Italy is not just heritage. Under the surface, there is a lot going when it comes to food. It is time to think of Italy again When Ferran Adria placed at the top of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list successively he not only helped to make a name for himself and his restaurant el Bulli but he also lifted the fortunes of Spain and its gastronomy for good. Italians are now hoping that Massimo Bottura’s second top position in the space of three years will have a similar effect. Look at the world’s leading chefs today and most of them will have one thing in common. They have nearly all trained at the Adrias’ iconic restaurant el Bulli. No one has had an impact like the Spanish chef over the past years and one can say he has given chefs like Massimo Bottura and René Redzepi and many others the license to reinvent restaurants. There is maybe no one today who has the aura that Ferran Adria had though in a few years we may look at a number of today’s stars in the same … [Read more...]
Ana Ros: ‘Every ingredient is a challenge for a chef. The less valuable it is the bigger the challenge’
When Ana Ros, the Slovenian chef of Hisa Franko cooked at Christophe Hardiquest’s Bon Bon earlier this month she brought dishes with very bold flavours to reflect her style of cooking. “This is my character. I am very explosive. I cannot say that 100 per cent of my dishes are like this but 70 per cent of our dishes are very intense. They call me thunderstorm and I can be very emotional but this is how my kitchen is,” she told Food and Wine Gazette after the fourth Bon Bon dinner at the Brussels restaurants. “I don’t think the cooking is extreme because it is not extreme but it is strong. There is of course a risk that people don’t like it. For me, I prefer that 80 per cent love it and 20 per cent say never gain rather than staying in the middle.” That is understandable given that she has made it to the top of the game having been awarded best female chef last year and also featuring in Netflix’s popular food series Chef’s Table. Last month, for the first ever time, she made it … [Read more...]
Opening the senses to something new as Ana Roš cooks with Christophe Hardiquest at Bon Bon
Before she decided to take up cooking around 14 years ago, Ana Roš was heading to Brussels to work with the European institutions where she had just been offered a job. As fate had it her partner’s father was retiring from the restaurant he owned, the Hiša Franko and there was no one to take over his work expect Victor who would become her husband. On the spot and against the will of her father she decided to stay in Slovenia and build her career in the restaurant. Having knowledge of 5 languages, she did not start in the kitchen but soon she realised that this would be necessary. Yesterday (4th July) she was in Brussels again, this time not because of the offer she had received 14 years ago but rather on the request of Christophe Hardiquest, a chef she really admires after a dining experience she had at the restaurant before this visit. She was the fourth guest to cook at Bon Bon in the series of Bon Bon Origins dinners that chef Christophe Hardiquest is organising as he … [Read more...]
Le Chalet de la Forêt: Creating emotions by joining the creative forces of two chefs
If you happen to arrive to Le Chalet De la Forêt blindfolded or haven’t paid any attention to how you got there, you will not believe that you are still in the Belgian capital, Brussels. Nestled in the immense Sonian Forest a bit further away from one of the main parks of the city, the Bois de la Cambre, is a chalet that houses this two Michelin star restaurant. The road leading to the restaurant is stunning whichever season you pass through it. Be it the austere winter months, spring, summer or autumn when the leaves turn golden, it always has a magical feel especially at dawn or dusk. In this location, Pascal Devalkeneer, the chef and owner of the restaurant and Kasper Kurdhal, the executive chef have joined their creative efforts and are starting to push boundaries hoping that they can take the restaurant to the next level. Why this restaurant is not really on the radar screen is something that intrigues me and you can learn more from my interview with Kasper Kurdahl in … [Read more...]
Eneko Atxa opens Eneko in Bilbao
Eneko Atxa, chef of 3 Michelin star restaurant Azurmendi and Eneko, both in Larrabetzu in the Basque countryside has opened a new restaurant in the city of Bilbao. The Spanish chef from the Basque region also has restaurants in London and Tokyo. The Basque chef has opened the restaurant in the Euskalduna Palance on May 24 with the aim of serving traditional Basque dishes and showcasing the land, the culture, the traditions, the Basque producers and their work. This approach has already been recognised in the restaurant Eneko in Larrabetzu but he now takes the concept to Bilbao in the centre of this dynamic Basque city. The restaurant next to Azurmendi clinched a Michelin star late last year. Eneko Bilbao is based on traditional Biscayan cuisine, ancient recipes presented in an elegant and direct manner with all the intensity of Eneko's cooking style. The concept of Eneko Bilbao is based on Eneko's desire to recover and update recipes that are part of his personal culinary … [Read more...]
14 top international sommeliers visit Douro Boys
14 top international sommeliers among whom Mattia Spedicato of Copenhagen 3 Michelin star restaurant Geranium and Melania Bellesini of the acclaimed The Fat Duck in the UK have visited the Douro Valley to visit the 'Douro Boys' which is composed of five wine estates, the Quinta do Crastro, Niepoort, Quinta Vale D. Maria, Quinta do Vallado and Quinta do Vale Meao. Over the course of three days, the 14 sommeliers visited the five wineries. There, they were able to learn things that they had always known about the Douro Valley and experience wines that have always wanted to taste. They were given five detailed presentations addressing topics like indigenous grape varieties, the longevity of the red wines, the mineral characteristics of the white wine, the various styles of Ports and the particular nature of the Vinhas Velhas that are often eighty years or even older. Mattia Spedicato, the restaurant manager and sommelier at Geranium said that Douro red wines offer a wide range of … [Read more...]
Alexandre Couillon is third guest of Christophe Hardiquest for Bon Bon Origins dinner
Alexandre Couillon, the French chef of two Michelin star restaurant La Marine in Noirmoutier will be the third chef to cook at the Bon Bon Origins collaborative dinner series. The dinner takes place on Tuesday 29 May at the restaurant in Brussels. Christophe Hardiquest, chef of the two Michelin star Brussels restaurant Bon Bon launched Bon Bon Origins out of the desire to rediscover traditional Belgian recipes that have stood the test of time but deconstructing them and bringing them to life again in a contemporary way, he will be organising collaborative dinners with different chefs that are focused on their own terroirs. Tickets for the dinner will be on sale from Monday 7th May at 6pm on the restaurant website. Alexandre Couillon needs no introduction. He was Gault & Millau French chef of the year in 2017 and also featured in Chef's Table's season on French chefs. He is at the moment of of the most important ambassadors of French cuisine today. The chef's philosophy, … [Read more...]
Christophe Hardiquest cooks rabbit with gueze at Brussels brewery Cantillon
Rabbit is the type of dish that you either love or you hate. It has a lot to do with culture. Belgium, like France, Italy and even Malta, the country I come from has a certain affinity to this dish. It is a lean meat with lots of nutritional benefits though in some places people are starting to lose the tradition of eating rabbit. Christophe Hardiquest, chef of two Michelin star Brussels restaurant Bon Bon has been on a mission to recreate a traditional rabbit Brussels recipe at his restaurant. Over the past months, he has been working and evolving dishes with rabbit and gueze, a traditional sour Brussels beer that has unique characteristics that are enjoyed by beer lovers from around the world. A gueze beer is a blend of lambics that have been produced during different years which produce a beer that is acidic and fruity with a delicate woody fragrance and a dry finish that lingers on the palate. The rabbit dish at Bon Bon has been evolving. He has served a rabbit tartare … [Read more...]
Second Bon Bon Origins dinner features José Avillez with Christophe Hardiquest
Brussels based chef Christophe Hardiquest, chef of two Michelin star restaurant Bon Bon welcomed José Avillez, chef of Lisbon restaurant Belcanto for the second Bon Bon Origins dinner organised a few days ago. Working together with young Belgian Chef Kevin Perlot, they created a harmonious menu focusing in particular on the sea as their playground. The Portuguese chef has been working since 2007 to the highest levels showcasing the huge Portuguese heritage that exists and that is very often forgotten amid the stereotypical dishes of the country. When he started, he wanted to show that Portuguese cuisine was not just about cod. In fact, in his two Michelin star restaurant, he only uses cod liver or cod’s head as a way to show that there is more to his country’s cuisine that just its tradition. Fundamentally, we are speaking about a country that introduced tempura to Japan but few people tend to know this, a country which has a rich tradition close to one of the largest … [Read more...]
Thomas Bühner returns to Villa Louise
Thomas Bühner, chef of 3 Michelin star resturant La Vie, in Osnabrück, North West Germany was recently a guest at Villa Louise for a dinner which forms part of the 'seventh' season. Villa Louise, an offshoot of asset manager Creutz and Partners has been inviting some of the world's best chefs to cook at their premises to collaborate, cook and share their creativity with their clients. This was not the first time that the German chef was guest of Villa Louise which today has accumulated 78 stars. Bühner is chef of one of the best restaurants in Germany and you can see why. At the dinner he focused on exceptional ingredients and worked perfectly with produce to ensure that the flavours are not only clean but also intensified. In 2001, he was awarded the Gault Millau “Rising Star of the Year” award and was voted “Chef of the Year” just five years later. Together with his wife Thayarni Kanagaratnam, he has been running Restaurant La Vie in Osnabrück since April 2006. For the … [Read more...]