Foodle

Let’s talk about what you need to be looking for in the kitchen.

If you spot one of these big burly machines in the back, that means they make their noodles in house. Some places leave some flour sitting around too, and the floor gets a bit powdery, which I think is just the most atmospheric choice. These machines aren’t cheap, with many shops outsourcing noodle production for cost and convenience. So when you see an actual machine in the kitchen, you know you’re getting something totally unique.

Menya Mikan is just ten minutes from Shibuya, and is a great spot for fresh noodles. They also do a nice job of rebelling against the stereotype that soy sauce based ramen lacks the body and depth of thicker counterparts. This is a hearty bowl! Less

Even though America consumes the third-highest amount of beef in the world (Argentina and Brazil top the charts), most people cringe at the thought of eating the phallic looking cow tongue.

Japan imports over 250,000 metric tons of American beef annually. That’s like 25 Eiffel towers of beef. Or 1.5 MILLION cars. But if you go to the town of Sendai, you can eat bonafide domestic Japanese beef in the form of cow tongue, the pride and joy of the city.

Cow tongue, or “gyutan” in Japanese, took off after World War II. The tongue was less expensive, and some of the pioneer chefs used it as an opportunity to distinguish themselves during a time of crisis.

Nowadays, the pink slabs of tongue have a hefty price tag, and I gotta say, those grill marks and the saltiness of the ramen make for a pretty sumptuous feast.

You can find gyutan ramen at “Zenjiro - Itsutsubashi-yokocho Branch annex” which is about three minutes south of Sendai station. And get some fresh slabs to take back to your hotel as a souvenir. Less

🇫🇷 Reporting from l’Arpège two weeks after the full vegan reset (except for honey 🍯) - Very bold move from Alain Passard (who turned 69 last Monday) : « I’m so excited for this new chapter, I have 20 more years of cuisine ahead of me! » (stark contrast with Bernard Pacaud, 77, who retired last Saturday).

He got rid of his iconic dishes (maple egg, bouquet de roses’ apple tart etc) and most plastic in his kitchen including his iconic white gloves he’s been using to cook. I asked him why he did it: « I got bored and tired. Now I’m full of joy and energy. Dead animal flesh and butter were becoming a turn-off to me. The idea is straight vegetables. No emulsifiers, no magic powders (« pas de poudre de perlimpinpin »), no gimmicks. I want a cooking where your tummy (« bidou ») feels good. You feel great and light after. But give me two years. Two winters and two springs. And in two years I’ll be fully there. Right now we are experimenting and it’s so exciting. ».

And it was already very delicious in the peak of August tomatoes. He made my heart sing with this new dish : a white ratatouille (white zucchini, tomato and eggplant with garlic and onion slowly confit for 2.5 hours on a bed of confit apple). Lovely hummus with a heart of peach. That consommé warmed my soul. And for mignardises, a sweet tomato juice and a dehydrated Verveine leaf with cacao on top. Alain is back in the kitchen working hard. And when he’s at that level, hardly anyone can beat him.

The lunch menu:
Gaspacho du frérot à l’harissa
Houmous amour
Courgette coquette
Sushi fantaisie au vinaigre de riz
Consommé du soleil
P’tit farci du potager
Salade céladon
La pomme d’amour
Nage de verveine aux fruits du verger
Tarte émeraude, reine-claude & basilic

Bravo Alain, the next two years will be incredible. And I can’t wait for the next 20! 🍏🍓🫛🌶️🍅🫐🍆🍉🥬🥕🧅 Less

🇩🇰 Kødbyens Fiskebar, Copenhagen. Maybe the dream neighborhood restaurant. Created in 2009 by Anders Selmer @andersselmer_fiskebaron (former NOMA Sommelier and manager). Sit at the bar. Enjoy the fantastic wine and non-alc list. And then delve into the perfectly simple and seasonal menu. All local. Seafood fish cheese all wonderful. And that CELADON BUTTER (slide 3!). We need more places like this. 🦐 🦪 🐟 🍞 🍷 @fiskebaren Less

🇫🇷 Marseille, Maison Journo - such a fantastic simple, delicious, soulful address. David took over the place his grandfather Roger opened in the 1960s and did the best he could : not change anything. The sandwiches. The fresh pastries. The lemonade. The stews during the winter. The orgeat syrup (almonds/water/sugar) with a pastry to dip in. In Marseille that is rapidly being taken over by hip places, this Tunisian-Jewish spot is heaven. Oh and of course they don’t have Instagram. Less

🇸🇪 VYN, Sweden - opened by chef Daniel Berlin 2 years ago, VYN was one of the highlights of my life. By the seaside, Daniel opened this 15 rooms hotel, with an already 2 Michelin stars restaurant. There’s no doubt he’s one of the greatest chefs alive. Elegant and humble. Precise and kind. His food is so moving. Sometimes words are not necessary so book your way to the south of Sweden (through Copenhagen) and thank me later (but truly, thank him and his team.) we had this special “bird” game dinner concepted by the facetious Carsten Holler and it was simply unforgettable. Less