Umami flavour is key in Japanese cooking and the reason why it is so oishi. One of the historical explanations could be that because for many years before Meiji restoration four-legged animals meat had been forbidden, Japanese cooks had to develop other ways to bring out umami. Necessity is 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…

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…

One of the most memorable meals this year so far was at Flocons de Sel (3*) in Megeve. Light, modern, poetic mountain cooking by chef Emmanuel Renaut. Flocons de Sel 1775 Route du Leutaz, 74120 Megève, FranceTel.: +33 4 50 21 49 99

The legend of “Tetou” or Ernest Cirio began when during the First World War he enlisted in the Navy and got wounded. There he became a private cook of the admiral and had an opportunity to open a restaurant in New York, but homesickness was stronger than the prospect of…

Former entrepreneur and food blogger, Bruno Verjus is not a typical French chef. Without any formal training he now runs Table, a restaurant in the 12th arrondissement focusing on exceptional produce. Starting with this season’s last scallops and oysters from Bretagne, finishing with first green and white asparagus and morels,…

Some pictures from my recent lunch at Clown Bar. Despite the name it has some of the most serious and delicious bistro cooking in the capital. Its chef Sota Atsumi is Japanese, so you will see some Japanese influence in most of the dishes. Highly recommended. Clown Bar 114 Rue…

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…

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…

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