Brussels restaurant L'Idiot du Village, a Brussels institution has served its last customers this evening. Chef Alain Gascoin announced on the restaurant's Facebook page that he had sad news to announce. "A beautiful story ends here. I would like to thank our customers, young and not so young, those who have a story with the idiot. I am sorry but because of an illness and five operations, my body cannot take it any more. But don't hestitate to stop me and say good morning if you see me in the streets (it is not contagious), he said" The restaurant named the Village Idiot was anything but idiotic. It might not have had any stars but it was loved by many. The service in the restaurant was matched by a respect for quality ingredients and excellent combinations, sometimes which you would think would not work but which balanced everything out and always ended up working. I discovered the restaurant soon after our arrival in Brussels over 11 years ago and I have great memories of … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #115
Massimo Bottura and his global movement to feed the hungry: Massimo Bottura is running late. You imagine this is probably a perennial condition. In the previous week, as I know from various emails, the man who was in 2016 voted the number one chef in the world, has been in Tokyo, Melbourne and London, returning between each trip to cook at Osteria Francescana, his three Michelin-starred restaurant in the northern Italian city of Modena. See how he's disrupting fine dining - and he isn't even a chef: The clean lines and chilled vibes of the dining area at Nahm, one of Bangkok’s most renowned restaurants, are what you’d expect from a joint with an acclaimed, history-driven menu that has set it apart as one of the best in the city. But behind the scenes, back in the kitchen, you encounter the clatter of pans, bursts of flames, staccato knocks on chopping boards and shouts of “Yes, chef!” and “Service!” It works, this careful chaos, thanks to a delicate balance of trust between the … [Read more...]
Competition for best unpasteurised cheese in Wallonia
Wallonia, the French speaking part of Belgium is on a quest to find the best unpasteurised cheese in the region. La Bergerie D'Acremont, A Table - Maison Fromagère, FUGEA and Generation W have joined forces to organise this competition to find the best cow, goat, sheep and buffalo unpasteurised cheeses that are being made in this region. The aim behind the initiative is to showcase the region, the know-how of the artisans making these cheeses and also the patrimony of the region. They also want to safeguard the different tastes that are possible from unpasteurised cheeses when compared to the standard tastes of pasteurised cheese. The organisers want to help add value and also improve the production of these cheeses in Wallonia. The organisers do not only want to award the best cheeses but they also want to help the artisanal cheese makers to be recognised for their quality and to also improve their work. The cheeses will be divided into six different categories. The jury is … [Read more...]
Star-studded lineup for sixth edition of Brussels Dinner in the Sky
The sixth edition of the Brussels edition of Dinner in the Sky will be held from 8 to 18 June this year and has an incredible line-up of chefs from star-studded restaurants across Belgium. This is the first time that so many chefs will gather in Belgium's capital to celebrate conviviality and Belgian gastronomy. The chefs behind the stoves of Dinner in the Sky for this edition are: Yves Mattagne of Sea Grill Lionel Rigolet of Comme chez Soi Pascal Devalkeneer of Chalet de la Forêt Bart De Pooter of De Pastorale Pierre Résimont of l’Eau Vive Viki Geunes of ‘t Zilte Filip Claeys of De Jonkman Alexandre Dionisio of Villa in the Sky David Martin of La Paix Giovanni Bruno of Senzanome Karen Torosyan of Bozar Brasserie Luigi Ciciriello of La Truffe Noire Isabelle Arpin Franco Spinelli of San Daniele Bart De Poote said "Up high, the taste and flavours are enhanced. It is about living a beautiful moment of conviviality between friends, lovers. … [Read more...]
Opinionated about Dining publishes list of top European restaurants: Alain Passard tops list
Opinionated About Dining this evening announced the list of the top 100+ European Restaurants for 2017. Alain Passard, French chef of L'Arpege in Paris topped the list followed by Andreas Caminada of Andrea Caminada in Furstenau, Switzerland and Faviken of Magnus Nilsson. Surprisingly, the list does not include any European restaurants from the Top 100+ Classical & Heritage Restaurants which was released earlier this year. In fourth place was Eneko Atxa's Azurmendi while De Librije, Jonnie Boer's restaurant in Zwolle, the Netherlands placed 5th. The OAD list claims to be the only restaurant ranking system that determines the experience level of the people contributing reviews to the site. Each reviewer is assigned a weight that reflects the number of restaurants he/she has visited and those restaurants' rank on the OAD list. "While this system affords anyone who would like to participate the opportunity to do so, the final rankings reflect the opinions of reviewers who … [Read more...]
Chambre Séparée, new restaurant by Kobe Desramaults starts taking reservations
Kobe Desramaults has today launched the website of his new restaurant Chambre Séparée and has started taking online bookings. The restaurant will open on 1 June. It is possible to book a seat for June and July already. The restaurant, which opens from Monday to Friday for dinner only will be serving one tasting menu consisting of 20 courses with the dishes being prepared according to the seasons and what the farmers' supply the restaurant. The restaurant only has 16 covers and to ensure the best possible personal experience, the 16 seats can only be booked once or twice at a time. When you book, you will pay immediately for the non-alcoholic menu, a system that is gaining in popularity particularly for restaurants of this sort. You can also book the drinks in advance though you can also order drinks a la carte on the spot. "You may want to compare this dining experience to a concert where you are in the hands of the chefs." Given the type of restaurant, they will not be able to meet … [Read more...]
Bilbao to host World’s 50 Best restaurants awards next year
Bilbao, in the Basque region of Spain, will host the 2018 World's 50 Best restaurants award. The World's 50 Best Restaurants announced it will be working in partnership with the Government of Biscay to bring its event to a region of Spain that is known for its outstanding food. The 2018 will mark a return to Europe after the successful editions in Australia earlier this year and in New York in 2016. The move to Spain forms part of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ global tour, which it kicked off in 2016 following 13 years of the awards being held in the UK. The announcement was made at a Basque brunch hosted at Eneko at One Aldwych in London, attended by award-winning chefs including Elena Arzak, Brett Graham, Isaac McHale and Eneko Atxa. Charles Reed, Group Managing Director of William Reed Business Media, the company that owns The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, was joined at the event by the President of the Government of Biscay, Unai Rementeria Maiz. William Drew, Group … [Read more...]
‘The possibilities are endless if we open the doors to fermented juices in restaurants’ – André Chiang
André Chiang is a chef that is revolutionising the way people drink at restaurants. While he has not necessarily set himself the goal of replacing what people drink at his restaurant André, he certainty wants to provide clients with something different. "The current restaurant system is not perfect. When you dine out in a fine-dining restaurant you want to enjoy the experience as much as you can. Normally I would choose a wine pairing because that is something I am familiar with. But when you are served wine with every dish, you end up skipping the wine because it is too much. And what do you have instead? The system is not perfect. If you have one wine and one fermented juice you feel better," he says. In an interview with Food and Wine Gazette, André said that when he started working on fermented juices four years ago he did it out of realisation that restaurant owners were spending so much effort on cutlery, music, tables, napkins, silverware but what do you drink in the best … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #114
An ode to offal: Romans are proud of their city’s unique cuisine and borderline obsessed with their historic dishes. It’s one of the reasons local dishes dominate the city’s tables and other Italian regional cooking is treated as exotic and distinct. Many of Rome’s recipes were developed over the past 150 years as the city grew from a hungry rural village into a booming European capital of over 4 million. While the city’s economy has improved significantly, Romans continue to celebrate their humble and historic cucina povera(dishes fashioned from poor cuts of meat and offal) as a way to stay connected to the past. Today trattoria menus, butcher shops, supermarkets, and even fast food joints proudly showcase these ingredients. Thomas Keller, an Exacting Chef at a Crossroads: In the tight confines of a New York cab, Thomas Keller leaned against his interviewer’s shoulder. It was an intimate move for a chef whose hallmarks are precision, decorum and control. Mr. Keller wanted to talk … [Read more...]
Sergio Herman’s Atelier Frites may open in London
After the success of Atelier Frites Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Belgium, Sergio Herman has set his eyes on opening in London according to Big Hospitality. The website which covers the UK market said that they understood that Sergio Herman had instructed property agents to look for places in central London with the aim being to open the first Frites Atelier in London by the end of the year or the beginning of next year. Earlier this year, Sergio Herman opened the first Frites Atelier Amsterdam, a french fries chain in the Belgian city of Antwerp on Friday, the first outside the Netherlands. Later this year another Frites Atelier will open their fifth shop. This time it will be in Amsterdam after the successful opening of the shops in The Hague, Utrecht and Arnhem. The mission of Atelier Frites is to turn the humble potato and this common fast food into something good. Herman has been researching potatoes to find the best varieties that he will use for the chain and the … [Read more...]