What do Tokyo’s top steakhouses such as Shima, introduction only Kawamura and Ginza Hirayama have in common? Their chefs all come from Yutaka in Kyoto (1 Michelin star), now second generation steakhouse run by its founder’s son Mamoru Takada. Thus, the formula of these four über steakhouses is similar. French…

When someone asks me about my fine dining recommendations in Paris, lunch at L’Arpège is always on the top of my list. Alain Passard is the pioneer of ditching proteins and putting humble, sometimes forgotten vegetables in the center of the plate. What many forget, that before reinventing himself as…

Forget about the infamous Jiro Ono and his 30 minute sushi omakase, the most wanted sushi shop reservation in Tokyo not only among foreign, but also Japanese sushi connaisseurs is at Sushi Saito. My first time at Sushi Saito was in 2011 when it was still located in a garage near…

No matter how many times I’ve visited Japan, it never ceases to amaze me. My two-week trip is approaching the end and now all I am left with are memories and thousands of pictures which I am going to post here, I promise! Meanwhile, see my Instagram for the latest…

I’ve been following Heiko Nieder’s career for quite a few years now and must say that his third Michelin star is long overdue. Nieder is one of the most versatile chefs I know, who keeps successfully reinventing throughout the seasons without too much repeating himself. My recent lunch at The…

This is the freshly opened Christophe Saintagne’s bistro in the 17th in Paris. In fact, Papillon opened its doors, where one of my favourite restaurants, Sud Ouest Monceau, used to be. I even found the post I did in 2006 about this cassoulet gem! Hope the new place lives up…

Very tasty classic-contemporary cooking by chef Richard van Oostenbrugge at2 Michelin starred Bord’Eau in Amsterdam. Bord’eau Nieuwe Doelenstraat 2-14, 1012 CP Amsterdam, NetherlandsTel. +31 20 531 1705deleurope.com/restaurants-bars/#bordeau

Images from my lunch at Les Deserteurs, one of my favourite addresses in Paris at the moment (please keep in mind that the menu changes frequently, if not daily). Les Deserteurs 46 Rue Trousseau, 75011 Paris, FranceTel. +33 1 48 06 95 85

Michael Booth’s scathing critique of New Nordic cuisine in an article published last November echoed a sentiment I’ve been feeling for a while: I see an abundance of restaurants claiming the New Nordic manifesto in word, but failing to carry it out indeed. In other words, there’s a lot of…

What does it take to achieve perfection with such a simple and archaic way of cooking as wood-fired grilling? I think of that each time I enter the modest kitchen of Victor Arguinzoniz, the grilling genius from the Spanish Basque country. When he opened Etxebarri over 30 years ago, he…