I had the pleasure of having lunch at this wonderful restaurant back in 2011. Read my post here.

Congratulations also to the three Danish restaurants that made it to the list  Noma on 2nd place, Geranium at 45 and Relæ at 56 – WOW!!

Although I have experienced Alexandre’s creations when I attended the 6 hands dinner at In de Wulf in 2009, I was completely taken by surprise of how delightful La Grenouillère is. It is truly a nice place to be.

Part of the restaurant, the kitchen and the dining room was rebuilt in 2009 and at the same time the new extension was erected in steel, glass, concrete, and wood. It is designed by the French architect Patrick Bouchain and has a rough, industrial look and feel to it, but in a very cool and stylish way. The leather chairs and tables are by Hermès design. Each table is unique and designed for a specific place in the dining room. The plates and glasses are put directly on the leather surface without any table cloths. Lovely warm to the touch, a leather table – I so want a table like this for my home, but these were obviously specially made, and I dare not even imagine the price tag.

The new room is clean, with glass walls and without any decoration, except from the industrial looking iron dresser in the middle of the room, and therefore, a complete contrast to the old part of the inn with its massive collection of all kinds of… frogs. Frog sculptures, frog dolls, frog paintings – almost like a museum of past times and a beautiful, almost magical, tribute to the name of the place: The Frogs’ Place.

Looking into the dining room from the garden

Dining room

The open kitchen viewed from the dining room. The chains adding to the industrial feel.

Alexandre’s terroir-driven cuisine appealed to me with its simple look and not too many different ingredients and things going on on the plate. The pure taste of the ingredients is in focus and it is honest food. I also I really liked the playful-ness to both the dishes and to the interior with its intense frog’s theme going on everywhere. Very charming.

We got about 26 different servings so I won’t comment on each of the courses but state my impression of some of them that stand out.

Me and my 3 friends drove from Paris in the afternoon and after a long and rainy drive we arrived late in the evening (thank you once again for driving us, Laurent . We started out with champagne and some smashing snacks in the old dining room with the fireplace and the incredible collection of l’art de frog.

Quintessence 2004 Franck Pascal - that had a refined mousse and was full of mineral notes. I loved it.

Snack

another snack…  

Quail egg

Potimarron, clémentine, foie gras – Pumpkin, clementine, foie gras

Blanc D’oeuf caillé - Egg white curd

Crevettes grises couteau – Razor clam

Table by night. Design by Hermès.

Chorey-les-beaune 2010 Pascal Laillad

At Our table in the beautiful dining room we were served a very nice glass of Chorey-les-beaune 2010 Pascal Laillad.

Pêche de vigne, lotte - Peach and monkfish

Courges jeunes, coques, fleur – Yellow squash and clams

Fleur de courgette farcie - Stuffed zucchini flower

Huître grillée, courgette – Grilled oyster and zucchini

This was a huge oyster. It was grilled lightly and the burnt flavour to it matched very well with the peppery notes to the rocket leaves and the slight sweetness to the zucchini.

Canard sauvage, trompette, ornions grillées - Wild duck tartare, black trumpet mushrooms, grilled ornions

Arbois en paradis 2006 Rijckaert

Gnocchi, sureau – Gnocchi and elderberries

The gnocchi and elderberry match was interesting and worked as a pair. However as part of a tasting menu with 10+ courses, I felt that it was a bit too heavy and too sweet to my taste.

Coussin de blé – Light puf

Light puf with white truffle aroma. The white truffle scent infused the room. It was extraordinary.

Homard, genièvre – Lobster with grilled in juniper branches

A bunch of juniper branches arrived and the job was to remove the top layer. Inside there was a pure, juicy and delicious piece of lobster, and I loved the scent of the juniper.

Haricots beurrés rôtis au beurre – White beans

Grenouilles grillées, basilic – Grilled frog legs with basil

The most delicious and tender frogs legs I have ever had.

The Alsatian Pinot Noir grand H 2010 Albertmann accompanied the frog legs and the subsequent courses.

Chardon, grainés – Jerusalem artichokes and thistle seeds

Colvert, épines de la baie – Mallard

Vachette, tiges – Grilled cow and garlic scapes

 Cheeses

Although I was almost full at the time I simply couldn’t resist trying a couple of local cheeses.

Herbes grasses – Sponge and ice-cream  of herbs

The texture of the sponge was light and fluffy and it gave some sweetness to the fresh but deep herb flavoured ice-cream. I really like this one.

Cacao, cerfeuil - Cocoa, chervil 

Framboise, coquelicot – Raspberries and poppy

Beautiful as well as fresh.

Mais, sarriette – Corn

Here the play with the texture was fun, but the taste was mainly as that of corn.

Concombre, verveine - Cucumber and lemongrass

Light, fresh and delectable, but I’m also very keen on cucumber.

The wines of the evening

Hydromel – Mead

It is tradition to serve a glass of mead and a piece of honey to conclude after the sweet courses. I loved the show of it, but it was somehow too sweet for my tooth at that point.

Frame of honeycomb with honey

Honey

It’s official! The red Michelin Guide for the Main Cities of Europe 2013 is out and sends 2 new stars to Copenhagen restaurants in this year’s guide.

Geranium has finally got their well-deserved 2nd star and the upcoming Kadeau restaurant featuring produce from Bornholm island has got their 1 star. WOW, this is great news for Copenhagen! It still disappoints us though that Noma remains with 2 stars.

Compared to 13 stars in 2010 11 in 2011, and 14 in 2012 we now comprise a total 15 Michelin stars.  

Congratulations to you all!

Two stars:
Geranium ** New
Noma **

One star:
AOC *
Den Røde Cottage *
Era Ora *
formel B *
Grønbech & Churchill *
Kiin Kiin *
Kadeau * New
Kokkeriet *
Kong Hans’ Kælder *
Relæ *
Søllerød Kro *

Source Politiken

In 2012 it’s rated Sweden’s best restaurant in White Guide, 20th best in the world by San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants and awarded 2 stars in the Michelin guide. Oh yes, my expectations were very high indeed.

Originally I wanted to go when I was in Stockholm back in 2009, but I couldn’t get a reservation. So, when Björn wrote me back in June that he could not believe I hadn’t been to his restaurant yet, my visit was long overdue. I immediately wrote back and secured 2 seats at the new kitchen counter for Saturday evening on August 25th 2012. That’s direct marketing for you .

After two days in incredibly beautiful Stockholm, we arrived at 8 PM and were seated next to two judges of Masterchef Ireland (that were filming that night) and greeted Björn from across the counter. It was almost as entering the theatre, seated in the front row, waiting for the show to commence. The chefs were readying their boxes, lining up their knifes and tongs, checking com with the staff in the second kitchen in the back (all chefs wearing CIA-style collar mics and earpieces). To the left, the camera man from Irish television was allowed half a square meter of movement so not to interfere with the cooking and preparing. From the beginning it was quite clear, that Chef Frantzén does not allow for any hitch.

Now, if the kitchen wasn’t up to it, or if the food had turned out to be anything less than amazing, a build-up like this would have been almost too much, almost pretentious. But trust me, the kitchen is up to it, and the food is truly mind-blowing. Not one dish fell through, and the sincerity and relentless-ness of Frantzén, Lindeberg as they and their staff executed that evening’s script makes it totally clear, that this is for real, and that no-one or nothing will stand between them and total perfection. Not even the cameraman, who once tried to leave his allotted space and was send back immediately. Still, the atmosphere at Frantzén/Lindeberg is casual in that very cool, Swedish way: Serious and professional, but relaxed.

Live langoustines – au lit-de-parade

In fact, sitting there at the counter, watching the show unfold right before my eyes was one of the most exclusive dining experiences I’ve ever had. Björn Frantzén (and later in the evening as the savory dishes were replaced by the desserts, Daniel Lindeberg) talked us through all the dishes, explaining about the produce, the preparing and how they constantly aim for even more focus, more taste and more purity in their cooking. Between almost every dish, meat or fish for dishes to come were presented. The langoustines were alive and kicking 15 minutes before we ate them and were presented to us for a final fare-well on their way to meet a sharp, Japanese knife. My bread rose in a box right in front of me, before it was put in the oven, and even the tender lamb meat greeted a large burner (held in an angle to Japanese charcoal) a few minutes before it was made into tartar. In that way, my appetite and couriosity for the next dishes were kept up. In fact, this was one of the most coherent meals I’ve ever had and full of all the luxury products I love.

Frantzén/Lindeberg is a must-go for any food loving individual traveling in Scandinavia.

The appetizers of
Blood & liver with cherries, violet & pistachio
Brioche of spelt flour with chicken skin & roasted garlic
Pig’s head on pork rind with vendance roe (Persson brothers)
The bullock Annei (47,5 months old) on crispy lichens
“Vichyssoise” with truffle from Tasmania
Carrot with liver from the bird served for main course

They were incredibly delicious and felt almost like an entire menu because of their complexity, product range and the deliciousness of it.

Appetizers – up close

To better focus on the food we drank a bottle of Raveneau’s Chablis 1er Cru Butteaux and with the turbot we got a glass of a Gevrey-Chambertin.

Turbot presentation

Cleanser of …

Ice tea made from 32 kinds of tomatoes

The dough is rising…

Oyster “62c” with Simmental cream, juniper & frozen rhubarb

Raw langoustine (Ingmar J) with pork fat, celery & essence of apple

Caviare ready for our next course

Bone marrow with smoked parsley & smetana & osteria caviare

This serving was a genius. The bone marrow melted on my tongue and its delicate flavour was enhanced by the salty, delicious caviare. For once it was nice that the morrow was not smoked. The smokiness was added with the parsley/smetana cream.

Björn Franzén searing the tartare for our next course

The first autumn lamb’s (Berga farm) with cumin, lavendar & aubergine

A beautiful, roasted chicken

The list of ingredients of the Satio Tempestas

Satio Tempestas

Björn Franzén churning butter

Butter

Bread

The bread had a great burnt crust and a delicious and soft texture. It was very light and reminded me of pizza crust.

Scallop (hitra) with the first egg the hen ever lays, scallop “dashi”

…with black truffle from Tasmania

Really pure and delicious tastes.

Tasmanian Tuber Melanosporum Vitt

My goodness the quality of the truffle was magnificent.

Scallop dashi to drink

Veal sweetbreads & burnt bechamel & grilled matsutake (Pitea)

Cleanser of frozen spruce & lemongrass

Whole grilled turbot (7,1kg) with sweet onions & idiazabal. Peas from the garden in seaweed.

Our next course in preparation

Salad with rôti roasted chicken (81-100 days)

On to the desserts…

…and Daniel Lindeberg takes over control

Crème anglaise flavoured with shrubby basil and lavender. 10 different tomatoes, strawberries and wild raspberries from J. Andersson

Pancakes made from bark & stone-grounded flour with Jersey ice cream flavoured with birch. Whipped mousse of moss with blueberries & wild thyme & maple syrup from Biaxsta

Red gooseberry sorbet with pudding made of goat’s cream from Vilhelmdals dairy. Endives pickled in elderflower with sorrel & red oxalis & dried gooseberries

Then followed the epilogue – a selection of mignardises:

Dried pig’s blood with cream of pigs blood. Mulberries & bitter chocolate

Fermented garlic

Fondant glazed apricot and girolles biscuit. Garnished with powder of toasted rapeseed oil, toasted cacao nips and pan-fried girolles

“Fruit du jour” – plums

Fresh hazelnuts & salted hazelnut caramels made with honey from Mörkö

Cauliflower macaron with hay ash. Filled with roasted white chocolate and toasted hay. Sea buckthorn macaron with Oolong tea and oyster leaves from the garden

Björn, Daniel and the whole team: Thank you for a wonderful experience!

Besides Kofoed’s incredibly sharp and precise dishes, Geranium also differs from most modern Copenhagen restaurants in being truly luxurious in its interior design. It’s not vulgar in any way – and compared to French or German gourmet restaurants, it’s still best described as minimalistic. But in the decor of Geranium you will find little of the typical Nordic austerity and more of a modern, international, very self confident style. Few would suspect that the decor of Geranium and Noma is in fact done by the same interior architect, the very skilled Signe Bindslev Henriksen, who is also responsible for the chick look of Restaurant Geist. Geranium is a very nice place to be.

Now, I think I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Kofoed’s food is not just very, very tasty – it’s also so incredibly beautiful. I can only hope that my pictures do the dishes justice.

Bocuse is watching over the stoves.

 The view from the restaurant at 8th floor

Champagne for accompanying the snacks

Potato crisp with seaweed

Carrot and sea buckthorn

Vesterhav cheese and ramson onion

Tube of dried apples and dried flowers

Crispy pork’s ear

Fermented pear

Bark shaped rye bread porridge - fragile and crispy

Silver cup by Danish George Jensen

Mushrooms – ceps in form of soup

Razor clam

- incredibly beautiful as well as tasty. Served on this plate makes just perfection, doesn’t it? Just amazing.

Jerusalem artichoke as wood with walnuts oil

Ham as gel, tomato juice and thyme flowers

Dill stones….

…with fermented vegetables and salmon roes

The green jelly stones had a fantastic smooth coating and were filled with warm-smoked salmon. The fermented vegetables provided acidity to balance the rich salmon.

Sentiments of the sea

Shrimp, mussel, sea weed and other fruits of the sea were poured over with mussels juice. By sloshing the juice around in two flasks the same way seawater moves when hitting the shore, Chef Kofoed oxygenated the juice before pouring it. It might sound a bit silly, but I don’t care: The taste of this dish was like a walk on the beach on a windy day where you almost taste the salt with the wind. So light and delicate, so sea-ish. This was a brand new dish that wasn’t even in the menu yet. I hope it is now: It was excellent!

Salted mackerel, cucumber and verbena

Bread made of old cereals

Different sorts of onions and melted hay cheese…

Poured over with bread crumbs.

 Rasmus Kofoed

Broccoli, purslane and dried oysters

Danish langoustines…

Langoustine, hay aroma and and field herbs

 Herbs garden – Soup made of smoked eel, herbs and peas

2005 Paolo Bea, Montefalco Rosso

2007 Primofiore

Lamb, beetroot, berries and stems

Elderbubbles

Currants, herbs tea and sheep milk mousse

Grilled raspberries, flowers and crystalized thyme

Parsley root

Green eggs…

and carrot leaves

 The sun setting over Copenhagen. It gave way to the most beautiful full moon, as we finished our coffee.

Geranium is fabulous. The setting, the food, and Chef Kofoed’s relentless search for perfection all come together.

Last weekend I was in Stockholm and dined at the kitchen counter at Restaurant Frantzén/Lindeberg.  If you like watching the rockstars cook for you and be able to chat with them through-out the whole evening, then book ‘Kitchen’ at Frantzén/Lindeberg! Besides the lovely food it was an absolute amazing experience to have Björn Frantzén and Daniel Lindeberg (and their team) exclusively to our self  (sort of) and I highly recommend it!

More to come…

To make a long story short, Jonnie and Thérèse Boer’s success in Zwolle started in 1993 when they took over Restaurant De Librije. Jonnie had already been working some years with Ed Meijers, owner at the time of De Librije. Jonnie Boer applied there in 1986. In the meantime Jonnie got to know Thérèse who at the time was attending the hotel and catering school to specialize in wines. Before long Thérèse became a respected viticulturist and hostess.

Librije’s Hotel

Then, in 2006 the Librije’s Hotel and Librije’s Zusje (Librije’s little sister) restaurant were born, located in a former women’s prison built in 1739. The building has been carefully restored and turned into a 5 star hotel with hints of its past history and full of luxury.

The restaurant Librije’s Zusje is awarded two Michelin stars and offers classic dishes from Restaurant De Librije as well as adventurous creations and vegetarian dishes. “A touch of Librije prepared and served with a passion” as Jonnie and Thérèse Boer present it.

For this trip I invited my brother. I have long wanted to share some of my food passion with him, and as he had just quit his job to start in another company, he had a few weeks off and helpfully volunteered as driver for the eight hours’ trip from Copenhagen to Zwolle. After a stop-over in Hamburg he and I arrived at Librije’s Hotel around lunch time on Wednesday 4th of April 2012. We were warmly welcomed by our personal butler(!) Hans, who gave us his business card and kindly informed that if we had any need what-so-ever we should just call him. Stylish.

The entrance to the kitchen at Librije’s Zusje

RidgeView Merret Cavendish, sparkling

Nicely installed with a surprisingly nice glass of English RidgeView Merret Cavendish “champagne” in the prison courtyard in the centre of the building, our lunch began with a number of delicious, sharp and very distinct appetizers. Excellent.

Foie gras lollis

Light, fried dough

Cured beef and quail’s egg

Green meringue with smoked eel

Pork crackling

Beetroot snack

Then we moved inside to the dining room…

The design of the dining room is nothing like anything I have seen before. It’s held in a kind of quirky, art deco-ish postmodern nineties theme, which I can’t decide whether I like or not… but it actually reflects very well the self-confident rock ‘n’ roll style that surrounds the Boer couple.

2011 Auxerrois from Weingut Stadt Lahr, Kabinett Trocken

We  asked for a glass of white wine that could accompany the first light dishes, and the sommelier served us a delicious wine of 100 % Auxerrois. The wine was semi-aromatic, floral with a nice acidity in the finish. Very good.

Foie gras ‘on the rocks’, goat’s cheese with roasted apple and carrot preserved with Madras curry

The first course was composed by a very perculiar combination of foie gras and goat cheese. I liked the title of the dish and the playing with words of ‘foie gras on the rocks’ but it was like the dish was too sought somehow to really please me. The different tastes didn’t connect, in my opinion, although on their own the quality of the produce was high and tasty.

Monkfish in oil

Monkfish cooked in oil

The second course, though, sent me right into heaven. It presented the most excquisite monkfish I’ve ever had, preserved and cooked in oil, served with lovage and tarragon cream. There was an excellent balance to this dish. The vegetables’ crunchy texture and sweet and sour tastes paired with the full-flavoured, delicious and juicy fish. Surprising and new to to me. Bravo!

Redmullet with mushrroms and black olives

Next up was a fillet of red-mullet with crispy skin. The taste was fresh and salty, and the black olives matched nicely with the fatty fish. The liquid under the fish had a very oily texture. I have noticed that many fine dining restaurants serve red mullet these days and though I’m a big fan of this particular creature of the seas, a red mullet dish can be quite trivial. Here, on the other hand, the top quality and the way the black olives challenged the fish, really justified its presence. Very good.

2009 Bruno Giaccosa, Dolcetto D’Alba – structured, and full-bodied with fine balance.

Roe deer with olives, beet root and magnolia sauce

Next came an incredibly tender and pure roe deer that completely melted on my tongue. My guess is that it had been cooked sous vide to achieve this degree of tenderness. The meat was accompanied by baked beet root and beet root crudité. The veal stock sauce was spiced with magnolia flower. Excellent.

Tarragon and eggnog cleanser, deliciuos

Deconstructed grandma’s apple pie

This beautiful presentation of the ingrediens of a classic apple pie was both a fun and a delicious closure of the lunch meal. When mixing a bite of all the pieces in one mouthful I experienced the most delicious apple pie with vanilla ice-cream.

Coffee and mignardise

We went back outside to have coffee and nibble the great chocolate and candy pieces. Except from the tree itself everything was eatable.

It was late afternoon and all the guests had left and peace fell onto the place. It was wonderful to just site for a while in the rocking chair, enjoying the setting and thinking back of the delectable food and wine. And it was a lovely thing to share this with my dear brother.

Passing the kitchen on our way outside

The attentive staff noticed I was taking photographs and waited until I had finished before they walked by.

When we arrived at Librije’s Hotel I didn’t really know anything about it or the Zusje restaurant and had no clue of what to expect – perhaps except from luxury. I was very impressed by the creativity, the style and the quality that reflects the place. Also, it’s not often one experiences such a high level of service without it getting stiff or too formal. At Librije they have found that rare balance between service and a casual, personal approach, and it makes it such a pleasurable place to be.

It’s was a very nice lunch that only sharpened my appetite for dinner at De Librije that same evening. But alas – I fell ill that afternoon (unrelated to the restaurant!) and thus had to spend the night in my bed instead of at a table. I do hope to return to Zwolle soon to experience De Librije itself.

Thanks so much to Thérèse & Jonnie Boer and to my brother of course!

Thanks to my dear family I got the flight ticket as a birthday present. Thanks also to a very kind friend who let us stay at his place in Tokyo city. We were there for 9 days with a short break of a 2,5 days trip to Kyoto.

At home I tried to prepare myself for the trip to Japan. I expected it would be a challenge not speaking the language and not knowing the culture at all. How to prepare for that, really?

Here are a few snapshots from my trip. I will of course return with more detailed post on my best restaurant experiences.

Shibuya Crossing, 2 million people passes through here every week day

The trip turned out to be the most amazing trip. It shocked me, moved me to tears, made me smile, made me sad to leave and, above all, provided me with experiences I will treasure and remember for the rest of my life.

Many thanks also to my fellow bloggers, Wandering Epicures, Luxeat, Chuck Eats, A Life Worth Eating, Andy Hayler and Gastros on Tour for inspiration and guidance.

Electricity cables are strung to the outside of the buildings to make it easier to spot broken cables after earth quakes.

The incredible Shinkansen. Not only does it go very fast – the whole system is a marvel of precision.

Traditional Bento Box for the train trip – rice, dried salmon, pickled and cooked vegetables

(not so much my taste though )

西本願寺 Nishi Hongan-ji temple in Kyoto. Here I attended a Buddhist mass that was so moving that I could not help myself crying.

祇園 Gion, Kyoto

祇園 Gion, Kyoto

Gates at the Fushimi Shrine (伏見神社), Kyoto

Smoke of visdom at the Zojoji Temple (増上寺), Tokyo

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), Kyoto (Golden Pavillion)

It was like this country opened my senses and removed any filter between me and the reality around me. Everything hit me with a deep emotional impact; from watching the lush, green mountain landscape passing by on the train rides from Narita Airport and the Tokyo-Kyoto roundtrip, witnessing a Buddhist mass, walking through the hundreds of orange gates at the Fushimi Shrine, being interviewed by a shy and nervous, but brave, schoolboy for his home assignment, gazing at the pittoresque and paralyzingly beautiful Golden Pavillion, getting lost in Kyoto trying to find the Philosopher’s Walk…

Tsukiji (築地) – the world’s largest fish market

… to enter the restricted area of the Tsukiji fish market and then – politely of course – be ordered out again by a very serious police officer, eating live mackerel sashimi from a still gasping fish (morally not OK), having shabu-shabu dinner with Japanese karaoke-singing colleagues (thank you, guys, for your warm hospitality!), playing golf in the middle of the night, sipping champagne on the 52th floor and Park Hyatt’s sky bar (had to – I love the film Lost in Translation, despite its clichees)…

Bluefin Tuna at the esquisite Sushi Kanesaka

Our chef at Sushi Kanesaka

…to eat mindblowingly good sushi at Kanesaka and be fascinated by the complex keiseki served by our own sweet server-hostess in Kyoto, to learn how discipline and precision makes people stand in line during rush hour for their turn to board the train or metro (watch and learn NYC and Copenhagen!) and to see how the Shinkansen train system works with clockwork precision. Nine days in Japan was enough to make me feel not quite the same person now than when I boarded the plane in Copenhagen Airport three weeks ago.

Now, Food-wise:

The top restaurant experiences of this trip were: Ryu Gin (龍吟) ***, Sushi Kanesaka ** (8-10-3 Ginza | Misuzu Bldg., fl. B1, Chuo-ku, Tokyo Prefecture 104-0061, and Hana Kitcho (HANA 吉兆) *. More on those later. However, local places were great too and it is really true that the quality is immensely high everywhere you go. You know, even McDonald’s food taste better in Kyoto than in Copenhagen!

One thing is certain: I’m so thankful for this opportunity and I hope I can return to Japan again soon!

For the third time my beloved Noma has been declared the world’s number one restaurant at Restaurant Magazine’s and San Pellegrino’s The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Congratulations René and team, and thank you for making Copenhagen stand out. It is fantastic!

The top 10 for 2012 is

1. Noma – Copenhagen, Denmark (Yay!)
2. El Celler De Can Roca – Girona Spain
3. Mugaritz – San Sebastian, Spain
4. D.O.M – Sao Paolo, Brazil
5. Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy
6. Per Se – New York, USA
7. Alinea – Chicago, USA
8. Arzak – San Sebastian, Spain
9. Dinner by Heston Blumenthal – London, England
10. Eleven Madison Park – New York, USA

Geranium enters the list at no. 49 – congratulations to Rasmus and Søren – and Relæ is in the top 100 at #75! Also, the incredible Fäviken on Sweden is new on the list and enters at no. 34 – and in a couple of weeks I will dine at No. 28, Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo. I’m so excited.

Also, I’m very happy that Elena Azark was rewarded Best Female Chef. I heard her speak at Chef Sache in November last year, and she is incredibly inspiring. Well done!

Since 1910, the conservative Krogs Fiskerestaurant had been considered the best fish restaurant and among the finest places to dine in Copenhagen, and for a poor undergraduate at Copenhagen Business School it was an outrageously luxurious thing to do.

I recall ordering lobster with black truffles. The lobster was served on a plate, head, claws, tail and all. But from the eatable body and the tail the shell had been removed, the body had been sliced and were separated by huge slices of black truffle.

After all those years I still have this picture in my head. It was completely delicious and decadent. It was old school luxury eating. Then after our dinner we returned to the worn-down student hostel where we both lived at the time and had a few beers with some friends. What an evening of contrasts, but a delightful one.

Later on, as my obsession with fine dining kicked in, turbulent years followed for the venerable Krog’s Fiskerestaurant and it went into a spin, both quality-wise and financially. The place didn’t know how to re-invent itself, and as new, innovative places shot up all around the Danish capital, only American cruise tourists and elderly, wealthy Danes went to Krog’s for its nicely made but too expensive and entirely umimaginative classic fish cuisine. The restaurant’s reputation of being overpriced, understaffed and struggling made me defer a revisit for years. In fact, I never went back. Till now.

But then a few weeks ago, I got one of those blogger-invitations from a corporation wanting to get some buzz around their products. I get quite a lot of those, and normally I don’t attend such events as they are mostly about marketing and not so much about food. This invitation was for lunch and a tasting of the Aalborg Akvavit-brand – Danish eau-de-vie produced by Danish Spirits (owned by Pernod Ricard, in fact). I like snaps, but what triggered me was the chance to go back to Krogs Fiskerestaurant without the risk of wasting my own money. See, about a year ago Boris Buono took over as both chef de cuisine and general manager and I was intrigued to see and taste his new take on this old place with a reformed menu and reduced prices. So I attended on 14th of March. I’m glad I did. Because beside learning a great deal about snaps, we might witness the coming-back-of-life of this once so legendary place.

Sherry herring (herring matured with herbs – not the drink Sherry), curry herring topped with eggs in mustard sauce, salted herring

We were served herring that was so delicious, with pure and destinct flavours. I appreciated the fish’ dry surface and that it enhanced the properties of each accompanying ingredient. The rye bread was homemade too following an old family recipe from one of the staff and the best rye bread I’ve had for a very long time.

Aalborg Akvavit – eau-de-vie with bog myrtle, rosemary, sherry and oak notes

We got to try four different eau-de-vies, quite different in scent and taste (and no – I’m not being paid to write this, but I do like snaps and I do find the Aalborg brand a quality product, so why not help Danish export a bit ). We were informed about the Aalborg Akvavit company, which started producing eau-de-vie during the early-mid 19th century and launched the first Brøndum Kummenaquavit (caraway eau-de-vie) around 1840. And we sniffed alcohol, vinified alcohol, alcohol of distilled caraway and spirits with herb extracts (snaps) all the while we enjoyed some really delicious food. The Danish people is very fond of akvavit and snaps and these are the most consumed of all spirits, especially around Christmas and Easter.

Line mussels from Limfjorden with cream and dill

The line mussels dish was superbly balanced, delicious and offering creamy notes and crunch of a little bit of bread crums and tiny cubes of carrots and celery/parsly root. The dill oil gave a bit more depth to it and was matched with a dill akvavit.

Aalborg Akvavit – eau-de-vie with dill and citrous

Pike-perch, mushrooms, glazed onions and granules of lovage, butter and bread crumbs

The creamy-ness I met with the mussels dish was repeated here with the delicious, crispy skin pike-perch dish. However, the mushroom purée and the lovage granules made this one more powerful and intense than the mussels dish. Note the brand new green ramson onion leaf on the top. It added acidity and spice as well as the glazed onion did.

Aalborg Akvavit – eau-de-vie distilled over amber with caraway, rosemary, pine, matured on sherry oak

We tried a Nordguld akvavit which was released the first time in 2007. This amber-distilled eau-de-vie was quite round and mild in the scent and taste – caused by its maturation on Spanish Oloroso sherry oak. It was delicate with caraway notes and a slight hint of pine, but not as much pine-taste as I would have thought. I liked it.

Cream caramel, ice-cream with camomile and Jubilæum eau-de-vie, lingonberries and chocolate crumble

Then the lunch ended with a big portion of cream caramel that tasted a bit like condensed milk. The eau-de-vie ice-cream had a refreshing affect to it together with the lingonberries.

Aalborg Akvavit – eau-de-vie with dill, koriander and oak

While I think eau-de-vie goes well with a cheese courseor with open sandwiches, I cannot really say the same thing about eau-de-vie in combination with a dessert course. Of all the eau-de-vie and snaps we tried this afternoon I found that the Jubilæum one was the most powerful one. So, it puzzled me a bit that this particular eau-de-vie was paired with the cream caramel. Nonetheless, I think that the Jubilæum was my favourite. It’s a classic an you’ll find it on most Danish tables for the traditional and infamous Christmas lunches. And that fact might explain why Danish Christmas lunches tend to get seriously out of hand quite early in the evening, leaving the attendants with massive hangovers (physical as well as moral) the following day.

Enough with the snaps already. The interesting thing here was the food. I was quite taken by surprise at the deliciousness of Buono’s food. The restaurant is beautifully situated by the canal on Gammel Strand that used to be the site of a fish market known for the women from Dragør in the south and Skovshoved in the north who would come to this square sell their fish. Right up to 2008 when the last fish monger retired (a statue of a female fish monger has been erected at the place). There still is something very noble and fascinating about Krogs Fiskerestaurant and I’m happy that I finally returned. I think the resurrection has begun and that Chef Buono might succeed in rebuilding Krogs from scratch. Thank you for taking on that massive task.

Drool over mouth-watering seafood recepis of sea urchin, half-fermented trout, salted halibut and read about the history of Norwegian eau-de-vie, specialist delicatessen in Berlin, food and beer pairing, South African food and wine for examples as well as my article about new great Copenhagen eateries initiated by ex-Noma staff.

Get the first edition of AROMA magazine as PDF or App for iPad/iPhone or Android here.

It’s official! The red Michelin Guide for the Main Cities of Europe 2012 sends 14 stars to Copenhagen restaurants in this year’s guide!

The three new ones are Geranium, Den Røde Cottage, Grønbech & Churchill and Relæ which had a Bib Gourmand last year.

Quite disappointingly Noma remains with 2 stars, and as The Paul closed in 2011 we lost that star.

Compared to 11 stars in 2011 and 13 in 2010  the 14 stars is a great step forward for Copenhagen and tangents the maximum total of 14 stars  in 2009. 

Congratulations!

Two stars:
Noma **

One star:
AOC *
Den Røde Cottage * New
Era Ora *
formel B *
Geranium * New
Grønbech & Churchill * New
Herman *
Kiin Kiin *
Kokkeriet *
Kong Hans’ Kælder *
Relæ * New
Søllerød Kro *
Source: Politiken

I knew from the superb quality of the lunch that something extraordinary was in stall for me, still I was to be surprised by what was put before me that evening. The intensity, the level of detail and the absolute uncompromising perfection of Chef Bühner’s kitchen would overwhelm me.

Oyster leaves

Since it was a warm and sunny summer evening we started out at the upstairs and outside terrace with snacks and appetizers and a glass of 2002 Moet & Chandon Rosé.

Coated olives

Then some beautiful small appetizers arrived. On the left it’s foie gras with orange leaf on top combined with some fruit which tasted like blackcurrant – a bit too dominant, however. The sea bass at the top of the picture was delicious as was the eel macaron with its very intense flavour. We also got a shot of a very good beetroot gazpacho in the grey cup. All in all the nibbles were like small, beautiful mini courses on their own, and I really liked that.

Marinated mackerel and sesame ice cream

The first course downstairs in the restaurant resumed the complexity we had experienced at the lunch – and oh my, what masterpieces.

Here the dish comprised a marinated mackerel with black sesame with notes of chocolate, tobacco, and coffee and with leaves from the flowers that we’ve witnessed being picked just a couple of hours beforehand. There was so much power in this dish that it felt almost like a small blow to my stomach. Sweet, sour, salt, bitter and strong, strong umami taste. What a fabulous start!

Skrei as tartare, flavoured with fume, litchi as gelee & iced foam from almond

The second dish was an amazing thing, unlike anything I’ve ever had before. I loved how the textures and temperatures played here. The soft  almost jelly-like skrei tartare and the creamy-flavoured, frozen almond foam. Again the level of detail was incredible and every single taste made sense and played its part in the composition.

Langoustine grilled, green tomato & ricotta, Iberico bacon, bulgur

The sweet langoustine and the tiny cucumbers are amongst the most delicious and full of taste ones I’ve had in my life. The million little things just supported it and broadened the perspective of the flavours.

Britain red mullet confit with fennel, olive, milk skin & jus 

Then all of a sudden this red mullet came in, seemingly so simple, but still beautiful. This was a nice and refreshing break of the strain of complexity. Top quality, pure flavours, clean and balanced. It was an interesting match combining the mullet with the nordic inspired milk skin and quite strong Taggiasce olives giving character to the delicate mullet and giving me a sudden flash back to sea side dinners at the Mediterranean sea. I feel this dish is a good example of the non-dogmatic approach to produce that really sets the German cuisine apart form the Nordic one.

Ailerons from guinea fowl, artichoke, beans & floral, mangold

Notice the fava beans that we picked up in the garden earlier in the afternoon at the Ibbenburg garden. Of all the courses the ailerons dish was the one that impressed me least. But, that fact I think was probably also because my tummy and my mind had been stimulated with so many wonderful impressions and sentiments that I was close to being overloaded.

As a warm up for the venison we had soft, velvet-like mashed potatoes with a core of an ice cream based on something I just can’t remember.

Saddle of venison softly cooked served with 5 times cauliflowers and cherries

Anyways, on to the fabulous venison. There’s no doubt that it’s in Germany that I’ve got the best venison I have ever had in my life. First Sven Elverfelds’ at Aqua, and then here again by Thomas Bühner. I think even the picture shows the superb quality of the venison meat, perfectly cooked sous vide and incredible intense, I didn’t know such quality exists.

Brebis de Pyrénées, date solid, liquid, pear & tamarind

It’s only rare that I come across a prepared cheese course and I always welcome (sort of) cooked cheese. It enhances the flavours of the cheese, I believe. This was quite a rich course with the fantastic dates and that  provided a nice bridge to the sweet servings.

Refreshing pre-dessert of very delicious, vacuum prepared and thus very intense-flavoured strawberries and elderflower…

Tanariva Lactée, airy – liquid – solid, marinated cherries, caramelized quinoa

The “donut” was filled with delicate soft, liquid milk chocolate inside and it was a nice match with the cherries. I appreciated the focus on milk chocolate here instead of the more typical rich dark chocolate. An outstanding end to the dinner.

I haven’t said anything about the wines and naturally I enjoyed both them and the way they were paired with the food. Somehow, though, the food completely stole the focus and had a bigger impact on me than the wines. I particularly liked the Von Bassermann Jordan Forster Jesuitengarten Grosses Gewächs Riesling and the Josmeyer Pinot Gris.

It was a warm summer night so after the last dessert we finished with coffee, petit four and yet another glass of 2002 Moet & Chandon Rosé (or more correctly: A few of them) on the roof terrace – just like we began this fantastic journey of the essence of beauty and taste. Besides Chef Bühner being a certified genius in his kitchen, both he and his beautiful wife, Thayarni Kanagaratnam, are splendid hosts and it got late before we left for our hotel.

So, what made the Ösnabruck experience so special to me? Well, it’s the stimulation of all my senses all at once; the sight of the harmoniously colorful beauties, tantalizing scents, flavourful creations of superb – well, perfect – quality, playful with textures and temperatures and, above all, the way that Bühner masters all of this with an incredible degree of complexity.

Bühner’s cuisine is beyond high tech. Vacuum is used in several ways to enhance the natural flavours of the produce without spoiling the protein structures and taste with heat, and La Vie’s experimental kitchen upstairs is more like a lab than a kitchen. But the great thing is: Tasting the food you wouldn’t know this. This is not about molecular smoke and mirrors – there are no test tubes on the table. The techniques and technologies are used delicately and always with the purpose of refining, amplifying and purifying what’s already there, inside the produce. They’re just tools in their master’s hands – not for show off.

The day at La Vie, accentuated  by the Ibbenburg intermezzo and my naïve imagination of being part of the creating process, really affected me. La Vie was my number one restaurant experience in 2011 and in the top-5 meals of my life. It was that good – that surprising.

Thomas, Thayarni and your entire crew: Thank you!

The German Sternefresser restaurant blog has sampled the answers they received from the the best chefs, bloggers, journalists and other gastro-makers includiing Very Good Food;). Here are the categories of the survey:

1. Best menu
2. Best meal
3. Most potential

Opinionated Obout Dining encapsulates the best meals of chefs, critics, bloggers and restaurant afascinados…

Working experience from Jörg Müller on Sylt, Harald Wohlfart at the Schwarzwaldstube and numerous awards like e.g. Chef Of The Year in the German Gault Millau in Nov 2005 and Meal Of The Year in Germany in 2008 warrant Thomas Bühner’s talent, but it wasn’t until a few days ago that he was finally awarded the maximum 3 stars in the German Michelin Guide 2012. I’m glad that the guide’s cadeau to La Vie coincides with this blog post, for the experiences we had that day at La Vie absolutely call for three stars.

This post is part one of the description of my trip to Osnabrück. For full disclosure I must state that I was invited to Osnabrück by La Vie.

We arrived in Osnabrück at lunch time on July 7th and checked in at the rustic but nice Romantik Hotel Walhalla very close to the restaurant. I had an appointment to meet Mr. Bühner for a chat and then the plan was to have dinner in the restaurant in the evening. However, the hotel staff informed us that surprisingly Mr. Bühner had (also) prepared lunch for us!

Mr. Thomas Bühner

I met Thomas Bühner in the lounge of the restaurant and over a glass of champagne we chatted about the history of the restaurant and the fact that it was by chance that Bühner became a chef in the first place. For a detailed description of Mr. Bühner’s curriculum vitae I recommend reading highend FOOD’s post here.

Bühner also informed me that he just two years ago got an opportunity to grow vegetables, fruits and herb nearby. He kindly invited us to join them in the garden for the harvest after lunch. Naturally I accepted that. In my mind’s eye I was seeing a small garden within the city, only a few minutes walk away. I was in for a surprise, though…

We then moved to the downstairs dining room. I liked the ambience of the room which was pleasant and elegantly designed and quite modern. Maybe not a interior style that I would prefer – having a preference for the more simplistic Scandinavian style – but it grew on me during lunch.

Carpaccio from (smoked) watermelon, creme from parmesan, pine nuts, balsamic (- inspired by Andoni Aduritz, Mugaritz)

The first course was formed by a squared piece of dehydrated, owen-baked and smoked watermelon that almost resembled meat in texture and in look. In fact it felt a bit like meat too, in the mouth. There were sweet tones to the taste and the pine nuts were quite dominant but not overdosing. The herbs were refreshingly balancing it all and provided different nuances in the taste like licorice or perfume. Absolutely stunning and from that moment I knew that I was in for something quite extraordinary. The refinement, the elegance and the degree of perfection put into this, and following, courses were astounding.

We were offered wine to accompany the food but with the the garden walk and dinner ahead of us I preferred to simply have another glass of champagne. Sorry no notes on that.

Summer salad  liquid, saffron, white & green asparagus, coquille Saint Jacques

Sommer salad liquid - close-up

Sommer salad liquid –  close-up

Then second course was super-complex, so beautiful and outstanding. Just look at the incredible degree of detail in each of the three mini-courses on this plate. Just the look of this plate tells you the story of a kitchen with absolute control, but also harnessing a creative spark that adds freshness, life and spontaneity.

The eel had an acid note – probably vinegar –  to it and so it wasn’t fatty as eel sometimes is, but fresh and delicate in taste. A kind of a funny combination with the fresh scallops but it worked. The basil flavour was strong but still restrained and so not too dominant. There were delicious chantarelles and the mushroom powder was to die for.

Loup de Mer & pulpo, marinated and boiled cabbage and verbena

In contrast to the perfectly arranged entries, the fish was like an expressionist painting in subdued colour. The motion of the plate when being served made the sauce and the balsamico mix in a mesmerizing way. Not that there was anything random about the presentation of this dish, of course. Bühner doesn’t do random.

I love sea bass and here the quality of it, as well as the octopus, was superb. Asian notes characterized the flavour but in a subtle way and paired with slightly crisp kholrabi and the intense octopus that gave some structure and power to it. Masterly Chef Bühner had used the balsamico to control the acidity of the dish. Quite simply an outstanding dish.

So far the menu had offered a showcase crescendo and I wondered what would follow next.

Lamb from beginning to end: Sweetbread, neck, shoulder, tail, rack with misocreme

When the waiter announced the nose-to-tail (literally) lamb plate I was a little reluctant to start eating, as lamb is not my favourite thing. But I always want to taste it, because I really hate to be picky about food. So, I started with a little bite of each lamb piece. Thank God I did because this turned out to be a wonderful dish. First of all, there was no “wool-iness” to it, neither was the sweetbread too fatty, but just perfect. The rack was so tender and the taste was of each part of the lamb was pure and delicate.

The orange ginger and carrot purée was quite strong and added some sweetness and spice to balance the meat. You know, the delectableness of it actually came as such a big surprise to me that it completely overwhelmed me and even wetted my eyes! Never in my life had I imagined that I would be crying over a lamb dish. But this was amazingly good.

Iced strawberry, cucumber & tapioca of woodruff

So, the next course was dessert, and just as I thought that it just couldn’t get any better, I simply got the most perfect delicacy of strawberry, woodruff and cucumber. I love woodruff and cucumber with desserts. The freshnes of the woodruff combines so beautifully with the sweetness of the strawberries. Again, a complex dish, but also again, Bühner show immense restrained and a  proven ability to control the flavours.

Wow! I was astonished at the delightness of this lunch. Most of the dishes were of a complexity of highest degree, but mastered brilliantly in order not to loose focus or confuse the diner.

An important factor to me was also the immense beauty at each serving. It intrigued my eyes and made me want to throw myself into the dish.

After a short but strong espresso to pull me back to reality, Mr. Bühner asked us to get ready for a trip to the garden and 15 minutes later we were in his Mercedes together with two chefs on our way out of town to what proved to be the kind of garden that shouldn’t really exist outside movies.

Now, the kitchen garden of Ibbenburg isn’t your average vegetable garden. It is huge, perfectly groomed and boasts a mix of flowers and vegetables. It truly is a wonderful place to be.

It was a beautiful  sunny day, hot and a bit humid. We met briefly with the host and owner of the castle and then the chefs started to collect produce and herbs for the kitchen.

In the meanwhile I strolled around, captivated by the beautiful colours and the scents, enjoyed the calmness and quietness, feeling almost like a kid again. It’s the most beautiful vegetable garden I’ve ever been to.

Mr. Bühner also walked us through a guided tour around the castle and surroundings. When we returned to our starting point he served chilled sodas that he had brought with him from the restaurant.

Mr Bühner and yours truly

The car was packed with vegetables, herbs and flowers for the evening’s service, and it was soon time to go back to city to prepare for dinner. Read on here…

I arrived on Saturday early afternoon and after I had checked in at my hotel I went for a stroll around the old and beautiful city centre and passed by the Cologne Cathedral. It’s so huge and fascinating and next time I’m there, I want to explore the inside of it too.

In the evening I had dinner at the beautiful Schlosshotel Lerbach by Nils Henkel and was part of a party with Erwin Gegenbauer and most kind people from the two Austrian top restaurants Steirereck** by Heinz Reitbauer and Hanner** by Heinz Hanner. It was a memorable evening with excellent food with distinct character and splendid wines paired masterly by Thomas Sommer, Germany’s best sommelier 2011. Two of the dishes that really stood out for me were:

Skate wing bouillabaisse with savory, cockles and palbeans

The beans and the saffron flavours matched each other marvellously.

Sautéed mushrooms, pumpkin seed brew, hokkaido pumpkin & sorrel

And the earthy flavours of the mushrooms and and sweetness of the pumpkin was a fantastic match – as well as beautiful to look at.

Then on Sunday late morning I took a taxi to the ExpoXxi where the Chef-Sache 2011 took place, formed by an exhibit venue and a stage venue with presentations throughout the Sunday and the Monday.

Heinz Reitbauer, Steirereck

One of the most exciting presentations of the symposium’s first day was in fact the one by Vienna-based Heinz Reitbauer. I especially liked the way he had composed his presentation offering restaurant background information, short films, live cooking as well as a tasting and it worked really well. Heinz’s family-run restaurant focuses on the Austrian, and in particular the Styrian, quality produce, many of which come from their own farm and the rest by local farmers – very intriguing for someone like me who is not (that) familiar with the Viennese cuisine.

One of Heinz’s signature dishes is the char that is gently cooked in beeswax to add the honey-aroma to the fish. I didn’t get a chance to taste it, unfortunately.

And finally we got a chance of tasting candied citrous fruits and beeswax chocolate.

Next up was Jonnie Boer of  Librije in Holland and before he started the show, smoke from his cooking infused the venue. This must have triggered a silent fire alarm because soon the local fire brigade showed up.

Foie gras, North Sea crab, black olives and fermented red cabbage juice, wood sorrel and hazelnut (if I remember correctly).

Jonnie Boer created one of his signature dishes of foie gras, North Sea crab, and fermented red cabbage juice, wood sorrel and hazelnut. This was the second highlight of the first Chef-Sache day. I found it interesting that Jonnie Boer uses fermentation for his cuisine in the same way as I have experience it at L’Air du Temps and at Fäviken Magasinet, and was sad that it wasn’t possible to taste the dish. But that’s how it is at events like these.

Jonnie Boer, Librije 

Jonnie Boer, Elena Arzak, Heinz Reitbauer & Andoni Aduritz

Elena Arzak tasting Jonnie Boer’s fermented red cabbage juice and interprets for Andoni Aduritz

Monday the first four presentations on the Chef-Sache’s second day focused on the concept of the New German School as a German approach to culinary progress. The idea is, freely interpreted by the press material I received, to make use of traditional German virtues in the design and implementation of culinary creations, and like German design or German engineering, to represent directness, hard work, perfection and ordered creativity.

The four frontrunners of the New German School (Neue Deutsche Schule) Nils Henkel, Christian Bau, Thomas Bühner and Sven Elverfeld  kicked-off the morning and each presented their restaurant philosophy.

Nils Henkel, Schlosshotel Lerbach

Tomato and mozzarella, Nils Henkel, Schlosshotel Lerbach

Sous chef Tristan Brandt and  head chef Christian Bau, Schloss Berg

Christian Bau, Schloss Berg

On stage: Thomas Bühner, la vie

Thomas Bühner, la vie and moderator Prof. Dr. Ingo Scheuermann

Gorgonzola by Thomas Bühner, la vie

by Thomas Bühner, la vie

Sous-chef Jan Hartwig & head chef Sven Elverfeld, AQUA

Sven Elverfeld, AQUA

Foie gras and chocolate, Sven Elverfeld, Aqua

With my visit to Schlosshotel Lerbach the night before I’ve had the pleasure of dining at all four restaurants. To me, Bau and Bühner’s creations are dominated by complexity, and with an incredible high number of different ingredients in each dish. I find that Bau leans towards French/Asian style where Bühner’s inspiration seems more multinational. Elverfeld on the other hand focuses on local flavours and strives to invoke memories with the diner. So, where the new Nordic cuisine is an exploration of the local produce from the region, then the New German School is not only about local produce but indeed to apply traditional German virtues to the design and implementation of creations – as far as I interpret it. It’s more about values than about produce, and that might turn out to be a very refreshing take on what nationality is all about.

As this was the very kick-off of this new German movement we still need to wait and see how it will evolve and what will really make the New German School stand out. Having said that, I’m very intrigued by what I have experienced already at these four restaurants and look forward to following the progress closely.

After the German chefs followed talks by Massimo Bottura, Elena Arzak and Andoni Aduritz.

Massimo Bottura, La Francescana

Massimo Bottura showed the film Il Ritorno about food of the region Emilia Romagna, very poetic and beautiful. I was moved as I was the first time I saw it at the MAD Foodcamp in Copenhagen a month earlier.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QqI5fIHuSU[/youtube]

Jürgen Dollase & Massimo Bottura, La Francescana

Elena Arzak, Arzak

The highlight of all the presentations was to watch the enchanting Elena Arzak. To everyone’s big surprise she spoke German fluently. She was so cool. Her performance was like watching a beautiful ballet, gracefully she moved around the stage and were completely in control of both the storytelling and the live cooking. By use of photos and videos she was telling the story of  the family restaurant Arzak initiated back in 1897. It was set up by her great grandfather and now being run by her and her father Juan Mari Arzak. I was completely captivated by her, so charming and a true natural talent.

By Elena Arzak

By Elena Arzak

Andoni Aduritz, Mugaritz (and Prof. Dr. Scheuermann in the back)

After the closure of the Chef-sache event I was invited to a gala dinner at Schlosshotel Lerbach featuring the four New German School chefs Bau, Bühner, Elverfeld and Henkel, where I got to try some of the dishes they prepared on stage. A stunning, all-star experience!

The slogan of the third round of the German culinary symposium Chef-Sache 2011 was: “Let`s move the culinary world”. I was first of all moved by the kindness I met everywhere at the event and with everybody I spoke with. It may sound strange but I felt like I was a little fish in the ocean, but in the perfect element. The combination of the live shows and the possibility of chatting with all these star chefs before and after was so inspiring and I have discovered new exciting restaurants that I’d like to add to my wish list.

Not least, it was a great opportunity to meet old and new friends that share my interest (obsession?) with food, wine and restaurants. In a way I’m quite surprised by how rewarding it was for a person like me to attend such a culinary event. It’s like to experience a little piece of heaven and I felt  like Docsconz.com said: Pinch me, so I know I’m not dreaming. I would love to return next year!

Many thanks to Ingo, Carola and the entire Chef-Sache organisation for this wonderful opportunity! Bravo!

Ironically, one of these treasures are situated in the midst of what made Germany the automotive centre of Europe: The immense Volkswagen factories in Wolfsburg. It’s Sven Elverfeld’s three Michelin stars restaurant Aqua at the Ritz-Carlton.

For full disclosure I must state that I was invited to Aqua by the Ritz-Carlton and Sven Elverfeld.

The Ritz-Carlton hotel with the VW-chimneys in the back

The outdoor spa with view to the VW factory

The Ritz-Carlton hotel was built for the Autostadt back in 2000 and its style is international: Modern and classy, best described as understated luxury. The Ritz-Carlton is situated within Autostad and the surrounding area is a funny mix of pre-war industrial buildings (very cool) and postmodernist steel-and-glass architecture (less cool). The lawns around the hotel are among the best groomed ones I’ve ever seen, some of them constantly being mowed by robot lawn movers. I wouldn’t call the theme park pretty as such, but somehow the style seems to fit the fact that Wolfsburg is a very young city, solely existing because of the giant VW factories.

Veal with scallop and pea’s soup – very good lunch snack at The Grill

We arrived at lunch time and after settling in and having enjoyed a light snack at The Grill restaurant, we went out to explore the Autostadt park, the pavilions and the museums.

A short note about the Autostadt as a whole, if you like cars it’s a fun place to visit. The most exciting parts of it definitely were the VW museum featuring an amazing collection of automotive milestones, the Bugatti Veyron pavillion – simply because it houses a chromed Veyron – and the 4×4 parkour track, where an instructor can teach you how to master a 4×4 in terrain. The brand pavillions, on the other hand, are not worth the trip on their own.

Still, a car theme park seems a curious place to put a three star Michelin restaurant. The German families picking up their VW at Autostadt certainly are not among the clientel as The Ritz-Carlton is not an inexpensive place to stay. But I guess enough business people and executives must be moving through this city to provide a sound market for a five-star hotel and a three star Michelin restaurant.

Sven Elverfeld

A few minutes before the evening service begins… the kitchen is eerily calm.

Chef de cuisine Sven Elverfeld with sous-chef Jan Hartwig

Anyway, the main purpose of this visit was not to gaze at cars, but to meet Sven Elverfeld and experience his cuisine. Chef Elverfeld focuses on flavours and strives to invoke memories with the diner. In that way Elverfeld’s philosophy reminds me of that of Heston Blumenthal: The eternal quest of forming modern dishes from childhood memories. He lets himself be inspired by everything from a carrot in a field to flavours he has encountered on his travels to Japan or Dubai for example. He told me that he always carries a pen and a notebook – and even puts it under his pillow at night – to be sure to capture every stroke of idea that springs to mind.

After a chat with Sven we were given a tour of his kitchen. Contrary to some high-end kitchens I’ve experienced, this seemed almost stress-free. Concentration was high, but it was quiet – staff working focused and without any shouting or rushing. Like I imagine an Audi factory floor: Meticulous and precise. Very German, in a cool way.

And then it was time for dinner.

Caramelized Kalanata olives

Crispy cornet of salad nicoise, veal tartar & herb cream roll and Asian salmon cream, sesame, wasabi & nori cornet

Soup shots

Beetroot gazpacho & olive oil, rosemary-paprika chip and parmesan and a courgette-mint soup & white tomato foam

Spoon tasting of crayfish, pattaya mango, vinegar carrots, sorrel & Passe Pierre

Cauliflower, trout caviar & white chocolate

The dinner was initiated with a fireworks of nibbles and tastings to wake up the palate. They were all tasty as well as entertaining and served on tableware designed by Elverfeld himself and laser-cut from clear polycarbonate, making the amuse bouches seem to hover just above the white table cloth.

1989 Dom Brial, Riversaltes Ambre, Roussillion, France

Foie gras, Coffee, cherries, yogurt & hazelnut

By the first course I was blown away. I love, love foie gras, terrine especially, and here it was accompanied by coffee and hazelnut. These ingredients are almost born to be together as the flavours just match each other perfectly and performed a smooth candy-like taste balanced with acidity from the cherries and the yogurt. I just loved this dish.

2009 Cöllner Rosenberg, Weigut Hahnmühle, Nahe, Germany

Brittany sardine, Melon & Joselito Jamón Ibérico

Mediterranean flavours were dominating this dish with a very delicate sardine, subtle ham and sweet notes from the melon. All in all, it was a light and refreshing intermezzo after the intense foie gras dish.

2009 Sauvignon Blanc, Quarz, Cantina Terlan, Terlan, Italy

Char & caviar from Tainach, Turnip, dill & sorrel

Simple, beautiful, tasty. The flavours of the delicate and perfectly cooked char, the turnip, the tainach caviare and the herbs formed a very creamy and harmonious taste. One of the highlights.

2009 Pinot Gris, Huba Szeremley, Badacsonyi, Hungary

Snails from Odenwald, Watercress, mild garlic & fried egg

The snails were amongst the very best I’ve ever had in my life. They weren’t chewy as snails often can get if they are not cooked to perfection. The dish as a whole was delicious but almost too rich to my taste, the egg adding to the creamy texture – it somehow lacked a counterpart or something that could provide more character to fire it up. In comparison with all the other dishes it appeared somewhat anonymous.

2009 Spätburgunder Assmanshäuser Höllenberg Weingut August Kesseler, Rheingau, Germany

Langoustine & charcoal grilled belly of young pork

Bulls heart tomato, crustacean mayonnaise, balsamic emulsion

The langoustine and pork dish really surprised me – not least by its looks. Typically the langoustine play the leading role in a dish but in this picture it was on par along with the others ingredients. The pork had a vinegar-like note to it which added freshness, there was crunch from the pork crisp it all completely worked and was new and inspiring to me.

2005 Chateau Couhins-Lurton, Bordeaux

Stewed topside of Müritz lamb
Frankfurter green sauce, potato & quail egg yolk

This is a signature dish of Sven’s and justifiably so. Just look at it – it’s a Bauhaus-like work of art. The Frankfurter green sauce in the middle surrounded by the potato on the right and the lamb on the left. The traditional dish doesn’t comprise the lamb, that’s Sven’s addition to the dish and it came together wonderfully. Looks simple but really isn’t and it was outstanding because of its perfect balance. Where Germans are reminded of the famous green sauce, to me this dish recalled memories of a Danish classic – the skibberlabskovs – a dish with meat, potatoes and herbs.

2006 Wieninger Trilogie, Weingut Winninger, Vienna, Austria

Wagyu beef
Broccoli & Imperial caviar

Now, this dish didn’t resemble anything I’ve tried before, but it was stunning. The way that all the tiny broccoli seeds were beautifully sprinkled in the broth made a tangent to the caviar on top of the Wagyu beef. Raw beef coated the cooked beef inside and the caviar added salt and pulled out more flavours of the meat. Combining luxury produce like caviar and Wagyu beef with the mondain brocolli may seem strange, but it worked so well.

Grand Vintage Rosé 2000 Moët & Chandon

Champagne cream sorbet

This nineteen-ninety style cleanser is an old tradition from the grand opening of Aqua. We were told that the dish is served mostly as a tribute to regulars. How long the sorbet will stay on the menu is uncertain as the stock of Grand Vintage Rosé 2000 Moët & Chandon is drying out. It was a great sorbet, but I certainly can think of better ways of enjoying a 2000 Grand Vintage. It was a fun trip back to posher times before the financial crisis though.

1998 Opus One Robert Mondavi & Baron Philippe de Rothschild, Napa Valley, California – Cult wine

Venison from the region Altmark
Lettuce, medlar, almonds, potatoes

O yummy. The quality of the venison was just superb and full of flavour with only a slight gamey touch. The small potato cubes were light and crunchy. A classic dish but – again – perfectly executed.

2005 Chateau Fargues, Sauternes, France

Rhubarb, yogurt & woodruff

A stunning dessert of rhubarb and woodruff, both of which I love, offered freshness and sweetness in a perfect balance. A very delicious and completely satisfying dish.

After the rhubarb dessert followed a sweet finale, styled like the amuse bouches as to mark the end of a circle. It comprised

Three kinds of sorbet – lychee, pineapple, avocado,
Liquorice-marshmallow, lemon, dill & fennel,
Caramelized raspberry & caramelized gooseberry,
Apple, goat curd & cassis
Yogurette

With the coffee, which we decided to take in the Newman’s bar, came the pralines.

What a journey. Sven is a great guy and it’s clear that he is committed and truly passionate about his cooking and his restaurant, and constantly develops and refines his own modern take on fine dining.

Compliments to sommelier Jürgen Giesel, who set this intriguing wine pairing with often quite aromatic wines and wines that I hadn’t tried before like e.g. the Riversaltes, the Hungarian Pinot Gris and the delicious Opus One, just to mention a few.

Sometimes fine hotel restaurants can appear slightly worn or less creative, maybe due to the fact that they are a part of a larger machinery. This is not the case of Aqua. The vision and style of the Ritz-Carlton and the one of Aqua matches each other really well, almost like as a kind of symbiosis. I liked that.

Also, the memory of the stay at The Ritz-Carlton and the dinner at Aqua will always be the one of an extraordinary experience full of warmth, wit and dedication. The service – both at the hotel and in the restaurant – was outstanding. Always on top of things and ready to assist in any way, thanks to maitre d’ Jimmy Ledemazel.

Someone once told me that the difference between the Ritz-Carlton and other lux-hotels is the people. Based on this one experience, I must concur. Sometimes, striving for luxury tends to take the soul out of a place. Anyone can do valet parking, room service and huge suites – some also combine this with high-end food. But only a few places manage to wrap this entire package into personality and warmth, substituting arrogance and snobbery with genuine, down-to-earth care.

Bravo! And thank you so much to Sven, Jürgen, Jimmy – and of course to our lovely hostess Daniela!

• The gastronomy branch elite under one roof.
• The top stars of international cuisine up close and personal.
• Forum for the best chefs, organisations, firms and service providers in the gastronomy branch.
• Innovation, conversation and tastings.
• Live presentations and cooking demonstrations on a large stage, tastings, seminars and product presentations at stands.

More on food events – next Month I’m attending the Chef-Sache food event in Cologne reporting from the event as well as be member of the jury of the Young Chefs Award Bauknechtpreis.

Famous chefs like Stars live and on stage:
• Italy’s avant-garde: Massimo Bottura
• Dutch Power: Jonnie Boer
• New Basque cuisine: Elena Arzak 
and Andoni Luis Aduriz
• The young German elite: Christian Bau, Sven Elverfeld, Thomas Bühner, Nils Henkel

Stay tuned for more!

All photos in this post are curtesy of Outstanding in the Fields

The event takes place on 11th of September, 3pm and is organised by Outstanding in the Field – first time in Europe!  But unfortunately I won’t be able to go myself.

Outstanding in the Field is a traveling culinary troupe in California that does dinners in farm or fields across America. They  are coming to Denmark on their first European tour in September, staging six dinners at six farms in six countries.

Read more on Oustanding in the Fields website.

That’s what’s going to happen at Denmark’s first open air food festival: MAD Foodcamp the purpose of which is to celebrate the Nordic food & nature, the seasons, the harvest and the food of our region. The theme of this year’s MAD Foodcamp is the Plant Kingdom. It all takes place outdoors on a 55,000 sq m of grassy field encircled by bales of hay on the Refshaleøen Island in Copenhagen over the weekend of the 27th and 28th of August.

Read more at much more at the MAD Foodcamp website about:

• how Camilla Plum moves her organic plant nursery to MAD Foodcamp
• ricking hay with the Country Bumpkin
• the MAD Charity Dinner – ticket sales open now!
• the magical world of compost
• the Symposium – gathering of a number of international star chefs and other food professionals

Noma founders René Redzepi and Claus Meyer along with newly formed FOOD (Food Organisation Of Denmark) are the main organisers of the MAD Foodcamp. Supported by numerous partners and sponsors, René Redzepi and Claus Meyer function as curators of the two parts of the 2011 festival: the international symposium and the festival itself

»If we can plant some fertile thoughts on ethics, sustainability and the joy of good food, the MAD Foodcamp may help reestablish the balance of the food chain we all depend on,« says one of the organisers of the festival, Noma chef René Redzepi.

When I first met Magnus at the Flemish Primitives this March, I was from the first moment fascinated by what he told me about his restaurant and his philosophy. He told me how he strives for authenticity and how he applies the methods and traditions which have been in use for generations in that part of Sweden, combined with learnings and techniques from the modern, French kitchen. Or as he expresses it on the restaurant’s website,

We do things as they have always been done at Jämtland’s mountain farms. We follow seasonal variations and existing traditions. We live with the community. During the summer and autumn, at the peak of each ingredient’s ripeness, we harvest what grows on our land and refine it using the methods that we have discovered from our rich traditions, or which we have found through our own search for quality.

Watching Magnus Nilsson with Pascal Barbot (restaurant L’Astrance, 3-stars) on stage at the Flemish Primitives convinced me that I just had to visit this new Swedish place that is mixing a modern haute cuisine approach to cooking with Swedish produce and traditions. So immediately after returning from Belgium I booked dinner and accommodation for 21st of May 2011.

Early Saturday morning we flew to Östersund by connecting through Stockholm. When I got out of plane in Östersund the very fresh air struck me. We were about 1,000 km north from Copenhagen so the temperature was lower and it underlined the dry freshness of the air. What was almost summer in Copenhagen was only the prime of spring here.

We rented a car in Östersund and drove the 90 km to the Fäviken estate outside the town of Järpen. We could have asked for Fäviken to pick us up in Trondheim in Norway instead, but I really wanted an opportunity to explore the area around Östersund and Åre. We arrived around lunch time and were greeted by Johan Agrell, restaurant manager and sommelier. Johan informed us about the estate, the history and the surroundings of Fäviken.

While waiting for our room to be ready Johan kindly served some incredibly tasty local ham and cheese along with some fine-cut cubes of fermented vegetables which we enjoyed in the big and peculiar living room. The peculiarity stems from the walls being decorated with trophies reflecting the estate owner Patrik Brummer’s passion for hunting. You may notice they are not all from local animals, as Johan said.

Luckily the weather was fine that day, so after the snack we took a walk around the area of the estate and after that a drive to the town of Åre situated on the other side of the mountain Åreskutan. While we settled for a relaxed stroll into the woods and back, you could do some serious hiking here. The estate is enormous – almost 10,000 ha – and the nature around Åre (a ski resort during winter) is genuinely stunning.

Now on to the Rektún Mat as Magnus calls it – meaning the real food.

By 7 pm Johan had lit the wood fire outside in the courtyard to announce that dinner was being served. We entered the restaurant from the back door of the old building and were led into quite a dark room that functions as the bar. Here there was a table for two prepared for us and we got seated and enjoyed the appetizers with a gin and locally fermented rhubarb juice. By the way, Food Snob was visiting the very same evening. Check-out his awesome and detailed post here.

Fermented Rhubarb Juice and Gin

Fermented Arctic Char with sour creme

First snack of fermented char had sharp flavours of bitterness, soft and butter-like texture. The white sour creme made it delicious.

Wild trout roe served in a warm crust of dried pigs’ blood

This serving was full of flavours of salt and seawater. The crust possessed a deep, full and precisely balanced flavour. A hint of iron in the aftertaste.

Crispy lichens with dried egg yolks and smoke-dried fish, lightly soured garlic cream

Then followed bitter, lightly salted lichens, collected in the nearby woods, were porous and crispy in a fragile way. Delicious and much better than I imagined.

Shavings of old sow

The sow had a bit too much stingy fat to my taste, but the pork flavour was great and deep. This was when I realized that rektún mat is not for sissies. The real food of Northern Sweden is powerful and immensely Nordic. Not in a long time have I felt history and the spirit of Scandinavia so present as here, surrounded by wood dating back to 1745, nipping shavings from and old sow. And not in a theme park-way – Chef Nilsson is very much for real.

After the appetizers we were guided up the wide and steep stair case to the first floor of the old warehouse. It’s (seemingly) still being used for drying fish, fish’s roe, and legs of ham.

A butcher’s block  was put in the middle of the room bathed in spot light to indicate something important was probably going to happen there at some stage of the dinner. Theatrical and exciting in a subdued way.

Scallop “skalet ur elden” cooked over burning juniper branches
Fäviken Pale Mead (mjöd), Bengt-Johnny & Jan Anders, Öster-Övsjo

A big, beautiful scallop cooked to perfection in its shell was served as the first course. It was very delicate, but also offered a deep and rich scallop flavour. The salty juice pulled out even more flavour from the scallop itself.

The mead we drank with it had quite a sour taste reminding me of a mix of goeze, weissbier and soda and it had clear notes of honey too.

Langoustine, toasted grains, sprouting barley, mature cheese, vegetables stores in whey since last autumn and almost burned cream.

2009 Butteau, Chablis Premier Cru, Alice & Olivier de Moor, Courgis

Then followed a just as perfectly cooked langoustine full of nutty and sweet flavours. Extraordinary high quality and – we were told – just as the scallop, picked up the same day in Trondheim in Norway. It worked very well with the crunchy and fruity müsli and the almost cocoa-like burned butter cream. The cheese melted with the müsli flavours and wasn’t sharp in any way.

Slices of cod lightly brushed with honey and then seared in a dry pan, turnips roasted slowly in the good butter, alcoholic vinegar, green juniper berries and a cream duck eggs and gammel ost (old cheese).

I liked the cod dish as well. Perfect quality, of course, but not as powerful in taste like the previous two dishes. Any dish would have had a hard time following the scallop and langoustine, I guess. That said, the combination of the cod, the turnip and the cream of duck eggs and old cheese was very bold and worked surprisingly well.

The first foraged vegetables wilting on a plate, sheep’s cream whisked with a vinegar fermented beer and ground cod’s roe

To me this course represented a hommage to the season’s first foraged vegetables. The herbs were quite bitter in taste and I would have liked the cod’s roe to be more powerful to contrast that better. This was a good dish but it simply couldn’t match the level and the deliciousness of the preceding ones.

Raw mussels, very fresh cheese and very light broth of beef filtered through the spring forrest floor

2008 Scharzhofberger Kabinett, Egon Müller, Mosel

Broth of beef filtered through forrest herbs was poured over the fresh cheese and the raw mussels. To me the cheese and the herbs supported the intense taste of mussel and sea water. I liked it after I had familiarized myself with this quite special combi.

Before the next dish landed on the table we were disturbed by a loud sound of a saw against something really hard and when I turned my head I realized what was the purpose of the butcher’s block. Scent of bone and marrow infused the room. Magnus and his sous-chef were simply sawing the bone to get the marrow out as fresh as possible to serve the dish within the magical 30 seconds.

Dices of cows heart and marrow, grated carrots

Herbs salt

2008 Cuvée Marcel Lapierre, Marcel & Mathieu Lapierre, Morgon

We were told to make sandwiches of toasted bread, the herbs salt and the mix of the cows heart, marrow and grated carrots. I nibbled the heart mix alone and it was like it missed something in the flavour. Combining it, however, with the salt and the burnt taste of the bread, it made much more sense flavour-wise.

Rib eye of pensioner milking cow dry-aged since early january, hand fried and the rested on the charcoal grill, sour onions and wild herbs, fermented mushroom juices from last year

1997 Barolo Monprivato, Guiseppe Mascarello, Piemonte

Most of us are used to eating meat from young, specially raised meat cattle. However, to slaughter a young cow is both bad business and un-ethical, according to Chef Nilsson. A cow can produce milk for many years before retiring. And then you eat it. Coming from a cow which had enjoyed seven years on grass, eating all the good stuff from the Swedish nature, this meat tasted like no other meat I’ve ever tried.

Common belief is that old meat is stringy and tough, but that is wrong. This piece was extremely tender and the taste soooo deep and intense. It was the taste of meat in its purest form, accompanied by a wonderful, top-vintage Barolo. Only thing to do was to lean back and enjoy. The drops of fermented mushroom juice were not exactly to my liking, though. While the fermented fish and vegetables earlier on were mild-ish, I guess that you must’ve been exposed to fermented food from very early on in your life to fully appreciate the full force of fermentation. (Some day, I must try surströmning - the Swedish… um… delicacy of heavily fermented fish. But I feel I need to build up courage for some years still).

Wild raspberries ice and fermented lingon berries “vattlingon” thick cream and sugar

These two little and simple tastings were just fruity and heavenly.

Sorbet of milk, whisked duck eggs and raspberries jam

2003 Vouvray Moelleux Reserve, Phillipe Foreau, Loire

The dessert of whisked duck’s egg, milk sorbet and raspberries jam underneath was refreshing and delicious but not as complex as the preceding courses. I was delighted that it comprised enough sweetness to stimulate my sweet tooth, as some Nordic kitchens tend to forget that sugar and deep sweetness are very much parts of Nordic heritage.

Dried berries, meadowsweet candy 

We finished downstairs with Swedish coffee (boiled in the pitcher, like you can still have it in Norway too. Tastes good, when done correctly, as in this case, and terribly when not), Pine tree barch cake and buttermilk, dried berries, meadowsweet candy and tar pastilles accompanied by three homemade liqueurs of fruit, dairies and egg nog.

Tar pastilles

Homemade liqueurs

When getting a bit of fresh air after the dinner it was still bright outside. What an astonishing experience.

The whole atmosphere really, the nature, the scenery, the trophies on the wooden walls in the living room, the sharing of the sauna and bath with the other guests (no in-room bathroom), the coat hanging on the wall in the bar room and all the old stuff and decorations everywhere, the steep stairs up to the dining room, the food hanging from the ceiling for drying purposes, the rustic-ness mixed with the perfect timing of everything, the music played on fiddle and nyckelharpa streaming from the loudspeakers, everyone eating the same dinner in chorus, the almost midnight-sun making the day never-ending – all of it sort of made me feel that I was an extra in a play. An exciting and authentic play, taking me back to the very roots of the Nordic nature and way of life.

I really enjoyed the 24 hours I was at Fäviken, it was completely eye-opening, authentic, surprising, unique, weird and delicious. Absolutely emotional. You simply can’t but admire what Magnus and Johan are doing. Next time I go, I think it might be interesting to go during the autumn or winter times to feel the full fury of the Nordic nature. And then the fermented stuff also might make sense.

 Thank you Magnus and Johan!

Fäviken Magasinet
216 83005 Järpen
Sweden
Tel: +46 647 401 77
www.favikenmagasinet.se

Other blogs on Fäviken Magasinet:

• Food Snob
• Food Intelligence:
• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHKkbArXZLc[/youtube]
Interview with Magnus Nilsson from Cook it Raw Lapland! Courtesy of Cook It Raw.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_9DSSkhE_U&feature=related[/youtube]
Video by Fulgurances.
Courtesy of Hugo Hivernat and Sophie Cornibert

The restaurant is owned and run by Sang-Hoon Degeimbre and his wife Carine and it holds 2 stars in the Michelin guide. It’s located south-east from Brussels. L’Air du Temps is an incredible story of Korea-born and Belgium-raised Sang-Hoon who first started to cook professionally the day he opened the L’Air du Temps restaurant. This was on the 1st of July 1997.

Sang-Hoon

Sang-Hoon has his own style and signature and he mixes French traditions with modern techniques and spices the dishes with influences from the Korean cuisine. Experiencing San’s cooking, it’s incredible to think that he is in fact self-taught. Even though he is not trained as a chef, his technical skills are superior and he masters the latest, molecular-influenced techniques – this sets him free to explore his own paths. I had the feeling that each dish had sprung directly from San’s subconscious or fantasy, and even though I know it’s hard work to transform ideas into food, it just seemed so easy for San to project his thoughts onto the plate. That in it self is a huge accomplishment.

Okay, first the appetizers…

Jus de mandarine

Bulle de soju

Riz soufflé et mayonnaise de crevettes grises

Petit anchois soufflé

Couteau en voile d’eau de coquillage coriandre et gingembre, Norinaise

Praline de fois gras praliné, Concentré d’expresso passion, Parfum de sapin

The foie gras was especially delicious. The foie gras and the coffee flavours just suit each other so well and I love the combination.

Bread, butter and olive oil

Langoustine mouchoir de crevettes et daikon á manger avec les doigts

Serviette au Vétiver

And now on the the actual courses…

Bo Ssam
Lard bellota, Choux saumurés, Huitre, Mousseline

I loved San’s re-design of the classic Korean meat-wrapped-in-vegetables. Here, the meat was oysters, and they worked perfectly in conjunction with the Spanish lard topped with powerful Kimchi. The cabbage added bitterness and it all just came together in a most yummy way.

Cendré
Lieu jaune á la cendre d’Aubergines

The pollock rolled in ash was pure and delicate and perfectly cooked. Simply of superb quality. On the piece of aubergine rested two crispy shrimp with an intense, almost nutty flavour, enhanced by the shrimp juice. Simply delicious – one of the highlights and really my kind of dish: Simple, balanced and with produce of perfect quality.

Korean inspired
Maquerau au doen jang, Broccoli et romanesco au colza, Dashi d’anchois séchés

More fish, this time a mackerel with broccoli and anchovies. The mackerel was very fresh and not fatty in the typical mackerel way.

Parfums de sous bois
Pomme de terre á la sphaigne, Curcuma et herbes sauvages

Baked potatoes with moss and herbs. To my taste, the potato was a bit on the raw side.

Illusion
Oeuf d’asperges aux truffes

Green asparagus with eggs and truffles. Smooth, simple, tasty and balanced dish combining three ingredients that always goes together well.

Brume
Saint jacques et jets de houblon, Mousseline á la trappiste

Trappiste de Westvleteren (beer)

As scallops are everywhere, they are only fun when done perfectly. These were, and the combination with the hobs and the mousseline made from Belgian trappiste beer worked great. A clean, nutty taste – although the beer mousseline tended to overwhelm the delicate scallops. Could be balanced by eating less of the mousseline with each bite, though.

Ton rouge
Hommage par l’absence avec la couleur de l’urgence, Umami taste

Well, how to interpret this enigmatic title. A hommage to the absence of what – and with the colour of emergency? Maybe ‘Ton rouge’ is meant as a word play on ‘Thon Rouge’ and the absence is that of tuna? I even don’t know what to think of the taste. Definitely a refreshing dish, but mysterious and hard to define. Maybe the colour of the jus (changing from blue to red) made it hard for me to combine what my eyes and my palate sensed.

Chimère : l’oeuf de poulpe
Textures de noir

A constructed, poached-like egg and octopus with a rice crisp coloured black with squid’s ink. A visual black and white masterpiece that exploded in yellow as the egg was cut and the yolk poured out to add colour to the blackness. Excellent.

Déclinaison
Agneau alterné de panoufles au citron et poivron rouge, Mousse d’ail des ours

Maybe the most delicious lamb’s meat I’ve ever had. I’m a bit difficult with lamb – I don’t like it too… woolly. This was perfect for me – like veal but with a tad of lamb and a wonderful and tender texture.

Purple duck
Textures de choux et d’oignons, Acidulé

The richness of the duck and the very intense sauce were harnessed by the acidity of the onion. To me, not a revolutionary dish, but very, very delicious – not to mention picturesquely beautiful.

Sugar paper
Sucette de fromage avec papier de sucre, Goutte d’uile de noix vierge

Lingot fumé
Ganache crousti pétillante manjari, Fève de tonka, Crème de Laphroaig, Glace á la crème double

I like smoky flavours and I like smoky whiskeys, so this dessert really pleased me. While so rich a combination of whiskey, smoke and chocolate could end up too overwhelming, but here the balance was perfect. The popcorn under the ice were probably meant to add crunch, but as they were more chewy than crunchy I wouldn’t have missed them if they hadn’t been there.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-zxrNSr0WA[/youtube]

Acidulé
Chocolat pliable, Textures de citron et lime, Bulles de saké et citron caviar

The final dessert was prepared directly on a slab of plastic in front of us and was very amusing. It was fresh and with a lot of acidity. Loved it. I tried to catch some of the show on video – I’m sorry for the bad image quality.

All in all this was an unforgettable experience, full of completely new and surprising dishes for me. The wines were excellent and nicely matched with each course. San is a magician, he creates exciting and delicious courses. What I particularly liked about L’Air du Temps was the touch of the Korean cuisine in an authentic way. Many top chefs of today utilize Asian touches but it somehow makes more sense with a native background. Most of all I was struck by the fact that San seems to be able to create any dish that springs from his imagination by using modern techniques and I was touched by San’s dedication and devotion towards providing the best possible dining experience for the guest.

Thank you all so much for a fabulous evening!

L’Air du Temps
Chaussée de Louvain, 181
5310 Noville-sur-Mehaigne
Tel : +32 (0)81 81 30 48
http://www.airdutemps.be/

René Redzepi

The hands of René Redzepi

Dominique Persoone (The chocolate Line, BE) Alex Atala (D.O.M., BR) and Luciana Bianchi

Magnus Nilsson (Fäviken, SE) preparing for his presentation

Fäviken artifacts

Massimo Bottura waiting to go on stage

Massimo Bottura and Luciana Bianchi

A taste of Bottura’s Caviare-sea urchin risotto

We were all walking along the beach towards the Kursaal Oostende where the event took place. As last year’s happening had been such a great experience for me, I was very excited about coming back for The Flemish Primitives 2011. I fact, I felt a little tickling in my stomach just like if I was just about to enter a fine dining restaurant.

Inside the Kursaal Oostende there was a slightly chaotic feeling to it. Workers were carrying scaffolding for display booths into the big hall room. We were handed our press badges. I hello-ed Bernard Lahousse, Peter Monbailleu, organisers of the Flemish Primitives event. Jean-Pierre Gabriel, also organiser, excitedly informed us that we should hurry up to the main stage and check-out the Meat Master Class preparation. This was the sight I met:

Giant meat lumps were being put into a refrigerated display case, huge ribs were being cut. A fire was lit on and the scent of smoked infused the air around the stage and my nostrils. The purpose of the Master class was to study aging, preparation and cooking techniques of meat.

Something’s Cooking: Meat master class

The master classes were 2 ½ hours of passion and insights organised into two flights. In parallel with the meat there were sessions on cheese and science: Farmer’s raw milk cheeses (cheese and beer pairing), fermentation and pickling, fish from the North Sea and many more.

All sessions were run in French, Dutch or English or interpreted into one of these three languages. I ran from one session to another in order to get a glimpse of what the idea and the purpose of the session was.

Here it is Filip Claeys of De Jonkman focusing on the fish of the North Sea:

Filip Claeys

Fish Master Class

I really liked these Master Classes for their intimacy. You were close to the chef and got an opportunity to taste the food that was being cooked on display.

Bernard Lahousse welcomes to the show

So, Monday 14th of March was dedicated to collaborations and confrontations between chefs, presenting the results live on stage – local Flemish chefs as well as international chefs like Pascal Barbot (L’Astrance, FR), Michel Bras (Bras, FR), Alex Atala (D.O.M., BR), Massimo Buttura (La Francescana, IT), Thomas Bühner (La Vie, DE) and René Redzepi (Noma, DK) amongst others.

Kobe Desramault (In de Wulf, BE) and Alexandre Gauthier (La Grenouillère, FR)

I enjoyed the presentation by Pascal Barbot and Magnus  Nilsson (Fäviken, SE). Years back Magnus Nilsson worked three years under Pascal Barbot’s command . You could feel that they know each other well and are used to cooking together – there was a very personal touch and relaxed feeling to it. And I liked that.

Pascal Barbot and Magnus Nilsson

Magnus’ dish of burnt cabbage

Pascal Barbot’s dish of mackerel

Many of the chefs mentioned the need of respecting the nature and the produce. You could feel we’re mobing from the nineties’ molecular and scientific techniques towards a more natural focus in food style.

Anyway, being Danish the highlight for me was to see René Rezepi on stage. It was shocking to witness the media attention he got. René Rezepi was part of the three-in-one session and accompanied by Michel Bras of Bras in France and Sergio Herman of Oud Sluis in Holland. They were scheduled in the morning after the first coffee brake.

Thousand-something guests have been rushed back into the auditorium and I was in a front row seat. Loud music was blaring from the loudspeakers as René Redzepi, the absolute hero of the event, made his way to the stage together with Michel Bras from Bras and Sergio Herman.

The view from my seat

All I could see from my seat were the legs and the backs of journalists, huddling around Redzepi to get their photos and their sound bites. It seems rude and pushy, and I wasn’t keen on flashing my blogger’s press credentials to get into that celeb-frenzy. So I stayed in my seat.

Michel Bras, Sergio Herman, Jean-Pierre Gabriel and René Redzepi

Looking down at my Mac, I saw that Twitter was still flooding with re-tweets of René quoting Coco Chanel at the press conference the day before, “I hate it when people copy me. But I hate it more when they don’t.”

Two hours later it is announced on the PA, “René Redzepi has left the building. René Redzepi will sign no more books.”

A real rock star.

Anyways. Now, why do I go to the Flemish Primitives?

It’s an opportunity to meet passionated people and great chefs. It’s talking, tasting, sensing food and sharing moments, emotions and opinions with other food and restaurant lovers like me. It’s meeting counterparts from other countries and picking up what the new trends are. I know, I look forward to next year’s event.