Restaurants
- Neil Walker added a new meal Dinner at horvath, Berlin at Horváth
Dinner last week at two michelin star restaurant Horváth in Berlin. This was the last of the three restaurants that I had traveled to Berlin to try. With Ernst being the standout clear winner for me, Horváth comes in second though not a particularly strong second. This wasn’t a bad meal but some of the dishes really were not my cup of tea. I had... More
Dinner last week at two michelin star restaurant Horváth in Berlin. This was the last of the three restaurants that I had traveled to Berlin to try. With Ernst being the standout clear winner for me, Horváth comes in second though not a particularly strong second. This wasn’t a bad meal but some of the dishes really were not my cup of tea. I had extremely high hopes after the bread arrived with not only some great butter but also mashed potato with the skins of the potatoes roasted and crushed over the top. There was sourdough, a fried bread roll and a bread that had blood pudding through it. This was a bread course to rival my personal favourite at Frog in London. There Adam Handling serves his bread with butter topped with chopped up crisp chicken skin and a rich chicken jus which is pretty much impossible to beat in my book.
There was some interesting use of a celeriac root that had been baked in a salt crust and then left in the crust for 12 months to completely dry out. This technique resulted in a very intense umami flavour and was a nice addition when grated over the potato “Linda” dish.
The rest of the meal really just passed me by without offending but there were a couple of dishes that I remember for being quite strange texturally, the baked meatloaf and the cured rabbit along with, as I said before, some flavour combinations that really didn’t do it for me.
The service was excellent, friendly and relaxed and the wine pairing was great although in hindsight I wish I had tried the juice pairing as I have heard great things. I may go back as I have read some other reviews where people have had a dud meal there but returned a few months later to have the meal of their lives, so it sounds like a chef that is constantly pushing and changing dishes while experimenting, which is never a bad thing.
The other dinner I had in Berlin was at a restaurant called Nobelhart & Schmutzig which came in third. Here they give you the menu and at the bottom is written “The finest compliment you can pay your dining companions is to switch your mobile to silent and leave it out of sight, please take memories not pictures’. I was going to review it but I can’t remember what I ate ?.
I would say to the owner that if you are going to enforce this rule then maybe don’t stand in the middle of the completely open kitchen texting someone on your mobile.
They seem a bit pleased with themselves at Nobelhart, and I’m not sure they should be. The food was unmemorable apart from a couple of dishes I can remember for being bad and with huge gaps between the dishes the service was painfully slow.
Next stop Bangkok in a couple of weeks followed immediately by a trip to San Sebastián for this years OAD awards.
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- Neil Walker added a new meal Lunch at Arros QD at Arros QD
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- Neil Walker added a new meal Dinner at ENT Restaurant at ENT Restaurant
A fantastic dinner last week with Cem Orkut and Sinem Soykam at restaurant Ent which is located in the incredibly beautiful Casa Dell’Arte Hotel near Bodrum. The hotel itself is worth visiting just for the art that is lying around, purportedly worth tens of millions (the hotel is owned by a wealthy individual) and also the beautiful beach. The chef,... More
A fantastic dinner last week with Cem Orkut and Sinem Soykam at restaurant Ent which is located in the incredibly beautiful Casa Dell’Arte Hotel near Bodrum. The hotel itself is worth visiting just for the art that is lying around, purportedly worth tens of millions (the hotel is owned by a wealthy individual) and also the beautiful beach. The chef, Yoldas Sönmez cooks food that is loyal to the local products, respectful to the traditional methods and yet creative and innovative from an open kitchen to an outdoor dining area set in front of the beach. Maybe you remember me saying that the Turks don’t really do fine dining very well...,,they do here ? Less
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- Neil Walker added a new meal Dinner at Streetxo London at StreetXO
Last but not least of this delicious meal....
SEVEN TEXTURES OF CHOCOLATE
Black mole &e Gianduja mousse, white Chocolate Ganache Spheres and
Chocolate ice cream
.
After visiting #diverxomadrid we simply had to give @streetxolondon a try and we didn’t regret it. Creative, Inventive food with seriously stunning flavours. .
Michelin... More
Last but not least of this delicious meal....
SEVEN TEXTURES OF CHOCOLATE
Black mole &e Gianduja mousse, white Chocolate Ganache Spheres and
Chocolate ice cream
.
After visiting #diverxomadrid we simply had to give @streetxolondon a try and we didn’t regret it. Creative, Inventive food with seriously stunning flavours. .
Michelin Guide - 🍽
OAD list -
W50Best- .
.
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #spanishfoodie #oadtop100 #diverxomadrid #diverxo #dabizmuñoz #londonfoodies #eaterlondon #londoneater #desserts Less
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Dinner a couple of weeks ago at the newish Da Terra in London’s Bethnal Green. Partnered with Argentine chef Paul Airaudo, head chef Rafael Cagali, formerly of Simon Rogan’s Aulis and the Fat Duck, cooks “Latin American cuisine with Italian inspiration” in the East London site that used to house Nuno Mendes’s Viajante and Lee Westcott’s... More
Dinner a couple of weeks ago at the newish Da Terra in London’s Bethnal Green. Partnered with Argentine chef Paul Airaudo, head chef Rafael Cagali, formerly of Simon Rogan’s Aulis and the Fat Duck, cooks “Latin American cuisine with Italian inspiration” in the East London site that used to house Nuno Mendes’s Viajante and Lee Westcott’s Typing Room.
It was a nice enough meal but nothing that really shone for me. Lovely friendly service and a great table right in front of the open kitchen. It wouldn’t surprise me if this place garners a Michelin star when the guide comes out again but at the same time it wouldn’t surprise me if it didn’t . It’s somewhere that I would be interested in revisiting in a years time to see how it has developed.
When in San Sebastián last week I also visited Paulo Airado’s michelin starred restaurant Amelia, which was a meal that I would go back for much sooner.
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- Neil Walker added a new meal Lunch at Baannual at Baan Nual
Lunch last week at Baan Nual in Soi Sam Sen 2, Bangkok. Owner Sittisak Sakornsin takes care of the diners lucky enough to secure a reservation at one of his two tables in this small homely restaurant while his Sister Yuwarat cooks family style Thai dishes of the highest quality using ingredients procured from Trok Mor market each morning. It feels less... More
Lunch last week at Baan Nual in Soi Sam Sen 2, Bangkok. Owner Sittisak Sakornsin takes care of the diners lucky enough to secure a reservation at one of his two tables in this small homely restaurant while his Sister Yuwarat cooks family style Thai dishes of the highest quality using ingredients procured from Trok Mor market each morning. It feels less like a restaurant and more like you are eating at your Grandmother’s house. This relatively new Bangkok eatery is fully booked up to 2 months in advance and it is easy to see why. The only way to enjoy this style of cooking is with a group of friends so get on IG or Line and book your table today, you won’t regret it. Less
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- Neil Walker added a new meal Dinner at Sühring at Sühring
Another visit last week to my favourite restaurant in Bangkok, ⭐️⭐️Sühring with Andy Yang and Firm Hongsananda. The Michelin guide Bangkok is only in it’s second year here and there isn’t a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ restaurant in the city.........yet.
Thanks again Thomas Sühring , Mathias Sühring and team for another stellar meal. It honestly... More
Another visit last week to my favourite restaurant in Bangkok, ⭐️⭐️Sühring with Andy Yang and Firm Hongsananda. The Michelin guide Bangkok is only in it’s second year here and there isn’t a ⭐️⭐️⭐️ restaurant in the city.........yet.
Thanks again Thomas Sühring , Mathias Sühring and team for another stellar meal. It honestly keeps getting better and better every time I visit, which is hard to believe when after every visit I think I’ve just had a perfect meal. See you again in October I hope ?? Less
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- Neil Walker added a new meal Dinner at Front Room at Front Room
Dinner a couple of weeks ago at Front Room in the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. Here, chef Rungthiwa Chummongkhon (Fae to her friends) and her team take inspiration from her 12 years cooking in Denmark (Geranium, Noma) and also from local Thai ingredients to produce a cooking style that marries the West and the Far East using Nordic cooking techniques such... More
Dinner a couple of weeks ago at Front Room in the Waldorf Astoria Bangkok. Here, chef Rungthiwa Chummongkhon (Fae to her friends) and her team take inspiration from her 12 years cooking in Denmark (Geranium, Noma) and also from local Thai ingredients to produce a cooking style that marries the West and the Far East using Nordic cooking techniques such as curing, fermenting and smoking.
I visited Front Room late last year when it had only very recently opened and I had a very enjoyable meal. There were a couple of issues that I think were forgivable for a restaurant and a chef with this ambition at such an early stage, but overall I thought it was great and I was eager to return in a few months to see how it had developed.
Apart from the bread and a few of the petit fours, this was an entirely new menu. I have to say that I was hoping for a leap forward from my last visit having had the time for the kitchen to settle down and find it’s identity. Don’t get me wrong, it was still a nice meal but I definitely preferred the previous menu to this one.
I think that maybe this type of restaurant and ambition from Chef Fae may not be suited to an enormous dining room tethered to a 5* hotel. I doubt they are attracting the sort of diners that they would do in a stand alone restaurant space with fewer covers and I think that that would make a real difference. I imagine that being attached to such a large hotel brings with it a whole different set of challenges other than focusing on the food.
Anyway, I still say give it a try if you are in Bangkok and if you do I would be interested to hear your opinion as this is just mine.
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Another visit last month to the incredible ⭐️ Sorn in Bangkok. This is an absolute must visit when in Bangkok serving refined Southern Thai cuisine in a tasting menu format. Though not for the faint of heart as this is some of the spiciest Thai food you can get. However, they are happy to dial down the heat if you let them know. Also the menu is... More
Another visit last month to the incredible ⭐️ Sorn in Bangkok. This is an absolute must visit when in Bangkok serving refined Southern Thai cuisine in a tasting menu format. Though not for the faint of heart as this is some of the spiciest Thai food you can get. However, they are happy to dial down the heat if you let them know. Also the menu is very well balanced with any of the particularly fiery dishes usually followed by a dish that is designed to cool you down and bring some welcome relief. I did try to make a good showing of myself during my first foody date with Samantha ,aka Bangkokfoodies.com, but inevitably ended up sobbing like a small child during a couple of the courses ? ?. I don’t think she noticed ??♂️?
Thanks again to Yodkwan U-pumpruk for the incredible food and hospitality and also to my pal Ice. See you both in October I hope ?? Less
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- Neil Walker added a new meal Dinner at Le Normandie at Le Normandie
Lunch last month in Bangkok at ⭐️⭐️ Le Normandie in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which was a shadow of it’s former self while undergoing extensive refurbishment. This was a collaborative meal between chef Arnaud Dunand-Sauthier of Le Normandie and chef Maxime Gilbert of ⭐️⭐️ Ecriture in HongKong. I have been to several collaborative... More
Lunch last month in Bangkok at ⭐️⭐️ Le Normandie in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel which was a shadow of it’s former self while undergoing extensive refurbishment. This was a collaborative meal between chef Arnaud Dunand-Sauthier of Le Normandie and chef Maxime Gilbert of ⭐️⭐️ Ecriture in HongKong. I have been to several collaborative or take-over meals in Bangkok and had low expectations as they have mostly been shockers with European chefs attempting to transfer their cuisine and philosophy thousands of miles to a strange kitchen just for a couple of days for far more covers than they are generally used to doing. It always just seemed like bait for the wealthy locals to be seen doing this sort of thing (and me I guess?). Also, to add to this, I didn’t think the food at Le Normandie would be my bag at all. Far too classical for me based on a visit several years ago where they made me wear a jacket and tie (I have issues with this policy especially when it’s pushing 40 degrees outside) but that’s just personal taste and no fault of the chef.
Having said all that, the meal was great and I couldn’t really fault it. I think it will certainly have been easier for the Ecriture team to organise themselves coming the relatively short distance from HongKong. My only be-puzzlement was at the menu we received which instead of giving a description of the dish we were to receive just, in most cases, gave a precise almost scientific description of the main ingredient. The scallop dish was described thus:
“Scallop. Scallop is a common name that is primarily applied to any one of numerous species of saltwater clams or marine bivalve mollusks”
“Does it come with mash?” I felt like asking??♂️
After a bit of homework it turns out that all the dishes at Ecriture in HongKong are describes this way on their menu. Anyway, it was all extremely tasty so I will definitely look up Ecriture next time I’m in HongKong and be back for more of chef Arnaud ‘s cooking soon. Less
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