For some people food has become the first thing that they look out for in a destination. Countries that have ignored this are now realising that they can attract a certain type of gastronomic traveller if they can up their game. For those chefs or destinations that are looking for inspiration as to how it can be done, they should look no further than Poul Andrias Ziska, a 26-year-old chef from the Faroe Islands whose restaurant KOKS has won its first Michelin star. This young talented chef has shown what can be done with passion, with fresh food and with what nature can provide you in one of the most remote islands in Europe. Other than for its football team which competes in the European championship, its sheep and its reputation for amazing seafood, few would have heard to these islands at least from a gastronomic map until Poul put them on the map. In the tiny hamlet of Kirkjubour, on the Faroe Islands, Poul was already a household name among foodies serving a 17-course … [Read more...]
Christophe Hardiquest fulfills dream to cook without pressure and constraints this summer
Christophe Hardiquest, chef of two Michelin star restaurant Bon Bon is fulfilling his dream of opening a bistro this summer albeit for just two months. He is opening Mon Bistro d'été by Christophe Hardiquest in the old Chez Marie restaurant in the Flagey area of Brussels. The restaurant had been closed for over two years. "A bistro is something fun. It is a great opportunity to work with new suppliers and produce new recipes away from the constraints and expectations of a fine dining restaurant. We don't want to raise expectations though we will use high quality products but differently. My aim is to work with new products which I am not accustomed to use at Bon Bon," the Belgian chef told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview. The chef has decided to open this pop-up restaurant instead of going for a two-month vacation while the restaurant kitchen of Bon Bon is completely refurbished in July and August. The new Bon Bon kitchen, which welcomed 19 chefs from across the whole of … [Read more...]
Redzepi partners with Schmidt to open restaurant Barr on old Noma site
René Redzepi, chef of Noma, is partnering with Thorsten Schmidt, dubbed the Nordic Alchemist to open a new restaurant Barr on 5th July inside the old home of noma on the city's iconic waterfront. "For years, I have been talking with René about creating a new kind of restaurant in Copenhagen. We have been holding out for the perfect space – and we finally found it," Thorsten said. Barr will not be another Nordic restaurant. Rather, it will draw from the eating and drinking traditions of the North Sea; an area that spans Scandinavia, Benelux and the British Isles. The name Barr is an old Irish word for “crops” and an old Nordic word for “barley,” a staple throughout this stretch of Europe, and, of course, one of the foundations of beer. Barr will celebrate this diverse region’s cold-country cooking, its breweries, and its shared devotion to conviviality. Schmidt said that the cooking of this region has always fascinated him – from classic dishes like the humble frikadeller … [Read more...]
Bon Bon’s Christophe Hardiquest to open summer bistro in Brussels
Christophe Hardiquest, two Michelin star chef of the highly regarded Brussels restaurant Bon Bon is realising his dream of opening a bistro even if this will only be for two months. Having decided to close his two Michelin star restaurant in July and August to modernise and refurbish the kitchen completely, Christophe together with his wife Stephanie have decided to take over Chez Marie, a restaurant that has been closed for over two years in the area of Flagey in Brussels. The bistro, called Mon Bistro d'été by Christophe Hardiquest will be serving classics away from the constraints of fine dining restaurants though you can expect a very high quality given that he will be moving together with his team and will be at the helm of the bistro for the two months. This is part of his Brussels project which started last year with a reflection on how to interpret Brussels and Belgian classics. In an interview with Food and Wine Gazette last year, Christophe had said that "it is also … [Read more...]
New Frantzén to open on 30 August
During summer 2016, chef and restaurateur Björn Frantzén closed his two-star restaurant Frantzén in Gamla Stan in Stockholm to move to new premises. On August 30, a year later, the new restaurant will be opening its doors at Klara Norra Kyrkogata 26, in downtown Stockholm. The new restaurant, with three floors plus a terrace, has undergone complete reconstruction since the takeover. Despite the surface area now being five times as large as the previous restaurant, the number of guests it can seat is still the same – 23. “I don’t know of any other restaurant in the world that looks anything like what we’re creating here”, said Björn Frantzén. “A visit to Frantzén will be a culinary experience as well as a journey through a completely renovated 19th century building, with the addition of a lift just for the restaurant. The restaurant takes up a full three floors, with an entrance area, restaurant and a former attic on the top floor which is now a lounge area.” While the … [Read more...]
Noma Mexico: a masterclass in how a restaurant can use social media for storytelling
The use of social media by René Redzepi and his Noma Mexico team was a masterclass in how a restaurant can use social media to document its story and intrigue hundreds of thousands of followers who can never make it to visit the restaurant not only because of logistics and cost but also because it would be impossible to cater for so many people. Noma Mexico took a year of planning to come into fruition and existed for just seven weeks but it involved building a 32-metre long kitchen and settling 145 staff members including spouses and children. But what was most striking was not necessarily the reviews of the food that was created using the produce the team found in Tulum, Mexico, but rather the creative use of social media and in particular Instagram. Redzepi used both his private account as well as the restaurant account to document the seven week journey using the Instagram feed as well as the Stories feature giving viewers a unique glimpse of what happened in the background … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #116
Around the World in 30 Steaks: The Best From Las Vegas to Tokyo: Restaurant food doesn't get much simpler than a properly cooked chunk of beef—and rarely delivers so much pleasure. The smoky sweetness of the char, with its hint of crispness. The soft flesh releasing the deep and earthy flavors of the meat. It's the stuff of meaty dreams and enjoyed worldwide. Yet it's easy to ruin a steak. No amount of sauce or mustard can fix bad beef. Overcooked meat will be dry and chewy. Walk into a random steakhouse when traveling and you may suffer more disappointment than joy. The Team Behind The ‘World’s Best Restaurant’ Tackle Fast-Casual: Dinner at Eleven Madison Park, Will Guidara and chef Daniel Humm’s vaunted haute cuisine hangout — which closes June 9 for renovations and a summer Hamptons pop-up — costs a lofty $295 per person. For many, that kind of expense would rightly raise eyebrows and prompt double takes. Even a meal at the NoMad — the partners’ clubby hotel restaurant that … [Read more...]
Cooking up a friendship – Sven Elverfeld and Quique Dacosta cook together for first time
Sven Elverfeld, chef of Wolfsburg restaurant Aqua welcomed Quique Dacosta, chef of the eponymous restaurant in Denia, Spain, for the first 'cooking up friendship' in his restaurant. "Quique and I have not had the opportunity to cook together and therefore I was very happy about his idea to visit me at restaurant Aqua," said Sven. "This dinner gives Sven and me the opportunity to share our knowledge and passion for our profession and to surprise guests with a unique menu," said Quique. Currently the Spanish chef is travelling across Europe and stopped yesterday at the 3 Michelin star restaurant in Wolfsburg. Together, Sven and Quique prepared a menu solely for one evening. The two 3-Michelin star chefs have a long-term German-Spanish friendship despite the fact that they had never cooked together. With excellent craftsmenship Sven, together with his team is known for a defined style and apart from trends Elverfeld creates a symbiosis of tradition and modernism. The Michelin … [Read more...]
15 year anniversary event for World’s 50 Best Restaurants to take place in Barcelona
To mark its 15th anniversary, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is hosting a unique day of gastronomic discussion and celebration, in Barcelona, Spain, on June 27th, 2017 which will bring together five chefs whose restaurants have been named No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Ferran Adrià, René Redzepi, Joan Roca, Massimo Bottura and Daniel Humm will outline their personal vision for the future of gastronomy at a special edition of #50BestTalks in front of an invited audience, and the event will be streamed on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Facebook page. This live forum will be followed a celebratory gastronomic feast, co-hosted by Ferran Adrià at the Bravo24 restaurant in the W Barcelona hotel. These five ‘superchefs’ have helped shape the global culinary landscape over the last decade and a half, and will no doubt play a highly influential role in the future of food, restaurants and gastronomy. Joan Roca will be joined at the event by brothers Josep and Jordi, while … [Read more...]
Start of Zeeland mussels season
The first line-grown mussels from the North Sea region of Zeeland were picked up today 23 May. These mussels, grown on immersed ropes normally are ready to be picked up between four to six weeks earlier than the bottom mussels season. According to current estimates the mussel season should start on 28 June this year. The Zeeland line-grown mussels are a niche product that has become extremely successful in Belgian and Dutch restaurants and production accounts for around 5 per cent of the total supply of Dutch mussels. Radio presenter and culinary blogger Sven Ornelis is a great lover of mussels. He was the guest of honour for the launch of the new mussel season. "Every year, I look forward to the opening of the mussel season. I am pleasantly surprised by these early Zeeland mussels. They are tender and iodized, you really feel the difference compared to the other mussels," he said. The line technique is relatively new in Zeeland where 'bottom' mussels have been grown for 150 … [Read more...]