Foodle

Chef Niitome’s plays in his own league when it comes to tempura. (And his raw fish appetiser are of high end sushi quality).
His place in Nagoya became rapidly a pilgrimage for people all over Japan and the world for his marathon tempura session. Be prepared to start at 18:00 but not leave after well beyond 22:00. But this is not because of a super slow pace or an abundance of food, no the tempo is well paced and even though you have about 20+ course of deep fried food you feel stuffed to the hilt.
His batter which he prepares every few course afresh is made our of 1 egg with special local water and his own flower combination which he keep in the freezer. Whatever this freezing does to the batter, the result is just stunning. Light, but airy, tasty but not dominating to the ingredient he is frying. One can taste the oil but it does not become overpowering or during the course of this long meal a common thread so you think everything tastes the same.
From time to time, one encounters a place or person, where something which is quite normal simply gets elevated to something very special. Niitome in Nagoya is such a place. Less

Great pop up dinner by Mauro Collagreco and his team at the NH Hotel in Madrid
At this pop up dinner occasion a menu called the “Roots” was served with 3 welcome tapas, 13 courses, amuse bouche and wine pairing. Each course appeared with elegant plating composition, exciting textures and perfect timing with the selected wines.
Probably the technology of the Mirazur dishes were a bit too complicated for the kitchen facility of NH Eurobuilding. But despite of the challenging circumstances we have sampled fantastic dishes. The Mirazur in Menton is an incredible chef driven restaurant with excellent cuisine and an extraordinary culinary experience.
Lovely service all along, with an enthusiastic team who even on the last day of service were performing 10 out of 10. We are looking forward to our next trip to the french riviera. Less