During summer 2016, chef and restaurateur Björn Frantzén closed his two-star restaurant Frantzén in Gamla Stan in Stockholm to move to new premises. On August 30, a year later, the new restaurant will be opening its doors at Klara Norra Kyrkogata 26, in downtown Stockholm. The new restaurant, with three floors plus a terrace, has undergone complete reconstruction since the takeover. Despite the surface area now being five times as large as the previous restaurant, the number of guests it can seat is still the same – 23. “I don’t know of any other restaurant in the world that looks anything like what we’re creating here”, said Björn Frantzén. “A visit to Frantzén will be a culinary experience as well as a journey through a completely renovated 19th century building, with the addition of a lift just for the restaurant. The restaurant takes up a full three floors, with an entrance area, restaurant and a former attic on the top floor which is now a lounge area.” While the … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2017
Noma Mexico: a masterclass in how a restaurant can use social media for storytelling
The use of social media by René Redzepi and his Noma Mexico team was a masterclass in how a restaurant can use social media to document its story and intrigue hundreds of thousands of followers who can never make it to visit the restaurant not only because of logistics and cost but also because it would be impossible to cater for so many people. Noma Mexico took a year of planning to come into fruition and existed for just seven weeks but it involved building a 32-metre long kitchen and settling 145 staff members including spouses and children. But what was most striking was not necessarily the reviews of the food that was created using the produce the team found in Tulum, Mexico, but rather the creative use of social media and in particular Instagram. Redzepi used both his private account as well as the restaurant account to document the seven week journey using the Instagram feed as well as the Stories feature giving viewers a unique glimpse of what happened in the background … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #116
Around the World in 30 Steaks: The Best From Las Vegas to Tokyo: Restaurant food doesn't get much simpler than a properly cooked chunk of beef—and rarely delivers so much pleasure. The smoky sweetness of the char, with its hint of crispness. The soft flesh releasing the deep and earthy flavors of the meat. It's the stuff of meaty dreams and enjoyed worldwide. Yet it's easy to ruin a steak. No amount of sauce or mustard can fix bad beef. Overcooked meat will be dry and chewy. Walk into a random steakhouse when traveling and you may suffer more disappointment than joy. The Team Behind The ‘World’s Best Restaurant’ Tackle Fast-Casual: Dinner at Eleven Madison Park, Will Guidara and chef Daniel Humm’s vaunted haute cuisine hangout — which closes June 9 for renovations and a summer Hamptons pop-up — costs a lofty $295 per person. For many, that kind of expense would rightly raise eyebrows and prompt double takes. Even a meal at the NoMad — the partners’ clubby hotel restaurant that … [Read more...]
Cooking up a friendship – Sven Elverfeld and Quique Dacosta cook together for first time
Sven Elverfeld, chef of Wolfsburg restaurant Aqua welcomed Quique Dacosta, chef of the eponymous restaurant in Denia, Spain, for the first 'cooking up friendship' in his restaurant. "Quique and I have not had the opportunity to cook together and therefore I was very happy about his idea to visit me at restaurant Aqua," said Sven. "This dinner gives Sven and me the opportunity to share our knowledge and passion for our profession and to surprise guests with a unique menu," said Quique. Currently the Spanish chef is travelling across Europe and stopped yesterday at the 3 Michelin star restaurant in Wolfsburg. Together, Sven and Quique prepared a menu solely for one evening. The two 3-Michelin star chefs have a long-term German-Spanish friendship despite the fact that they had never cooked together. With excellent craftsmenship Sven, together with his team is known for a defined style and apart from trends Elverfeld creates a symbiosis of tradition and modernism. The Michelin … [Read more...]
15 year anniversary event for World’s 50 Best Restaurants to take place in Barcelona
To mark its 15th anniversary, The World’s 50 Best Restaurants is hosting a unique day of gastronomic discussion and celebration, in Barcelona, Spain, on June 27th, 2017 which will bring together five chefs whose restaurants have been named No.1 in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Ferran Adrià, René Redzepi, Joan Roca, Massimo Bottura and Daniel Humm will outline their personal vision for the future of gastronomy at a special edition of #50BestTalks in front of an invited audience, and the event will be streamed on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Facebook page. This live forum will be followed a celebratory gastronomic feast, co-hosted by Ferran Adrià at the Bravo24 restaurant in the W Barcelona hotel. These five ‘superchefs’ have helped shape the global culinary landscape over the last decade and a half, and will no doubt play a highly influential role in the future of food, restaurants and gastronomy. Joan Roca will be joined at the event by brothers Josep and Jordi, while … [Read more...]
Start of Zeeland mussels season
The first line-grown mussels from the North Sea region of Zeeland were picked up today 23 May. These mussels, grown on immersed ropes normally are ready to be picked up between four to six weeks earlier than the bottom mussels season. According to current estimates the mussel season should start on 28 June this year. The Zeeland line-grown mussels are a niche product that has become extremely successful in Belgian and Dutch restaurants and production accounts for around 5 per cent of the total supply of Dutch mussels. Radio presenter and culinary blogger Sven Ornelis is a great lover of mussels. He was the guest of honour for the launch of the new mussel season. "Every year, I look forward to the opening of the mussel season. I am pleasantly surprised by these early Zeeland mussels. They are tender and iodized, you really feel the difference compared to the other mussels," he said. The line technique is relatively new in Zeeland where 'bottom' mussels have been grown for 150 … [Read more...]
Brussels restaurant L’Idiot du Village serves last meal
Brussels restaurant L'Idiot du Village, a Brussels institution has served its last customers this evening. Chef Alain Gascoin announced on the restaurant's Facebook page that he had sad news to announce. "A beautiful story ends here. I would like to thank our customers, young and not so young, those who have a story with the idiot. I am sorry but because of an illness and five operations, my body cannot take it any more. But don't hestitate to stop me and say good morning if you see me in the streets (it is not contagious), he said" The restaurant named the Village Idiot was anything but idiotic. It might not have had any stars but it was loved by many. The service in the restaurant was matched by a respect for quality ingredients and excellent combinations, sometimes which you would think would not work but which balanced everything out and always ended up working. I discovered the restaurant soon after our arrival in Brussels over 11 years ago and I have great memories of … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #115
Massimo Bottura and his global movement to feed the hungry: Massimo Bottura is running late. You imagine this is probably a perennial condition. In the previous week, as I know from various emails, the man who was in 2016 voted the number one chef in the world, has been in Tokyo, Melbourne and London, returning between each trip to cook at Osteria Francescana, his three Michelin-starred restaurant in the northern Italian city of Modena. See how he's disrupting fine dining - and he isn't even a chef: The clean lines and chilled vibes of the dining area at Nahm, one of Bangkok’s most renowned restaurants, are what you’d expect from a joint with an acclaimed, history-driven menu that has set it apart as one of the best in the city. But behind the scenes, back in the kitchen, you encounter the clatter of pans, bursts of flames, staccato knocks on chopping boards and shouts of “Yes, chef!” and “Service!” It works, this careful chaos, thanks to a delicate balance of trust between the … [Read more...]
Food writers: Jay Rayner and the Ten Food Commandments
Writers who write about food are writers, no question. How they write about food is as varied as how chefs and cooks make cheese on toast at home (more on that later) or roast a chicken at work and their readers, fans or haters decide each according to their own views if the writing works or not. In New Zealand, where I am having a sabbatical of sorts from life in Gent, it is exciting to see the country's major city Auckland hosting its annual Writers for Readers event (this is their 17th year ), shouting out that the festival brings the world to Auckland. There is truth to this as can be seen from the programme. What I am mostly interested in is Event 46 guest and showman Jay Rayner. Rayner is the UK’s Observer restaurant critic. He is a journalist, a jazz pianist and author of books like The Ten (Food) Commandments, A Greedy Man in a Hungry World, and My Dining Hell: Twenty Ways To Have a Lousy Night Out. He figuratively fell into my lap. He was already one on … [Read more...]
Competition for best unpasteurised cheese in Wallonia
Wallonia, the French speaking part of Belgium is on a quest to find the best unpasteurised cheese in the region. La Bergerie D'Acremont, A Table - Maison Fromagère, FUGEA and Generation W have joined forces to organise this competition to find the best cow, goat, sheep and buffalo unpasteurised cheeses that are being made in this region. The aim behind the initiative is to showcase the region, the know-how of the artisans making these cheeses and also the patrimony of the region. They also want to safeguard the different tastes that are possible from unpasteurised cheeses when compared to the standard tastes of pasteurised cheese. The organisers want to help add value and also improve the production of these cheeses in Wallonia. The organisers do not only want to award the best cheeses but they also want to help the artisanal cheese makers to be recognised for their quality and to also improve their work. The cheeses will be divided into six different categories. The jury is … [Read more...]