Jean-Benoit Geeraert

A couple of weeks ago, we traveled to Mumbai — a city full of energy, creativity, warmth, and one of the most exciting food scenes we’ve experienced in a long time. One of the absolute highlights of the trip was meeting the people helping shape a new generation of Indian dining.

Our first fine dining stop was Papa’s — an intimate 12-seat chef’s counter tucked away above Veronica’s bakery in Bandra. From the outside, you would never expect what’s happening upstairs. But once the evening begins, you quickly realize this is far more than just dinner.

Papa’s was created by the team behind The Bombay Canteen, Veronica’s, and Bombay Sweet Shop — led by Chef Hussain Shahzad together with founders Sameer Seth and Yash Bhanage with his wife Nikoulina Berg. What they are building in Mumbai feels incredibly special: restaurants that are modern and ambitious, while staying deeply connected to Indian flavors, traditions, and stories.

The restaurant is also a tribute to the late Floyd Cardoz — a chef, mentor, and huge inspiration to the team. His influence can still be felt throughout the entire experience.

What made the evening even more meaningful for us was that the night before, Chef Hussain had welcomed us into his home and cooked some of the dishes he personally grew up with. Then, at Papa’s, we experienced refined and playful fine dining interpretations of those same flavors and memories. You could feel the emotion behind every course.

Everyone gathers around one counter while the team cooks, serves, explains dishes, and shares stories throughout the evening. Madhu, the general manager, also played a huge part in the experience with incredible hospitality and beautifully curated pairings that elevated every dish even further.

And the food… unforgettable.
Indian flavors presented with creativity, precision, and confidence — without ever losing their soul.

What stayed with me most about Mumbai was this energy: people creating things with passion, pride, and a real vision for what Indian cuisine can become. Only love!!!! Less

Suspended between sky and sea on the volcanic cliffs of Santorini, @elementssantorini (at @canavesepitome) unfolds as a refined celebration of nature, artistry, and haute cuisine. More than a destination for fine dining, it is a sensory journey guided by Executive Chef Tasos Stefatos. Article via link in bio! #santorini #canavesepitome #canavescollection #elementssantorini Less

Visiting Restaurant JAN, where Chef @janhartwig_official shapes a magnificent ⭐️⭐️⭐️ cuisine rooted in almost entirely local German products 🇩🇪. His cooking feels both precise and deeply personal, elevating familiar ingredients into something refined and expressive. Always present at the line of his open kitchen, he guides each service with focus and intent, creating an experience that is as transparent as it is exceptional. #janhartwig #restaurantjan #threemichelinstars #finedining #munich Less

At @essenz_edipsigl, located within @dasachental, @edip_sigl_official presents a cuisine rooted in clarity and intention. Centred around the essence of each ingredient, his cooking strips away the unnecessary to reveal depth, precision, and quiet power, often shaped through the use of heat and fire. A three-star experience defined not by excess, but by purity and control, where every element feels exact and meaningful. Article coming soon!
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#essenzedipsigl #essenz #dasachental #edipsigl #threemichelinstars Less

At Tohru in der Schreiberei, set within a historic setting in the heart of Munich, Tohru Nakamura developed his own distinct sense of cooking, blending Japanese precision with European depth. Each course unfolds with quiet elegance and intention, flavours layered yet restrained, every detail carefully considered, creating an experience that lingers well beyond the table. Article coming soon! #tohruinderschreiberei #tohrunakamura #finedining Less

Top 10 of 2025! At number 1!

‘LOUISE’ by Jan Hartwig

At Restaurant JAN in Munich, Chef Jan Hartwig has a way of turning stories into culinary moments — and none moved me more than his dish “Louise.”

The name carries meaning: it’s called Louise because it was the first dish he created after the birth of his daughter. That sense of new life, tenderness and emotion somehow finds its way onto the plate.

The composition is deceptively simple:
oxtail reduction, crème cru, sea urchin, and N25 caviar (Special Jan Collection).

It’s not the most elaborate dish — but for me, it’s the one that defined 2025. The flavors hit like a total flavor bomb: deep, savory intensity from the oxtail, the silkiness of crème cru, the oceanic sweetness of the sea urchin, and the pristine salinity of the caviar.

All incredibly powerful ingredients — yet blended with such delicacy that they form a beautiful symbiosis rather than competing with one another.

And then there’s the story. Knowing it was created at such a meaningful moment in Hartwig’s life made it even more special — and the fact that it kicked off my best meal of the year sealed it as my clear number one.

A dish that’s not only delicious, but deeply human!

📷 : @steffensinzinger

Michelin Guide : ⭐️⭐️⭐️
. G&M : 19/20
.⁣ OAD top 100 : 3 Less

Top 10 of 2025! At number 2!

The Carapace of Lobster

I spent a long time wavering over which dish deserved first place this year — yet one certainty kept resurfacing: the dish I found myself returning to most in 2025 was the Carapace de Homard at Arborescence. Visit after visit — and even a deliberate return just to relive it — I had the privilege of tasting Félix Robert’s creation more than once.

The Carapace of Lobster.

Blue lobster, gently cooked, meeting the brightness of blood orange and the herbal whisper of rau-ram, served alongside a deep, concentrated orange reduction, emulsified with butter drawn from roasted lobster heads.

The shell is imagined all over again — reconstructed with crystallized lobster jus and set back upon the lobster like a glistening suit of armor.

What arrives at the table feels almost poetic: layered, confident, and overflowing with flavor and imagination.

To me, this is a chef standing at the edge of a remarkable future. Precision, identity, and creativity shine through — and together with his wonderful wife, Nidta, they seem to have everything required to shape Arborescence into a true world destination! For now, I quietly enjoy the beauty of their relative anonymity. 😉

📷 : @florian_dmrg

.⁣Michelin Guide : ⭐️
.⁣ GaultMillau : 16/20
.⁣ OAD top 100 : soon!!!! Less

Top 10 of 2025, at number 3!

Dry-aged beet - North Sea crab - Imperial Heritage caviar and pistachio.

One of the most surprising — and truly memorable — discoveries of 2025 was Brut 172, where I experienced one of the meals of the year. Absolutely stunning.

The standout dish: the 70/30 dry-aged beet with North Sea crab, Imperial Heritage caviar, and pistachio.

A dish on the edge of the unbelievable.

It begins with paper-thin beet slices, shining with a deep vinaigrette. Above them rests a fragile, crackling beet shell, gently holding a tartare of dry-aged beet — concentrated, intense, almost “meaty” in its depth. Then comes the crown: a light salad of North Sea crab and apple, finished with shimmering Oscietra caviar, pistachio cream, and glistening halves of pistachio.

What fascinates me most is how the beet appears in so many forms — raw, crisp, aged, transformed. The dry-aged beet, with its rich, raisin-like complexity, meets the sweet generosity of the crab, while the caviar adds a briny, nut-tinged whisper. The pistachio — both whole and in cream — deepens and echoes that nutty warmth.

Everything is in harmony. Perfect balance, perfect flavor — a composition as captivating as it is unforgettable.

Michelin Guide : ⭐️⭐️
. G&M : 18,5/20
.⁣ OAD top 100 : 483 Less

Top 10 of 2025, at number 5!

Iced Amalfi & Caviar

This elegant creation by Konstantin Filippou begins with Iced Amalfi lemon, a bright, chilled expression of Italy’s famed citrus that immediately sets a tone of freshness and acidity on the plate. Balanced against this is rich caviar, its salty, oceanic pop adding luxurious depth and umami that cuts beautifully through the citrus spark.

A layer of fermented rice offers subtle sourness and creamy texture, bridging the gap between sharp citrus and sea-driven notes while providing a textural counterpoint. Complementing these is a hint of brown butter, lending its nutty, caramel-like warmth to round out the flavors without overpowering the dish’s delicate balance.

What truly elevates the experience is the foam — an airy, aromatic element built from a base of flatfish combined with rice vinegar and a thoughtfully curated spice blend of mustard seeds, tarragon, bay leaf, and coriander seeds.
Finally, cornflower is used as a delicate garnish

A complete dish in forms of layers, balance and identity! Truly beautiful and worth the trip to Vienna!

.⁣ Michelin Guide : ⭐️⭐️
. G&M : 19/20
.⁣ OAD top 100 : 52 Less

Top 10 of 2025, at number 6!

Potong’s Duck, Reimagined

At Potong, the duck arrives like a quiet revelation — not showy, but impossible to forget.

Fourteen days of careful dry-aging coax out deeper aromas, tightening the skin until it crackles at the lightest touch. The first bite is all contrast: glass-thin crispness giving way to tender, rosy meat, perfumed with gentle five-spice and the soft sweetness of rendered fat.

In true whole-duck spirit, different parts of the bird appear throughout the course — each treated with care — and the dish is rounded out with bright pickles, seasonal vegetables, eggplant, and small condiments that lift and balance the richness.

What makes it special isn’t only technique. It’s the sense of memory layered into every element — a respectful nod to tradition, refined with modern precision.

Potong’s duck isn’t just eaten.
It lingers long after the plate is cleared.

.⁣ Michelin Guide : ⭐️
. W50Best : 13 and World’s female chef of the year
.⁣ OAD top 100 : 33 Less