Go back a few years and Kobus van der Merwe would have probably been sitting close to me for an event like the World Restaurant Awards organised in Paris on Monday 18 February. Instead he walked out of the auditorium of the Palais Broignart head held high to the tune of Toto's 1980s hit song Africa as he clinched the first ever Restaurant of the Year award. The lyrics of the song with the 'drums echoing tonight' and 'blessing the rains down in Africa' never felt more apt. A former journalist and food writer, he was writing about the global restaurant scene and dealing with restaurants every day until he was 30 when one day he started to feel his real calling. He wanted to be on the other side of things and not just writing about restaurants. He had no idea how to enter that world because he never worked as a chef before and only had one year of culinary school training to vouch for which he had acquired just after high school many years back. He found an opening in 2009 when … [Read more...]
Please take memories not pictures
When you arrive at Nobelhart & Schmutzig you don’t know what to expect. The taxi driver that took me there nearly missed the place despite having his GPS on. The door to the restaurant is closed, the restaurant window is covered in a dark curtain. Nothing is visible from the outside. It is like Billy Wagner wants to keep the place a secret. For a while, nothing from a culinary standpoint was happening in Berlin. But things have started to change over the past few years. This part of Berlin is maybe most famous for Checkpoint Charlie and the tourists that flock to this historic and formerly rough area of Berlin. Today, it is making a name for itself for the restaurant scene. Nobelhart & Schmutzig is one such restaurant and around the corner is what could be one of Berlin’s most famous restaurants, Tim Raue. Soon after I ring the bell, Billy Wagner, the sommelier and co-owner of the restaurant opens the door. He is expecting me courtesy of Per Meuling, of Berlin Food … [Read more...]
25 chefs from 4 continents cook in 3 Brussels restaurants for Isabelo charity dinners
On Saturday 16 February, 25 chefs from 4 continents around the world cooked in three different Brussels restaurants simultaneously for a unique charity dinner in aid of Isabelo, Feeding Hungry Minds, a charity set up by South Africa based chef Margot Janse with the aim of feeding young children. The three Belgian restaurants that hosted the 25 chefs were Le Chalet de La Foret, Bozar Restaurant and Bon Bon. All proceeds from the evening, including spontaneous donations after the dinner went towards Janse's charity which feeds poor school children nursery and primary school children. Each chef was asked to create one original dish inspired by a specific South African indigenous ingredient that was selected by Janse. The ingredients used Baleni salt used by Joris Bijdendijk, Isabelle Arpin and Ana Ros Buchu used by Pascal Barbot, Mauro Colagreco and Alain Passard Baobab powder used by Rodolfo Guzman, Heinz Reitbauer and Christophe Hardiquest Honeybush tea used by … [Read more...]
“I wish the team were here to celebrate this award with me” – Kobus Van Der Merwe
Kobus Van Der Merwe, chef of Wolfgat after winning the Restaurant of the Year award When Kobus Van Der Merwe, a former journalist was called onto the stage for the first time to receive the award of the Off-Map Destination he could barely believe it. For a few seconds he closed his eyes to let it sink in. But when he was called for a second time to pick up the Restaurant of the Year award he was left nearly speechless. He said he was already humbled to have been in the room with industry giants because making it to the short-list was already unexpected. But to pick up two plates at the first ever World Restaurant Awards that were held at the Palais Brongniart in Paris was completely unexpected. “I am really proud to bring something like this back to our continent and beautiful country,” he said. “It is a pity that the team were not here to celebrate this incredible award with me,” Kobus told Food and Wine Gazette during the after party that was held after the event. “But I’ve … [Read more...]
South African Wolfgat is Restaurant of the Year
Wolfgat, a restaurant run by Kobus Van der Merwe, a former food journalist turned chef was named as restaurant of the year in the first ever World Restaurant Awards that were unveiled in Paris at the Palais Brongniart, yesterday evening. The restaurant in Paternoster, South Africa also won the Off-Map Destination award. 160 kilometres away from Cape Town, this acclaimed restaurant draws on inspiration from the surrounding landscape and its dramatic season transformation. The chef serves his signature Standveld food menu which comprises of sustainable seafood, local lamb and venison as well as wild herbs and sea-weed among others. It is a restaurant that supports the community and is also particular because all the staff except for the chef and one other person are women. Most of the fish that is bought by the restaurant is caught by fishermen who are related to the staff of the restaurant), Wolfgat has made a name for itself and has often been mentioned as the ‘Noma’ of South … [Read more...]
A milestone reached
In May 2014, less than five years ago, I made a promise to myself. A number of attempts at starting to write after a long journalistic hiatus had dismally failed. That promise was to show up and to write and to keep at it even if the odds might be heavily stacked against me. With the incessant support of my wife Giulia, I am proud to have reached a first major milestone. What you are reading is the 1000th article on Food and Wine Gazette. This website took off in September 2014 after weeks of brainstorming with Giulia as to what the name of the website should be. When we decided on Food and Wine Gazette, we took the plunge without necessarily knowing what direction the website would take. All we knew was that this would be a way for me to express my creativity and feed my curiousity for stories, people, food and places. With no stretch of imagination on that September did I imagine that I would get to where I am today. One article at a time, most of them written after the … [Read more...]
Nick Bril’s new Antwerp restaurant to open in April
Nick Bril, chef of award winning restaurant The Jane in Antwerp will be opening a new restaurant in the Belgian city of Antwerp in April. The restaurant will be housed in a new hotel that is set to open on the site of the former military hospital right across The Jane. The hotel called August Antwerp is operated by the owners of Antwerp hotel Julien. The former Augustinian convent will become a modern retreat with a bar and restaurant, wellness with swimming pool. hidden gardens, a shop and 44 hotel rooms. The Dutch chef who partnered with Sergio Herman to open The Jane after working with him at Oud Sluis for many years told Food and Wine Gazette last year that he would be working together with a new hotel which is opening its doors just 100 metres away from The Jane. The new restaurant will be more simple and more accessible than the cuisine of The Jane, a two Michelin star restaurant. “The hoteliers of Hotel Julien, a renowned boutique hotel in Antwerp … [Read more...]
Some of the world’s best chefs are heading to Montpellier this weekend and most will not be cooking
Some of the world’s best chefs aged 50 and below are convening in Montpellier this weekend for Cookbook, the first exhibition of works by artists and chefs. Curated by Nicholas Bourriaud and Andrea Petrini, Cookbook 19 brings together chefs and artists as they explore the creative . The curators hope that the exhibition shows new relations between the food and art world, born of shared recent cultural revolutions. The chefs and artists taking part in Cookbook 19 are Inaki Aizpirarte of Le Chateaubriand, Maksut Askar of Neolokal, Davide Balula, Esben Holmboe Bang of Maaemo, Dorian Bauer, Nicolas Boulard, Dannie Bowien of Mission Chinese Food, Manoella Buffara of Manu, Tiphaine Calmettes, Riccardo Camanini of Lido 84, Elise Carron, Jeremy Chan of Ikoyi, May Chow of Little Bao and Happy Paradise, Amanda Cohen of Dirty Candy, Mauro and Laura Colagreco of Mirazur, Cozinha Radicante with Roberto Cabot, Nicolas Daubanes, Thomas Frebel of Inua, Beth Galton, Tania Gheerbrant and Mahalia … [Read more...]
Richard Ekkebus embarks on global discovery tour during Amber’s refurbishment
Richard Ekkebus, chef of acclaimed Hong Kong restaurant Amber that closed temporarily for refurbishment on 10 December has embarked on a global three month discovery tour. Prior to Amber’s scheduled reopening in late spring 2019, Richard and his team will host a series of pop-ups across Europe, North Africa, Asia with stops in Amsterdam, Marrakech, Aachen, Tokyo and Taipei. The tour started in January with a series of dinner at Rijks. It was Richard’s first time cooking in the Netherlands after leaving the country. These experiences will help to shape Amber’s new menu. “Our intention is to visit local markets, discuss best practices and find inspiration in new ingredients,” said Richard. “We will be travelling to a variety of regions to broaden our exposure to new flavours, innovative cooking techniques and explore global culinary trends. Along the way, we will chronicle our journey and use these discoveries to shape the new Amber menu,” he said. Next week, Richard will … [Read more...]
Rob Roy Cameron and the motorcycle trip that helped put stress into perspective
Rob Roy Cameron was no stranger to stress. He had worked at the legendary el Bulli before helping Albert Adria open 41 Degrees and Hoja Santo clinching a Michelin star for both restaurants in the process. As he said, the stress of opening a restaurant is huge but when he embarked on a motorcycle journey from Barcelona to South Africa to visit his family, this certainly helped put things in perspective. After having worked at Hoja Santo and 41 Degrees he was feeling not only under stress but he felt that he needed time for himself. He needed a break and he needed to decide on his future. “Do I work in pastry or chocolate or do I become a chef,” was the question that was tearing him apart. Originally from South Africa, he arrived in Spain via the UK where he had originally moved to become a photographer. The digital revolution had played havoc with his plans as photography moved from analog to digital. He had not visited his father’s place in South Africa for a long time and so he … [Read more...]