I am a little late with this post from my dinner at Alain Ducasse back in July, but I was so uninspired by the meal, that I couldn’t force myself writing anything about it. First of all, let’s start with the positive. Redesigned by Patrick Jouin et Sanjit Manku, the…

Not so long along, vegetables played a secondary role on the world’s best tables, back up dancers to a star piece of red meat or fish. But thanks to the visionary work of French chef Alain Passard, vegetables now take centre stage at restaurants around the world, from Los Angeles…

Ibiza has a reputation for being a party paradise, but there is so much more to this tiny island off the coast of Spain than beach parties. If you love traditional food as I do, you’ll find many wonderful dishes like arroz a banda or bullit de peix, just to…

On a recent trip to Hungary, I had the pleasure of meeting István Szepsy, whose family has been making wine in Tokay since the Middle Ages, or, like MrSzepsy said, “since always”. The region is best known for its sweet white wines and rare Eszencia, an elixir of botyrized grape…

Photos from my lunch at Akrame, whose chef Akrame Benallal was one of the youngest chefs ever to receive 2 Michelin stars ( at the age of 32, in 2014). What I like about Akrame is how he marries fresh ideas with traditions. A wonderful, highly recommended place. P.S. Do…

L’Étoile sur Mer is the new seafood restaurant by Guy Savoy and his right arm Clement Leroy, who is the head chef here. Opened just three weeks ago, it is located on rue Troyon, where the eponymous Guy Savoy restaurant used to operate (before moving to the Monnaie de Paris…

Japanese chef Atsushi Tanaka belongs to the new generation chefs in Paris. Prior to opening his tiny restaurant on a tranquil street of 5th arrondissement, Tanaka-san worked at Pierre Gagnaire in Tokyo, Quique Dacosta in Denia and some of the most prestigious kitchens in Scandinavia, Holland and Belgium. That brings…

Few pictures from my May lunch at Hexagone. My last visit there was back in January, when the restaurant had just opened. I must say that Mathieu Pacaud’s cooking is a perfect compromise between the traditions of the classic French cuisine and our modern search for légèreté on the plate.…

Some gastronomy modernists dismiss L’Ambroisie style of cooking as old fashioned, but, for me, perfect French cooking can never go out of fashion simply because it tastes so good. ( if it’s good for your diet is another story). I have posted about L’Ambroisie two years ago, below- images dating…

Forget about all the fancy proteins, usually associated with fine dining restaurants. It’s the humble herbs and vegetables that are reigning world’s most cutting edge kitchens nowadays. One of the pioneers of this vegetal trend was (and still is) Alain Passard, whose 3 Michelin starred restaurant menu is 90% vegetarian…