Italian restaurants outside Italy can sometimes be hit and miss. While many tend to be good, they are not exceptional. Italian restaurants, especially those outside Italy tend to adapt to the culture of the country they are based in making them far less authentic. Senzanome is the flagship Italian restaurant in Belgium and especially in the Belgian capital Brussels. Giovanni … [Read more...]
Q&A with Syrco Bakker: ‘Forget about the things you cannot control’
Syrco Bakker is the chef of Pure C and one of the rising stars in the Netherlands. He has had stints with Gordon Ramsay, Jonnie Boer and Sergio Herman at Oud Sluis before being entrusted to head the kitchen at Pure C in 2010. Herman described Syrco as a chef with an inexhaustible amount of creativity. "He is extremely talented and just as passionate as me," Sergio says about … [Read more...]
Colatura di Alici from Cetara – with so little you get so much
Colatura di Alici could easily be one of the most elusive ingredients that I have yet to come across. A fermented anchovy sauce produced in Campania and specifically in the village of Cetara between Salerno and Naples, it is often considered as 'liquid gold'. Try it and you will know why the term 'liquid gold' is no exaggeration. Cetera is a fishing village that is famous … [Read more...]
Recipe: Slow cooked honey pork belly
Time is one of today's luxuries. It is something we all crave for but many seem to be short of. So when we find time on our hands, nothing beats reading a good book or taking the time to cook. In today's frantic world, it is a luxury to take hours to cook but slow cooking doesn't need to be complex and this recipe is a sure winner not only because of its simplicity but also … [Read more...]
Dario Cecchini – the legendary butcher of Panzano in Chianti
No visit to the Chianti region in Tuscany would be complete without a visit to Panzano in Chianti at what may be considered as one of the most famous butcher shops in the world. Dario Cecchini, butcher of the Antica Macelleria Cecchini needs no introduction. He rose to fame during of the mad cow disease crisis when eating a 'bistecca fiorentina' or t-bone steak was … [Read more...]
