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...]
Archives for December 2015
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #58
Magnus Nilsson, the Swedish chef famous for his restaurant Faviken was in the news the past few weeks as the much awaiting book Nordic was launched. Here Dianne Henry takes a look at the book in an article which also features some recipes from this Swedish chef. You can also read about the experience of eating at his restaurant on Rocket & Squash. Are we in the middle of a food fad? And why are retired men suddenly interested in cooking? According to this article, there is a surge in older men attending cookery classes. We've written often about the subject of food waste. Here is an article which might inspire you to waste less. The premise of the article is that when cooking, good ingredients gone bad can still be delicious. Very few will get to try the world's most expensive meat. Is it so special? Difficult to say though if you judge by the demand, it seems like it. Chris Dwyer writes about the French butcher Alexandre Polmard who is behind the world's most expensive … [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...]
A visit to the San Lorenzo mercato centrale in Florence
Food markets are the heart of any city. You tend to miss out a lot when you miss visiting the food market in any city. A food market is the centre of the city and it tells you a lot about the food culture and produce of that city or region. The San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale in Florence is no exception. Although the food market in Florence is a tourist attraction in its own right and attracts a large amount of tourists, the quality of the produce on offer also gives you a direct insight into Florentine and in particular Tuscan cuisine. If you are not into food, it is still worth visiting for its architecture. This old market is an architecturally interesting building that was built by Giuseppe Mengoni, the same architect who created the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. The market inaugurated in 1874 was inspired by the Les Halles de Paris. Its glass and iron combination ensures that light comes in naturally and allows the amazing colours of the splendid produce from fruits … [Read more...]
A review of Francis Mallmann’s book: Seven Fires – Grilling the Argentinian Way
"Fire has its own language, spoken in the realm of heat, hunger and desire. It speaks of alchemy, mystery and, above all, possibility. It is a slumbering voice inside me, the ever present beast within my soul, it is beyond words, beyond memory. It comes from a time long before I can recall." This is how the book Seven Fires: Grilling the Argentinian Way by Francis Mallmann and Peter Kaminsky starts. The Argentinian chef is an inspiring character who uses cooking to send a message of a certain way of living. He is known for telling people to cook by 'getting out of your chair, sofa or office and go outdoors.' The most influential chef in Argentina has been portrayed in a splendid documentary Chef's Table on Netflix which we have reviewed here. Mallmann has mastered fire like few others. He has been trained in French classics so he is a master of the art of intensifying, deepening and developing all the flavours and textures of his ingredients. But rather than rely on … [Read more...]