Dow’s Port, a family-owned business of more than 200 years which was founded in 1798 has launched a range of aged tawny ports in Belgium. The Symington family have called the Douro their home since 1882 and five generations of the family have owned and managed Dow's since they became partners in the business in 1912. Drawing on the knowledge that the Symington family have drawn over many generations, the family legacy is reflected in every bottle of the Dow’s 10, 20, 30 and 40 year old tawny port. Johnny Symington, said during a presentation at The Cobbler in Gent, a bar that forms part of De Post hotel, that constant attention is needed by the master blender, the cellar master and the coopers who all play a part in nurturing the maturing wines which are essential to have a balanced tawny Port. The Symington’s like to say that vintage port is made in the vineyard while tawny port is made in the cellar. This statement highlights the painstaking and decades long work that is … [Read more...]
Influential wine writer James Suckling opens wine bar in Hong Kong
James Suckling, one of the top wine writers in the world has fulfilled his dream of opening a wine bar. The wine bar on the second floor of Staunton Suites in Staunton Street, Soho, Hong Kong has softly opened its doors and is welcoming people for a glass or bottle of wine. The brand new wine bar and restaurant is called James Suckling Wine Central and includes a personal selection of wines which have scored between 90 and 100 points by him or his team. "It’s been a dream of mine for many years to open a wine bar. I want to share my lifelong passion for wine with every single one of you in Hong Kong. I want you to know that whether you purchase a rare old bottle or a good-value wine by the glass at my restaurant, you can be assured of a great experience," he told readers of his newsletter. Opening James Suckling Wine Central has taken many months of preparation and careful planning. "But I felt it was something I had to do as a natural extension of the large-scale consumer … [Read more...]
CostardiBros in Amsterdam for one off pop-up dinner at Peroni Risotteria
Christian and Manuel Costardi, also known as the CostardiBros, rose to fame for their risotto. Two brothers that are often considered as twins despite an age difference of 9 years where in Ristorante Hangar in Amsterdam on 9 October for a one evening pop up with Peroni Nastro Azzuro. They brought with them a number of iconic dishes that have made them famous not just in Italy over the past few years. Their focus was on rice, serving two main dishes as well as a dessert using rice that is so popular in their region. They presented Diversamente Tonnato by CostardiBros, a dish that is their interpretation of Vitello Tonnato, one of the most famous dishes of Italian and piedmont cuisine. “This dish came about during the opening of our new restaurant in Torino inside EDIT. It is impossible to open a restaurant in Torino without serving vitello tonnato. However, the meat that is served in this dish never appealed to us so we decided to work on the meat and the sauce using a fillet … [Read more...]
Rodolfo Guzman to cook with Hans Neuner at Ocean Restaurant
A trip that Hans Neuner took to Chilean chef Rodolfo Guzman led him to discover how he could use cactus from the prickly pear for one of his dishes. It was an eye opener for Hans and led to the creation of an exceptional octopus dish. The Chilean chef will now be reciprocating that visit spending a few days in the Algarve discovering the produce, the fishermen and what the region has to offer. He will cook with Hans Neuner at the 2 Michelin-star Ocean Restaurant, located at VILA VITA Parc Resort & Spa, in Porches, Algarve and the dinner will take place on 17 November. Guzman is chef of Chile's Borago restaurant which was considered to be the second best restaurant in Latin America in 2015 and one of the World's 50 Best Restaurants in 2018. This is the second event that is taking place at the Portuguese restaurant this year following the visit of Christian Bau, from the 3 Michelin Star restaurant “Victor’s Fine Dining by Christian Bau”. Chef Hans Neuner will be welcoming … [Read more...]
The search for tattoo-free chef and tweezer-free kitchen is on as World Restaurant Awards categories are announced
The World Restaurant Awards which will be held for the first time in Paris on 18 February will have 12 big plate awards and 6 small plate awards that will change on a yearly basis in consultation with the judging panel. The awards, the brainchild of Joe Warwick who is the creative director and Andrea Petrini, the chair of the judging panel has a list of 100 judges which include some of the top names in the restaurant world as well as top international food writers from around the world. Joe Warwick is an editor, writer, broadcaster and co-founder of the World's 50 Best Restaurants. The third edition of his bestselling international restaurant guide ‘Where Chefs Eat’ has just been published. He says we should ‘Expect The World Restaurant Awards to be conducted with complete integrity and make everyone think about the full gamut of the world’s great restaurants – old and new, from luxury destinations to humble institutions – and what makes them so special.’ Andrea Petrini is … [Read more...]
Joan Roca tops list of The Best Chef Awards 2018
In Milan, Joan Roca came top of the Top300 list of the Best Chef Awards 2018, an event that started in 2015. The Spanish chef of restaurant El Celler de Can Roca placed in front of René Redzepi and David Munoz. The results were announced during a gala evening at the Teatro Vetra in Milan. In the presence of more than 300 chefs and industry professionals. Fourth place went to Bjorn Frantzen and 5th to Jonnie Boer. Niko Romito followed in 6th place, Alex Atala in 7th, Massimo Bottura in 8th, Yannick Alleno in 9th and Vladimir Mukhin in 10th place. Nick Bril, of Belgian restaurant The Jane placed 15th in front of Peter Goossens of Hof Van Cleve in 20th place and Gert de Mangeleer of Hertog Jan and Benoit Dewitte in 45th place. The category rankings look totally different from last year, with winners from Italy, Dubai, Puerto Rico, Sweden and the US. The 2018 list includes chefs from 41 countries worldwide. The full ranking of The Best Chef Awards 2018 is available via the … [Read more...]
Riccardo Camanini joins the ‘seven wonders’ of Italian cuisine
Riccardo Camanini, chef of Lido 84 has been working under the radar since he joined his brother at Gardone Riviera. In the latest publication of the Guida Espresso, one of the most influential food guides in Italy, if not the most influential he has won 'five hats' together with the new three Michelin star restaurant St Hubertus del Rosa Alpina of chef Norbert Niederkofler. They join the top five chefs of Italian cuisine, recognised by many guides including the Michelin Guide as well as World's 50 Best Restaurants among others. These are Casadonna Reale of chef Niko Romito in Castel di Sangro, Le Calandre of chef Massimiliano Ajamo in Rubano, Osteria Francescana of chef Massimo Bottura in Modena, Piazza Duomo of chef Enrico Crippa in Alba and Uliassi of chef Mauro Uliassi in Senigallia. While the promotion of St Hubertus del Rosa Alpina was to be expected given the restaurant was recognised with 3 Michelin stars, the recognition for Lido 84 came a bit as a surprise for a chef who has … [Read more...]
Pepe Nero Lebanese fusion and the chef who came out of retirement
I am acutely aware of my softer, self-indulgent attitude to dieting now. After a summer spent on the water or beside it, invariably ending the day in a good restaurant, I decided to give it a bit of a break. This does not mean swapping to a diet of dust and greens. Indeed, I have been in the company of too many good men who started out that way and then dined on wine, leaving their plate looking like a garden in autumn: strewn with basil leaves. No, I only resolved to refrain from going to restaurants for about six weeks. This seemed reasonable and manageable......two weeks ago. Tonight I decided to follow Oscar Wilde’s (rather than my wife’s) advice on dealing with temptation, and yielded to it. Off I went, protestant spouse in tow, to Pepe Nero’s latest addition to a fast growing chain of restaurants. It is the Lebanese place in Tal-Ibragg on the premises of the historic Jessie’s bar, which opened here in 1921. Jesse stayed in the family business and her long years as a kind … [Read more...]
Bon Bon sommelier Antoine Lehebel to represent Belgium in Best Sommelier competition
Antoine Lehebel, sommelier of Brussels restaurant Bon Bon will be representing Belgium in the 15th edition of the most prestigious sommelier competition in the world. The Best Sommelier in the World competition takes place in Antwerp in March 2019. Lehebel has already been crowned the best sommelier in Belgium in 2014. Born in 1982, he has vast experience having worked in Longon at Rasoi Vineet bhatia (1 Michelin star) and at three Michelin star restaurant Les Pres d'Eugenie in France. He has also worked at Michel Chabran and Charlemagne (both 1 Michelin star) before moving to Belgium in 2013 to work at Villa Lorraine. He moved to the two Michelin starred Bon Bon in May 2018 to work with one of Belgium's best chefs Christophe Hardiquest. The restaurant has a 19.5 score in Gault & Millau and has two stars. The sommelier has diplomas from WSET as well as Advanced Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommelier. He took part in the competition that was help in Argentina in 2016 … [Read more...]
Going, going, gone: 15,000 euros for a bottle of Riesling
The last bottle in the estate cellar of the Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube Trockenbeerenauslese 1921 vintage has been sold for a record EUR 14,992 becoming the most expensive German riesling ever sold. This was the last bottle of the wine that remained in the Rarities Cellar of Gut Hermannsberg, a bottle that that is not only historical but also comes from an exceptional vintage. vintage. The neck of the bottle is decorated with a banderol, where one can read the ornamental script: Presented as a celebratory libation to honour the President of Germany, General Field Marshall von Hindenburg, at the liberation festivities in Cologne, on 21 March 1926. Bidding on the wine opened at 350 Euros, and ultimately found a new owner for 14,992 Euros. Estate GM and cellar master Karsten Peter could barely believe it: ‘That is an unbelievably high price, even for a one-of-a-kind item’. And this coming from the man who set a record price last year with his 2015 TBA which sold for 10,600 … [Read more...]