Agapé Substance is like a breath of fresh air so needed in the Parisian gastronomic world. The neo bistrot on rue Mazarine ( in the 6th ) is tiny, has walls and ceilings made of mirrors and the chairs are not at all comfortable, but what you get on your…

If you walk around São Paulo’s Jardins area you could be also strolling around an upmarket neighbourhood in Los Angeles or any other megapolis. This is the drawback of modern travelling. You fly to another part of the world, but when you go out from your hotel (I was staying…

Oxtail hachis parmentier with black truffles, oysters in sour cream sauce and oysters in watersea jelly are the dishes that make me come back to Apicius Paris every winter. These classic Jean- Pierre Vigato’s dishes are not on the menu anymore, but if you ask, the restaurant’s kitchen will happily prepare…

The food at The Ledbury was not only beautiful but also delicious. Contemporary French, British products, 2 Michelin stars, 29/30 in Zagat, probably one of the most sought after reservations in London. I will definitely return! The images of the menu (December 2011).

When you sit at a 7 places sushi counter, you will most likely end up making conversations with your neighbours. My neighbours at Sushi Saito ( Jidousha kaikan Bldg. F1, 1-9-15 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo,tel. 03-3589-4412 ) – a nice Japanese couple who comes to this sushi bar regularly and who…

Reserving Noma these days is as impossible as it used to be reserving El Bulli few years ago. The worldwide recognition and “world’s best restaurant” title means that people are flying to Copenhagen just for a lunch or dinner. Obviously, I didn’t think twice when Very Good Food proposed tome to…

Live shrimps in a jar full of ice (to keep them alive!) is one of the pre-dinner snacks served at Noma restaurant in Copenhagen. They said that shrimps taste better like this and you can really feel the sea. I have no doubts about that, but I couldn’t force myself…

If there is one sushi den in Manhattan that could be easily compared to top sushi restaurants in Tokyo, it would be Sushi Azabu. The location of the restaurant couldn’t be more unassuming and is typically Japanese. It is hidden in a basement of Greenwich Grill ( probably owned by…

I think that the appreciation of Japanese kaiseki art grows with experience. First time I had a kaiseki meal in Kyoto, I found it too unusual to enjoy. The flavours of most of the dishes were very mild, kind of “muted” and some of the ingredients were quite bizarre. Then…

Shang Palace at Shangri-la is the newest hotel restaurant opening in Paris. (opened on the 8th of September). You don’t really have great Cantonese restaurants in the city and Shang Palace is by far the best of all the Chinese I’ve been in Paris. However, if you’ve had Cantonese specialities…