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...]
Everything needs to change – René Redzepi’s aim to reinvent the restaurant goes way beyond the kitchen
'For things to remain the same, things will have to change'. That is probably one of the most famous quotes from The Leopard, a novel written by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. This is not what René Redzepi, chef of the world famous Noma has in mind. When he took the stage at Parabere Forum in Malmo last week he said that the problem is that everything needs to change. "My vision for Noma is not to be the best restaurant in the world but that it will be the best place to work in the world." The change he is looking for is not one that keeps everything the same but rather one that brings a fundamental shift in the restaurant industry. He is taking some of the most talked about issues in the world of work today such as equality, work life balance, the need to work in a comfortable and welcoming environment and improved working hours and in the process he is going through a reinvention not just from a culinary point of view but also from a restaurant management point of view. A lot … [Read more...]
Gorka Izagirre wines: Making the impossible possible
Visitors to the Basque country will have definitely tasted the Txakoli, a local white wine that is drunk everywhere you go. But outside the region, the wine is extremely difficult to find despite the fact that it washes down well with food. When you visit the Azurmendi galaxy, a three Michelin star restaurant a few kilometres outside Bilbao in the idyllic Larrabetzu, you will not only find the sister restaurant Eneko, recently awarded with a Michelin star but also the headquarters of Bodega Gorka Izagirre, a newish and enthusiastically patriotic Biscayan wine producer. And as you would expect from a wine that is served in Eneko Atxa's restaurants, the wines produced are of the highest quality white wines while remaining true to their unique identity and origins. The wines are made from the Hondarrabi Zuri and the Hondarrabi Zerratia varieties. These are Atlantic grapes that are cultivated locally in small and concerntrated clusters located on the hillsides of Biscay giving … [Read more...]
Anchoas Royo: Making anchovies that are fit for three Michelin star Azurmendi
In a few weeks time, it will start to get busy for the small Basque anchovy producer Anchoas Royo located in the small fishing village of Bermeo in Spain. As the weather starts to get better, in the month of April, the boats will embark to catch the anchovies in the bay of Biscay. These are best between the months of April and June because the fish are bigger in these months. From here begins a long process of maturing the fish before they are ready to be sold on the market. After the fish reach the factory, they are salted and they will be allowed to mature for a long period before they are ready to be handled with care, one fish at a time and placed in the cans. The anchovies from Cantabria are known for their exceptional quality and you need to taste them to understand why these are sought after by food lovers around the world. “We are a very small company that gives a lot of importance to sustainability,” says Juan Carlos Royo Gabancho. “We only catch the fish we need … [Read more...]
Roscioli: When in Rome do as the Romans (and the chefs) do
There is the World's 50 Best Restaurants list and then there is Roscioli. If some 'rebel' voters would have their way, then Roscioli Salumeria con Cucina in Rome would be a permanent fixture on the list. And when you visit you can sort of understand why. If there was a price for the best curated salumeria in the world this would win hands down. At Roscioli it is not necessarily about the preparation that goes into the dishes but rather about the curation of the best ingredients that the Rosciolis can procure from the cheeses to the cold cuts that are served at the restaurant or sold by weight. Curating such a list of exceptional produce from cold cuts, to cheese, olive oils, wines deserves all the accolades one can afford. For foodies, this is definitely what Ali Baba's cave would look like.This is the type of place which you dream of having in the city you live in. A passionate family that have been baking bread since the 1800s and have turned their deli into one of the most … [Read more...]
Nacarat (Amsterdam): ‘To die for and believe me I really like living’
I dutifully followed my wife who was climbing up every floor of the Hudson’s Bay Department store on Rokin in Amsterdam. It felt like it was the Via Dolorosa. Then, in between the suede boots at a 70 per cent discount and the new collection of bright yellow bikinis that Ralph was offering while it was minus three outside, I saw a sign I could finally warm to. Restaurant, it said. I hunched my shoulders and overtook the spouse, shoving her to the side with all the grace of an American football player who is about to be reunited with the touchdown line. I thought I was heading towards one of those self-service oases that the weary shopper, or her husband, gets to visit when in a department store. The kind where you weigh the cucumber and potato salad, pay for it and grab your cutlery all in one svelte urban movement. No way. This was Tel Aviv Bauhaus meets New Amsterdam cool. The grand open kitchen running down the middle of the place is flanked by rows of tables for two which are … [Read more...]