Bath is my hometown; and Barcelona was the destination for the first trip through Europe that I documented on this blog. The countries and cities may be different now, but this remains my vehicle for images and words relating to my travels in Europe and the UK.
Thanks for dropping by, both here and on my main blog, Tokyo Food File.
Meet the people and look behind the scenes at one of my favourite restaurants anywhere — in one of my favourite cities.
image from starchefs.com
The Arzak family, a chef dynasty (on Fine Dining Lovers).
San Sebastian, Spain, on a beautiful sunny day - Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter Elena have welcomed FineDiningLovers to their temple of Basque and research based cuisine.
2011 is an important year for them both: the 68 years old chef has just won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the S.Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The audience were touched by a very emotional homage given to him by Elena, who herself had just been shortlisted for the first edition of the Veuve Cliquot Best Female Chef.
The Arzak family have invited Fine Dining Lovers to a very special occasion. They’ve opened their doors and shown us how they work, from their morning shop, to dinner preparation, right through to kitchen conversation about the past and the present.
This video is an insight into the Arzak’s world of signature, cutting edge and evolving cuisine.
The narrow streets and cobbled alleys of Modena. You can wander them for hours. Most days we ended up at the market, snooping for parmigiano, balsamico, prosciutto and pasta.
But this was our final destination, the reason we were in Modena....
Osteria Francescana needs little further introduction. Nor does Chef Massimo Bottura — or his remarkable cuisine. It all starts here…
We were there in early September (2013), shortly after Massimo and his team reopened after their summer break. It was our first visit: to say we were excited to be there was an understatement.
Of course we went for the Sensations menu. a) because we wanted to try as many dishes as possible; and b) we love giving chefs (well, chefs we trust) carte blanche, without knowing what we are going to be served.
This is the visual record of how the meal unfolded. I'll add captions later on. But really the images speak for themselves.
• To open, a refreshing savoury almond granita seasoned with capers, coffee cream and bergamot confit…
…together with a couple of macarons (also savoury, of course)…
• Baccalà mare nostrum: salt cod filet in a broth of Verdute olive and tomato, served with a dried tomato pesto, Noto almonds and fragrances of Pantelleria.
• How to burn sardines in three days – but actually made with fillets of red mullet.
• Risotto where the river meets the sea
• An eel swimming up the Po river
The eel "swims up the Po" from the Adriatic, always against the flow of the river, encounters polenta (the swoosh on the right) in Veneto; then wonderful tart Campanine apples in Mantua (the sauce on the left); and finally arrives at Modena and the delectable sweet grape juice known as saba (the basting sauce on the eel).
• Tribute to Normandy: not in fact an oyster but tartare of salt-marsh lamb, with cider sorbet and some oyster water…
• Think green
• Hunting the Pigeon
• A thousand layer of leaves
• Oops I dropped the tart
• and to close, some mignardises…
What a meal! Stupendous!
This side of beef was aged for a month before arriving, and has hung for a further three weeks we were told. If the flavour is anything like as beautiful as its appearance, it must taste amazing.
Oaxen Skafferi is the kind of premium butcher's shop that would enhance any neighbourhood.
It's part of the expanding Oaxen group of shops and restaurants, of which the latest is Oaxen Krog & Slip, on the island of Djurgården.
We didn't get to eat there, because they opened the day we left town. Next time...
It was my first day in town, exausted and time-zone-skewed after the flight from Tokyo. And, intoxicated by the early spring sunshine and the fresh blossom on the trees everywhere, I'd decided to walk — and from 1 Leicester Street, Marylebone is a lot further than it looks on the map.
I was on holiday, and I didn't feel like taking detailed notes. But I did have my wits about me enough to have my camera on hand. And just as well, since every course, every detail of that meal was memorable.
It was going to be my only opportunity to dine at Roganic — this was late April and the clock was already ticking down toward the June closing date — so I ordered the full 10-course meal, with wine pairings.
So... no detailed analysis or tasting notes, just a gentle journey through some outstanding dishes, in a setting that was simple and spare, with helpful wait staff.
It all added up to one of the best meals I have ever had in the UK. This is how it unfolded...
Back at Tobacco Dock for the final evening of The Lab. There was far too much going on at the event to give a proper picture. But these (for me) were the highlights.
Richard Bertinet introduced his approach to mixing, kneading and preparing pain au levain. Great to see quality artisanal sourdough bread recognized alongside the more experimental, creative aspects of contemporary cuisine.
Young Turks James Lowe and Isaac Mchale chatted about pop-ups and future plans with Joe Warwick.
At the Noma Taste Lab, Lars and Thomas gave a hands-on taste-testing introduction to their work — and one iconic dish they helped to create.
The ingredients: kelp, both raw/dried and roasted; pearl barley, koji inocculated barley and barley "mole"; plum pits; cod's roe; potatoes.
… and the not-so-secret condiment: black ants. Tangy fiery pin-pricks of formic acid, like sharp needles of vinegar on the tongue. Most intriguing.
The finished dish: aged young spuds with barley "mole" and roe.
Danny Bowien from Mission Chinese rustled up a few of his dishes…
Massimo Bottura spoke first in the lounge…
… then on the interview stage (with Ai Weiwei)…
… and then on the demo stage. So inspirational — as always.
And his risotto was truly memorable.
What a great evening it was.
What a great venue: the old Tobacco Dock in Wapping is a really atmospheric location.
And the entrance is suitably dramatic.
Among the many events was the Noma Lab, led by Lars Williams...
And the event stage, with live demonstrations. I was especially pleased to catch James Knappett of Kitchen Table/Bubbledogs in action.
And there were plenty of food stalls and side attractions — including the spectacular Lick Me nitro ice cream crew...
Stand by for a few more images after tonight's (Day 3) session.
Quick, before I get back to London again, I must at least get some of the photos up from my last time there, in the late summer of '12. Starting with the red-hot hard-to-book (still is by all accounts) Dabbous, in Fitzrovia.
Images first. Captions to follow…
Congratulations on winning your Michelin star!
We had a brilliant meal, and we are looking forward to the next time — when we are next in town!
Kamo hiya-atsu — Sanuki udon (chilled noodles, hot broth with duck). Onsen tamago on the side.
Lunch at Koya Udon, in Frith Street, Soho (London).
Tasty. Very tasty, in fact. And well worth the diversion, if you're anywhere near north Soho.
Update: This was just a quick light satisfying lunch. Next time I intend to linger, to try out some of the creative side dishes prepared by chef Junya Yamasaki.
To the very best of my knowledge, this was the first beer of any description that I've tried from Iceland. You can almost taste those volcanic minerals…
A very acceptable pale ale, though it was served way too chilled...
But that was OK: the setting was pretty chilled too.
Oskar's Bar, in the basement under Dabbous in Fitzrovia.
Food writer and restaurant reviewer for the Japan Times contact: foodfile (at) me (dot) com
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