Things were looking bright for José Avillez six years ago. He had been through two life-changing experiences first as a trainee at Ferran Adria's legendary restaurant el Bulli and then clinching a Michelin star at the oldest and most prestigious Lisbon restaurant. The opening of Belcanto was the culmination of a journey that had seen him move from a business management degree … [Read more...]
Archives for April 2018
A truffle kerfuffle in Provence
Foodies are always on the lookout for the uncommon and the creative. This does not always work out well. I once ate at a truffle-only restaurant in the Var in Southern France. The place was called Chez Bruno and was so pretentious you could only see waiters by appointment. When we turned up and announced we were ‘sans reservation’ the Gallic horror and hand wringing was pure … [Read more...]
First Belgian Whisky, rum and spirits festival to be held in Brussels in June
Belgium will finally have its whisky, rum and spirits festival. This will take place on the weekend of 1 June to 3 June at the Autoworld at the Cinquantenaire (Jubelpark) in Brussels. This unique festival is open to the general public. It will celebrate whiskey, rum and gin as well as cognac, armagnac, calvados, vodka, tequila, mescal as well as sake, pisco and cachaca as … [Read more...]
The curious incident of the OAD European top 100+ list
When chefs gathered at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London for the launch of the Opinionated About Dining top 100+ European list, they were given a list of the top 100+ restaurants. As one would expect on such occasions, they took to social media to announce their positions and take photos of the list which they posted on their social media profiles. Little did they … [Read more...]
US chef Dave Chang launches podcast
Majordomo Media, co-founder by US chef Dave Chang has launched its first project featuring the outspoken Korean-American chef. The Dave Chang show is a new podcast that has just been released. The first five episodes feature the chef in conversation with Bill Simmons, founder of The Ringer, the producing partner of Majordomo Media about dining, anger management, living in Los … [Read more...]
