Bean-to-bar chocolate making is much more than wrapping up the bars in fancy paper and selling for a high price. It’s a lifestyle that encompasses the whole production from the moment cocoa beans are harvested, personally knowing your cocoa farmers and being socially responsible. I first met Samantha Aquim at…

The different shades of black of Rossini’s Oscietra, Gold, White Sturgeon and Baerii selection. Caviar taste nuances can be as complex as the ones of wine. Because most (if not all) of the caviar is farmed nowadays, producers such as Rossini have much more control on the final product. What…

If there’s one place I keep coming back to in Paris, it’s Le Duc. Opened in 1967 by Jean Minchelli, this seafood restaurant was one of a pioneering generation of “Nouvelle Cuisine” establishments that broke with tradition by doing away with heavy sauces and long cooking times to let ingredients…

The One story ephemeral restaurant kaiseki dinner by Zaiyu Hasegawa was served on the trays of this stunning bento box, produced by Taiichi Kirimoto, 7th generation designer, producer and owner of Wajima Kirimoto lacquerware company. (in business since the 1700s!). The pale yellow wood has been coated with room temperature…

Two chefs whose work I admire are not classically trained at all, but someone who had other lives before running their restaurants. Hedone’s Mikael Jonsson used to be Monaco based lawyer; Bruno Verjus, French doctor and businessman, now cooks at his restaurant La Table in Paris. What brought them behind…

My lunch in pictures at The Sportsman, one Michelin star gastropub 2 hours drive from London. (I visited it on the 17th of January 2017.) Chef/owner Stephen Harris, who only uses local produce, has never trained as a professional chef yet some of his dishes could easily qualify for 2…

Following my post on Instagram and Facebook last weekend, here are my top 5 picks of the best sushi restaurants in London. Will be posting my top 5 Paris list soon! The Araki When fine sushi in London is concerned, The Araki has no competition. Master Mitsuhiro Araki gave away…

You can probably tell me what brand coat you have on, but can you tell me what brand of knife you used to prepare dinner last night? According to Jay Patel, owner of London-based Japanese Knife Company, the knife is humankind’s most valuable and underrated tool. There is a big…

Impeccable techniques and stellar (local, whenever available) ingredients at The Ritz London.If I had to choose the best fine dining restaurants in London, it would definitely be among my top 4 at the moment. (Together with Hedone, The Ledbury and Bonhams).

After working for Joël Robuchon for 16 years in Paris, New York and other cities, Yosuke Suga came back to pursue his career in Japan. He has participated in Iron Chef Japan and now runs a restaurant, open only on those days he decides to open. Apart of the difficult…