Two Belgian restaurants, The Jane in Antwerp and La Villa in the Sky in Brussels were awarded 2 Michelin stars when the new results for Belgium and Luxembourg were announced on Monday 14 December. Both restaurants have been open for less than 2 years and got their first star within less than a year of their opening. The Jane, by former 3 Michelin star chef Sergio Herman and chef Nick Bril, has been winning accolades for its stunning food and design since it opened last year in a former church in Antwerp. It is considered to be one of the most stunning restaurants in the world and has also made it to the front cover of a book called Let's Go Out Again which features interiors of restaurants, bars and unique food places. La Villa in the Sky by chef Alexandre Dionisio in Brussels was in the news last year because it was awarded a star despite only having been open for a few weeks when the guide was issued. The reason for this was that the chef had moved together with his team from … [Read more...]
‘Freedom is better’ – Scabin’s response to Michelin after losing a star
Social media in Italy is all the rage following Combal.Zero's loss of a Michelin star yesterday when the new Italian Michelin Guide was announced. Thousands of people have shared a design created by Torino based designer Bob Noto with the words Je Suis Scabin. Davide Scabin, one of the most inventive Italian chefs was surprised by the decision. The chef said he does not want to associate his situation to events that are considerably more tragic. "But it is not far from a form of terrorism in which they break your legs without telling you why," Scabin told Italian website Identita Golose. Considered to be one of the top chefs in Italy, Scabin said he has been humbled by hundreds of messages he received from followers and friends. "I did not expect such a reaction. These words of support give me the courage to push ahead with more freedom and independence. It is time for us chefs to get away from old and incomprehensible system," Scabin said. The Italian chef said he has not … [Read more...]
Third edition of Salon du Chocolat to be held in Brussels in February
The third edition of the Salon du Chocolat will take place in Brussels between the 5th and 7th February 2016. The event will bring together over 80 participants including chocolatiers, patissiers, confectioners, chefs, pastry chefs, designers and cocoa experts. It will be held at the Palais 1 of Brussels Expo. This year's theme is 'Cocoa Expressions, Chocolate Impressions' and will focus on current trends in the world of chocolate and pastry. It will put to the fore what is avant grade and creative in the field of chocolate. There will be recipe demonstrations by some of Belgium's best chefs, pastry chefs and master chocolatiers. These include among others Brussels based Christophe Hardiquest (Bon Bon), Maxime Collin (Villa Lorraine), Alexandre Dionisio (la Villa in the Sky), Sang-Hoon Degeimbre (L'Air du Temps and San) and Benoit Dewitte (Benoit et Bernard de Witte) among others. They will be teaming up with the likes of Van Dender, Fabrice Collignon, Joost Arijs, Paul Wittamer … [Read more...]
Turning waste into food that is ethical and delicious – Massimo Bottura
"Imagine a school where young chefs are taught to be resourceful with ingredients as they are with ideas. Imagine chefs embracing imperfect, discarded food and treating it with the same reverence they would a rack of lamb or ripe tomato. Imagine changing the perceptions about what is beautiful, nutritious and worthy of being shared." This is what Italian chef Massimo Bottura penned in an article on Wall Street Journal earlier today. The chef of one of the world's best restaurants, Osteria Francescana, has been one of the main advocates against food waste this year. Bottura has walked the talk by raising awareness about the subject wherever he goes. On the 20th anniversary of his restaurant, he also collaborated with the Catholic charity Caritas Ambrosiana to turn a renovated theatre in Milan into the Refettorio Ambrosiano. The refectory which feeds Milan's poor runs on salvaged waste and volunteers and has welcomed some of the world's best chefs. Over the past months, chefs … [Read more...]
Noma announces the opening of second restaurant called 108
Just a few weeks before the opening of the Noma pop-up restaurant in Australia which sold out its tables in just a few seconds, today Noma announced the opening of a second restaurant by chef Kristian Baumann. The announcement also comes just a few days before the release of a film called Noma, My perfect storm. In September, Redzepi announced that Noma would close and in its place he would create a new urban farm which would be a complete re-invention of the concept of a restaurant centred around three distinct seasons. Baumann said that the restaurant's name will be 108 which refers to its permanent address on Strandgade in Christianshavn in Copenhagen. The chef said that for many years he has dreamt of opening a restaurant. "Fortunately René has also been looking for the right opportunity to expand the family. In partnership with him and the Noma team, this dream becomes a reality." The restaurant will open its doors in late spring. Baumann said that the team was very … [Read more...]
France’s answer to the World’s 50 Best restaurant is a list of 1000 restaurants
Is there such a thing as a World's Best Restaurant? Of course there isn't. That is the response that René Redzepi, chef of Noma says in the soon to be released documentary Noma, a Perfect storm. And we cannot agree more with him. The World's 50 Best Restaurants list is extremely controversial but also extremely powerful. It has been criticised by many especially in France because of its opaque voting. France has now come up with what they now call an answer to the World's 50 Best Restaurants list. A new list of 1000 exceptional restaurants (tables d'exception) is set to be launched on 17 December. AFP announced earlier this week that Japan, France and the United States are the countries with the most restaurants in the list which is set to be a response to the UK list of 50 best restaurants. Some details of the new list have emerged already. In total, restaurants from 40 countries are in The List which compiles the results of international guides. Out of the first 100 … [Read more...]
Eneko Atxa to open Basque restaurant in London
Eneko Atxa, chef of 3 Michelin star restaurant Azurmendi, ranked 19th in the World's 50 Best restaurants and voted first by Opinionated about Dining in 2015 has announced plans to open a Basque restaurant in London. He will open his first restaurant in the UK next year at the One Aldwych Hotel. The hotel is situated in centre of London's Covent Garden. Atxa said the aim of the new restaurant was that of presenting a modern take on rustic Basque cuisine focusing on simplicity and quality ingredients. The Basque chef who is known for his inventive cuisine is considered to be one of the rising stars of Spanish cuisine. In an interview with Food and Wine Gazette last year, Atxa spoke about the importance he give to sustainability (he won the sustainable restaurant of the year award in 2014). “We are a very young team. I don’t think about the future. I am dreaming about the future. And in my dream, the future will be more sustainable and the environment will be more important … [Read more...]
Old artisanal Belgian biscuit maker Maison Dandoy expanding
Maison Dandoy, the Belgian artisanal biscuit maker famous for its Speculoos has been slowly expanding its offer not only in Brussels, where it was created in 1829, but also outside the Belgian capital. After the successful opening of a shop in Tokyo in 2012, Maison Dandoy is opening a shop in the Belgian city of Antwerp on the Graanmarkt as well as a temporary pop-up store at the Stadsfeestzaal. The shops have been open since 23 November in time for the Christmas and New Year festivities. For the festivities, the Brussels based biscuit maker is offering two collections, Saint-Nicholas' sweets are for kids of all ages. There is also a Christmas pack called Holy days ask for devilishly good cookies. This biscuit maker has a very interesting history which started in 1829 with Jean-Baptiste Dandoy, a young baker. He was the brother of the mayor of Uccle at the time and set to create the biscuit firm which still carries his name today. It was originally opened in rue … [Read more...]
‘Nocturnes du Sablon’ in Brussels to take place as planned
It has not been an easy week for Brussels. From Saturday morning, the capital city has been in lockdown because of a heightened risk of terrorist attacks. It has meant closed shops, schools and metro amid the highest threat level for the Belgian capital city. But from today, the situation has slowly started to return back to normal with the reopening of schools and the metro despite this heightened threat level. Large scale events have been cancelled. But last night, the organisers announced that the Nocturnes du Sablon, which has been organised for more than 20 years, will take place as planned between Thursday 26 November and Sunday 29th November with increased security. Since four years, this event is organised with the participation of the Culinaria Agency which is famous for the annual Brussels Culinaria event. Some of the top names in Brussels and beyond have confirmed participation for this weekend's event. The chefs taking part are Alex Joseph (Rouge Tomate), Axel … [Read more...]
Ferran and Albert Adrià to open restaurant in Turin – Italian press reports
Ferran and Albert Adrià, the two brothers of el Bulli fame, are set to open their first restaurant outside Spain in the Italian city of Turin according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica and specialised media like Gambero Rosso and Dissapore. According to the Italian media, the headquarters of Italian coffee giant Lavazza in Turin (above) will house the new restaurant. The Italian company is building new headquarters that have been designed by Cino Zucchi. The new project will house all the offices of the multinational company which at the moment are spread in different parts of the city. The headquarters are being built in the east end of the city in a quarter known as Aurora at an investment of 36 million euros. According to the Italian press, the restaurant will open in the early months of 2017 in a former power station that used to be owed by Enel and not in the new building. The old power station needs to be restored externally given its architectural value. It is … [Read more...]