No Bull

Posted on May 19, 2012 by

A couple of nights ago we had Roast Beef for supper – The Fore Rib of the animal I had cooked came from a Bull called Unexpected that had lived for 4 years and 7 months just 1 km down the road from where we live. Helene & Heini Keller farm Galloway Cattle on their small Swiss farm. They produce Slow Food Beef. About four years ago they acquired “Unex” (as they nicked named him) for breeding purposes. His full name was “Unexpected from the North Wind”. He was bred on a farm in Nordfriesland in Northern Germany and was called Unexpected because his breeders thought he would be Black & White and not Red & White as you can see from his photo below.

Most animals with names are not destined for the Butchers Block and we don’t think about eating them. For me knowing an animal by a name makes the relationship with it more personal. It gets treated better – like say for instance a Cow that is milked. We should eat these animals, too, when their milking days are over – exactly like with a chicken that has stopped laying eggs. Unex’s days were numbered because he was a dreamer & not a lover! He did not perform when he lived, so he ended up on our plate, and that’s how we respected his life. I am now looking forward to Roast Beef, Rocket & Parmesan Salad and Roast Beef & Horseradish Sandwiches….Check out that colour! (Click on a photo to start slideshow)

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Le Chateaubriand & The Worlds 100 Best Restaurants.

Posted on May 8, 2012 by

Le Chateaubriand

We ate at Le Chateaubriand on April 14th 2012. Originally I was not going to make a post about it here. What can I say? We were disappointed. I had no preconception about Le Chateaubriand & wanted to go and see what all the fuss was about – five courses for 55€. 2 things I remember most – Asparagus that was stone cold and very “fridgey”  & luke warm to being cold undercooked Cod which the waiter told me “was supposed to be like that”: really?? I asked him if Inaki Aizpitarte was there? His reply “He is in Hong Kong with his Sous Chef” sums it up I reckon -

I wonder if he cares at all? I could see that I had made a mistake in deciding to reserve a table at Le Chateaubriand and that I should have used this evening to eat at Septime which is now a new entry at number 87 in the “The Worlds 100 Best Restaurants” list. When we left we walked past the long queue of waiting diners. I then realised that Le Chateaubriand was just like a Hard Rock Café with no Rock Stars. There is always a lot of talk about the Michelin guide getting it wrong with awarding stars, but this time I felt it was “The Worlds 100 Best Restaurants” who have got it wrong and insist Le Chateaubriand is number 15.

The Worlds 100 Best Restaurants 2012

OK, so I was wrong about number 1 moving back to Spain, but it will happen sooner rather than later. Congrats of course to Noma. As for David Toutain from Agapé Substance making it into the Top 100, I was wrong about that too, but he has only been open for 8 months – so watch this space/place. Le Chateaubriand still in the Top 20 is a joke in my opinion. I would rather Jamie Oliver take the place – maybe Inaki would too judging from the live streaming on April 30th!

Barbot (18) & Passard (16) stay where they should. I am happy to have reserved a table at number 34 Fäviken before this year’s announcements when it was number 71! Magnus Nilsson has worked for both Passard & Barbot – what a surprise!  (July will be my first time to Sweden & the furthest north I have been!) The Swiss have kept their chins up with Andreas Caminada at number 30 & Daniel Humm at number 10 Eleven Madison Park, Humm’s restaurant is on my list of places to go to in New York! – Dinner at number 9? I’m not sure, but the Brits have done alright in “The Worlds 100 Best Restaurants” which is what I think the list should be called!

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Bellinzona

Posted on April 29, 2012 by

This weekend we are staying in a mate’s Rustico 40 minutes up the road from Bellinzona in the Blenio valley. Bellinzona is not the most famous town in the one and only Italian speaking Canton of Ticino, Switzerland, but has fast become my favorite! Yesterday (Saturday 28th April 2012) we decided that we would visit Bellinzona. It was easy to find a park in the center of the old town and we were soon walking through the market. We stopped for coffee at one of its many cafés where people were sitting outside as the temperature was in the high 20′s! My espresso only cost 2.30 CHF – try finding that price in Zurigo! The market was great and we found some organic produce for our supper. We had lunch in the Pizzeria Giardino, Via Orico 1 – kids pizza is only 10 CHF each! All our pizzas were great and were cooked in a wood fired oven. Via Orico also has a one starred Michelin restaurant – maybe next time ;-) . Of course we had to have gelato on the way back to the car! Bellinzona has three castles & is a World Heritage Site. We love Bellinzona and will return soon! (Click on a thumbnail to start slide show)

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David Toutain – Agapé Substance

Posted on April 26, 2012 by

It’s hard to find the door of Agapé Substance, but when you do and pass through it, open your mind to the world of David Toutain & Laurent Lapaire and you won’t be disappointed. Agapé Substance only has one room. The main table which seats 18 people is at the same height as a the kitchen worktop which it is attached to. This takes the concept of the “Chef’s Table” to a whole new level. Another table for two at worktop height sits directly behind Toutain’s work area. This is where we sat – at the infamous table 00. (See video) I already had the feeling that Friday April 13th 2012 was not going to be an unlucky evening.

There is no menu. I can imagine Toutain receiving the morning deliveries and only then thinking about what he will create for lunch and dinner. He does have his “Signature Dishes”, but I don’t think that’s his style – Toutain has a gift and knows instinctively what goes with what and he wants to surprise you. We were passed an iPad that had the wine list on it. After Laurent’s recommendation we ordered an Organic Pouilly Fume from Alexandre Bain (Check out his website – he even uses horses instead of tractors!)

During the evening I noticed that some guests were receiving different courses than we were. I asked David why and he said that it made people sitting together talk to each other about what they were eating. It’s like Lapaire & Toutain want you to feel that you are one big family for that “lunch” or “dinner” you are eating at Agapé Substance. I like that because in general we should eat together more as a family even in our own homes.

Agapé Substance has only been open for 8 months. David has achieved 3 Hats in the 2012 Gault & Millau. The 2012 Michelin Guide however gives him a mere mention – I wonder sometimes when those guys from Michelin are going to arrive into the 21st century? They are always so slow to recognise new talent even when it is right in front of them. As for the Top 100? I would be surprised if Agapé Substance does not enter the list this Monday.

“Step by step” is what David Toutain said to me when we were chatting after we had finished eating. He was referring to how he moves forward with his obvious passion. It was not by chance by the way that we were at Agapé Substance – When we were at Arnsbourg in February this year, Jean George Klein’s sister Cathy told us we must eat there – she was not wrong. Thankfully at the end of the evening Laurent printed a list of what we had to eat, so that I could remember everything – see photos below. I encourage anyone who is interested in imaginative, seasonal & original food to try David Toutain’s kitchen. Paris is one hell of a lucky city to have Agapé Substance. I hope to return soon. (Click on a thumbnail to start slideshow)

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Alain Passard – Arpège

Posted on April 24, 2012 by

I was starting to wonder which “New Kid” on the block hadn’t passed through Alain Passard’s kitchen? So I had to go and have lunch at Arpège. Passard dropped red meat from his menu in 2001 – one of the reasons being mad cow decease (BSE). I also suspect he wanted a new challenge. He now has three gardens that supply his restaurant with all of its vegetables. The vegetables are grown completely organically and even the use of machines is forbidden. The only help the gardeners receive is the use of a draught horse to help till the soil. Even vegetable waste from the restaurant goes back to the gardens – I like that!

Friday April 13th 2012 was a beautiful spring day in Paris. We walked past the Musée Rodin’s entrance and soon after entered a small, light filled room, already bustling with activity and were shown to our corner table. We chose the L’éveil des Jardins menu (The awakening of the Gardens) & were asked if we would like a course of fish or pork to be served with it. So I took the pork & Karin the fish. Passard is far from being a vegetarian as people sometimes make the mistake of thinking.

Giovanni, an Italian who amazingly had served us once in a restaurant in Rome in 2009 (what were the chances?!) took our wine order which was an Organic Jasniers “Les Rosiers” 09 Bellivière. Finally I could start to see a pattern emerging with organic wine on wine lists in French restaurants, but you have to ask what is Organic or even Biodynamic.

Lunch was good and there was a lot of “theater” – Alain Passard who has three Michelin stars, five hats in the Gault & Millau and is currently number 19 in the Top 100 has passed his passion for ingredients and cooking on to his disciples “the new kids on the block” & we must thank him for this. I would love to meet him one day and take a walk with him through one of his gardens. (Click on a thumbnail to start slideshow)

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Pascal Barbot – Astrance

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

I rang Astrance in Paris at 10am on March 15th, exactly 4 weeks before I wanted to eat there – the phone was busy! After 20 minutes of redialling I finally got through. Now I just had to get a table for two on April 12th @ 8pm – they had one and it was like winning the lottery! They asked for my credit card details & that we should ring and confirm the day before. So I had a table at number 13 out of the world’s best 100 restaurants – Astrance also has three Michelin stars & gets a mention in the Gault & Millau guide! We arrived 10 minutes early and Olivier suggested that we go for a walk after inquiring whether or not we were lovers! On our return we were taken to the “lovers” table. We had an interesting conversation with Alexandre about organic wine and ordered a bottle of Cotes du Jura Chardonnay 2009 which was indeed organic & good. Now it was down to the serious business of sampling Pascal Barbot’s cooking and the hospitality of his partner at Astrance, Christophe Rohat. There is no menu and we were asked if we were allergic to anything. My old joke about bad service & food was told! We were here to enjoy ourselves, so not many photos or notes were taken. This is what I remember:

Green Apple – Rosemary Cream – Asparagus Soup & Curry Foam – Paris Mushrooms & Foie Gras – Oyster, Scallop & Bone Marrow – Asparagus, Cumin & Orange – John Dory – Mackerel, Buck Wheat Seeds & Smoked Anchovy – Pork Belly & Chorizo – Lamb, Aubergine & Liquorice – Potato Foam & Vanilla Ice Cream – Chilli, Lemon Grass & Ginger Ice Cream – Jasmine Egg Nog.

Barbot who is from Vichy in Central France is a seasonal chef who loves to work with under-used ingredients such as Pork Belly & Mackerel – Rohat runs a tight ship on the FOH floor. After supper we met the very jovial Barbot in his small kitchen & Karin helped the very approachable Rohat fold table cloths before our taxi arrived. Both have worked for Alain Passard at Arpège where we had a table booked for lunch the next day, which will be the subject of my next post. Astrance should be on your list of restaurants to go to – these guys have all the boxes ticked. (Click on a thumbnail to start slideshow)

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Paris

Posted on April 19, 2012 by

The first time I went to Paris was in the summer of 1992. Then my friends Peter & John (now owners of the Riverstation in Bristol) took me on a road trip through France in Autumn 1994. We stopped in Paris to have lunch at the famous Restaurant Chartier.  This is when I really fell in love with the city. Karin & myself first went together in 1999 & have been going back every 2 or 3 years or so. It was in Paris where Karin went to a live Rugby game for the first time. The All Blacks & France were in town – the All Blacks won that time convincingly, but I must say that France is my second favourite Rugby team. Karin was very pleased that Dan Carter was playing! Our last trip to Paris was to celebrate Karin’s 40th birthday! In the following posts you will see that we have moved on from the famous Restaurant Chartier. Photos below span the last 20 or so years of me visiting Paris. (Click on a thumbnail to start slideshow)

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