August 2011
8 posts
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L'Abeille
Chef Philippe Labbe, formerly of La Chevre d’Or in Eze in the south of France, once had 2 Michelin stars and was a prospect to get 3. He now moved to Paris to open the high-end restaurant of the newly opened Shangri-La hotel. And he wants 3 stars. NOW. The food was great, but not 3 stars worthy. A solid 2 stars, yeah, but nothing more. No emotion, except for the pork dish maybe, like...
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Rino
I was excited to try Rino, and had high expectations due to all the praise the chef, who used to work at La Gazzetta, has been getting in the past months. The food, because it was lunch and July, was very simple, great but not what I was looking for for my last lunch in Europe for a long time. When you work in the area, it’s amazing to have such a place close by. But when it’s a...
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L'Ami Jean (again)
Stephane Jego is a great chef. He cooks amazing basque food with a modern twist. But that night I wanted his classics. The simpler, bigger dishes that will never leave L’Ami Jean’s menu. It’s too much food, too heavy, too rich but it’s just so damn good. If you haven’t been, get there now for most decadent charcuterie plate, cote de boeuf and rice pudding in town, if...
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Le Dauphin
This is the second restaurant of Le Chateaubriand’s duo, Inaki and Fred. It’s a more simple version, but the creativity of Inaki and Laurent Cabut, his sous-chef definitely shines. It was a mixed crowd of locals and pilgrims, and everybody was happy to eat a full meal for 27 euros per head, when you can’t even buy a dessert for that price in some Michelin star places. I will go...
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Vivant
I couldn’t wait to go there. I was really looking forward to meeting Pierre Jancou, the godfather of natural wines. The wine was good, the food as well. He is famous to be very product-driven, which is true, but the duck dish showed more than just a good duck, it was cooked to perfection and overall just a great dish. I also had the best burrata I ever tried in France. This restaurant - it...
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Frenchie wine bar + Frenchie (part 2)
Just landed back in Paris, and what better place to go than straight to Frenchie. We had a booking at 9:30 but wanted to check out their new wine bar, which wasn’t open last time I went. We basically had 2 dinners, and a LOT of wine. Food is always good there, always different and interesting combinations, and the atmosphere is great. One of my favourite Paris places, where I go every time...
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Elkano
A short drive from San Sebastian, in Getaria, this place is absolutely amazing. It’s easy, you order the kokotxas, which are some kind of fish offal, it’s hake “throat”, followed by a whole char-grilled turbot. This fish is the best I ever had. The difference of texture and taste between each part, with its salty and smoky bits, is just pure goodness. It feels like...
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Akelarre
This was a great lunch. Amazing food, great service. And what a view! Very modern food, but not too molecular, just the right amount of twists and technique. And very tasty, which is what matters most. It wasn’t as mind blowing as Mugaritz, which has really become a benchmark for me, but the whole package was great and it’s definitely a place to check out if you want superb food AND...
July 2011
11 posts
4 tags
Asador Etxebarri
This was my most anticipated meal of the trip. And I was maybe expecting too much. I loved it, don’t get me wrong, but after being moved the night before at Mugaritz, I was looking forward to get the same feeling and I simply did not. It’s amazing, the produce is obviously as good as it gets, but this kind of simple just did not get to me. I had in mind for this lunch to be amazed by...
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Mugaritz
Perfection. It truly was. From the atmosphere to the service to the food, it was absolutely amazing. A life changing meal. It makes you rethink what a Michelin starred restaurant should be in 2011. It was my first dinner in one of the top 8 restaurants in the world, and there will really a before and an after Mugaritz for me. No stiffness, just the perfect amount of casual and at the same time not...
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Mirazur
I’ve been wanting to go there for a couple of years and finally have. Mauro Colagreco, the Argentinean chef of this restaurant, cooks beautiful food in an amazing setting, meters away from the Italian border. It is number 76 in the world, as per the controversial San Pellegrino ranking, and was one of the eleven tables worth flying to in the New-York Times earlier this year. This guy...
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Le Louis XV Alain Ducasse
The ultimate meal. I have been there before, it was actually my first ever full on gastronomic dinner. I was maybe 12 years old and already loved food, so my dad took me there, just us two. It had a huge impact on me, even though the main thing I remember from that meal was that… I fell asleep! I can’t tell you how happy I was to be back in that room, which is more grand than any of...
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Les Bacchanales
Christophe Dufau is a very talented young chef who is now the chef/owner of this tiny place in Vence, above Nice. He has worked in Denmark quite a lot, and cooks some of the most beautiful food I’ve seen. He uses the best produce this great region has to offer, and his restaurant is extremely good value for the region, where it’s easy to eat very badly for way more that what you pay...
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Yvan Roux
This is not a restaurant. More a “table d’hotes” where Yvan Roux, a former international rugby player, cooks to perfection fish and seafood he gets straight from selected fishermen that day. He welcomes you in his house, that he designed, which has the most amazing view on the islands of Porcros, Giens and Le Levant. It’s hidden in a small town near Hyeres and is a true...
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Casa del Mar
Davide Bisetto has talent. A lot of talent. He cooks an uncompromised Italian cuisine. It’s not meant to please the crowds, it just reflects his inspirations, it’s real Italian food. He uses the best the region has to offer, amazing seafood, charcuterie, cheeses… I think the best is for you to look at the pictures, they speak for themselves. And the setting, within the stunning...
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Frenchie (part 1)
Frenchie is one of my favorite places in Paris. I like it so much I went twice this summer. I happen to have a friend who manages to book anytime he feels like it, at this place where people fight for a reservation. Lucky me! I also can’t emphasize enough on how a good deal this is, with starter, main, cheese and dessert for 45 euros. Hard to beat for such a level of cooking and high quality...
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Passage 53
Passage 53’s chef is Japanese and has worked a few years under Pascal Barbot, just like the guy who opened Quintessence in Tokyo. Hence the very Astrance looking dishes and even an hommage to Pascal with the madeleines at the end of the meal. Extremely precise cooking with the best produce Paris has to offer (Joel Thiebault’s vegetables, Hugo Desnoyer the superstar butcher’s...
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Dinner by Heston
Is there anything more to say about this place? Not really. You’ve all read about the dishes and seen a million of pics of them. So my only contribution is that I though the tipsy cake was the best dessert I had in a while. I have said before (and will say again) how much I hate “pastry chef desserts” i.e. attempts to steal the show by making weird shaped desserts that...
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Breakfast at St. John Hotel
I would have had the whole menu if I wasn’t going to have lunch less than 4 hours later. It’s for the St. John lovers and for the newbies, everything is spot on, tasty, in season, beautiful, and you will feel like eating it all as soon as it’s on the table. Fantastic breakfast, cool atmosphere, a total must go. And check out the hotel too, it looks awesome.
Apricots &...
May 2011
1 post
Stay tuned!
Hello all!
I have not stopped eating, I am not sick, I haven’t turned into a vegan or anything. I am off to Europe mid-June for a month of holidays, including meals already booked at Dinner by Heston, Pierre Gagnaire, Passage 53, Saturne, Frenchie, Casa del Mar, Le Louis XV, Mirazur, Mugaritz, Asador Etxebarri, Zuberoa, Elkano, L’Ami Jean… and also my secret fish restaurant...
March 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Roy Choi at Coda (MFWF)
This was maybe the most talked about event of this year’s festival, after last year’s David Chang dinner at Cumulus Inc. I haven’t been to L.A. in ages, so I am not familiar with Roy’s trucks and Chego restaurant. His food was so tasty, salty, fun, everything you would expect for amazing street food! It was a great experience and now all I want is fly to L.A. and try his...
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Zak Pelaccio at Longrain (MFWF)
I flew to Melbourne for 2 nights and was pretty excited about this first dinner! After having tried Zak’s food in New-York in November, both at Fatty ‘Cue and Fatty Crab, the least I could say was that I was pretty pumped! It’s always interesting to see what a chef can do with another country’s produce, even if they’re super jet lagged and tired! The dinner was great,...
January 2011
5 posts
3 tags
Royal Mail Hotel
If you think you had a fine dining experience in Australia and haven’t been to the Royal Mail, you might want to think again. This restaurant, lost in between Melbourne and Adelaide, is world class. Dan Hunter, who was chef de cuisine at Mugaritz in Spain, cooks amazing food with vegetables grown in the hotel’s gardens, which kind of says it all. This meal was 3 Michelin star quality,...
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Attica (chef's table)
On Tuesday nights, Ben Shewry’s restaurant serves a special menu with only 5 courses where he can test new dishes, as opposed to the usual 8 course degustation that showcases the chef’s signature ones. This dinner was a bit disappointing. There were a few great ideas, like the strawberry oil of the last dessert, made out of 40 punnets of fruit! But besides that, it wasn’t the...
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Der Raum
After an early dinner at Hu-Tong in the city for the best “soup dumplings” in town, we went to this bar in Richmond. I heard a lot of good things about that bar but did not expect it was going to be THAT good! We are lucky to have Eau de Vie in Sydney, but Der Raum is beyond. Melburnians are truly blessed to have it as well as Gerald’s, two bars that would be some...
1 tag
David Blackmore's farm
He is the king of wagyu. THE man. The only one outside Japan to have 100% full breed “Kobe” cows. You can taste his heavenly marbled beef at Rockpool Bar & Grill, but he also supplies nearly every great restaurant in the country. Thomas Keller trusts him as well and serves his meat at The French Laundry and Per Se in the U.S. I was in Tokyo recently (you know that I think) and did...
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Loam
I’m back! This Sunday lunch was the first stop of the Victoria trip for me. Loam restaurant in Drysdale, near Geelong. This place has been voted best new country restaurant in the Good Food Guide and I was very keen to try it. Aaron Turner, who was part of the TOYS Melbourne dinner, serves food from the region, with local produce including amazing vegetables among other things. I had to...
December 2010
71 posts
3 tags
Ms. G's
This has to be one of the most exciting openings of the year. I was scared I was going to miss it as I was away in November, but it seems like chefs Dan Hong and Jowett Yu waited for me to get back! It was so damn good. The place itself would be full every night just because of its looks, with 4 levels of dining rooms and bars, but everything is great. The food, some kind of momofuku/vietnamese...
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WatchThe TOYS family helping Morgan to plate his dessert
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WatchDarren plating his “Bird Bath”
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[TOYS] - Issue #4: Water (after)
Because chefs have to eat too! The “after-party” you might call it. We headed to Supper Inn. See how it went from Embrasse to the city.
John Paul & Morgs
Mel, Banjo & John Paul
On our way to Supper Inn
The extended team at Supper Inn
Mel en pleine forme
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[TOYS] - Issue #4: Water (backstage)
Now this is getting interesting. Take a peak at how much work it is to build such a dinner. From the linen ironing to the prep, it’s a huge process. I was a little Ratatouille and sneaked in the back, enjoy!
Morgan prepping Darren’s bread
Morgan, Nic and Darren receiving some fresh produce
Darren prepping his bread for the “Bird Bath”
More prep by Nic and...
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[TOYS] - Issue #4: Water
What a night! So much fun, amazing dishes, great crowd, and the feeling that you’re participating to something unique. The first Melbourne gig of the Taste of Young Sydney people was a huge success. It happened at Restaurant Embrasse, in Carlton, where chef Nic Poelaert usually serves some great food. But that night it was special, 2 Sydney boys went south (Darren Robertson & Morgan...
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Sawada
Now this is the end. I’m flying back to Sydney that night. And I’m ready for a last lunch. Which will happen to be the most creative, by far, of all my Japanese meals. Thanks to Chuckeats, I picked this place. And man, THANK YOU! It was phenomenal. His sushi might not be perfect (I mean he’s at 98/100 or so if I had to give him a mark) but his sashimi courses are as good as...
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Elevage
That wine bar was sick. 1st floor of a random building, a tiny bar and some great wines by the glass, even from old vintages as the owner decides he will open a few bottles every week and sell glasses until they’re gone. Great concept, amazing atmosphere and a superb wine list. You’ll feel like you’re a member of a secret society when you go through that door! A little Japanese...
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WatchMore Saito-san magic
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WatchSushi making at Sushi Saito
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Sushi Saito
The last dinner of the trip. The last but not the least. Maybe the best one actually. I couldn’t compare my top meals in Tokyo to any other ones, from London to Paris via New-York. It’s too different, a whole new art. I had a feeling Saito would be one of the best. After all it has 3 Michelin star, such as Mizutani, but this time I was going to have sashimi and sushi. Sashimi is the...
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Asagi
That was a great lunch. Definitely as good as Kondo, and less than half the price. It has only 8 seats, right in the middle of Ginza, and was definitely my “discovery” of the trip, even though it’s in THE guide. It was quite a random pick, but man it delivered. I had to choose ahead which menu I wanted, I took the most expensive one (if you go to this kind of restaurants,...
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Mon Cher Ton Ton
I went 3 years ago to Kani Seryna, in the same Roppongi building, and had a fantastic “Kobe” beef experience, my first one in Japan. There, the meat was cooked on some kind of big volcano rock, by a cook standing next to the table. After my dinner at Shima, which was great but not “life changing” as I thought it would be, I headed to Mon Cher Ton Ton, the teppanyaki part of...
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Sukiyabashi Jiro Roppongi
You can’t get a booking at the “Honten” original one if there is nobody speaking Japanese in your party. Which is supposed to be the best sushi experience in the world. They opened this branch, with the son as the chef, for foreigners like me. I went for lunch, and had no booking as I did not plan anything for that day but my concierge found me a seat very easily. I was actually...
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Shima
I have read about Shima on Chuckeats and was really keen on trying some beef during that trip. My most memorable experience last time I was in Tokyo was “wagyu” beef at the Roppongi branch of Kani Seryna. My palate might be sharper, but I really think we are quite spoiled in Australia with David Blackmore, as I was less overwhelmed than I expected. It was bloody good, and rich, and...
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Sushi Mizutani
That’s it. I’m getting closer now. The holy grail. The perfect sushi experience. That’s what I was telling myself when I entered the lift for another 9th floor sublime meal. Cloud nine they should call it. I had that day a sushi only omakase. And it was perfect. Flawless. Almost too perfect as people say it might lack a bit of emotion. But I really believe sushi can be perfect, I...
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WatchMore and more tuna at Tsukiji
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WatchMore tunas at Tsukiji
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WatchHuge tuna at Tsukiji
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WatchTuna cutting at Tsukiji
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WatchEel killing at Tsukiji
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Tsukiji
This is the biggest fish market in the world. If you love Japanese food, and especially sashimi and sushi, it’s the closest you’ll get to heaven. Every different kind of fish and seafood, live, a buzzing atmosphere and the true impression that you’re at the place where you will find the best fish in the world. It probably is. I went at 4.30am (Tokyo might be the only city where...
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WatchKondo live
