Nostalgia has a way of playing tricks with us. Many times we crave for the things we really enjoyed in our past only to be disappointed when we experience the real thing. It could be a city we visited and loved, a restaurant that is revisited or even a product we used to crave many years ago but which if you are objective is really disappointing. Food memories play a very important role in building our identity. What we eat ends up shaping who we are and who we really want to be with. Food is about sharing moments and experiences. It is also about our past memories. If there is one thing I crave for whenever I am away from Malta, it is the glorious and ripe Maltese tomato. Grown in abundance under the Mediterranean sun, its taste is unbelievably good. And if there was one thing that I could not get used to when I arrived in Belgium, nearly 10 years ago, it was the fact that I could not really find tomatoes that could compare to what I had experienced in the past. Things … [Read more...]
Think twice before posting your photos of food in Germany
Chefs may privately hate it when customers take photos of their culinary creations. For every mouthwatering photo on social media like Instagram and Twitter there are dozens of bad shots taken with phones which do not do justice to the food being served. At the same time, they know this is a trend that they cannot really fight against and in general it has enabled a certain food culture to emerge and one which we are likely to look at years from now as the start of a food revival. Most chefs who speak to Food and Wine Gazette actually don't mind sharing their work on social media or even having people share photos of their culinary creations. There is obviously the issue of food becoming cold on the plate or else disturbing other clients in the restaurants and that is really something that should be avoided. We've heard stories of people standing on chairs in restaurants to take a photo of their dish to be able to share on social media. But in Germany, you may think twice … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #46
We are slowly approaching September and with it come many new things. One of the most-awaited restaurant reopenings is Heston Blumenthal's Fat Duck which is set to open again next month. If there is one thing that you should read this week, then it should be this brilliant interview by Jay Rayner in The Guardian. The experience is set to be different. It will be all about story telling and he is questioning everything. He says perfection is the enemy of creativity. "All these ideas of success and failure just equal fear of failure, judgement of others and blame of others. It restricts creativity. The opposite of failure is discovery," he says. Read on here. We look forward to head to the Milan Expo in September. In anticipation, here is an article by Emily Teel of Civileats on whether the Milan Expo can bring food systems into the global spotlight. A small Italian bank gives a select group of dairy farmers the opportunity to finance their operations with Parmiggiano Reggiano. … [Read more...]
Recipe (Atsushi Tanaka): Tuna with pickled kohlrabi
Japanese chef Atsushi Tanaka of Restaurant A.T. in Paris prepared a really tasty dish at Flemish Food bash mixing partly cooked and smoked tuna with kohlrabi. It was a perfect summer dish and one which was really enjoyable. The Japanese chef (see interview here) has been called the Picasso of the kitchen by his former master Pierre Gagnaire and has a very contemporary style though his base for his cuisine is French. He has been influenced by his trips and work in countries like Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. Method and Ingredients Kohlrabi Pickles 1 litre water 50 grammes sugar 20 grammes salt 1 kilogramme Kohlrabi 250 (white) balsamic vinegar Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil. Once it starts to boil, take away from the stove and let it cool down. Kohlrabi puree Remove the cooked kohlrabi and chop it. Heat some olive oil in a pan and sweat the kohlrabi. Add a little bit of water, cover and let it simmer until cooked. … [Read more...]
Drinking wine at the right temperature – not always as easy as it sounds
Drinking wine at the right temperature is a necessity but many get it wrong even in the restaurant trade let alone at home. There is a myth that red wine should be served at room temperature, only that the room temperature is way too warm for your favourite glass of red wine. And even white wines are often over chilled when coming out of the refrigerator. Steve Parker, the creator of Kelvin has come up with a brilliant idea to serve wines always at their ideal temperature. We recently caught up with this UK based company to learn more about the product and also to raise awareness about serving wine at the right temperature, particularly since this is a mistake we have often encountered even in restaurants. Steve, the inventor used to live above a Majestic wine shop in the UK for a short period and became a regular customer and would often get recommendations from the manager for a particular wine. One day, he was recommended a particular Chardonnay from the manager, but having … [Read more...]
Atsushi Tanaka: A Japanese chef conquering Paris
It is not easy to describe the cuisine of Japanese chef Atsushi Tanaka even if he has been described as the Picasso of the kitchen by his master Pierre Gagnaire. Even when asked he hesitates before he answers that his cuisine is French at its basic but with influence from his home country Japan and his travels to Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia. "I wouldn't call my cuisine French. Yes, there is French influence but I have worked in Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and in Scandinavia (Copenhagen and Stockholm)," he tells Food and Wine Gazette. Probably the best way to describe his cuisine would be international. He agrees telling me he would describe it as an international contemporary and modern cuisine. This young Japanese chef is one of the many chefs that are establishing themselves in the heart of the world's culinary centre Paris and cooking French cuisine. These Japanese chefs have moved from their traditional Japanese cuisine and are making a name for … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #45
If there is one thing that makes me really nostalgic about my country it is the tomato. At its best, not much is needed to turn it into a meal for the gods. Just a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, basil and you are sorted particularly at this time of year when the peak season of the tomato is fast approaching. Alas things have changed and it is now rather common to find imported tasteless tomatoes in supermarkets or shops which is really a pity. Many times I find myself having to ask whether the tomatoes are local or not. But here is a really interesting trick to make tomatoes taste better than they are. It is worth trying. Chris Dwyer who writes at Fine Food Dude has a very interesting article in the CNN on the hottest Asia food trends in 2015. It is worth a read. We love to support a good cause and this is really worth sharing. Virgin have teamed up with OzHarvest by turning food snaps on social media into real meals for people in need thanks to a … [Read more...]
Brussels: an underestimated culinary destination
Millions of people enter Brussels, the capital of Europe, each week. Most come for business or work meetings, some come en route to visit other places in Belgium like Bruges, Gent or Antwerp, others to work and still some to visit what is the administrative capital of Europe. No one comes for its food. That is a mistake, because the food scene in Brussels is incredibly varied and surprisingly good. The same can be said of Belgium, an underestimated culinary country, if ever there was one. Tourists visiting Brussels will normally head to the Grand-Place area and to what has now become one of the largest pedestrian zones in Europe, near the Bourse (Stock Exchange), which will soon be turned into a beer museum and the Place St Catherine area. They will be lured into one of the many restaurants serving mussels and 'French fries'. They will know that Brussels and Belgium is well known for its beers and chocolate, but few are aware of the culinary diversity or richness of the … [Read more...]
Recipe: Spaghetti with fresh bottarga (fish roe)
Fishing is part and parcel of Mediterranean life despite the fact that overfishing has made it much less enjoyable for everyone over the years. I remember as a young boy going to fish with my father and losing patience because we would catch just a handful of fish. This must have been more than 20 years ago. Now with the benefit of hindsight, the actual joy of fishing is not necessarily in the act of fishing itself but rather in the preparation, the early wake up call, rushing out of bed trying not to wake anyone, dressing up quickly and bracing the cooler early morning air which is a respite from the hot stifling summer heat. It is the beauty of watching nature at its best with some stunning land and seascapes, an amazing sunrise, good company and maybe catching fish in the process. Moreover, in this day when we are constantly communicating, it is good to be out at sea without a phone connection. If ever there was a good way to wind down, this was one. At this time of … [Read more...]
Weekly round-up of great reads on food and wine #44
You can love or hate food critics but what happens when critics have different opinions about the same place? And how does this help consumers? The purpose of reviewing restaurants is to help consumers make a choice. Peter Preston on the Guardian makes the point that restaurant evening has become a series of elegant essays too fray to chomp. It is worth a read. The wines of Liguria are really worth discovering. Andrew Jefford has written a very interesting article in this weekend's Financial Times about the wines and wineries of this beautiful Italian region. But you may need to head there. On the subject of Liguria, there is a mention of the Focaccia di Recco, a type of flatbread with cheese which comes from the village of the same name. You can find it in any bakery in Liguria. Here is a list of 9 Italian dishes you must try. Here is a great article about food and authenticity. It is about Mexican food but it is also valid for other cuisines. The Champagne house Maison … [Read more...]