MICHELIN GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND 2018 RELEASED

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BREAKING: Michelin UK 2018 just released: 3* to the Japanese top eatery The Araki and a direct 2* entrance for the ‘newcomer’ Bibendum by the one and only Claude Bosi. 1* for Anne-Sophie Pic’s La dame de Pic and NO STARS for Core by Clare Smyth, who held 3* earlier at Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road, probably her August restaurant opening made it impossible to include her in this edition. A well deserved 1* for A.Wong in London is also to be noted….

Chambre Séparée, Kobe Desramaults, Ghent, 🇧🇪

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 There’s just nothing like this in Belgium. An intimate, velvety, retro 70’s restaurant, where all of the guest are seated around the central open kitchen, dominated by a rather intriguing array of fire driven cooking devices. Kobe transforming a wide variety of ingredients into some of the best fine dining dishes you can get in Belgium… Absolutely amazing… Some of the stuff we got tonight easily ranks amongst the top dishes of 2017 or even amongst the top dishes ever… Langoustine 3ways, Plaice and Hollandaise and Beetroot/Eggyolk/Celeriac were nothing short of spectacular. This restaurant will be opened for three years only….be part of the experience….book before it’s too late…. 

Toya, Faulquemont (F), 1*, Loic Villemin

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Toya, 1*, near Metz (F)… amazing restaurant. Loic Villemin was at the time the youngest chef to be awarded a Michelin star in France and when you come to eat here, you immediately understand why. 
The cooking here is creative, bold and delicious. Using first class ingredients from beets, radishes to duck and lobster… the versatility of Loic is impressive. He keeps pushing to surprise you dish after dish, taking you off the beaten track… his dishes are at times very technical but never losing the essence of fine dining out of sight…balanced flavours prevail.
What I really like about this place is that the cooking here has a very own identity. Extremely important in times where trends are being copied and originality is often lost under the overwhelming pressure of the risk of losing a Michelin star or points in GaultMillau… Loic doesn’t seem to be too bothered by all of that. He just cooks and creates as if Michelin and GaultMillau don’t exist…always trying to surprise and please his clients…refreshing!

Do take a look at the wine list here…absolute treasure chest for wine afficionados, including a wide selection of DRC wines. 

I know, it’s in the middle of nowhere, but hey, so is Faviken. Loic is less hyped and thankfully so, as it wouldn’t go well on him. He is humble, hardworking but most of all passionate about his job…you see his love for his ingredients, his obsession with cooking as soon as you look into his eyes. 

Highly recommended!!!!

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What an entry to make…: Apdikt in Steinfort (L)

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Today it was Christmas, Easter and my Birthday…all at the same time… #Apdikt #Steinfort #Luxembourg what a hell of a way to start your restaurant… way to go Mathieu Van Wetteren… Top technical skills, razor sharp, bold flavours, playing with acidity like the top guys Nick Bril and Marcelo Ballard….creative and most of all completely obsessed and passionate about your job… hats off to you sir! A big big plus for the Luxembourgish gastronomic scene. Book now…only 18 covers per service!

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Quique Dacosta 2017: Terroir and history

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DNA La Búsqueda, that is the name of the new culinary proposal of three Michelin starred chef, Quique Dacosta, for 2017 at his restaurant in Denia. It fully puts the attention of his clients on his terroir. And boy do we know how much Quique loves his terroir! From flavours of his childhood to typical preparations of local shepherds from the hills behind Denia to the delicious rice from the region, and of course the magnificent seafood, with the absolutely queen, the Red Prawn of Denia… Taste combined with ancient techniques with a personal Quique twist, that is why you should travel to this restaurant! A unique cooking style with a razor sharp view on how a plate should look, smell, taste…

To make things complete, there’s a magnificent wine list with really interesting price levels and the exceptional service by Didier Fertilati and his team.

In a world were trends and techniques are copied and duplicated at warp speed, it is so satisfying to see a chef with a clear vision, with respect for his terroir and culinary heritage and most of all, with an almost obsessional love for his profession….

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(pictures courtesy of Quique Dacosta Restaurant)

 

Porte 12, Vincent Crepel: Creativity and structured culinary rock and roll in Paris

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Boom Badda Bing…as a trained foodie, that is what comes to my mind after my meal at Vincent Crepels Porte 12 in Paris. Creativity and structured rock and roll…

Behind a discrete door you enter into a world of light and culinary enlightenment. Set in a former lingerie atelier, this restaurant is another great example of how Paris can be the ideal environment for scholars of great European chefs to set up shop on their own. Do note how the tailor-made lamps are a creative ‘clin d’oeuil’ to the past as they are shaped like ‘corsets’, pieces of fine lingerie that used to be made here.

Vincent, a scholar of the late Benoît Violier and André Chang, and his team work in a tiny open kitchen overlooking the light flooded dining room. He creates dishes that are surprising, perfectly balanced and tasty. If you eat out a lot, like we do, then this type of restaurant is exactly what you are looking for… It’s so satisfying to be surprised with original creations and new angles on ingredients, like the Jerusalem Artichoke consommé which was served with the brilliant Comté/Viande des Grisons dish…Probably one of the best cheese dishes ever for us, together with the epic Stilton dish at Restaurant Vrijmoed by this other natural talent, Michaël Vrijmoed.

Swift service and adventurous wine list complete the experience…a must do in Paris if you want to push your culinary boundaries in the most pleasant of ways.

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