August 2011
8 posts
3 tags
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...
4 tags
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...
4 tags
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...
3 tags
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...
3 tags
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...
4 tags
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...
3 tags
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...
4 tags
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...