Foodle

Steak tartare, muy bien. Tartaleta de hongos con huevo pochado.

La Rotonde, el flamante restaurante del Hotel du Palais, en Biarritz, se convierte a la hora del almuerzo en un brasserie de lujo. Cocina correcta y reconocible que transita entre lo sencillo y lo sofisticado, con un producto escogido, en un entorno palaciego y con unas vistas fabulosas frente al Atlántico. Propuesta informal pero servicio, puesta en escena y precios de restaurante formal. @larotondebiarritz @hoteldupalais Less

Pollo de la Granja Saint Germain asado en la chimenea con su piel crujiente a la cebolla, magbígico. Terrina de babá borracho con pasas y crema ligera al Armagnac.

La Fermé Aux Grives es el guiño de la Maison Guerard a la cocina local de Las Landas: potente y sin disfraces, una culinaria de fuego, leña y herencia.

Un concepto brillante que marca un camino a seguir para los restaurantes de cocina tradicional: platos clásicos de aprovechamiento de la cocina francesa y carnes asadas en la chimenea, a la vista de la sala. Todo ello servido en raciones tremendamente generosas. Rusticidad y legado sin concesiones en un menú de tres platos a elegir entre una veintena de opciones por 60€.

Nivel alto en materias primas y cocina bien ejecutada sin perder de vista ese aire informal de mesón, al que contribuye un servicio joven que contagia su entusiasmo. No extraña verlo abarrotado de familias y amigos locales celebrando la gastronomía una noche cualquiera. Carta de vinos corta pero con posibilidad de encargar vinos del restaurante triestrellado. Brillante. Lujo asequible. @lespresdeugenie Less

There were truffles and caviar—staples of haute cuisine, supposedly meant to assure guests that no compromises were made in selecting the finest ingredients. But what I really enjoyed was the squash.
It was filled with tiny pork cracklings and pickled quince, and topped with thinly sliced almonds (raw?) - a perfect example of the thread of acidity that runs through most of the menu. And of the technical rigor and time that David Žefran puts into each dish.
“I’m very technical. Even though I’m self-taught”, he tells me.
“Everybody can just put a leaf on a plate and put a sauce and that’s it. And for me...it devalues it. I take pride in honing my craft. It’s really a simple dish, but all of those elements have five different ingredients that build complexity.”
David has an unusual background: no culinary school training, no more than five years’ experience in other restaurants—two of those in a burger house—and a brief two-month stint at Frantzén in Stockholm.
And yet, his restaurant in northern Slovenia got its first star a few months after opening in 2022, and a second one the following year.
“It was learning a lot about flavour combinations, learning about techniques, spices, things like that, broadening the knowledge about different cuisines, how to do this sauce, how to do that sauce, just trial and error, trial and error. But what I think that I have is that I know flavours.”
I tend to agree as I taste the pork head with crayfish and pickles in the tiny kitchen populated by several young chefs.
“How do you see yourself as a mentor?”, I ask.
“I like to tailor my approach to different people. I want to be kind with a person that needs that kindness and tough with a person that needs that toughness. And that means adjusting yourself quite a lot on a daily basis”.
Interesting approach, I thought to myself. But it must be a challenge.
“Leadership is actually a hard thing. To do it right, it’s really hard. Because you need to have yourself under control, like, in those moments, you know how it is, especially if you are a bit of a control freak, a bit of a perfectionist, and passionate.”
Indeed. But it seems to be working. Less

There is something of John Coltrane’s “It’s Easy to Remember” about the menu at Hiša Franko.
Something that gives the impression that everything flows effortlessly - that the menu unfolds, note after note, dish after dish - welcoming us, inviting us to let go, carried along by that melody.
The seduction begins with the extraordinary freshness of the plants that define the opening courses.
Biting into the bouquet of “Garden leaves,” tasting the contrast between the bitterness of raw radicchio leaf, the earthy depth of truffle, and the sweetness of egg yolk; picking up, with your hands, the kohlrabi and wild plants “taco,” feeling the pungency of horseradish.
There is something that imprints itself immediately. And lingers.
In the way the sommelier, in her uniform adorned with drawn flowers and plants, casually bends down to table level whenever she comes to explain the why behind the wine that follows.
In the pleasure of encountering again some of the house classics—the “Corn beignet” or “Potato and hay.” Or the indispensable “Trout the Queen.”
In the sweetness and acidity of the “Spring Harvest” salad. It is possible to shine with a salad.
In the tagliolini with (a lot of) saffron—delicious, with just the right amount of spiciness—followed by the “Cappelletti, saporito delle valli and tonka.”
There is something that flows with meaning. Naturally, without fanfare, without pretension. A mellow tone that binds the dishes together, without obscuring the identity of each one.
There is something that is hard to forget. Less

In 2025, Viceroy at Ombria Algarve and its Solelua shaped a series of unlikely encounters, the “Eclipse Dinner”, curated by @nelsonbmarques .

Tables conceived as spaces for sharing — ideas, produce, cultures and cuisines — always with the Algarve at the centre.

In one of those moments, @ppedroppintooo invited Michelin-starred @alexandresilvachef (Loco and Fogo), to create something beyond a four-hands dinner — a shared reading.

2026 is around the corner.
What comes next?
_

Em 2025, o Viceroy at Ombria Algarve e o seu Solelua foram desenhando uma sequência de encontros improváveis, os “Eclipse Dinner”, com curadoria de @nelsonbmarques

Mesas pensadas como pontos de partilha de ideias, produtos, diferentes culturas e cozinhas, sempre com o objetivo de prestigiar o Algarve.

Num desses momentos, @ppedroppintooo convidou o estrelado @alexandresilvachef para (Loco e Fogo), para mais do que um jantar a 4 mãos criarem uma leitura mútua.

2026 está aí.
O que vem a seguir? Less