A cup of sencha and daifuku (confectionery made of mochi and sweet azuki beans paste) at the oldest Japanese tea salons in Paris. Toraya, 10 Rue Saint-Florentin, 75001 Paris; + 33 1 42 60 13 00

The legend of the famous truffle soup was born in 1975 February 25, whenFrench president Valéry Giscard D’Estaingpromoted Paul Bocuse to Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (the highest decoration in France). For that occasion, the father of French gastronomy was asked to prepare a special meal and one of the…

It was my third time at Saturne (17 Rue Notre-Dame des Victoires, 75002 Paris; tel. +33 1 42 60 31 90) and despite trying really hard to love it (thus, the repeated visits), I am still convinced that the simplistic, “market-based” cooking practised at this restaurant lacks taste, emotions and…

This is what I would call the quintessentially perfect piece of veal. It’s been slowly braised and then roasted which makes it soft, juicy and fatty in the inside and crispy on the outside. Even if the new chef of Les Enfants Rouges (9 Rue de Beauce, 75003 Paris; tel.…

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……

Christian Le Squer’s name might not immediately come to mind when thinking of legendary 3 Michelin stars chefs, but this discrete master should not go overlooked. He gained his first two Michelin stars while heading up the Restaurant Opera at the Grand Hotel Intercontinental. The third came in 2002 at…

With 7 Chome Kyoboshi chef in Tokyo last August, who until recently was the only tempura chef in the world to hold 3 Michelin stars. Despite him losing the third star, I still think he is the one and only grand master of tempura (Albeit the most expensive!).

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”.. (Leonardo da Vinci). Slightly warm mozzarella with olive oil, served with crostini at Torrisi Italian specialities (250 Mulberry St, New York, NY 10012; tel. (212) 965-0955).

I am not a big fan of chicken-based ramen broth, but I must admit that Totto ramen (specializing in only chicken-based broth) overall quality was better than Ippudo (specializing in pork-based broth). I used to love Ippudo in NY and I still do love their small plates as pork buns…

Some images from Peter Luger, probably the best traditional American steakhouse I’ve ever been… (and no, this trip to NY had nothing to do with diet!)