Owned by 160 years old dried seaweed and tea wholesaler from Tokyo Maruyama Nori, Jugetsudo tea salon and shop is like a tiny island of Japanese culture on the Left Bank of Paris. Here you can buy premium Japanese tea (like exceptional Gyokuro), beautiful artisan-made pottery or have a cup…

Two Michelin starred Jean François Piège (79 Rue Saint-Dominique 75007, tel. +33 1 47 05 49 75 ) is like no other gastronomic restaurant in Paris. Its tables are not covered with white tablecloths, the waiters are wearing jeans instead of black suits and the dining room looks more like…

Another very recent opening in Paris is Monsieur Blue (20, av de New-York 75116 Paris; tel. +33 1 47 20 90 47 ) restaurant at the Palais de Tokyo contemporary art center. Monsieur Bleu is definitely more about “see and be seen”, glamour, and the impressive location than the food,…

Located at the magnificent Éléphant Paname art and dance center, Goust (10 Rue Volney 75002 Paris; tel. +33 1 40 15 20 30 ) is the newest restaurant of “the world’s best sommelier” Enrico Bernardo. Spanish José Manuel Miguel is the head chef whose cooking is highly influenced by his Valencian origins.…

Images from HKK, the lastest Hakkasan group opening in London. Probably the best high-end Chinese food I’ve had since visiting Lung King Heen in Hong Kong few years ago… The restaurant offers tasting menus only. HKK (88 Worship St London, Greater London EC2A 2BE; tel. +44 20 3535 1888)

Nowhere in the world you can have such excellent beef as in Japan. Wagyu (which literally means “Japanese beef” ) can be so marbled and fatty that if you go for the highest grade beef you might feel as if you are eating foie gras or pure fat. (So my…

Even if Septime has been around for a while now, it’s still considered one of the hottest néo bistros in Paris and since a few weeks is among the 50 best restaurants in the world. I’ve been at Septime twice and I quite liked it the first time (see the…

When someone asked Pierre Gagnaire what was the style of his cooking, he simply answered that he doesn’t have any style and that for him the most important is how his dishes taste and bringing joy to his guests. I think nowadays so many chefs are focusing on style (“Scandinavian”, “local”,…

Sometimes you need to travel to another side of the world to get answers to your questions. And the question I’ve been asking myself was – what had happened to Umu, my favorite Japanese restaurant in London, which has changed for the worse ever since it’s head chef, Ichiro Kubota…

Some images from the tea ceremony at Happo-en gardens in Tokyo, a complex and sophisticated centuries old ritual where each gesture has a meaning.