It is Sunday 12 November and I’m sitting on the lounge soaking up the warm sun lapping my face as it makes its way through the window. Outside its 22°C and I’m wondering about the oddity of this weather only a month and few days away from Christmas. Not that I’m complaining but as much as I like the sun’s warmth and the light it emits, I long for the cosiness surrounding the colder months. As in recent years, this autumn was pretty mild in Malta. It is almost a cooler version of summer. It could be that distant memories start to fade, but I find that seasons have almost completely vanished with each passing year. Thank you global warming! Perhaps that is one reason why lately my festive mood is so slow to creep in. And then Christmas suddenly comes and goes. Ironically, as I meditated with the warm sun still washing my face, a thought crossed my mind: what if this year I stoke my Christmas spirit early enough by visiting Scandinavia - the land of ice and snow, of … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2017
Christophe Hardiquest launches Bon Bon Origins: Gert de Mangeleer is first guest chef
Christophe Hardiquest, chef of the two Michelin star restaurant Bon Bon today launched Bon Bon Origins. Born out of the desire of the Belgian chef to rediscover traditional Belgian recipes that have stood the test of time but deconstructing them and bringing them to life again in a contemporary way, he will be organising collaborative dinners with different chefs that are focused on their own terroirs. The first guest chef to cook at the Brussels restaurant is Gert De Mangeleer. The dinner takes place on Thursday January 18. The Belgian guest chef for the night needs no introduction. He is chef of three Michelin star restaurant Hertog Jan which he took over with his culinary soulmate and front of house Joachim Boudens in 2005. In 2006, Hertog Jan was awarded its first Michelin star, followed by a second in 2009 and a third in 2011. In 2014, he received the European chef of the year award. Hardiquest said that with the collaborative dinners with different international chefs, he … [Read more...]
New Spazio Roma by Niko Romito to open in January in Parioli quarter
Following the success of Spazio in Rivisondoli, Milan and the temporary location at Eataly Rome, Niko Romito, the chef of three Michelin star restaurant Reale, in Castel di Sangro, will open the third Spazio in Rome. The new Spazio, in the Parioli quarter of Rome, will retain the same format and philosophy of the other restaurants allowing the young students of the Niko Romito Formazione cooking school to gain experience in a real life restaurant. This time, however, Spazio will be pushing the boundaries by housing not just a restaurant but also a cafeteria, bakery as well as a cocktail bar. The idea is to create a space that enables the students from Niko Romito Formazione to get experience not just in a restaurant environment but also in a space that serves as a bakery shop, a breakfast place, a place where you go for an apero or cocktail or even a healthy smoothie. The restaurant will be open from breakfast till late at night. Spazio Roma is set to open towards the end … [Read more...]
Q&A with Richard Ekkebus: The beauty of dining without a mobile phone
Richard Ekkebus, chef of Amber Restuarant has made a name for himself in Hong Kong where he has build the restaurant at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental from scratch. Following our in-depth interview which you can read here, this is our rapid fire question and answer with the Dutch chef. Your best ever meal? Michel Bras. It was with Pierre Gagnaire. We had a table of five as part of a team building. Is there something you don’t eat? There are things that for certain reasons I will not eat such as bluefin tuna or whale. But as a chef, I cannot judge until I try food so I am open to everything. I’ve tried monkey, I’ve tried whale and also insects. Any chefs that inspire you? Anybody who is passionate. There is community today that is very open and also happy to share. Do you cook at home? Never. My wife cooks really well and I love her cooking. I am the sommelier at home. I walk to the wine cellar, open a bottle and decant it. Your favourite dish? I have been … [Read more...]
Errotabarri: the mill making corn flour incessantly for 350 years
At the age of 76, Luis Azzilona is not thinking of retirement. His side hustle while he was working in research and development for a multinational became his full time occupation when he quit his job some years ago. But he has been passionately making corn flour for 35 years. He operates the Errotabarri mill that has worked incessantly for 350 years making corn flour in Gamiz and supplies Michelin star restaurants in the Basque region in Spain. His quest for asking questions and for improvising means that he has been able to find the secret to keep the water mechanism functioning till today telling us he has had to use parts from an aeroplane in one case to keep the mechanism running. It is a chilly morning when we arrive at the mill and as we enter what we notice is the smell of the dry corn being grinded into flour. It is a smell that is both homely and welcoming. Today, the water mill is one of only a handful of mills that are still operating in the region. Luis knows all he … [Read more...]
Inside the txoko of Eneko Atxa, the Zelaieta Gane
It is nearly seven in the evening, the final guests are leaving Azurmendi, the 3 Michelin star restaurant in Larrabetzu and Eneko Atxa and his close collaborators are busy preparing food for the evening. He has invited a group of journalists to his txoko, the Txoko Zelaieta Gane, in Amorebieta-Etxano. It is one of the many closed gastronomic societies that are part and parcel of the Basque culinary culture. He phones his mother and she tells him that she is in the txoko and they are using it this evening. “But I am coming with a small group of journalists,” he tells her. He is a bit concerned because he knows his mother is not only an excellent cook but can also be critical like any loving mother can be. Sure enough when he arrives with the food that they have prepared she was not convinced. "Are you sure the journalists will like it. You need to add this and this," she tells him. It sounded worse than a Michelin guide inspection, Eneko tells us. To understand the Basque … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #127
I Made My Shed the Top Rated Restaurant On TripAdvisor: Once upon a time, long before I began selling my face by the acre for features on VICE dot com, I worked other jobs. There was one in particular that really had an impact on me: writing fake reviews on TripAdvisor. Restaurant owners would pay me £10 and I'd write a positive review of their place, despite never eating there. Over time, I became obsessed with monitoring the ratings of these businesses. Their fortunes would genuinely turn, and I was the catalyst. A Restaurant Ruined My Life: Seven years ago, I was an analyst for Telefilm Canada, earning a paycheque by sitting in a grey cube and shuffling box office stats. At the end of each day, I would rush home to my wife, two daughters and truest passion: making dinner. The sights and smells of my kitchen were balms to my soul. Vladimir Mukhin offers Japan a culinary reminder that Russia is just next door: Chef Vladimir Mukhin is spearheading a culinary revolution in … [Read more...]
Richard Ekkebus and the Amber philosophy to eliminate plastic from the restaurant
Chefs today can be activists promoting causes which are important for society. Richard Ekkebus, chef of restaurant Amber at the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong is conscious of the importance of giving back to society and has made it his philosophy to try and improve things. Ekkebus is on a mission to try and remove plastic waste from the restaurant. And it is something that he and his team monitor on a weekly basis. “In Hong Kong, we live in a city with over consumption and we have a huge problem when it comes to landfills and pollution. There are things that we can do to fight this. We have been thinking about ways to eliminate plastic within our operations. It is not just a question of limiting food waste but also of limiting packaging because we are only now realising that plastic is coming back into the food chain after 100 years of industrial and household use of plastic,” he told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview. Plastic is everywhere from the packaging to … [Read more...]
Souvenir restaurant to move from Ypres to Gent in March: ‘We wanted to retain access to our suppliers’
Viljhjalmur Sigurdarson, the Iceland chef of restaurant Souvenir and his wife Joke Michiel have announced that they will move their restaurant in the small Flemish city of Ypres to Gent. After four years in Ypres, Vili and Joke have decided to move due to roadworks which will make their restaurant in the village of Ypres inaccessible for a long time. When announcing their decision they said it was a very difficult decision but one that has been taken out of necessity. "It was time to reflect on how we could continue to do what we were doing," they said. Gent has become one of the most important culinary cities in Belgium. Earlier this year, Kobe Desramaults opened his new restaurant Chambre Separee after closing In De Wulf in Dranouter, 20 kilometres away from Souvenir. Vrijmoed and a number of other restaurants like Publik and Oak go from strength to strength. "We have had four beautiful years in Ypres. It has been a rollercoaster of hard work, rewards, sacrifices, great … [Read more...]
World Restaurant Awards to be unveiled in Paris on 14 May: “This is not another list”
The World Restaurant Awards will be unveiled for the first time ever at the historic Hotel de Villa overlooking the Seine in the heart of Paris on 14 May. Joe Warwick, the creative director of The World Restaurant Awards and Andrea Petrini, the head of the judging panel told Food and Wine Gazette "this is not another fucking list.” The awards will include restaurant of the year, new restaurant of the year, enduring classic - recognising the sustained excellent of restaurants open at least 50 years, event of the year covering pop-ups and temporary restaurant residences, forward drinking - rewarding clever thinking on drinking from wine, beer and cocktails to coffee, tea and everything in between and far-flung beauty - worth the journey to an isolated location. The brainchild of Joe Warwick who had the idea over 10 years ago and who had nearly given up hope of ever seeing it materialise, the awards will also feature less serious awards which the organisers hope create not only a … [Read more...]