WG Magazine - a feast for the palate... November 2016 Issue

WG

WG MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2016

a feast for the palate...

LUISA VALAZZA

NATURAL TALENT

TIM RAUE

ASIAN INSPIRED

JOAN ROCA

A CULINARY GENIUS www.wgmagazines.com

ROBERTO RUÍZ

CUTTING-EDGE CUISINE

REIF OTHMAN

CULINARY INGENUITY WG November 2016 -

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CONGRATULATIONS CHEF REIF! The talented Reif Othman has won the coveted WHAT’S ON BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR 2016.

It is evident that he is truly worthy of this prestigious hospitality award as he has been incredibly instrumental in transforming the culinary landscape of Dubai and the U.A.E. PLAY has already caused quite a stir in Dubai and with the opening of The Experience.

There is no telling what is next for this unstoppable Chef.

Michelin here is your first STAR!

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Contemporary Italian cuisine by

World Renowned Three Michelin Star Chef Heinz Beck

For reservations call +971 4 8182 155 | +971 4 818 2222 | Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah | www.waldorfastoria.com/Dubai

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BEWARE

OF THE HOLA HOLA BRUNCH The Hola Hola brunch offers a sharing selection for the whole herd every Friday, Pan-Latin favourites, crispy salads, our famous yuca fries, freshly smashed guacamole plus sizzling cuts of meat from our signature Churrasco grill. All this plus Latin beats from our DJ and ‘Hora Loca’ prices from 4-6 p.m. with 30% off.

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Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa, Dubai | For reservations call 04 316 5550 | www.geales-dubai.com

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1 INOV

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Editor Lifestyle Editor

Fabian deCastro Doug Singer

Culinary Editor

Corey Siegel, CEC®

Culinary Editor

Claudia Ferreres

Feature Editor Contributing Editor

Oilda Barreto Michael Hepworth

FJMdesign Photography Consultant Creative Design Studio Publisher

IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

‘ WOGOA FOUNDATION

Identifying underprivileged children with culinary ambitions...

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WG™ is an online digital publication published by: Izzy Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Unit 14, Agnelo Colony, Kerant, Caranzalem, 403002 Goa, India Tel: +91(832) 2463234 Fax: +91(832) 2464201 sales@wgmagazines.com Company Registration Number U22100GA2011PTC006731

WG™ New York Doug Singer - Head of Operations, North America 404 East 66 Street, Suite 2E New York, NY 10065 E-mail: doug@wgmagazines.com WG™ Middle East Representative Cinzia Garau P.O.Box 118138, Dubai, U.A.E. E-mail: cinzia@wgmagazines.com Marketing & Advertising Call: +91 832 246 3234 E-mail: marketing@wgmagazines.com

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Cover Image Credit: Chef Joan Roca Langoustine with cocoa bean sauce Photo ©El Celler de Can Roca

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MAGAZINES

WG will deliver a palate satisfying journey this November… We start with a visit to El Celler de Can Roca in Spain with Joan Roca and his transversal vision of the creative process, his restaurant project dialogues and engages both with science and peasants, technology and sensitivity, product and sensorial anthropology. Next we visit the new flagship restaurant from Vineet Bhatia – Vineet Bhatia London before we head out to Italy to meet with two talented chefs Alessandro Negrini and Fabio Pisani at Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia.

We stopover at Al Sorriso and meet with Luisa Valazza who is one of the few female chefs in the world to achieve three-Michelin-star and is recognized as Italy’s leading female chef, we then head on to the island of Oaxen in the archipelago of Stockholm to meet with Magnus Ek, the pioneer of New Nordic Cuisine. Fine Dining by Christian Bau feels like a perfectly-staged theatrical performance and Christian invites us to a perfectly-staged evening filled with harmonious contradictions during his guest chef appearance at Restaurant Ikarus in Hangar-7. A brief stop at Punto MX with Roberto Ruíz and his authentic Mexican flavours.

Berlin’s gastronomy with star chef Tim Raue before we head out to Dubai to meet with the talented Reif Othman and the 2016 WHAT’S ON BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR, Reif has been instrumental in transforming the culinary landscape in Dubai and watch out here is the next world’s best chef in the making and Michelin here is your first star! While in the city of Dubai we meet up with Costanzo Scala from The Artisan and head over to Intersect by Lexus and sit down with Irshad Qureshi at Indego by Vineet Bhatia.

Our journey takes us to meet with the creator of fine restaurants and his unique cuisine with traditional flavours - Meir Adoni and then it’s off to meet Michael Ferraro, Josh Capon and Brian Loiacono in New York before we head across to Australia to meet with Alessandro Pavoni in Sydney and Hadleigh Troy in Perth. On our way back we meet with Nicolas Schneller in Bangkok and then on to whet our appetite at Kapriz in Goa. With continued passion, WG brings the best from around the world…

FdeCastro

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NOVEMBER 2016

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MAGAZINES

CONTENTS 36

Joan Roca

56

Vineet Bhatia London

64

A Unique Gastronomic Reality

77

New Nordic Cuisine

82

A Culinary Theatre

90

Italian Three Michelin Star Chef

98

Cutting-Edge Cuisine

108 Star Chef With Entrepreneurial Spirit 120 An Experience With Reif Othman 134 Unique Cuisine With Traditional Flavours 146 A Sommelier With Passion 154 Modern Indian Cuisine 166 Hadleigh Troy 172 Nicolas Schneller 184 El Toro Blanco 192 Passion For Food 200 Intersect By Lexus 208 Brian Loiacono’s Contemporary Bistro 214 Whet Your Appetite

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Langoustine with cocoa bean sauce, black mole with chocolate and mantis shrimp cream with coconut and boletus edulis

Chef Joan Roca Photo ŠEl Celler de Can Roca

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www.gik.blue

BLUE WINE WHAT?

serve cold

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WG November 2016 GikBlueWine

@giklive

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WG MAGAZINE WO’GOA

Where luxury meets the wild

Royal Zambezi Lodge, an intimate family-owned property, is situated on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River on the edge of the unique Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia.

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ToroToroDubai |

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Grosvenor House Dubai | For reservations call 04 317 6000 | www.torotoro-dubai.com

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SINGER

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‘ WOGOA FOUNDATION

Identifying underprivileged children with culinary ambitions...

Culinary Arts can give new life to children... we make it our mission to identify talented, underprivileged children with culinary ambitions and provide opportunities that otherwise would have been beyond their reach…

Grant MacPherson

WO’GOA Foundation Ambassador An inspirer, innovator and perfectionist - Grant encompasses all the qualities that deserving children can glean from a role model!

The Pearl Martin Benn - Sepia, - WG November 2016 Sydney, Australia

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partnered with SKD ACADEMY the culinary institute in the Philippines

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Albert Adrià

Heinz Beck

Andreas Caminada

Ferràn Adrià

Thank you Chefs for your support to Massimo Bottura

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Carme Ruscalleda

Duane Keller

Matt Moran

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Andoni Luis Aduriz

Georgianna & Nikos

José Avillez

Martin Benn

WO’GOA Foundation Tae Hwan Ryu

Umberto Bombana

Francesco Apreda

Grant MacPherson

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JOAN ROCA

JOAN ROCA Photo ŠEl Celler de Can Roca

He was just nine years old when he decided to put on his first chefs jacket and help his mother in the family traditional restaurant and house. Today Joan Roca runs with his own project along with his two brothers, Josep the sommelier and Jordi the pastry chef.

El Celler de Can Roca is the authentic creative triangle formed by the three Roca brothers, with continuous research committed to innovation and creativity, enhancing traditional flavors with cutting edge techniques with an original balance.

Through a transversal vision of the creative process, his restaurant project dialogues and engages both with science and peasants, technology and sensitivity, product and sensorial anthropology.

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JOAN ROCA

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PRAWN MARINATED WITH RICE VINEGAR

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El Celler de Can Roca’s commitment to cuisine and to the avant-garde, and its link to academia, has led it to defend the dialogue between the countryside and science, a total dialogue.

El Somni, the first multisensory gastro opera even performed, which involved Chef Joan Roca with more than 50 artists and sensory experts along a two year creative work and experimentation.

Nowadays, the restaurant is leading a botanical research called Terra Animada that has catalogued more than 3000 wild species for its recovery and reintroduction in gastronomy, with the objective to educate society on nearby natural environment knowledge and awake ecologic sensitiveness by realizing its richness.

By the Cooking Tour Experience, Joan Roca has led, not just the first World Tour experience of a restaurant, but also a powerful culinary talent development program that has started in Latin America and will have international continuity in next annual editions.

His deeply rooted educational vocation has led him to be a lecturer for more than 20 years, with an Honorary Doctor

by UDG, and collaborations with several national and international university programs and Science & Cooking lectures at Harvard. In 2015, the World Economic Forum invited Joan Roca to join the annual discussions as a Cultural Leader.

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WG Magazine catches up with Joan Roca…

It’s interesting to learn how Chef’s find their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Chef Joan Roca tells us how he found his way into the culinary field to become one of the most innovative and gifted Spanish chef, and the most sought-after Chef in the world!

I was raised in a restaurant bar, Can Roca, the restaurant was opened by my parents in 1967 in Taialà - an outlying district of Girona. For me and my brothers, the family restaurant was our living room, the place where the three of us grew up, played heads or tails, and did our homework amongst the scents of my mother’s kitchen. The scents of my childhood include the escudella i carn d’olla, stocks and in the afternoon vanilla for custards. After school, I loved helping my mother in the kitchen in any way I could.

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Every Tuesday afternoon I made sausages with my father, we minced the meat, seasoned it and stuffed it. I practiced so much with the hand mincer that I won every arm-wrestling match in school! Elderly ladies and friends of my grandmothers - Grandma Angeleta and Grandma Francisca were always in the kitchen - peeling garlic, onions or beans; they would spend the afternoon chatting and solving the problems of the world.

The family restaurant kitchen was, after all, our home kitchen. I enjoyed being in my mother’s kitchen so much, that as young as nine, she had a chef’s jacket tailored for me. Unknowingly, I was beginning to engineer my future. When the time came, I didn’t hesitate to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, I saw that people were happy at my parents’ restaurant and I wanted to keep making people happy, following my mother’s transferred values generosity, hospitality and work.

In spite of being well aware of this calling, I kept good grades at school and, in those days, a studious boy had to go to college. Professional training was stigmatized, but maybe fate lent me a hand as one of the only two culinary arts schools in the country opened in Girona, only a few kilometres from home.

This made possible for me to study cooking at the time.

It was at the Culinary Arts School where I discovered that behind the lentils, escudella, macaroni, or potato salad they served at home, there were the ravigotes, meunières, veloutés or parmentières, I read about in classical French cuisine manuals. These terms, unknown at home, started to make sense and manifest themselves in my gastronomic imagination during the years of academic instruction. I had a chance to get back to real cookery, doing both the usual and what I learnt at the Culinary Arts School.

OSTRA CON SALSA ANÉMONA

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JOAN ROCA

In the summer of 1989, I spent a month and a half in the cold section of El Bulli of my friend Ferran AdriĂ and became aware of what was starting to happen in Cala Montjoi, a culinary revolution in terms of freedom and creation. They were years of great restlessness, travelling, practicing, experimenting, getting to know other people in the business and forming the basis of what would be the future of haute cuisine in Catalonia and the world.

In 1991, I and my brother took a revealing tour to the neighbouring country of Girona and the best kitchens in France. When we went to Pic de Valence or Troisgros de Roanne, the great threestar restaurants in France, we began to have a dream, we were reasserting. These are restaurants with large infrastructures, well-organized areas, and a much elevated concept of what it means to cook and what it means to eat. That was when I thought this is what I want to do.

When my brother Josep and I finished our Culinary Arts studies, we started dreaming in doing something more than what our parents did at their restaurant, which was the same menu they do today – Monday: rice with fried eggs and tomato sauce; Tuesday: macaroni... Also my time in the compulsory military service as a cook, preparing plain and repetitive food, surely brought me to an unconscious desire to break rules and feel free in the kitchen. By the mid to the late eighties news begin to arrive to Catalonia about a new Basque cuisine and the consolidation of the French Nouvelle Cuisine.

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Josep and I decided then to open EL Celler de Can Roca next to our parents place with more heart than head. Since then, it has been a natural evolution, the story of an easy cooking that has been growing and modifying according to a dialogue with science and small suppliers. Our dream in the beginning was to create a different place, a nonlimited cuisine in order to thrill our visitors, to offer them an emotional journey, and also explore the possibilities of the restaurant experience. Then we commit to creativity, innovation and generosity as our main resources to achieve new paths to a total gastronomic experience.

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PUMPKIN CONSOMMÉ WITH GREEN TEA

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JOAN ROCA

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OSTRA AMB PERLA NEGRA

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In 1989, Joan spends a season in El Bulli, where Ferran Adrià was looking for a new way, which with the passage of time would turn him into one of the biggest cooks of our time.

Chef Joan Roca’s cuisine is unique, a dining experience that is focused on creating a ‘state of mind or emotion’ inspired by a combination of ingredients from the sea and mountains. A cuisine very creative with the finest produce, creating a composition of flavours which is complex and modest yet impeccably balanced and getting more out of the food and flavours – he tells us how he brings this balance on a plate…

It’s about an internal and intimate sense, which is the result of many years of work and a certain accumulated or gained experiences, as well as a consequence of a life devoted to the search of balance. It’s complex to explain, it has to do with work, research, commitment to do the product and also to the original taste.

Chef Joan Roca tells us about his experiences with Ferran Adrià and developed the famous ‘deconstruction’ methods, learning new versions of Catalan dishes with Santi Santamaria and the French way of organizing a top level kitchen with George Blanc…

MAR Y MONTAÑA SARDINA CON PAPADA

Meeting Ferran Adrià was certaintly determining, as well as meeting Santi Santamaria and Georges Blanc. I really came to know the profession from my mother, but considering cuisine in the terms of freedom, the possibility of a reflexive dish, or using the power of cuisine as a language to tell stories and landscapes, or to project an emotion, came in the moment we start developing our restaurant project in 1986 and by my friendship with Ferran Adrià.

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JOAN ROCA

THE ROCA BROTHERS - JOSEP, JOAN & JORDI

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LES ROCA BROTHERS THREE HEADS AND ONE HAT The Roca brothers’ passion for cooking was initially kindled in Can Roca, the establishment their parents manage in Taialà , a neighbourhood lying on the outskirts of Girona.

It is where they grew up, amid the hubbub of dishes, pots and pans and clients. The bar was their living room, their playground, where they did their homework, watched television... whence the aroma of the stews generously, simply and honestly prepared by their mother, wafted in.

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JOAN ROCA

El Celler de Can Roca’s commitment to cuisine and to the avant-garde, and its link to academia, has led it to defend the dialogue between the countryside and science, a total dialogue.

Chef Joan Roca describes his culinary philosophy and inspiration behind creating a new dish… “It’s very difficult to choose only one dish… the best dish for me maybe it’s not the same for all my guests, cooking is human and relative.”

AMONTILLADO STEAMED OYSTER

Our creative process is first of all a three-way collaboration, a synthesis of our 3 disciplines: Josep is the liquid mind, the world of wine, Jordi is the sweet mind and me the salt. Each of us provide his own vision for a new dish or a new project, in every step we take.

We start from 16 key concepts that define our philosophy from which we draw roads: sometimes the starting point is PRODUCT, others LANDSCAPE, ACADEMICISM, MEMORY, sense of HUMOR or BOLDNESS, INNOVATION, PERFUME, POETRY or MAGIC, the world of WINE, CHROMATISM, always from a TRANSVERSAL vision, as unlimited creative exchange from a humanist conception of gastronomic creation. It is ultimately a sum of worlds coming together. A fluid dialogue with the common thread of passion, fun and rigor.

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PUMPKIN CONSOMMÉ WITH GREEN TEA

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JOAN ROCA

Ingredients that inspire Chef Roca… “We are working at our Lab in the fermentation of vegetables, inducing its lactic fermentation, and also with pulses and beans inspired by Indonesian tempeh. Another research line is providing us with essential oils obtained from distillation. We are elaborating a Gazpacho (Andalusian traditional cold vegetable soup) with the juices of the fermented vegetables playing with the lactic, non-acetic, acidity of the fermented vegetables that brings us different nuances that are very interesting.”

Chef Roca tells us how he selects his ingredients, his favourite ingredients and ingredients that he was not able to master and gave up… “We select our ingredients following

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JARRETE DE TERNERA CON PERRECHICOS, TUÉTANO, TENDONES, AGUACATE TERROSO Y TRUFA

proximity, quality and organoleptic authenticity as the main criteria” adds Chef Roca.

My favourite ingredients… Extra Virgin Olive Oil for sure, Palamós King Prawn, and I love the sylvan wild seasonal products in autumn from our nearby woods - mushrooms and hunting meat of excellent quality.

Ingredient able to master… “I can’t really think in anything I have rejected to cook with…

Maybe it has been more difficult in some cases, but we really like the challenge of learning to master products of other cultures, and by now, we have succeed in finally attain to cook everything.”

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JOAN ROCA

In 1992, Joan had a spell with Georges Blanc, in Vonnas, where he discovered the applications of sous-vide (vacuum) in a kitchen. As of then Joan began to experiment with exact temperature control and the duration of cooking.

Sous-vide cuisine, a combination of artistry and the science of sous-vide cookery, preserving the maximum original flavors by careful controlled temperatures – Chef Roca tells us about this equipment he particular enjoys using and the special cooking techniques behind it‌ Certainly it is a technique that we have disseminate, we have been working in it for the last 20 years, written books and shared the knowledge, and developed tools for its application. Sous Vide is one of the techniques most used nowadays in restaurants with different culinary approaches. Its great advantages are the preservation of organoleptic characteristics and textures of the product during the cooking, but also it adds big advantages for the logistics and conservation of the products in the kitchen before the service time.

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MARINATED MACKEREL WITH BOTTARGA AND PICKELS

We have found formulas so as to leverage the vacuum-package so as to add seasoning ingredients and add more flavour nuances in the cooking process. And also we have worked in determining a temperature/time ratio so as to achieve full benefit of the products cooked using sous vide technique. Now, we are releasing books and gadgets so as to take this technique advantages to the houses.

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JOAN ROCA

“EL CELLER DE CAN ROCA” your book which will be released in February 2017. It is about the history, philosophy, techniques, source of inspirations, values and the creative process detailing a 25 year history with 240 dishes of the Roca brothers – the inspiration behind this book…

The book is a reedition… The idea was to tell all about our universe edification during our first 25 years of history, creating a book in which we did not only show what we do, but explain how and why we do it. It contains history, philosophy, techniques, values, sources of inspiration, creative processes, over 90 detailed recipes, and collection of the 240 most outstanding dishes from the 25-year history of this magnificent restaurant. It’s an open door to the secrets of El Celler de Can Roca, revealed in 16 chapters and organised according to the sources of inspiration that nurtures us: Tradition, Memory, Academia, Product, Landscape, Wine, Colourology, Sweet, Transversal creation, Perfume, Innovation, Poetry, Freedom, Boldness, Magic, and Sense of Humour.

The world’s best restaurant, three Michelin stars, with numerous awards and accolades, and passion for cooking and hospitality shared by three Roca brothers – Chef Roca tells us what motivates him…

The same things that kept me motivated at the beginning: to own, along with my brothers our dreamed family restaurant, a place of free creation where each of us could project his talent from his creative vertex in an equilateral triangle that brings into balance the cuisine, the liquid world of Josep and the pastry world of Jordi. And most of all, enjoy the requirement of our commitment.

Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, Chef Roca’s advice to chefs who are first entering the kitchen…

I would tell them, not to be obsessed neither with recognition, neither with innovation, which is sometimes a by-product. Cutting edge techniques must be used to enhance taste and flavours, not instead of or above of.

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VINEET BHATIA LONDON

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Vineet Bhatia new beginning...

Photo ©Earl Smith

Vineet Bhatia London (VBL), the new flagship restaurant from Vineet Bhatia, heralds a new beginning for the awardwinning chef and restaurateur.

Set within a lovingly-restored Georgian townhouse, Vineet Bhatia London (VBL) opened this month in what was formerly the chef’s long-established restaurant Rasoi at 10 Lincoln Street, just moments from the Sloane Square end of London’s King’s Road.

Reimagined and redesigned, VBL’s Indian inspired cuisine and the restaurant’s personal interiors reflect the chef’s 23 year journey from his birthplace of Mumbai to Chelsea and the vision that he and his wife Rashima set out to accomplish more than 20 years ago.

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Offering a menu of between five and six courses, proceeded by a selection of delicate canapés and ending in a flourish of desserts; in a single evening guests will experience a culinary exploration of Vineet Bhatia’s life in food. Marrying east and west, his dishes are an accumulation of three decades spent pushing the possibilities and challenging the perception of his native cuisine, and display his continuous devotion to creating something new.

The dishes at VBL identify with a childhood and nostalgia of India. The canapés, including Sago papad and Aloo-yoghurt chaat hail back to the street vendors of Mumbai.

The following courses – which include smoked salmon, white tomato butter chicken and coffee lamb chop - showcase Vineet Bhatia’s respect of the traditional flavours of India, but with a delicate and intricate touch. A full vegetarian menu is also on offer with dishes such as aubergine steak and beetroot cashew tikka. Both menus can be enjoyed alongside a flight of matching wines.

Born in Mumbai, Vineet Bhatia moved to London in 1993, where he hoped to find the freedom to express and evolve his modern approach to Indian gastronomy.

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MALAI CHICKEN

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Perhaps ahead of his time, the London of that era offered a limited outreach for Indian cooking, with many establishments serving a cuisine of “I never ever felt I had fully achieved what Rashima ambiguous authenticity. Unperturbed he began his and I left India for”, explains Vineet, “I was always career with his trademark determination. held back by either financial restrictions in the early days, or by market perception of what box Indian The result was huge respect from his peers, a food should sit in. Times have changed now; people successful restaurant and global acclaim. It wasn’t are more inquisitive and more connected to food until 2001 however when Vineet became the first and more open. VBL is a very personal project for Indian chef to receive a Michelin star, for restaurant us both. It captures everything we have learnt over Zaika in Kensington, that things really began to the last 20 years and celebrates our dual identity. change for Indian gastronomy globally.

We are British now, as are our sons. We have spent Today Vineet Bhatia has a successful portfolio of longer in this country than anywhere else in the 10 restaurants including in Geneva, Saudi Arabia, world: it is our home, but of course our cultural DNA is Indian. VBL is a marriage of all we know, Dubai and Mumbai. of what we’ve learnt and our dual identity and just However October 2016 sees the journey for this simply everything I ever wanted my restaurant to be back in 1993”. pioneering chef take an unprecedented turn.

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MUSHROOM MOMO

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CONSERVATORY ROOM

Vineet Bhatia’s food does not conform to the norms of traditional Indian cookery - but the combinations, the contrasts in textures, flavours and temperatures, and the sheer expressive range of the cooking comes from Bhatia himself...

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VBL’s decadent Georgian townhouse has been designed with a colour palate of calming light greys.

Interspersed with splashes of yellow and ornate tiles throughout, the contemporary and elegant interior highlights the striking original features of the 100-year-old building.

The main dining area - which seats 32 - is split between two rooms, so is intimate and relaxed.

The restaurant’s personal touches are reinforced by the doorbell, which guests must simply ring on arrival to be welcomed into what feels like a private members club - a home.

Further privacy can be found in the restaurants two exclusive private dining rooms on the first floor; Lutyens which seats 12 guests and Wittet which seats 8.

A small bar sits comfortably between the downstairs dining areas. A diverse wine list offers a unique selection of styles and grape varieties, curated to compliment the stand out characteristics of Vineet Bhatia’s cuisine.

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THE LUTYENS ROOM

THE WITTET ROOM

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PHOTO ©BRAMBILLA_SERRANI

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ALESSANDRO NEGRINI & FABIO PISANI

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IL PICCIONE DI MIROGLIO - THE PIGEON

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Alessandro Negrini was born in 1978 in Caspoggio, Valmalenco, and he later graduated at the Sondrio culinary school. After working at the Hotel Palace in Saint Moritz and at the Gallia Palace in Punta Ala, he got to Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, working there for three years. He then moved to the Domaine de Châteauvieux in Genève, where he has been working for two years and afterwards at the restaurant Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio, where he spent one year.

Fabio Pisani was born in 1978 in Molfetta, Bari, where he graduated as a chef. From 2000 to 2005, he has worked in major 3 –Michelin-starred European maisons such as Grand Vefour in Paris, Waterside Inn in London and Dal Pescatore in Canneto sull’Oglio, Italy. It is in this last restaurant where the two chefs met and since then they are close friends in life and colleagues at work.

Alessandro e Fabio then moved to Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, taking with them the willingness to build the future of the new generation of Il Luogo along with Stefania Moroni.

DETTAGLIO PHOTO ©F. BOLI

They are now both responsible of the cuisine of this historical restaurant, building its future along with Stefania Moroni, who represents the third generation of the Moroni Family at Il Luogo.

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SALA PHOTO ©F. BOLI

A truly unique gastronomic reality wherein creativity and art, memory tastes from the past and contemporary signs are interwoven...

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Stefania Moroni, heart and soul of Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, together with the chefs Fabio Pisani and Alessandro Negrini, carries on with that unique reality created by her parents Aimo and Nadia, so able and innovative in interpreting and proposing anew the rich Italian gastronomic tradition.

Today, the Luogo, member of the prestigious Relais&Chateaux Association, is known above all for the style of its cuisine, as well as for the artisticarchitectural space in-progress itself so desired by Stefania Moroni, promoting an inedited blend of cooking performances, and food and wine tastings.

Stefania Moroni adds “Our cuisine is always actively involved between the maximum rigor with respect to the value of the product, its specificity, history and the liberty of a research which embraces and takes into account the requests which society from time to time proposes.”

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SPAGHETTI CIPOLLOTTO

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Within the confines of this Luogo, one will find dishes that have scanned the evolution of Italian cooking: top-quality and exclusive raw materials, fruit of years of research for their meticulous selection, all to bring to our attention also those lesser known or perhaps forgotten ingredients and cooking techniques. All is carried out with great respect for the original flavors, using recipes whose principal element is to appraise the uniqueness and goodness of the ingredients proposed in a singular way, richly revoking the past. A most able way, then, of preparing foods so as to bring out all the tasteful treasures which only certain ingredients can reveal.

TORTELLI FILLED WITH OSSOBUCO

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ALESSANDRO NEGRINI AND FABIO PISANI PHOTO ©BRAMBILLA SERRANI

Fabio and Alessandro have picked up on all the techniques of Aimo and Nadia, elaborating a way of preparing foods by blending the ‘memory for Italian tastes’ with the contemporary.

“Contemporary taste is born through the combining of a vast intricacy of elements. Our style of cooking is characterized by the oscillation between maximum rigor and total liberty of choice, a search for a balance between antique and modern techniques, the quality of the product, its past history, as well as that of those who produce these products. Then, there is the culture, society, and requests that come from living our daily lives” explains Alessandro.

Fabio adds “We could define memory for Italian tastes as that memory with belongs to every person living in Italy, a blend of factors which we share and are indelibly ingrained in our personal history, tied to the land, its aromas, to the differences in various territories and regions, to the pleasures of the table.”

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CONTROFILETTO IN LEGGERA PANURE

QUASI UN RAVIOLO - RAW CRISPY CUTTLE

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STOCCAFISSO

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PUREED ‘CICERCHIE’

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TIRAMISUD

The rich and intense dialogue between this style of cooking and the specific-site installation, Installation-District (Gegend) of Paolo Ferrari, Artist-Scientist and theoretician of ‘in-Absence Art’, reveals the affinity between the sign of the chef and that at the base of the artistic-architectural operations that connote this Luogo-contrada, this placecity. The plotter paintings, canvases, sculptures, designs, and photographs, Didone with his 56 sittings, each one an individual work in itself, have designed and given form to the interior and exterior spaces for over 15 years, constituting the uniqueness of Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia.

Guests are greeted and invited to participate in this truly singular experience, where they can gather the tasteful urgings of the senses and of the mind, and authentically live the experience of Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia The maître Nicola Dell’Agnolo and the sommelier Alberto Piras are key members of the squad that daily animate Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia in a diverse and extraordinary way.

The restaurant is on via Montecuccoli, 6, where, for over 50 years, it has been emblematic in characterizing Italian cuisine all over the world.

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Magnus Ek A Pioneer of the New Nordic Cuisine TEXT OILDA BARRETO PHOTO ©OAXEN

Since finishing restaurant school in 1984, Magnus Ek has worked his way up as a chef. In 1994 he and his business partner and wife, Agneta Green, took over a small seasonal tavern, Oaxen Skärgårdskrog, or Krog, on the island Oaxen in the archipelago of Stockholm. The island is connected to the mainland by cable car and ferry. This is where they began creating with ingredients and wine pairings to produce exclusive food experiences. They were foraging for and using the ingredients that grew in the woods behind the restaurant and out on the waterfront. After only one season they jumped on the opportunity to buy the spot and were able to set their focus on quality. Agneta took the step to become a qualified sommelier whilst Magnus explored and researched the island’s wild herbs as well as the small local farmers and producers. Magnus cooked on stones, and he even invented a smoking apparatus. The word got out and their reputation spread. Almost overnight, people arrived from all over the world to the small island.

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OAXENKROG

At the heart of Oaxen’s cuisine has been a collaboration of creatively utilizing sustainable local elements and ethically produced ingredients. As their status grew, Magnus and Agneta were recognized as the forerunners of New Nordic Swedish cooking.

The tavern cultivated and grew into one of the most highly rated eateries in Sweden and was regularly named one of the 50 best restaurants in the world

by Restaurant Magazine.

Oaxen Krog has not been just about the food, but the imperative and natural journey from farm to table. They use local ingredients exclusive to the Baltics, and even have reserved permission to pick certain herbs on the island. Chef Ek regularly forages through the woods to gather products for his menus. Nature is an important element in Magnus’ gastronomy as he also grows his own herbs and vegetables nearby.

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With the passing years they realized that life on the island became more and more impractical. With not being able to be open all year round and with the solitude of the island, Oaxen Restaurant was not as regularly lavish a restaurant as it warranted being.

They decided to move on but carry their reputation and food ethics with them. The old Oaxen Krog closed after 17 years with a lavish autumn dinner in 2011. Today, the Oaxen is in a former shipyard hall in Stockholm. But Ek did not say goodbye to a natural kitchen. Magnus and Agneta began to search for a new location nearer Stockholm. They found Gamla DjurgĂĽrdsvarvet, an old shipyard, construction of the new Oaxen Krog began 2012 and in the spring of 2013 the new Oaxen Krog and Slip opened in Stockholm.

MAGNUS EK AND AGNETA GREEN

Just as on the island, the new Oaxen Krog & Slip lies by the water, in an area festooned by the shipyard industry which had been there for many years. The Slip serves the house’s interpretation of Nordic bistro fare with hearty and uncomplicated dishes, where many are intended to be shared. All of the wines originate in Europe from small vineyards often with an organic profile.

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CHRISTIAN BAU

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Change of style in the culinary theatre Text Hangar-7 Photo © Helge Kirchberger / Red Bull Hangar-7

Exciting, emotional and with a harmonious ending: an evening spent at Victor’s Fine Dining by Christian Bau feels like a perfectly-staged theatrical performance. The fact that the chef has pulled off a complete turnaround in style, from classic to modern, simply adds to the thrill of the performance.

Perl-Nennig may not sound like a vibrant major city. In fact you would need to have your satnav to hand to even find your way to this far-flung corner of Saarland. However, Perl-Nennig is a true metropolis when it comes to gastronomy. This is because the Renaissance gem, Schloss Berg, which today is a world-renowned 5-star luxury hotel belonging to the Victor’s Residenz-Hotels group, houses the restaurant Victor’s Fine Dining by Christian Bau. The addition of the words “by Christian Bau” to the name of the restaurant may make it appear somewhat cumbersome, however the name of the chef is simply a sign of quality. The highest level of quality.

The list of places in which he trained reads like a who’s who of German haute cuisine: they include Hotel Sonne Eintracht in Achern, the Hotel Talmühle in Sasbachwalden and the Le Canard in Offenburg. The cherry on the cake was a five-year spell working as a sous chef for none other than Harald Wohlfahrt at the Schwarzwaldstube.

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COQUILLE SAINT-JACQUES, JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE, CITRUS, OSIETRA CAVIAR

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TAG AM (JAPANISCHEN) MEER, HAMACHI, SALTY FLAVORS, GARDEN CUCUMBER

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In 1998, Victor’s Residenz-Hotels offered him the opportunity to manage the restaurant at Schloss Berg. Since then, Christian Bau has been his own boss in the kitchen, decorating his apron with the most prestigious culinary awards. He earned his first Michelin star within a year of taking over the restaurant. In 2005, not only was he named “Chef of the Year”, he was also awarded his third Michelin star, making him the youngest German chef to ever have been awarded this honour.

In spite these many awards and lashings of praise, in 2008, Bau’s culinary path experienced a dramatic change of direction. “The third star was an incredible achievement”, Bau reflected, “however following that, my whole world collapsed around me. We had proved what we were capable of, but I simply wasn’t enjoying it any more”.

So Bau followed his heart. He moved away from traditional French haute cuisine, switching to more simple, contemporary and cosmopolitan dishes.

More simple because he has now almost entirely done away with the use of cream and butter during preparation of his dishes. Contemporary, because he opened himself up to using new techniques and modernised the basic construction of the dishes, reducing them to their essential components.

Cosmopolitan, because a trip to Japan allowed him to significantly broaden his culinary horizons.

Since then, when creating dishes Christian Bau has continued to use classic dishes as a base, fortifying these with Japanese products and flavours, creating an exciting bridge between European and Asian cuisine, which is reinforced by the complex interplay of contrasting elements, such as sour with salty, crispy with soft and hot with cold. According to Bau: “I wanted to offer a dining experience that would make the guests more sensitive to the flavours. Our dishes may split opinions, but they are accessible to all without being overwhelming”.

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You don’t just have to take his word for it though, as Bau is proving his success in an impressive manner: the simple fact that Christian Bau has retained his three Michelin stars in spite of his radical change in style should be proof enough. However, it is also, of course, evident in his dishes. For example, Bau serves three types of sashimi, each prepared in a different way using hamachi, sockeye salmon and yellowfin tuna, individually one after the other, providing the guest with three unique taste experiences involving raw fish and seafood. Equally stimulating, if not more so, is the combination of scallops and oysters with candied wild kombu, yuzu and umami stock, or the pairing of sea bass and grilled eel with Japanese aubergine, okra and “Kojyu” vinaigrette.

A visit to Perl-Nennig is simply not complete without experiencing these excitement-packed dishes.

This is not least ensured by the culinary concept followed by Bau and his wife, Yildiz Bau, who is the restaurant’s service chef. “A visit to Victor’s Fine Dining by Christian Bau should feel personal, sincere and almost like being with family”, said the chef. Service and ambience go hand-in-hand in the restaurant’s kitchen, like a perfectly-staged theatrical performance in which the guests always take centre stage, experiencing a flood of emotions throughout the evening.

This flood will also engulf Salzburg in November 2016, when Christian Bau invites you to a perfectly-staged evening filled with harmonious contradictions during his guest chef appearance at Restaurant Ikarus in Hangar-7.

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SOUVENIR AUS ASIEN - PANDAN WITH NASHI PEAR AND GINGER

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LUISA VALAZZA

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Luisa Valazza Queen of “the sacred temple” of International culinary, one of the renowned actresses of that world, Luisa’s food is the reflection of a true woman who loves the gastronomic tradition of her territory, and offers creative and hearty dishes, where technique and research are coupled with devotion.

The basis of her philosophy revolves around the choice of local ingredients, culinary customs, finding new forms and variations, so giving value to their peculiarity and offering her magic recipes a great multi-sensorial feel.

Today, Luisa is one of the few female chefs in the world to achieve three-Michelin-star and is recognised as Italy’s leading female chef. Initially, she had wanted to study Italian literature at university and become a teacher, just like her parents. However, Chef Luisa’s career perception took a detour towards the kitchen when she met her husband, Angelo Valazza, owner of the international acclaimed restaurant Al Sorriso.

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Al Sorriso a real oasis of harmony and cordialness, a charming concentration of great feelings - a dreamland...

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Self-taught in the kitchen, Chef Luisa adapted to Italian and French recipes from cookbooks, her natural talent soon became apparent when she started creating her very own Italian gourmet cuisine – based on the finest, local Piedmontese ingredients.

Established in 1981, the idea of Angelo and Luisa Valazza a self-made cook and native of Soriso. The secret of their success is attributable to a great deal of sacrifice, authentic passion for table excellence, and the inborn flair for taste which characterizes natives of the Piedmont region. Today, thirty years on, the Michelin Star and other international awards make this venue an oasis of harmony and hospitality, a charming concentration of feelings that makes you feel in tune with the universe.

With Luisa’s creativity and excellent culinary skills, Al Sorriso offers the opportunity to consider cuisine from a different perspective, rediscovering its different tones, combining seasonal herbs and foods and enhancing the local products. The result is a traditional yet wellresearched cuisine.

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In the warm and receptive atmosphere of the restaurant environment, is a perfect harmony between food and stay, guests can afford to be carried away by the very innovative and fantastic feel and pleasure offered by Angelo and Luisa without the loss of one’s personal identity.

Luisa’s coking is... “a life given to researching innovative tastes, all in strict respect of our traditional values, characterized by a simplicity that comes right from the heart.”

Beginning from the land, whose value is the combination of local customs, gastronomical tradition as well as research into the products of the territory, you are literally charmed by the blend of tastes and scents, where Luisa skillfully adapts her recipes to the present needs, in a way as to make you taste, the best way possible, all the elements that make up a dish.

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A true philosophy about taste, it’s a about scents that usher you into the pleasure of food, where the intensity of natural tastes gives real life to Luisa’s dishes, so charming the sight of it and giving great satisfaction to your palate.

It’s about transforming raw materials, without necessarily altering their properties, neither their organoleptic quality nor their original taste, which Luisa and Angelo scrupulously select or grow by themselves, in which case, respecting the alteration of the seasons. The cooking is always by gradual heating process.

Luisa’s coking is all about one thing “a life given to researching innovative tastes, all in strict respect of our traditional values, characterized by a simplicity that comes right from the heart.”

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ROBERTO RUÍZ

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Roberto RuĂ­z

Mexican born, Roberto RuĂ­z opened his first restaurant in Madrid two years ago, but his ties to the capital city began nine years ago. His career as a chef in Madrid led him to become a gastronomic consultant and advisor chef consultant with the R&D+i at Grupo Sigla and also works as a gastronomic consultant and advisor.

Roberto gained experience with the varied Mexican cuisine which he now reinterprets and integrates into his restaurants. He improved his knowledge at the Ambrosia Culinary Centre, where he trained as a specialist in Mexican gastronomy. This led him to become executive chef at restaurants in Malinalco and Toluca. His restaurants: Punto MX and his mezcalerĂ­a, Mezcal Lab in Madrid, and Koi in Malinalco (State of Mexico).

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TUÉTANO A LA BRASA

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The brainchild of Mexican chef, Roberto Ruiz, Punto MX draws its inspiration from the broad range of flavours found in Mexican cuisine, interpreted from a cosmopolitan perspective. This allows for the inclusion of Spanish ingredients and a more contemporary style in the way that the dishes are presented, while scrupulously respecting the individual essence of each recipe.

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GUACAMOLE

Roberto Ruíz’s philosophy is based on the synergies found to bind the roots of Mexican cuisine with cutting-edge cuisine and quality that Spanish produce...

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The cuisine of Punto MX respects the traditional methods of Mexican cuisine, combining them with other innovative gastronomic techniques to obtain a unique style of cooking that is both individual and yet full of authentic Mexican flavours. Mixing modern and ancient techniques, the result is authentic flavors and a constantly evolving concept using only the best produce. An haute cuisine from their organic garden, cultivated and intended to supply their pantry. The guacamole, prepared directly at your table in a traditional molcajete, the braised bone marrow, served in the cross sectioned bone itself, and the many different tacos created by chef Roberto Ruiz, such as “Almadraba” tuna or cured Galician beef, are just some of the dishes behind the huge success of Punto MX since it opened its doors in May 2012.

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ENCHILADA DE CARNITAS DE PATO. SALSA DE PIPIÁN VERDE

ARRACHERA DE WAGYU A LA BRASA. CHILES TOREADOS

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TACOS DE ATÚN ROJO DE ALMADRABA. SALSA DE CHILE SERRANO Y LIMÓN VERDE

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Punto MX is also the only restaurant in Europe where the corn tortillas are handmade using the millenniaold technique known as “nixtamalization“. This highly laborious technique involves cooking the grains of corn and turning them into dough in a way that maximises the properties of the corn and its nutritional qualities.

This is the dough that is used to make the tortillas that are served in the restaurant, each one of which is prepared to order so that it reaches the table in perfect conditions, no more than seven minutes after being cooked.

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An important pillar of PuntoMX is the mezcal, the ancestral distillate of Mexico, a drink that spawned the American country that is steeped in culture and mystery. Part of the restaurant’s philosophy is based on supporting the handmade and independent working with small farms in Mexico who develop mezcal with techniques that are sustainable and have been used for millennia. Its base is the agave, a plant that is well looked after until it is mature enough to harvest, taking roughly between seven and thirty years. They are looked after by the Maestro Mezcaleros, a job that passed down from generation to generation with a strong connection to the land and taste, the Palenque’s of Oaxaca.

CRÊPAS DE CAJETA

The temptations on offer at Punto MX include more than just the food. Upstairs at Punto MX is the Mezcal Lab, a space with an interesting selection of tequilas and mescals and its own line of mescalbased cocktails, such as Mezcaliña and Mezcal Chamuco. Offering roughly over thirty different mezcales with a diversity of wild and sustainable mezcal. All the mezcales are handmade and of the highest quality. Each mezcal has the imprint of its own Palenque and Maestro Mezcalero. They say that mezcal can cure the pains of the soul. There is also a wide selection of beers - used in the preparation of micheladas - refreshing aromatic drinks created using in-season fruit, along with a carefully curated list of wines from around the world.

Punto MX offers some of the richness, complexity and diversity of Mexican cuisine that has, until now, remained almost completely unknown in Spain. At Punto MX, Mexican cuisine has finally gained the recognition it is due in Spain.

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SALA PUNTO MX

MEZCAL LAB

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TIM RAUE

Tim Raue

a star chef with entrepreneurial spirit After training to be a chef, Tim Raue gained his first work experience in several Berlin restaurants. In 1997, Raue was made Head Chef for the first time at the Rosenbaum restaurant. In 1998, he then took on the same position at the Kaiserstuben in Berlin and was chosen as the Rising Star of the Year. One year later, he took over as Head Chef and Managing Director at e.t.a. Hoffmann at the Riehmers Hofgarten hotel, along with his former wife and business partner Marie-Anne.

Currently, no other German city has as many Michelin stars as the German capital. In addition, food markets, private supper clubs, popup restaurants and fancy bars have ensured that the Berlin gastronomy scene has even started to make waves beyond national borders. The city has finally succeeded in establishing itself internationally as a culinary hotspot.

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PHOTO ©NILS HASENAU

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IMPERIAL KAVIAR CALPICO GURKE Photo © Mikuláš Gottwald for Culinary Art of Living

KABELJAU FURIKAKE DASHI Photo © Mikuláš Gottwald for Culinary Art of Living

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KOKOSNUSS MISO PORTULAK Photo © Mikuláš Gottwald for Culinary Art of Living

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One man who has contributed to this development is top chef Tim Raue. The Berlin native has already convinced critics and guests for more than 15 years of his culinary philosophy unique in Germany, which he now presents in four restaurants in Berlin: together with his business partner Marie-Anne, he went into business for himself in 2010 and launched Restaurant Tim Raue, for which he was awarded two Michelin stars and 19 points in Gault & Millau. Later in 2013, Sra Bua by Tim Raue in the legendary Kempinski Hotel Adlon and La Soupe Populaire timraue (which is currently closed due to severe construction work on the Bötzow grounds) at Bötzow Berlin opened, both of which he nurtures as culinary advisor. In January 2015, he launched his pop up concept STUDIO Tim Raue on the “Factory Berlin” start-­up campus.

KALB PÉRIGORD TRÜFFEL LIEBESAPFEL Photo ©Mikuláš Gottwald for Culinary Art of Living

Meanwhile, a premium retirement home, a cruise company and foreign countries have also all taken notice of Tim Raue. Recently concluding a contract with Tertianum Premium Residences and becoming their culinary advisor. Under his tutelage, three French brasseries named Colette Tim Raue have been and are being launched in Munich, Berlin and Constance. Furthermore, he will open a new Asian restaurant concept on the prestigious cruise liner TUI – Mein Schiff. Two more restaurants devised by the star chef are planned in Dubai in 2016-17 and more projects around the globe are to follow.

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But how does he actually do all that? It is of crucial importance for a chef of his caliber not to take on too much at once and to have sufficient time for the main restaurant. For Raue, his commitment is not contradictory to star gastronomy. He relies on his excellent network: whether long-­ standing companions from cuisine and service, furniture makers, interior designers, communication experts or industrial partners – Tim Raue gets the right people for each project around the table, making sure that his ideas are crafted to last on a long-­ term basis and carried out by people he trusts. This is one of the essential components for the star chef in all of his projects.

RESTAURANT TIM RAUE PHOTO ©NILS HASENAU

Only if he is not involved in operations will he be able to spend most of his time in the Restaurant Tim Raue. In spite of it all, he insists on personally taking care of developing and implementing the overall conceptual design, the recruitment and training of staff, the interior design and the artistic philosophy.

Clients benefit from Raue’s ambition, particularly in his exceptional talent in handling aromas, his uncompromisingness in terms of quality and his unbeatable intuition for successful concepts. It is no wonder that the 42-­year-­old has worked his way up to the top of the German chef elite in recent years and has repeatedly been trusted with new projects. Currently, Raue has four restaurants under his name:

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KAISERGRANAT WASABI MANGO Photo © Mikuláš Gottwald for Culinary Art of Living

KOKOSNUSS MISO PORTULAK Photo © Mikuláš Gottwald for Culinary Art of Living

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STEAMESFISH Photo © ASA Selection

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EISBEIN TIM Photo © ASA Selection

BEEF&ROTEBEETE Photo © ASA Selection

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Restaurant Tim Raue - opening of the restaurant in the former art gallery Crone, Tim and MarieAnne Raue have fulfilled their long lasting dream of an independent restaurant. Thus, their logo choice of a hummingbird reveals their intentions: The culinary couple shares attributes such as creativity, uniqueness and freedom with the hummingbird.

Attributes, which have influenced the interior design of the restaurant as well as the philosophy of kitchen and service.

From a culinary perspective, Tim Raue presents an Asian inspired cuisine, which can be best described as a combination of Japanese product perfection, Thai flavors and the Chinese kitchen philosophy.

Raue only serves dishes that release energy and joie de vivre to the body instead of stressing it.

Therefore, he abandons supplements such as bread, pasta and rice, as well as white sugar, dairy products and gluten.

Highlight of the restaurant is “The KRUG Table”, a massive oak wood table with handmade, metal marqueterie. The table, for a maximum of ten guests, is located directly next to the kitchen and allows a perfect view into the interior of the chef’s sanctum. At The KRUG Table, connoisseurs may indulge in individual created menus that are combined with their choice of KRUG champagne and a strong interaction with the kitchen. The kitchen itself can be described as the “Rolls Royce of all kitchens”, as it is tailor made by the Spanish producer Garcia Casademont.

CHEFS TABLE PHOTO ©NILS HASENAU

But not only the kitchen and the creativity of chef Tim leads the restaurant to success, but most importantly the team. Most of the staff members have worked with Tim and Marie-Anne Raue over the past years and therefore know exactly, what is expected. A well-trained team, to say the least, which is accustomed to a high level of service from day one and led by chef de cuisine Christian Singer and restaurant manager André Macionga.

The Restaurant Tim Raue is located in the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg, only a few meters away from Checkpoint Charlie – Berlin’s most famous crossing point between the former East and West Berlin, in the former premises of Galerie Crone. Since September 2010, restaurant Tim Raue – awarded with two Michelin stars and 19 Gault&Millau points, as well as placement 52 on the “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list of San Pellegrino and Aqua Panna - is located right in between this hustle and bustle.

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SRA BUA BY TIM RAUE

Sra Bua by Tim Raue is exotic, exceptionally Asian – this is how the name of the restaurant Sra Bua by Tim Raue in the Hotel Adlon Kempinski sounds. The gastronomic concept developed by the Kempinski Group connects Asia’s variety of tastes with the individual culinary signature of Tim Raue. “Sra Bua” is the Thai term for “lotus pond”, and is therefore also a synonym for the ambience and atmosphere of the new restaurant. In designing the menu, Tim Raue has been inspired by the culinary diversity of Asia, connecting the world of savory Thai spices and flavours with Japanese cooking techniques. The culinary concept is realized by a long-time collaborator of Tim Raue.

Pop up concept -­STUDIO Tim Raue is the pop up concept STUDIO which has moved from the “Factory Berlin” start-­up campus on the site of the former Oswald Brewery to the Olympic stadium of Berlin. Here, Raue can bring to life all of the culinary ideas that have no conceptual space in his other restaurants. To achieve this, he has not only conjured up a cosmopolitan atmosphere, but also created menus inspired by the megacities and themes of our world.

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SALAT SOM TAM

MISOSUPPE

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DORADE Photo © Joerg Lehmann

ENTENLEBERTERRINE Photo © Joerg Lehmann

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HUHN IN BLÄTTERTEIG Photo © Joerg Lehmann

CREPE COLETTE Photo © Joerg Lehmann

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Brasserie Colette Tim Raue in Munich and Berlin…

The Brasserie Colette Tim Raue Berlin are housed in the Tertianum Premium Residence, an urban retirement community in a prime downtown location, featuring outstanding apartments and an exclusive five­star service.

BRASSERIE COLETTE TIM RAUE BERLIN PHOTO ©NILS HASENAU

Both restaurants are conceived by Tim Raue, brasserie cuisine is served, which finds its roots in 80’s France, but where the dishes bear Raue’s typical signature, bursting with aroma, glowing in presentation and seizing the zeitgeist. Steve Karlsch, as culinary director of the Tertianum Premium Residences, is responsible for carrying out the concept.

The interior also reflects the culinary concept: by using classic brasserie elements such as extended benches, mosaic floors, vintage bistro chairs, antique mirrors and marble tables, guests immediately have the feeling of entering a long established restaurant.

Modern design elements such as green leather upholstery, walls painted in dark grey and black stained wood parquet lighten the ambience and create a modern flair.

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REIF OTHMAN

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Reif Othman ‘The Experience’

Chef Reif Othman’s most intimate creation ‘The Experience.’ It is the brain child of one of the regions most talented Chefs who has unleashed his captivating, and mind-blowing culinary experience to Dubai’s elite.

Sourcing the most premium ingredients from all around the globe Reif has concocted a world of its own in ‘The Experience,’ full of culinary ingenuity, flavorful mystery, and magical tastes. Let Reif guide you on an unforgettable journey, through endless delectable dishes, overflowing exceptional entrées and innovative ingredients fused to perfection through his unique cooking style.

“The Experience is not your regular Chef’s Table – but more an ultra-luxury version of the ‘all you can eat’ concept,” explains Chef Reif, Head of the This revolutionary concept takes a fresh look on Culinary Department at Absolute F&B and Chef the traditional Chef’s table, located in an opulent Patron of PLAY Restaurant and Lounge. “Stepping private space on the 37th floor of the H Hotel, where into the new space, one feels like they are the eclectic, nouveau chic interiors compliment the transcended to someone’s magnificent living room. artistic interpretation that Chef Reif has towards his I will cook and serve every dish myself, treating food and his elaborate presentation. guests to a completely unique and customized dining experience, unleashing new heights of The exclusive setting seats 12 people, and the creativity when it comes to food- dishes that you bespoke menu is tailor made each night to suit the have never tasted before in Dubai,” he adds. appetite of his guests, giving them an interactive experience with the Chef and the food; bringing Guests are encouraged to stay after dinner and forth an engaging atmosphere, which results in an relax in the dedicated lounge area, where they can a one-of-a-kind dining extravaganza. continue to enjoy the day or night.

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This dish is Reif’s sentimental moment. Years ago when he applied for at Singapore’s Raffles Hotel as Chef de Partie, the French Head Chef asked him cook something for him to taste. So Reif grabbed whatever he could in the kitchen and this was the dish that gave him the job!! Back then, he used rabbit, pine nuts and a cube of foie gras. Now, he has reinvented the dish using using quail which is freshly imported from France, the crunch which comes from the Iranian pistachio, Jerusalem artichoke and grated foie gras to add texture and bouquet of flavors to the dish. Reif then finishes it off with a deep scented truffle jus base of homemade brown chicken stock and with grated Emmental cheese and 24 months aged Parmesan cheese.

Cannelloni with Truffle Jus

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This dish is Reif’s sentimental moment. Years ago when he applied for at Singapore’s Raffles Hotel as Chef de Partie, the French Head Chef asked him cook something for him to taste. So Reif grabbed whatever he could in the kitchen and this was the dish that gave him the job!!

Back then, he used rabbit, pine nuts and a cube of foie gras. Now, he has re-invented the dish using quail which freshly imported from France, the crunch which comes from the Iranian pistachio, Jerusalem artichoke and grated foie gras to add texture and bouquet of flavors to the dish. Reif then finishes it off with a deep scented truffle jus base of homemade brown chicken stock and with grated Emmental cheese and 24 months aged Parmesan cheese.

Cannelloni Cep Tart with Truffle Jus Autumn in Europe… Reif bakes a puff pastry with a spread of smoked eggplant puree which enhances the flavor with earthy fresh cep mushroom imported from France.

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Reif loves a good gazpacho but nobody seems to do a good one‌ with this clever twist Reif cures cucumber in salt to give it a pickled flavor which tales the gazpacho to another level and uses a sheep sorbet which cuts the vinegar taste and the kumquat brings a freshness to the whole dish.

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Being impressed with Japanese culture, Reif finds Japan as his second home. This dish is an inspiration of Reif’s visit to Kyoto. Air flown wagyu G12, wrapped with Hokkaido kombu (seaweed), marinated in a soy base for three days. After three days, Reif removes the kombu and the fillets are slightly seared with crushed black peppercorn. A drizzle of truffle ponzu gives the dish its umami flavor.

Cannelloni with Truffle Jus

Cured Sendai Japanese Wagyu Fillet

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A beautiful produce from Ireland which gives a balance of saltiness of the sea and smell of the ocean. Here Reif has a balance of warm and cold. Warm oyster with sabayon (egg & clarified butter) with yuzu koshu (green chili from Japan), this gives a nice balance of saltiness and the aromatic acidity and heat from the yuzu koshu yet not over powering the oyster. Raw cold oyster with apple and wasabi jelly (Reif keeps away from horseradish as it’s a common use with oysters). The wasabi he uses is much milder and with much more character in terms of flavour and taste.

Kelly Oyster Two Ways

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A dish inspired by Reif’s travels to Spain. Ocean Charcol is a simple sampler of crustacean.

Slow cooked carabeneros with thyme and extra virgin olive oil under the salamander that give the soft and raw texture of the fresh prawns, botan ebi (Japanese prawn) tartar that has been cut into small cubes and marinated with garlic and yuzu dressing to give that sweetness of the botan ebi. Squid ink meringue with leek ash into a dark charcoal that melts in your mouth, dipped in with pimentos aioli. Your palate plays with the texture, sweetness and the taste of crustacean.

Ocean Charcoal

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Innaniwa Noodle w King Crab

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Reif’s travels to Japan and eating in noodle shops, ramen, cold soba, hot soba, has given Reif the ability to think out of the box with his cooking..... The noodles are cooking to perfection as he explains noodles which are too soft or too hard simply don’t taste good. A nice balance of umami in this warm city. The king crab adds the sweetness and a bit of citrus to the dish.

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Cannelloni with Truffle Jus A simple pre dessert to clean your palate. Kyoho grapes have a very unique flavor. Muscat taste, soft and sweet. An amazing fruit that cost Reif a fortune!

Kyoho Grapes

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Hand-picked caviar from Bordeaux, France. The ratio of salt and the maturity of the caviar are made to Reif’s specifications. The base is made with cauliflower puree that gives a nice balance of cream with the saltiness of the caviar and zest of sudachi to take the cream and saltiness away. Its lightness allows you to keep eating without feeling heavy and the crispy rice gives a beautiful crunch.

Reif Selection Sturia Caviar

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Meir Adoni

a unique cuisine which revolves around traditional flavours…

PHOTO ©DAN PERETZ

With a Moroccan upbringing, from early childhood Meir Adoni can remember experiencing food at family get-togethers and Friday night dinners. His inspiration comes from home, from his heritage, his roots and his Moroccan grandmother...

As a chef, the first thing Meir Adoni brings to the table is tradition.

He respects the original flavors and ingredients, and only then does he adds his crazy interpretation, launching the dish off to new and uncharted territory.

Chef Meir Adoni has been considered the leader of excellent cuisine in Israel for the last ten years. A creator of fine restaurants Catit, Mizlala, BlueSky, Lumina and Nur, with Catit Catit is Adoni’s restraint, his thought-process and the search for culinary madness.

It opened in 2002, it has now become a culinary institution and has been praised for its culinary creativity.

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CATIT

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BLUESKY

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In 2011, Meir Adoni opened the Mizlala, Catit’s younger and naughtier sister. This is where Andoni cooks freely and generously. This is where he feel free and relaxed. The food he cooks at Mizlala is passionate, colorful & wild. He doesn’t care much for precision, he just wants the plate to scream and shout. A warm and laid-back atmosphere, with a large bar with imaginative cocktails.

MIZLALA

In 2013, Adoni launched the BlueSky on top of the Carlton Hotel. This modern kosher sister, where Adoni combines the sophistication that is Catit with the festivity of Mizlala. A stunning view with the Mediterranean Sea on one side, and Tel Aviv’s urban landscape on the other, it is the perfect place to mix great seasonal ingredients with culinary tradition & modern vibes.

Adoni opened Lumina, in 2014. Lumina is a modern Israeli bistro located on Tel-Aviv’s beautiful sea front. Lumina’s menu is divided to three parts.

Its ultra-elegant venue where Andoni focuses on meat oriented dishes, combining classic Jewish food with a modern European twist.

Adoni fulfills his biggest dream with opening his first Middle Eastern brasserie-style restaurant, Nur, which means “light” in Hebrew and “flame” in Arabic, outside Tel Aviv - Nur in New York City, located in downtown Manhattan just near Union Square.

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At a young age Adoni set out on a culinary journey, studying at Cordon Bleu in Sydney, then moving to La Maison Lenotre in Paris. Did his apprenticeship with Grant Achatz who is often identified for his progressive cuisine and one of the leaders in molecular gastronomy. Further honed his skills with Juan Mari Arzak, one of the great masters of new Basque cuisine and at Noma with René Redzepi who is noted for his refinement and reinvention of new Nordic cuisine.

WG Magazine catches up with Chef Meir Adoni…

It’s interesting to learn how Chef’s find their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Tell us how you found your way into the culinary field to become one of the most innovative, and the most sought-after Chef…

My grandmother and my mom came from Morocco and I grew up spending hours in their kitchens looking at them cooking and baking. As a child I already knew that this world of tastes and colours fascinates me and this is what I want to do. I’m blessed with the ability to do it every day.

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Chef Adoni’s cuisine is unique which revolves around traditional flavours and ingredients yet with a modern interpretation and pushing the limit of each dish with a new dimension. A cuisine very creative with the finest produce, a burst of flavours and with an impeccable balanced…

The tradition I grew up on takes food as an important part of our culture. It was part of who we are as a family. Part of our identity. Some of the cooking tradition runs through the families for centuries.

I take this influence, which is part of who I am, and create a full and harmonic picture of it, using my knowledge and imagination.

Chef Adoni describes his culinary philosophy, and take us through the process of creating a new dish…

Today, after more than 20 years in the kitchen, I feel complete with my identity as a Jewish who is part of the Middle East. My inspiration is both from my tradition and the region I live in, including the Arab countries. I take traditional dishes and perform them with modern interpolation.

A new dish can evolve from a few directions: it can be looking at an ingredient and spend hours thinking how to use it, it can be by looking at a plate and to create a dish that will fit this specific plate, it can come from a trip or looking at architecture, or a family dinner with my mom. Wherever I start with, I continue developing textures, smells, tastes, until I get to a full composition of all that I feel complete with.

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Chef Adoni tells us what ingredients inspires him, his favourite ingredients and ingredients he would not work with…

At Nur, my new restaurant at Manhattan there will be a new desert name: Jerusalem land” the inspiration for this dish is the Jerusalem mountains with its shape, olives trees etc.

Good organic vegetables like artichoke, eggplants, green leaves etc are my “current” ingredients and the only ingredient I refuse to work with is pork. I’m part of the Middle East, where both Muslims and Jews do not use pork. Other than this – I can work with anything without any limitation.

LUMINA

Since opening Catit in 2002, Andoni developed his signature style of creating traditional food with cutting edge techniques, Catit’s kitchen is considered for its culinary innovations – Chef Adoni tells us his special cooking techniques behind your signature dishes and this innovative cuisine…

My techniques are not virtuosi. They are modern techniques which are used in many places in the world. These techniques only goal is to allow more accuracy and more delicate and gentile processes.

I use vacuum, runners, gelatine, liquids, but when I think about the taste I will finish the dish on a grill / taboun or pan exactly like my grandmother did.

Chef Adoni’s book “The Seven Last Seduction

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“Indeed I have travelled a lot and spend a lot of time in other kitchens. The most important thing I have learnt from these visits is more tools and techniques for my “box”. I have learn it’s an endless world and in order to be a chef one needs to create his own languish and signature using all you learn and inspired by.”

Meir Adoni

Desserts” – the inspiration writing this book… Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, “Food for me is love, passion, emotion, exactly like Chef Adoni’s advice to chefs who are entering the making love. I have created the book as a journey kitchen for the first time… of sensuality colours and love.”

Indeed a chef is considered in the last decade a Chef Adoni tells us what motivates him… “My glory profession. It was not like this when I have motivation has always been the love for life and chosen this world for me. But new cooks must people. I wake up in the morning thinking how understand that it requires very long days of hard to pleasure and excite life by creation of food. work and no shortcuts. It may look easy via TV or Currently I’m about to fulfil a long-time dream of the net but in reality you cannot be a chef without opening in New York and bringing the Middle East the ambition to create food for people and the taste.” dedication to work very hard.

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Costanzo Scala

a sommelier with passion...

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“The less travelled road at times hide some of the most wonderful panoramas and I was lucky enough to experience it in first person”

Costanzo Scala

Grew up in an Idyllic island in the bay of Naples, Ischia. Food and Wine is very much a part of Sommelier Costanzo Scala heritage but it’s only when he moved to London that he really fell in love with the entire world of food and wine.

Working in hospitality and having the opportunity to experience so many different cuisines in such a multicultural city totally broaden his gastronomic horizons. The different spectrum of flavor and their immense diversity really fascinated his taste buds and his sense of smell.

specifically designed to help individuals to enter the world of wine and to give a structural introduction about it. The courses alone do not produce sommeliers, however the notions of those courses give an important starting point for whoever attends it.

Becoming a sommelier it’s very much a matter of passion, determination and willingness to acquire not only Knowledge, but also developing your senses to all a different level.

The first time I was at a wine tasting I was able He had the opportunity to work with some great to recognize several layers of smell, however I professionals that inspired him to become a could only recognize smells that I had stored in my Sommelier. sensorial database from the day I was born. From that day onwards I was training my nose to identify The Westbury Hotel in Mayfair, and the Oxo Tower smell that I was less familiar with. It was a very were his first 2 experiences as a Sommelier. Later interesting journey that still continues today moving on to the Dorchester in London, Benares in Mayfair, Zuma in Abu Dhabi and The Artisan Working alongside Atul Kochhar at Benares in

by Enoteca Pinchiorri in Dubai. Besides consulting London, Costanzo takes us through the experience several other prestigious restaurants in the UK and at Benares and how easy was it to pair wines with abroad. an innovative modern Indian menu…

Costanzo’s wine studies were accompanied by hospitality management studies that helped him to develop towards management of the overall operation while still carrying the title of Head Sommelier or Wine Director.

Indian Cuisine was by far the most challenging cuisine to pair with wine but also possibly the most exciting. When I arrived at Benares I knew nothing about Indian Cuisine, most of my friends who where sommeliers were trying to make me change my mind about it as for them would have been a WG Magazine speaking with Sommelier Costanzo useless experience.

Scala…

Sommelier Costanzo Scala takes us through his I didn’t and for me by far was the biggest learning training and tell us how it has helped him as a curve I have ever experienced in the world of wine.

Indian cuisine is extremely complex as it hides sommelier today… several layers of spicing and style of cooking. It’s Wine is e never ending topic and it’s very easy to not that you have to think out of the box, you need get lost or confused. There are recognized courses to throw the box!

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When I first arrived every guest was asking me for beers or simply water. Indian cuisine and wine was never really been associated before and I understood that to succeed in something so challenging I would have had really to go in depth to understand the mechanics and the chemistry involved.

Controlling and monitoring the variables was key to a successful and consistent wine pairing with our dishes. If you get a pairing wrong with Indian cuisines it becomes of a multidimensional proportion with horrible consequences for the taste buds and memories, but if you get it right, it will become as multidimensional and wonderful.

Benares was not just an Indian Restaurant, was a Michelin star restaurant where the layers of spices were masterful balanced. I had a meeting with Atul and told him that I was not going to accept the situation and that was of paramount importance for me to go much more in depth with food tasting and recipes.

I started as the only sommelier and in 6 years we grew to a team of 8 sommelier. We were offering Tasting Menu with 3 different types of wine pairing and also a Sommelier Table, where the guest would choose their wine and we would match the dishes to it.

In 2011 I was nominated Restaurant Personality of the Year by Imbibe Magazine UK, alongside some of the most influential figures of the wine world in the UK .

It’s there that I started to understand Indian Cuisine true complexity and why Indian cuisine and wine was never really popular. I discovered that there were so many pitfalls and so many unwritten rules that had nothing to do at all with the usual rules. Benares had an incredible wine identity and when I eventually left Benares in 2012, I was offered to What I was learning I was passing onto the guest work at several project in and outside the UK and and their response was very positively surprised. therefore opened my own Wine and Hospitality That was the fundamental moment in which I Consultancy Company. For me, Sommelier understood that we were in the right path to offer Guidance in an Indian restaurant was and it is by a new experience to gourmand or wine lovers that far more important than in any other restaurant/ never really had the opportunity to try some of the cuisine. Since then, many other Indian restaurants most incredible and multidimensional wine pairing started to become more wine oriented and this is a great result for all the parties involved experiences ever.

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WINE FLIGHTS AT THE ARTISAN “A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN DUBAI�

A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE IN DUBAI A wine experience that is unique in Dubai, the Wine Identity (Enoteca) and Wine Focus.

Designed for wine beginners, the enthusiast or the connoisseur. Wine Flight is a wine journey, travelling the world of wine, flying from a vineyard to another, from a country to another country , from a continent to another continent, from the old world to the new world, while just seating in the most brilliant and elegant setting of The Artisan.

Guest will have the opportunity to have a mini wine tasting at the table while sampling the cuisine and discovering for themselves which wine works best for them. A true sensorial experience.

Based on three wine flights... a fine selection of a trio of White or Red or a Tricolore for those passionate about their wine...

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Costanzo tell us how much of a skill is required to properly pair food and wine…

In order to pair food and wine expertly is important to have skills, knowledge and intuition. You may pair wine due to knowledge and flair, however only knowledge will not help to create a proper wine pairing, nor only flair will.

the combination of the twos cannot be a marriage made in heaven, at least does not have to affect at any cost any of the ingredients that take part in it.

The sommelier can either take a dish to a different level where the food and the wine will taste better than they actually do on their own, however if the pairing is wrong you can possibly ruin a wonderful crafted dish and wine whilst you are charging an important amount of money for it. As you can imagine, the memory of the guest will be lingering in a very bitter way

There are several type of dishes, ingredients and style of cooking. Each one of them influence the choice of the most appropriate wine. In fact, if you know the wine but you don’t know which of the Costanzo explains the art of food and wine pairing ingredients/flavours may linger the most on the evolving… palate you may be far from an appropriate wine pairing or balance.

Thanks to innovation and technology the world and its produces are becoming much more accessible In my career I had the luck to work with French, to kitchens around the world.

Italian, Japanese, British, Indian, Spanish and Chinese cuisine. I approached each one of them in We know of many cuisine of the world that have huge a different way and I never forget who I am pairing traditions and history, however the globalization is it for as people with different nationalities may bringing new ingredients to this cuisine too and prefer to enhance certain ingredients over others. their influences are sensibly shaping new dishes and new combination of flavors.

Costanzo tell us the importance of properly pairing food and wine and how it can make or break a Wine on the other hand is developing too with new meal… techniques that offer always better finished results I cannot stress enough how important it is and I must say that several times is taken too lightly. As sommeliers we have a huge responsibility towards all the parties involved.

In fact for me, it comes very much down to how responsible I am towards the effort of mother nature and the farmers to supply us with wonderful produce, on how responsible I am towards the Chef, the Winemaker and the guest likes and budget.

I see wine as the finishing ingredient to a dish and if

no matter which type of wine in terms of winemaking you may prefer. It’s not only about the development of Organic and Byodinamic alternatives, but also about the continuing development of wines that use the more common techniques of our times.

As I mentioned earlier on, Wine for me is an ingredient, therefore wine pairing will continue evolve as food it is continuously evolving and its accompaniment will always have to be able to match it. This is what wine was made for, to be the most soulful accompaniment to a dish

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COSTANZO SCALA

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Costanzo opinion on the best wines and wineries in the world…

Wine is very subjective and what may be sensational to me and my palette may not be so for someone else.

it’s extremely important to take in consideration several aspects such as the wine appearance, its intensity of bouquet/aromas, its balance and its overall complexity.

Wines that have a HD definition in colour or that result more intense and persisting in the nose and The entire world makes wonderful wines, no matter in the palette are considered better example than if they are in the old world or in the new world. I wines that tend to me cloudy or not so intense. tasted an incredible amount of wines but if you take this number in proportion to the actual number Furthermore, wines that a great length in terms of of wine produced every year in the world it’s the aftertaste, being more multidimensional than other classic drop in the ocean. position themselves as better wines and possibly betters expression than particular grape varietals I definitely have favorite wines, but several ones or geographical areas. of them, the world of wines has so much to offer and there is a wine to suit your palette from any Costanzo passion to taste, learn and especially provenance or budget. It would be unfair if I to share your expertise on wine tasting continues would mention a favorite one, it’s not like having to grow and evolve – he tells us what keeps him a favorite brand of car or favorite team. Wine is motivated… something very personal and I would rather speak about favorite wine styles than a wine in particular Wine and food brings people together and offer a also because each wine is the unique result of a remarkable sensorial experience that when shared vintage that will not possibly repeat ever again due really gives memorable moments. I enjoy those to the several circumstances and aspect that dictate moment besides many others, and being able to offer it to guest or people in my inner circle that the end result. enjoy fine things of life such as eno-gastronomic I can truly say that I love the world of wine and I experiences really motivates me. am eager to discover more and more as one or a million life time will be not enough to discover all At the end......we all have senses and nurturing them is really a wonderful experience comparable that the world contains to the most divine ones in life.

Appearance, Aroma, Bouquet, Taste, Aftertaste and Overall Impression are some of the factors For me, as long as us sommelier pay the due respect to all the parties involved such as mother considered for a good wine... nature, ingredients, chefs, winemaker, budgets and Wine is a multi-sensorial experience and therefore guests like I will always be motivated to do this job. judging wines in a competition must take in consideration all this parameters. Each wine must In hospitality all we really sell is memories, so we be judged for their true essence and must not be must ensure that they are the most memorable influenced by own feelings. When judging a wine, ones!

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IRSHAD QURESHI

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Irshad Qureshi Chef Irshad Khalid Qureshi, Chef de Cuisine at Indego by Vineet, at Grosvenor House, Dubai’s signature contemporary Indian restaurant and the best Indian restaurant across the Middle East.

Irshad joined the team at Indego by Vineet in June 2011, responsible for leading the restaurants team of chefs, overseeing the kitchen and ensuring this brilliant modern Indian cuisine is served to a Michelin starred standard.

Irshad’s culinary destiny started at a tender young age of 18 influenced by his upbringing in the bustling aromatic city of Mumbai, where he was learned rectitude of taking food, flavours and ingredients.

In 2001, he found his calling, in the kitchen of Shopper’s Stop in Mumbai. In the blink of an eye, Chef Irshad’s production of high quality food with a passionate and creative flare landed him swiftly from Mumbai to the shores of Abu Dhabi, as commis chef for three years within the Abu Dhabi National Hotels portfolio.

Pursuing his passion for cooking and backed by a wealth of culinary experience, Irshad joined the Grosvenor House Dubai in 2005 as Chef de Partie. He was then recognized by culinary legend Vineet Bhatia who would soon go on to be his mentor and greatest culinary inspiration. Between 2005 and 2008 Irshad assisted the then head chefs from 2007 with day to day operations at Indego by Vineet. In 2008, having mastered the art of Chef de Partie, he was handpicked to join Vineet’s team launching Maharaja by Vineet at the Movenpick Hotel Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Seeking to excel in his craft, Irshad headed the kitchen and successfully launching the restaurant and establishing it on the culinary scene in Saudi Arabia.

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Irshad has received a number accolades and awards, including: winner of the Salon Culinary Competition in the UAE for two years in a row and a two times winner of the UAE Junior Chef Competition in 2006 and 2007.

WG Magazine catches up with Chef Irshad…

It’s interesting to learn how Chef’s find their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Tell me more about your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field…

INDEGO BY VINEET

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Cooking was never pre-decided or had any ambitions to be a chef, my ambition was to do an import export business especially with meat products, but definitely food fascinated me. Since childhood watching a cartoon posters on billboards and adverts, made me crave for food. While growing up, I saw my cousin who was a pastry chef and having spent time with him, this created an urge, why not me? So I enrolled myself into a craft course in culinary and then ended up with my first job in the cyber city of India, Hyderabad.

It definitely opened up my eyes towards the not so fascinating part of the industry, but sure the cooking aspect started getting inherited in me. In short, my passion for this journey sparked off.

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24-CARAT CHICKEN PHOTO © FROM COOKERY BOOK ‘RASOI - NEW INDIAN KITCHEN’

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VEGETABLE TIKKI PHOTO © FROM COOKERY BOOK ‘RASOI - NEW INDIAN KITCHEN’

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Take us through these 11 years working with the Thrice Michelin Starred Chef Vineet Bhatia who is accredited as the Father of Modern Progressive India food…

It has been a brilliant journey, my introduction to this beautiful restaurant ‘Indego by Vineet’ at the Grosvenor House. It was for sure something really new and interesting, the way Chef Vineet Bhatia approached Indian cuisine. The most important aspect in Indego was as a commi1, I learnt the accuracy to be achieved in one’s work. This eventually paid off in the form of getting promoted to the next position within six months, the perfect platform was backed up by true motivation by my mentor that eventually helped me climb the ladder up. Today it is a pleasure, as I look after and nature this awesome venue today as a Chef De Cuisine.

Chef Irshad tells us how this experience has helped him as a chef…..

CHEF VINEET BHATIA

Regular feed backs on my work from (Mentor, Superior, and most important guests) polishing my skills and surrounded by world class leaders since my junior level in Chef Vineet Bhatia’s team and being a team player, has helped me a lot to perform as an efficient chef today. I still believe there is much more to learn and develop and get better from myself.

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INDEGO BY VINEET

Chef Irshad describes his cuisine… “ It’s a Modern Indian cuisine wherein we are producing Indian food to suit the international palate yet keeping in mind the authenticity and flavour intact.”

Chef Irshad’s culinary creations revolves around Indian cuisine with a modern twist, it is an experience which makes you feel India – a culinary delight of combinations - fine ingredients, textures, flavours of each region in India, and a composition of different elements from across India all on a plate…

When it comes to Indian cuisine, it indeed is diverse in ingredients, textures and flavours. I pay important attention in understanding the role of each element to fit in a particular character. Having spent so many years yearning to learn and developing my skills, has helped me to match all the elements well on a plate and giving it the right balance.

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Chef Irshad’s culinary philosophy…

Passion is the bottom line when it comes to my culinary philosophy, be sincere and cook from your heart, the plate will surely smile at your guest. Keep that hunger alive always… My culinary approach at Indego is going Back to Basics. I would never forget the core knowledge gained at this place since 11 years of experience, regular updates and learning helps me horn my skills.

Chef Irshad’s greatest influences in the kitchen… “A platform like, Grosvenor House Hotel, co-operative management and most importantly clean plates from my guests table.”

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GINGER LAMB WITH BIRYANI RICE PHOTO © FROM COOKERY BOOK ‘RASOI - NEW INDIAN KITCHEN’

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MUSHROOM KHICHDI PHOTO © FROM COOKERY BOOK ‘RASOI - NEW INDIAN KITCHEN’

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The best recipe Chef Irshad has created…

It was at a prestigious salon culinary UAE competition where I made a classic Indian dish, so have to say that it has got to be the Classic Butter Chicken with stir fired asparagus on the bed of cumin-raisin khichdi and the comment given by the judge was it was a best dish during the entire competition, which I have earned two gold medals on the same particular day back to back another one for the seafood dish. The subtle flavours depicting Indian cuisine and most importantly the balance of textures inspired me to create this combination.

MUSHROOM KHICHDI PHOTO © FROM COOKERY BOOK ‘RASOI - NEW INDIAN KITCHEN’

Chef Irshad tells us what ingredients inspires him, his favourite ingredients he likes working with ingredients which he has not be able to master…

Ingredients that inspire me is squid ink, kaffir lime and quality produce which influences my style of Indian food.

For sure it has got to be the Golden C’s, the favourite ingredients to work with - coconut, curry leaves and coriander seeds.

I have not given up on Tea, this is something I am working on to use in my Indian cuisine.

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CHOCOLATE AND SAFFRON CHEESECAKE PHOTO © FROM COOKERY BOOK ‘RASOI - NEW INDIAN KITCHEN’

Special cooking techniques…

“I ensure specific spices to particular dishes and not over powering making much clear and not to confuse our guest by in balancing of ingredients to deliver the actual taste.”

Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, Chef Irshad’s advice to those entering the kitchen “In the initial stages of being a chef, I concentrated for the first time… more on produce and learning the technique behind making a good dish. However now, creativity is of Learn and keep developing yours skills, keep prime importance considering myself leading such yourself occupied in every aspect of your culinary a prestigious restaurant that defines my quality and journey and let the fire burn within always, the culinary field is like an ocean which can never get guest satisfaction.” over, hence there is no limit to end up.

Chef Irshad tells us what keeps him motivated…

“Passion has always been on the pinnacle and my Always follow the proper path line of knowledgeable work place itself is my biggest motivation, where I mentors in the kitchen which is an easiest way to started as a commi1 and now leading it from the climb the carrier ladder with gaining knowledge and lastly experience matters a lot. front.”

Produce, Creativity or Technique…

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BLUEBERRY AND BLACK CARDAMOM KULFI PHOTO © FROM COOKERY BOOK ‘RASOI - NEW INDIAN KITCHEN’

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Hadleigh Troy Behind an unassuming red brick façade, on a quiet East Perth street, lies Restaurant Amusé. Step inside and be transported into what has been described as a ‘parallel gourmet universe’ and embark on a tantalising journey of decadent degustation dining.

Established in 2007 by Hadleigh and Carolynne Troy, Restaurant Amusé prides itself on refinement without pretension, absent are white tablecloths and reserved service, instead guests are guided through their menu by a skilled team of knowledgeable waiters and chefs.

Innovative, impeccable and respectful use of produce are just some of the rave reviews that surround Hadleigh’s degustation menu which is both creative, humorous and as impressive as the chefs resume. Having worked at The Loose Box and Jackson’s Restaurant after his apprenticeship, he then moved to Melbourne to work at Langton’s Restaurant and at The Brasserie

by Philippe Mouchel. This was followed by a move to London where he worked at The Greenhouse in Mayfair and La Noisette in Knightsbridge.

This year the team cemented their spot on the Perth dining scene after being awarded Restaurant of Year and rating as WA’s number one restaurant by Australian Gourmet Traveller for a third year in a row. The awards since opening have been numerous and have included Chef of the Year by The Good Food Guide, a nomination for Maitre d’ of the Year

by Australian Gourmet Traveller as well as the couple being recognised as the 2011 National Young Achievers by Restaurant and Catering Australia.

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WHITE ASPARAGUS, BOTTARGA, GOMASIO AND GUANCIALE

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Restaurant Amusé delivers an experience best described as a unique exploration of contemporary dining that will challenge, surprise and delight.

WG Magazine speaks with Hadleigh Troy…

It’s interesting to learn how Chef’s find their passion for cooking, how you found your way into the culinary field!

I wanted to leave school however to do so I needed a fulltime job. My first choice was to be a carpenter but in the end I took a job as an apprentice chef at sixteen.

Taking you back when you completed your apprenticeship you went on to work with Alain Fabrègues, Neal Jackson, Philippe Mouchel and Bjorn van der Horst - Hadleigh tells us about these experiences and how Alain Fabrègues, Neal Jackson, Philippe Mouchel and Bjorn van der Horst helped him to form as a chef…

All of these chefs played a big part in shaping my career by equipping me with the skills to cook and giving me a foundation on which to base my culinary ethos.

Hadleigh Troy’s cuisine is very creative, respectful use of produce, and intense with flavors which is an experience described as a unique exploration of contemporary dining – he describes his cuisine and how he brings about this balance on a plate…

LAMB, CAULIFLOWER, POTATO AND SALTBUSH

Hadleigh Troy’s greatest influences in the kitchen…

“Produce, our producers do an amazing job and I owe it to them and our guests not to mess it up.”

Hadleigh Troy’s opinion on the best recipe he has created and the process he goes through creating a new dish…

I don’t really have a favourite, my job is to keep evolving and with that mentality my current dishes are always the ones that I am the happiest with.

For me it’s about balancing my classic training I look at what is in season and then start working with modern technique and above all keeping with flavours that go with that ingredient and then things tasty. My cuisine is produce driven, modern build on that flavour combination with techniques contemporary. and texture.

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MARRON, AVOCADO AND SALT BUSH

Hadleigh Troy tells us how he selects his ingredients, Produce, Creativity or Technique… “To me they all his favourite ingredients and ingredients that he hold equal importance to me. Without one the end was not able to master and gave up… result is not what it should be or could be. “ Marron is a constant on our menu, it is a freshwater crustacean native to Western Australia. I love its versatility and that it is symbolic of my home state.

I select my ingredients directly through producers that I have built up relationships with over many years.

My favourite ingredients are those that inspire me and Octopus - I personally don’t enjoy eating it and can’t get into it no matter how hard I try.

Hadleigh tells us what motivates him… “Honouring our guests that have supported us in our restaurant for the last nine years as well as mentoring and hopefully inspiring my own team of young chefs. “ Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, Hadleigh Troy’s advice to chefs who are first entering the kitchen…

Love what you do or pick another career as there is no glamour. The work is hard, the hours are long Hadleigh tells us about this equipment he particular and antisocial and the rewards are rarely monetary. enjoys using… A well-crafted knife. In particular, Satisfaction in pleasing others through your food my Glestain knife from Japan. must be your sole motivation as a chef.

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CUMQUAT, WALNUT AND PEAR

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NICOLAS SCHNELLER TEXT OILDA BARRETO

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DUCK, THREE PARTS LEG CONFIT, HONEY SEARED BREST, PAN FRIED FOIE GRAS

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Chef Nicolas Schneller knew what he wanted to do, and did it. He wanted to cook and to travel the world. Born in Lyon, France, he began with the customary European hospitality and culinary education. He followed the route to haute cuisine at age seventeen when joined Francizod in his hometown, Lyon, France and at the Patisserie Marron Glacé. After three years in British kitchens he returned to France in 1983. He then found himself at Hotel Restaurant Château de Montreuil, Patisserie Weiss Créteil, and then in the kitchen of the Le Crillon Hotel.

In June 1985 he went on another commemorative culinary tour of the world. His early conquests included the restaurants at the Richmond Hotel in Geneva. He dreamed of working in Asia, so he relocated to Hong Kong and worked at the Ramada Renaissance Hotel in Hong Kong. For 14 years thereafter he made a commitment with the Hyatt hotel chain, making his home in kitchens in Jakarta, Bangkok, Fukuoka, Shanghai, Mendoza and Seoul. He then went on to begin his chef apprenticeship and training in top hotels and restaurants in France, Switzerland and the UK before focusing on pastry over the next two decades.

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In 2004 Chef Nicolas joined the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok as Executive Chef. While there, he made himself indispensible by being the fulcrum in the kitchens of many hotel openings as both Pastry Chef and Executive Chef. This was his second time around with the renowned establishment.

He first was with the opening as Pastry Chef for the Grand Hyatt Erawan, Bangkok from 1992 to 1995. With that previous opening experience plus his years as the director of its kitchen’s excellence, he led his crew through the hotel’s reorganization in March 2015. He confessed that he enjoyed the challenging and valuable career journey but also found it could be hectic.

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Though he retreats from the molecular and fusion panaches of cooking, preferring a more classic style, he is quoted as saying, “My cooking is based on simple execution, with respect to the ingredients.”

He does plan to travel onward with innovative dishes to enrich the guest’s dining experience. With the immense success of the hotel’s unique restaurants in the past, he and his squad of talented chefs plan to continue with the traditions while adding new creations to the current menu.

Chef Nicolas really helped make the Anantara Siam Bangkok an award winning worldly restaurant with discerning culinary experiences for the diner.

Satisfying discriminating palates, the culinary experiences at Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel are designed to inspire and surprise. With 10 dining selections, they provide tempting choices, including award winning restaurants and a famous Sunday Brunch well-regarded by locals as the best in town.

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TORO & FOIE GRAS TARTAR

QUINOA AND PRAWN SALAD

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Michael Ferraro a cuisine infused with flavors...

Michael Ferraro’s culinary career began early on, inspired by his Southern Italian parents and their love and respect for quality and tradition. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America at age 20, Ferraro sought opportunities to further develop his own creativity.

Ferraro’s culinary repertoire flourished during an internship under Chef Waldy Malouf at Beacon Restaurant, followed by Jean-Georges’ Mercer Kitchen as Chef de Partie, where he developed and refined his culinary techniques. He proceeded to New York City’s famed 5-star, 5-diamond Four Seasons Hotel where he served as Chef Tournant. It was there where he extended his skills to all outlets of the hotel, landing him at its fine dining restaurant, Fifty Seven Fifty Seven, pleasing the palettes of the restaurant’s most exclusive clientele. After spending 3 years with the Four Seasons, Ferraro went on to take the role of Sous Chef at the Biltmore Room, working under Chef Gary Robins. At the Biltmore Room, Ferraro was exposed to the creative expressions of Chef Gary Robins’ use of Asian and progressive American cooking techniques. When the Biltmore room closed, Ferraro took top toque as Chef de Cuisine at Patina Restaurant Groups’ Café Centro, followed by his first Executive Chef position at fine dining seafood establishment, Fresh in Tribeca.

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VIETNAMESE NOODLE SALAD Photo © Delicatessen

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KALE SALAD Photo © Delicatessen

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In 2008, Ferraro took over the kitchen at Delicatessen, where he elevated the cuisine to its current state, continuing to update the menu seasonally and reflecting his most recent travels.

Ferraro’s vast menu of international comfort food ranges from foie gras to fried chicken, with dishes UTTERMILK FRIED CHICKEN like Tuna Tartare with wasabi tobiko, crème fraiche Photo © Delicatessen and taro root chips and Ferraro’s Award Winning Pan Roasted Chicken Thigh Sandwich with cerignola olive pesto, sweet pepper aioli and burrata cheese Delicatessen offers something for everyone, from in between. comfort food favorites like Buttermilk Fried Chicken Delicatessen, located at the crossroads of New York to Italian-inspired hearty recipes like Giorgio’s City’s vibrant SoHo and Nolita neighborhoods – Meatballs, as well as more health-conscious items has offered playful twists on international comfort like the vegan, raw Fresh Kale Salad. The menu is food classics since its opening in 2008, keeping augmented by a creative cocktail program featuring New Yorkers and celebrities’ alike coming back for seasonal favorites and year-round standbys, as more. Owners Mark Thomas Amadei and Andrew well as a dessert menu of reinvented classics.

Glassberg and Chef/Partner Michael Ferraro have focused on providing the utmost in quality The restaurant’s aesthetics are a collaboration and hospitality to their guests at Delicatessen in a between design firm Nema Workshop and designer Mark Thomas Amadei. The bi-level space seats modern and comfortable environment.

95 indoors, with an extra 30 seats available for Ferraro’s classical French training at The Culinary alfresco dining in the warmer months. Retracting Institute of America and his background in stainless steel and glass garage doors wrap the southern Italian and Mediterranean-style cooking entire façade, and a glass-roofed indoor courtyard are reflected on Delicatessen’s menu, which offers features a large-scale mural by local artist Juan creative interpretations of familiar favorites for Jose Heredia. A secluded, subterranean “Mini Bar” is also available for private parties and events. breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night.

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Taking Ferraro’s comfort food concept to the next level, the partners opened adjacent sister restaurant macbar in 2009, a restaurant fully dedicated to gourmet macaroni & cheese. Located behind sister restaurant Delicatessen, macbar has a menu full of unique flavors including such standouts like Mayan Chipotle with chicken diablo, chihuahua cheese and green onions, Mac Lobsta’ with tender chunks of fresh lobster, cognac, tarragon and mascarpone, Mac Quack with duck confit, Fontina, caramelized onion and fine herbs, and Carbonara with pancetta, green peas and parmigiano cheese.

He has also been featured on many national TV networks such as CBS, ABC, NBC, VH1, WPIX, Travel Channel, Iron Chef America and Chopped on Food Network, and the Cooking Channel. Chef Chef Ferraro has infused flavors from his global Ferraro has also appeared as a judge on Food travels – to France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Columbia, Network’s Beat Bobby Flay.

Iceland and more – into his dishes at Delicatessen, Outside of the restaurant, Ferraro works with the bringing acclaim from journalists and diners Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Meals to Heal alike. His travels have also blended with media and Celgene on their initiative Cooking. Comfort. on occasion, when his trip to Taiwan was filmed Care., a program to provide nutritional resources, and documented into a show for the Discovery tips and recipes for the caregivers and patients Channel (U.S.) and Discovery World (Canada). A dealing with the disease. A cause close to his heart, member of Zagat’s inaugural class of “30 Under Cooking. Comfort. Care. allows him to channel his 30” in 2011, Ferraro has since established himself culinary expertise for the aid of those in need. as an authority within the culinary industry. He has participated in the New York City Wine and Currently, Chef Ferraro serves alongside Jon Taffer Food Festival and the South Beach Food and Wine as the restaurant experts on Spike TV’s national Festival numerous times, where his Banh Mi won program, Bar Rescue. Chef Ferraro also contributed the title of Best Sandwich at the Soup’er Sandwich recipes to Rachel Ray’s upcoming book “Born and event.

Braised,” to be released November 2016.

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MAC LOBSTA Photo © Delicatessen

GIORGIOS MEATBALLS Photo © Delicatessen

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Photo © Mercer Street Hospitality

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Josh Capon A seasoned chef and partner behind Lure Fishbar, B&B Winepub, El Toro Blanco and Bowery Meat Company in New York City, and Lure Fishbar in South Beach, Miami.

Capon’s interest in the culinary arts was cultivated from an early age with memories of home-cooked meals at family gatherings and various jobs held in the food service industry.

While attending college at the University of Maryland, he spent his free time preparing meals for eager friends and fraternity brothers. Capon followed his passion for cooking and transferred to Johnson & Wales University. While in culinary school, Charlie Palmer selected Capon as the culinary “extern” at Aureole, Palmer’s acclaimed Manhattan restaurant.

After graduating in 1994, Capon accepted an offer from Palmer to assist in the opening of The Lenox Room. From there, he went on to work for David Burke at the Park Avenue Café, where he was offered an exchange opportunity to work in Europe. He spent the next year honing his cooking skills in seven different restaurants throughout France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

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GUACAMOLE Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

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TACOS Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

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Drawing upon his epicurean experiences abroad back in New York, Capon became the sous chef at The St. Regis Hotel’s Astor Court under Chef Gray Kunz in 1997. While reconnecting with Charlie Palmer, he was named executive chef of Alva, Palmer’s American bistro. Capon left Alva in 1999 to work for Matthew Kenney as the executive chef for Matthew’s. Kenney then tapped Capon for Canteen where he served as executive chef for three years.

TUNA CEVICE Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

In 2004, Capon became the executive chef of Lure Fishbar, a sophisticated seafood restaurant with a standout sushi bar owned by John McDonald and Joshua Pickard. In 2010, McDonald and Pickard asked him to be a partner at their newest restaurant, B&B Winepub. At B&B, Capon serves a satisfying menu of classic dishes as well as inventive takes on favorites for the upscale American wine pub, also in SoHo.

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EL TORO BLANCO

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In 2012, Capon brought a fresh approach to Mexican cuisine with the opening of El Toro Blanco.

The restaurant, in New York City’s West Village, is John McDonald’s first outside SoHo. El Toro Blanco is a festive yet refined Mexican restaurant where guests can sit at the 10-seat tequila bar and sip from an extensive list of more than 100 labels or saddle up to the guacamole bar and choose from a selection of custom, made-to-order creations.

Collaborating with Scott Linquist (Border Grill, Dos Cominos) for the pan-Mexican menu with an emphasis on seasonal grilled items. Signature dishes include pesacado yucateco, a market whole fish steamed in a banana leaf and served with aromatic vegetables, achiote, habanero pickled onions and warm tortillas, and carnitas michoacan, crispy confit of niman pork shoulder with refried pinto beans, warm tortillas and the El Toro Blanco salsa trio: chile de arbol chimichurri, overnight tomato salsita and tomatillo pico de gallo.

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GREEN CHILE QUESO FUNDIDO Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

MEXICAN STEAK ALAMBRE Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

ROSARITO STYLE GRILLED HALF LOBSTER Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

CHILAQUILES CON HUEVOS Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

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BUTTERMILK PANCAKES Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

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Following the success of their New York ventures, the team opened a Miami outpost of their lauded Soho seafood restaurant at the historic St. Moritz hotel in 2013. The group next opened Bowery Meat Company, their ode to all-things meat in the East Village, which received two stars from The New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells in spring 2015.

In June 2014, Capon starred in Spike TV’s cooking competition show, Frankenfood. Capon is the sixtime winner of the People’s Choice award at the New York City Wine & Food Festival and South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Burger Bash event for his “Bash-Style” burger, a juicy patty topped with American cheese, pickles, caramelized onion and bacon jam. He has appeared on numerous television shows including The Chew, Rachael Ray Show, Live with Regis and Kelly, CBS Early Show, TODAY and Food Network and has been featured in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Time Out New York and other media outlets. Capon is also involved with charitable work including Wellness In The Schools, a non-profit organization dedicated to making school food healthy.

SONORAN CHEESE CRISP Photo © Jackie Gebel for El Toro Blanco

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Alessandro Pavoni Brescian-born chef Alessandro Pavoni blasted into Sydney’s dining scene in 2009 with his first restaurant venture, northern Italian gem Ormeggio at the Spit.

He brings with him a passion for food that developed at the age of 10 when he sampled a three kilogram stuffed hen his grandmother cooked. In a heroic feat, he managed to eat it all by himself. His mouth still waters when he thinks of it and experiences such as these helped inspire him to undertake training at the Art, Science and Technological Centre of Food in Brescia and the Caterina de Medici Hospitality School.

Alessandro began his career in Brescia, in Italy’s north, working at Carlo Magno with the famous Iginio Massari and Giuseppe Maffioli.

After working in various Michelin starred venues such as La Rotonde in France and the two Michelin-starred Villa Fiordaliso on Lake Garda, Alessandro broadened his culinary horizons working in Bermuda at the famous Restaurant Lido before moving to Sydney permanently in 2003. He assumed the role of Executive Chef at Park Hyatt 2005, managing a team of over 30 chefs before finally realizing his dream of opening his own restaurant at the Spit, Mosman in 2009.

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Ormeggio at the Spit was a most welcome addition to the North Shore dining scene and was quickly recognized as one of Sydney’s premier waterside dining destinations. It was awarded a coveted Chef Hat in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide after only 9 months, had two Glasses awarded by Gourmet Traveller to its unique wine list, and is also listed in Gourmet Traveller’s Top 100 and The Australian’s Top 50 Australian restaurants. It maintains these accolades today with the addition of a second Chef Hat, which was awarded in 2012.

Contemporary flavours, techniques and textures are the focus at Ormeggio, with Alessandro exploring for himself the current Northern Italian offerings. Crave International Food Festival 2012 notes that Alessandro is “one of the few Australian chefs exploring the cutting-edge of contemporary Italian cuisine.”

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“The look and feel of Ormeggio is naturally nautical and coastal – with great quality produce and contemporary Italian flavours. We utilize a lot of local organic and biodynamic meats and vegetables and are constantly searching for quality and uniqueness. Given our striking location and dockside setting at D’Albora Marina, and the influence taken from the lakes region of Northern Italy, we also do a lot of beautiful seafood. Our aim is to provide a contemporary Italian dining experience in an exclusive Australian setting.”

As well as this passion for modern and unique cuisine, Alessandro is passionate about safeguarding Italian culinary culture and is the Vice-President of CIRA, the Council of Italian Restaurants in Australia - a group of Sydney Italian restaurateurs proud of their heritage and committed to this cause. He is proud of his northern Italian traditions and loves to share his knowledge and experiences with his guests.

“I love to embrace traditional recipes that have been handed down through the families of my region, and in particular my grandmother, who was a tremendous cook.”

In 2015 “A Lombardian Cookbook” was released, showcasing the traditional recipes and flavours of Alessandro’s Italian home.

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SMOKED RISOTTO “AL SALTO”, RED CAPSICUM PUREE, PAPRIKA, BONITO

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Alessandro cares deeply about helping and educating others and sees this as a central part of his role of Chef and Restaurateur. He regularly delivers cooking classes around Sydney in such locations as Sydney Seafood School, through CIRA’s program at Casa Barilla in Annandale and Accoutrement in Mosman, and hosts tours of the northern regions of Italy.

In 2013 he joined forces with Bill Drakopoulos, the respected Sydney restaurateur of the Sydney Restaurant Group. As well as overseeing the kitchen operations of Bill’s Ripples chain and Aqua Dining Restaurant, Bill and Alessandro made a conscious decision to develop young talent in their business operations. In 2014 he and Bill, together with the Ormeggio Head Chef Victor Moya and Pastry Chef Laura Ballester, opened ‘Ormeggio Bakery’ in Mosman. Victor, Bill and Alessandro followed this with ‘Chiosco by Ormeggio’, a casual seaside Italian trattoria in Mosman. Alessandro and Bill also joined forces with then Ormeggio Sous-Chef, Alex Keene, to open ‘Via Alta’, an Italian trattoria in Willoughby. This development and nurturing of young talent and enthusiasm, together with offering opportunity to the ‘next generation’ is something that Alessandro believes very strongly in.

ORMEGGIO

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Located in the heart of DIFC, INTERSECT BY LEXUS, goes beyond your normal eatery, as it exudes creativity, from the impeccable décor to the unique design, and the artisanal cuisine to follows in these artistic and innovative footsteps.

OCTOPUS

a culinary journey that is good for the body and the soul...

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The focus behind the cuisine is the quality of the ingredients. Everything on the plate has a purpose and provides an original flavor which results in an exciting and soothing taste - both healthy and delicious. Thus the essence of ‘Feel Good Food’ is to leave guests feeling good both mentally and physically. By making ethical choices when selecting ingredients, the result is not only in the freshest and best flavors, but also why the ‘Feel Good Food’ cuisine is good for the body and the soul.

The food concept is rooted deeply in the connection between cooking and ingredients, as each ingredient has been hand selected and perfectly paired to produce the richest flavors, freshest tastes and healthiest outcome. The unconventional dishes include Beet and Barley risotto, Chilean seabass with yuzu glazed turnips or Slow cooked beef short ribs with celeriac puree.

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TOFU

SALMON

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BEEF RIB

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When you order a steak for example, it is not just a steak. It is an entire meal where each aspect has been included purposefully, and each flavor is made with intent, giving dishes delicate details and an array of complimenting flavors.

an artisanal eatery offers an authentic and progressive culinary journey with a focus on pure, handcrafted cuisine...

Most ingredients are sourced from organic and sustainable produces that value fair-trade, and quality over all when possible. This creates a significant relationship between the chef, the source, the ingredients, and the final dish. In line with Lexus’ philosophy surrounding immaculate craftsmanship, every ingredient featured in the menu is carefully handpicked, including the organic coffee and wine selection.

The bespoke menu at INTERSECT BY LEXUS is diverse but remains cohesive, giving guests a vibrant culinary experience that is full of creativity and authenticity.

The use of traditional cooking techniques with a modern twist, gives the ability to get the most out of his ingredients, and create unique dishes while maintaining consistency in the flavours.

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BURRATA

indulging in a deliciously contemporary flavorful feast...

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INTERSECT BY LEXUS kicks off the holiday cheer with a bespoke festive menu that will be available daily throughout the month of December, with three special events at the centerfold including a pre-Christmas brunch, Christmas Eve dinner and a Christmas day brunch.

Guests can enjoy either three or four delicious courses, full of brand new dishes crafted especially for the holidays. This gastronomical take on the festive classic cuisine include starters like Pan Seared Scallops with Brussel Sprout PurĂŠe, Pomegranate and Pancetta or the sous vide Turkey Breast with Smoked Parsnip PurĂŠe, Asparagus and Turkey Stuffing wrapped in Savoy Cabbage. Following the same principle of contemporary festive food is the dessert menu with original options like Glazed Cranberry Cake with Eggnog Espuma!

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SCALOP

TURKEY

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BRIAN LOIACONO

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Brian Loiacono

Transforms ACME into a Contemporary Bistro...

Photo ©Mirella Cheeseman

Loiacono grew up in Long Island in a large Italian family in which boisterous cooking and eating together were integral practices. Work in local Long Island kitchens during high school spurred him to push his limits, and at age 19, Loiacono began a stage at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Chef Raymond Blanc’s two Michelin-starred restaurant in Oxfordshire, England. Loiacono credits this experience with “the ass kicking he needed” as a base for his career, one that spurred him to pursue his craft.

Back in New York City, an evening assisting chef Kirk Avondoglio at a City Harvest event led to a career-shifting encounter. Post event Avondoglio and Loiacono went to Daniel Boulud’s three Michelin-starred flagship, DANIEL, where Loiacono was introduced to chef Boulud himself, who would soon be his employer. In 2007, at age 19, Loiacono began working as a cook at DANIEL. In 2008, when Boulud opened Bar Boulud, Loiacono joined the opening team under executive chef Damian Sansonetti, and remained there for the restaurant’s first two and a half years. In 2011, at age 23, Loiacono returned to DANIEL and soon became sous chef.

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BRIAN LOIACONO

Loiacono once again wanted a change and landed in Verona, Italy at Ristorante Perbellini in 2013, the new restaurant by two-Michelin star recipient Giancarlo Perbellini, for a short stage.

Within a week of his return to the US, Brian joined The Smile team as executive chef at Ruschmeyer’s for its first summer. Word of Loiacono’s return stateside got back to his former boss and mentor, chef Boulud, who asked him to come back to the DB family. At age 25, Loiacono became db Bistro Moderne’s executive chef and remained there until July 2015, a time during which Brian was recognized a New York City culinary leader in Zagat’s “30 Under 30” ranking.

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BRIAN LOIACONO

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In late 2015, Loiacono teamed up with ACME’s owners Jean-Marc Houmard, Jon Neidich and Huy Chi Le, is now open after undergoing a culinary transformation led by new executive chef and partner Brian Loiacono. Re-introducing ACME as a contemporary bistro, Loiacono combines his Italian-American upbringing with his classic French training to create a seasonal neighborhood restaurant that showcases a variety of flavors and techniques, yet is quintessentially New York. “We were looking for a chef that could create a menu that we’d want to order from every night,” says Neidich. “When we met Brian, we instantly knew he was our guy. His food is that great mix of soulful and satisfying, and it fits what we’re trying to do at ACME perfectly.”

The interior vibe receives a new life via new artwork, curated by Neidich. The collection of contemporary art highlights work from celebrated artists like Julian Schnabel, Chuck Close, Alex Katz and more.

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KAPRIZ

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Whet your appetite with Kapriz Text Gigi Martin

Tapas can mean a lot of thing in different countries around the world. Tapas are a wide variety of appetizers or snacks in Spanish cuisine. These can be served cold (such as olives or cheese) or hot. In the Mediterranean Tapas or Mezze (Greek name for Tapas) has evolved into an entire sophisticated cuisine.

In many of the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea people order a combination of tapas to make a full meal. The serving of tapas is designed to encourage conversation, because people are not so focused upon eating an entire meal that is set before them. Kapriz a simplistic, casual dining, rustic yet charming restaurant presents an array of culinary fusion Tapas to tickle your taste buds. Located on the Baga creak at the Royal Goan Beach Club Hotel with riverside views of the scenic Baga River.

Kapriz represents a unique and charismatic fusion of culinary cultures with Indian flair and a fresh approach to dining. The menu offers several dynamic ‘Whet Plates’ which is to whet your appetite, served tapas style. Though they are named “Whet Plates”, the portion size is more than expected with innovative plate presentation. The trend at Kapriz is set for patrons to share the various mezze like starters, such as the amuse bouche, Kenny’s special Texas Chicken Wings, a twist on the Spanish patata bravas – jungle potatoes and much more.

Kapriz has brought back their popular Tuesday Tapas, where one can order a combination of tapas for a fixed rate per head.

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PRAWN SHOOTERS

What’s more, the Chef at Kapriz has introduced Fusion Fridays creating a whole new menu where Goan flavours are presented mezze style. There are such dishes as chorizo Somosa, Shark attack - tangy shark cubes served with Ambotik mayo, Vindaloo satay grilled chicken skewers with spicy peanut dipping sauce, Balchow & fig dip topped on cream cheese & served with crostini but to mentions a few. Chef Kenneth adds “We often get asked for Goan dishes, what better way to introduce them to our guest than our fusion tapas style menu yet at the same time offering them Goan flavours.”

The creative and innovative ‘Main Plate’ menu is also sure to enhance the dining experience with dishes from all around the Mediterranean belt. Kapriz has newly launched ‘Live Grill’. You can now order anything of the menu and watch it being cooked right there in the restaurant to order in the live kitchen. The Grill is set into the wall, with a blackboard detailing the specials or the catch of the day. One can have your fill of delicious barbequed chicken, volcano ribs, steaks, sautéed prawns and lots more. You can enjoy your scrumptious meal whilst listening to all your favourite songs from 60’s, 70’s and 80’s with live music performance by Desmond Taylor, every Tuesday & Thursday.

If you are lucky at the end of the night you may hear the Chef himself sing a song or two from the brat pack era, popularly known as the “Singing Chef” Chef Kenneth offers an amazing night to enthrall and satiety all palates.

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QUESADILLA

Other than the lunch and dinner fare the breakfast at Kapriz are not be missed. They server an array of breakfasts to please everyone, from your Continental too Indian and one of the best traditional full English Breakfasts in Goa, comprising of Eggs, bacon, sausage, baked beans, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, jam & tea or coffe. However, this is not what they are truly famous for, it’s the Eggs Benedict, comprising of two perfectly poached eggs, ham severed on a baguette topped with a “to die for” hollandaise sauce, accompanied with home fries & fruit. For the vegetarian they can dish up the eggs on a bed of spinach instead of ham and by no means is this a poor brother to the ham, it is equally scrumptious.

However, as you are in Goa, then why not add a seafood twist to the Benedicts by adding Shrimp, avocado salsa on a baguette and boy does it not fail to delight. Kapriz does a “Benny Card”, a loyalty card for those who want to can keep coming back for more Benedicts like I do. For those who love their eggs, and can eat them in any form, there is a large verity to choose from, but as this is Kapriz, known as a fusion Tapas, they have also added on Frittata ...Italian style omelet enriched with peppers, ground beef, potatoes & cheese, topped with tomato sauce. One could also talk about their crispy bacon & hash brown quesadillas, cooked crisp & served with fried egg & salsa. So many variations that one is spoilt for choice.

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MAGAZINES

a feast for the palate...

CHOCOLATE SOUP FUNKY GOURMET - ATHENS

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