Guides have the potential to make or break restaurants and careers. When Michelin announced that an Italian chef had clinched a second star for his restaurant in Italy a few days ago he got extremely emotional. That image is a reflection of the importance guides have in the restaurant industry. How a tyre company became so powerful in the restaurant world is another story but … [Read more...]
The Michelin Guide is a big deal for Malta. Here’s why
VALLETTA: The news that Malta has three one Michelin star restaurants will change the gastronomy landscape on this small Mediterranean island for ever. This is a big deal for Malta and its culinary sphere. Whether you love or hate Michelin and what it stands for, there is no question that to date this remains the most authoritative guide for restaurants worldwide. Before … [Read more...]
Food on the Edge and reinventing the food congress
Could Food on The Edge 2017 be the final nail in the coffin of the ‘Food Congress’ as we know it? If so, it’s about time. Because for 20 years the format – or should we say the frame – has always been the same. An auto-promotional, showing off, a dully TV-oriented gig on a stage starring the usual mix of techniques and dishes. A predictable playlist of chefs vogueing, making it … [Read more...]
What impact does social media have on creativity and our restaurant experience?
Social media and the smartphone may be creating havoc not only in how we experience a restaurant but also in how chefs approach food and how they innovate. People are busy looking at their phones wherever I look. I am interested not only in what they are doing but also in how they are using their phones. Some have their earphones on and are listening to music or their latest … [Read more...]
Everyone likes a bad review: the scathing restaurant review that went viral
Jay Rayner's scathing restaurant review of Paris restaurant Le Cinq has been the talk of the internet since the article appeared online on Sunday morning in the Guardian. It went viral pretty instantly confirming that there is nothing that readers like more than a bashing particularly if this has colourful language and has made the writer angry. Jay Rayner's website … [Read more...]
