus tent that inspired Fellini. The festival had grown to bring young chefs from Italy and around the world for a feast of gastronomy that celebrates the cuisine and produce from Emilia Romagna with the spontaneous atmosphere of a street party. It was developed into an event by the Municipality of Rimini, together with the passion and knowledge of the Chef to Chef Emilia Romagna Cuochi Association on the … [Read more...]
Who is going to take the mantle?
As cities came to a standstill, as airports closed, as streets become deserted and as people hibernated for the longest spring in our living history, many thought we were going to experience a revolution that would change the world we live in. There would be the pre COVID-19 world and the post COVID-19 world. The restaurants emptied, the kitchens became colder, the hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen came to an immediate halt. Now, as more and more countries start to reopen for business, the more things change, they more they have stayed the same. In the darkest moments of the COVID-19 crisis many thought that there would be considerable and even radical changes to the world of food and restaurants in particular. A few days ago while speaking with Andrea Petrini, one of the most influential food writers in the world, founder of GELINAZ!, an avant-garde chef’s collective he asked me “Where are the new ideas?” How are you is how the conversation started and he told me that he … [Read more...]
Osteria Francescana goes al fresco this summer at Casa Maria Luigia; Massimo Bottura to also open Gucci Osteria in Tokyo
MODENA: There has never been a better time to eat at Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana. The restaurant has been full since its reopening after the three months lockdown but the Italian chef has never experienced so much volatility in restaurant bookings in his professional life. From his home kitchen in Modena, Italian chef Massimo Bottura announced he was taking Osteria Francescana al fresco at the family's boutique hotel Casa Maria Luigia. He also announced an April opening of Gucci Osteria, in Ginza, Tokyo and a new restaurant in collaboration with Ferrari in front of the company's factory in Maranello. The COVID-19 crisis may have hit the restaurant industry hard but Massimo Bottura was in fine form passionately explaining his new projects and speaking about the difficulties of reopening Osteria Francescana despite a highly acclaimed menu 'With a little help from my friends'. "We closed the restaurant before the lockdown because we wanted to ensure that the team was … [Read more...]
L’Air du Temps launches Le Bar a Quilles, an open-air wine bar for summer
LIERNU: On 1 July, L'Air du Temps, a two Michelin star restaurant in the heart of the Belgian countryside will open an open-air wine bar, Le Bar a Quilles between 3pm and 7pm. In the lush garden of the restaurant, some 50 kilometres away from Brussels, guests will be able to walk in without a reservation and choose from a selection of drinks by sommelier Michel de Muynck. The bar will be open throughout the summer months from Wednesday to Sunday from 3pm to 7pm. The bar will be accessible from the restaurant's parking area. Earlier this week, Sang Hoon Degeimbre, chef of the restaurant L'Air du Temps, one of the top Belgian restaurants announced the opening of a sustainable restaurant called VerTige in Brussels under the guidance of young talented chef Kevin Perlot. The SAN Group of restaurants also include San Sablon, San Gent, Toshiro and Rizom. For lunch, all restaurants are offering a take-out possibility while they are open for lunch and dinner. … [Read more...]
Casse-Croûte by Karen Torosyan here to stay
BRUSSELS: When chef Karen Torosyan of Restaurant Bozar in Brussels had to close the restaurant because of the lockdown, he decided to venture into what he called Casse-Croûte. This was an initiative to serve some of his signature dishes in the form of a takeaway. On offer during the lockdown were a selection of his patés, fois gras, rilettes, ham with parsley (jambon persillé) as well as his famous pâté croûte with pork, duck and goose liver served with pickled vegetables. He also served a number of hot dishes including some of the pies that have made him world famous (he was world pie champion after all) as well as desserts. Now, with the lockdown over and the restaurant open, Karen Torosyan has kept his Casse-Croûte open and intends to eventually open a Brussels boutique. For the time being, he continues to serve his artisanal creations from his restaurant in central Brussels. "Casse-croûte was born out of the crisis and I've been working on it for three months. The response … [Read more...]