They call it black gold: a 100 ml bottle of a 25­-year vintage can sell for over 100 €, yet most of the world’s supply is an imitation. We’re talking about modena balsamico, the carefully aged, syrupy vinegar that adds a deep mellowness and tart sparkle to everything from roasted…

Very old and very rare – 7.5 years old Parmigiano Reggiano, spotted on the cheese trolley of Le Calandre (3*) in Italy last week. (Does anyone know it’s producer?)

Massimo Bottura and his team at the kitchen of Osteria Francescana today. (3 Michelin stars and number 3 in the world according to San Pellegrino. ) “Memories” of mortadella, parmesan cheese in 5 different textures, ingenious Caesar salad, tortellini di Modena, incredible pork dish with 45 year old balsamic vinegar… So…

A bottle of extra old (25 years or older) l’Aceto Balsamico di Modena. This is the one and the only type of 100 ml bottle that is used to for the real balsamic vinegar of Modena D.O.P, so 99% of balsamic vinegar found in shops around the world is not…

Dining at 3 Michelin star restaurants in Paris is definitely not a cheap experience. A single dish might cost around 100 euros and over. Most of the 3 Michelin star restaurants though offer much better deals at lunch (except for Guy Savoy and L’Ambroisie ). Here are the prices for…

A dish that one day will enter culinary history books. Artichokes and black truffle soup with warm truffle brioche by Guy Savoy…Guy Savoy ( 3*) 18 Rue Troyon, 75017 Paris, France; tel. +33 1 43 80 40 61

Usually, you don’t expect too much from skiing resorts hotels restaurants, but 2 Michelin starred 1947 at Le Cheval Blanc hotel (called after the legendary year of Cheval Blanc wine) must be an exception. This was some of the most original, creative (and the best) cooking I’ve seen in France…

A snapshot of Mr Guy Savoy I took last week at his Parisian kitchen… Nowadays, when quite a few accomplished chefs prefer jetting around the world and focusing on their celebrity careers, it’s so rare to see a 3 Michelin starred chef who actually does otherwise…

May 1, 2014 update It’s been a while since I last updated the top 50 results of the best restaurants in Tokyo according to the Japanese language site Tabelog.com users. Click on continue reading below to see the freshly translated list. Otherwise, my Tokyo reviews can be found here, while the…

Another year of amazing gastronomic discoveries has flown by. Tokyo, Kyoto, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, Paris, Vilnius, Stockholm, Rome, Venice, London, Barcelona, Valencia, Amsterdam, Thailand, the Mediterranean… I couldn’t be more grateful in my life for being able to travel and discover the work of all these extraordinary chefs……