Gert De Mangeleer is the youngest ever Belgian chef to achieve 3 stars in Belgium. He is the chef and co-owner of Hertog Jan together with Joachim Boudens. A few days ago, the restaurant was listed as 53rd in the World's 50 Best Restaurants making it the highest ranked restaurant in Belgium. Earlier this year, we spent some time with Gert and Joachim at the restaurant in the outskirts of the idyllic Belgian city of Bruges in Zedelgem. Needless to say, it was an inspiring time and we have distilled the lessons learnt. 1. You can plan but learn to expect the unexpected: Both Gert and Joachim were aiming towards a third Michelin star when they decided to move from their old restaurant and in many ways, they designed the restaurant with this aim in mind. They were caught by surprise when they earned the third Michelin star in their old location but it goes to prove that success sometimes comes when you don't expect it. It also teaches you not to look for excuses but rather to lean in … [Read more...]
Eight reasons why we think the World’s 50 Best restaurants list may be in trouble
The influence the World's 50 Best restaurants has on the culinary world has been growing every year. But that influence seems to be coming at a price and that price is credibility. The criticism on the way that restaurants are judged has been there for many years but the noise is now growing louder. Over the past years, there were many judges who have quit because they did not agree with the way the list was composed. On Monday 1st June, as the awards were announced for yet another year and the organisers announced that they would be moving to New York next year, it was becoming clearer to independent observers that the event has a credibility problem. A few days earlier, a site Occupy 50 Best was created, calling on sponsors to withdraw from the contest unless it is reformed. And chefs, who may earlier have thought twice before criticising the list, are now becoming more vociferous. Joel Robuchon, Georges Blanc, Francis Mallmann and Gianfranco Chiarini are among the … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #36
This was the week that saw the announcement of the 50 World's Best Restaurants for 2015. Just like Michelin has been taking flak in the past years for its system, this award is also finding itself at the centre of criticism. We will be writing more about this during the coming week but in the meantime take a look at Tim Hayward's article in the Financial Times on the same subject. We find ourselves in agreement on pretty much all the points he makes. We've written before about Massimo Bottura's Refettorio Ambrosiano. It is a project by one of the world's best chefs, Italian Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana, to feed the poor using food which would otherwise be wasted. You can take a look at this week's launch here. And don't forget, if you want to donate to the project you can do so here. London's dining scene is on fire with many restaurants receiving lots of international press. But there is another side to the coin. This is explored by the editor of Observer Food Monthly … [Read more...]
Massimo Bottura’s soup kitchen needs your help
We've written many times about Massimo Bottura's Refettorio Ambrosiano, the soup kitchen that has opened in Milan to serve those in need as well as to educate people on food and human nourishment in view of Expo Milan 2015. The Refettorio needs your help with donations and we believe that this is a really worthy cause and one worth promoting. Over the coming months, 30 of the world's best chefs will join the recently crowned number 2 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants list Massimo Bottura to feed the poor using food that would otherwise be thrown away from the pavilions of the Milan Expo. Bottura has even created a dish, bread is gold, as a way of raising awareness about the project. It is a beautiful dish which will be served at the soup kitchen. It is not only a worthy cause which will feed Milan's poor, but it is a perfect way to raise awareness about food waste with billions of tonnes of food being thrown away each year worldwide. The Refectory was once a theatre connected to … [Read more...]
Pouring the perfect beer
Did you know that there is a nine-step ritual to serving the perfect Stella Artois? There is no question that Belgians take their beer very seriously, but Stella Artois has developed a way to ensure that when customers drink a beer in a bar, they get the perfect experience. That job can only be done by a bartender who learns how to serve the perfect beer. And to do this, this Belgian brewery from Leuven has been organising a world draughtmaster competition to find the person who can pour the perfect beer. The winner becomes the global ambassador for a year, travelling the world and helping other bartenders learn how to serve the perfect beer. The Belgian final to find the representative who will be competing in the 18th edition of the Stella Artois World's Draughtmasters final in London was held on 3rd June at Stella's old brewery in Leuven. Jan Vandenplas of Bar Nine in Leuven won the competition among 20 regional finalists. The World's Draughtmaster for 2014, Belgian Marjolein … [Read more...]
Magnus Nilsson: ‘Unlike other creative industries, you don’t get a second chance in a restaurant’ – Chef’s Table review
"Unlike other creative professions, when you cook in a restaurant you don't get a second chance. You cannot go to customer and say the crab was not very good today so you should come and try it another day," says 32-year-old chef Magnus Nilsson, chef of Swedish restaurant Fäviken. The Chef's Table documentary of this talented Swedish chef is a must watch, as it depicts the story of this creative chef who is cooking in what is probably the most well known remote restaurant in the world. Listed 25th in the world's 50 Best restaurants for 2015 announced on 1 June, Fäviken is unique in many ways. Saying that the restaurant is in the middle of nowhere is an understatement. It is located in Järpen, around 750 kilometres north of Stockholm, and Nilsson started cooking there by chance given the fact that he was recruited to oversee the wine cellars as a consultant. This was after he decided to stop cooking on his return to Sweden from France. The documentary brilliantly portraits this … [Read more...]
El Celler de Can Roca voted World’s Best Restaurant, Osteria Francescana second
El Celler de Can Roca was voted World Best Restaurant for 2015, as the three Roca brothers regained the top spot for the second time, after losing it to Rene Redzepi's Noma last year. Massimo Bottura, Italian chef of Osteria Fracescana continued his slow but gradual rise in the list as he reached the second spot for the first ever time. Noma, took third place. Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez of Central, Lima made it to 4th place while Daniel Humm, who won the Chef's Choice award came fifth with his restaurant Eleven Madison Avenue. There were a few surprises on the night as the World's 50 Best Restaurants list was announced at the 14th annual event that took place in London Guildhall. Spain in total claimed seven spots out of the 50 list, the United States had six places in the top 50, France had five places and Italy 3. Earlier during the day it was announced that next year's event will be held in New York. In its 14th edition, this year's event has attracted more … [Read more...]
Weekly round-up of great reads on food and wine #35
This week marked the launch of Massimo Bottura's Refettorio Ambrosiano, a once-derelict theatre in Milan. It has been re-purposed to educate and feed refugees and working poor who reside across town, far from the multinational pavilions welcoming culinary tourists to this summer's Expo Milano 2015. Here, some of the world's best chefs, including Bottura, will be cooking for students and the poor using food waste transported from Milan Expo. It is an incredibly beautiful project and one which deserves all the support it can get. You can read about it either in English or Italian. The English link from the New York Times also has the recipe of Massimo Bottura's Bread is Gold, a dish he served at the Milan Expo a few weeks ago and one which will be served at the refectory in the coming weeks. One of the world's best restaurants Alinea, based in Chicago, will be going through a renovation. Grant Achatz, the chef of this restaurant, said the reason for this renovation is that they don't … [Read more...]
In De Wulf out of top 100 list: “Let’s continue to make guests happy because in the end that’s what we are here for” – Kobe Desramaults
Kobe Desramaults. chef of In de Wulf, a Michelin starred restaurant in Dranauter, Belgium, has announced that he has not made it to the list of 100 best restaurants in the world. "I have found out that In de Wulf was not voted into the 100 best restaurants list of 2015. After the release of 51 to 100 yesterday, a lot of people believed we would actually climb up to 50 best this year. (Sorry to ruin the surprise)" he said on Instagram and Facebook. Voted 61st in the 2014 list, the restaurant is a culinary destination in its own right and was awarded the best European restaurant award from the OAD (Opinionated about Dining in 2014) and 4th this year. His Michelin starred restaurant In De Wulf is in Dranouter, a village in West Flanders on the border with France, in the middle of nowhere. The restaurant has become a major culinary destination because of the unique style of cuisine without classic dishes or traditional sauces. Kobe said that although he always thought of these … [Read more...]
World’s 50 Best restaurants announce 51-100 restaurants one week in advance
A week before the announcement of the much awaited World's 50 Best Restaurants list, the list of restaurants that have made it to the 51 to 100 list has been released. It gives a snapshot of the restaurants that have either fallen from the top 50 list or else have broken into the top 100 list for the first time. The list, published today, shows a number of restaurants that have lost their place from the 2014 top 50 list. These include De Librije (in number 29 last year), Martin Berasategui (35), Daniel (40), Geranium (42), Hof Van Cleve (45), The Fat Duck (47), Coi (49) and Wagu Ghin (50). The announcement of this list is one of the highly anticipated moments of the culinary calendar, despite the controversy it generates (like any other list). The list starts with number 51 which is Restaurant Geranium in Denmark which was 42 in 2014. Daniel Boulud who was 40 on last year's list drops to 80th place, though the chef will receive The Lifetime Achievement award at the … [Read more...]