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Restaurants
- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Restaurant Spectrum at Spectrum
Marinated Watermelon, Dried Lemongrass, Tomato, Horseradish, Pistachio & Mint (from the vegetarian menu)
Dinner last week at ⭐️⭐️ @spectrum_amsterdam Several people recommended that I eat here, sighting it as THE restaurant to visit whilst in the city, and I am grateful that they did. It’s exciting when you visit restaurants that... More
Marinated Watermelon, Dried Lemongrass, Tomato, Horseradish, Pistachio & Mint (from the vegetarian menu)
Dinner last week at ⭐️⭐️ @spectrum_amsterdam Several people recommended that I eat here, sighting it as THE restaurant to visit whilst in the city, and I am grateful that they did. It’s exciting when you visit restaurants that are clearly pushing for that next accolade, wether that is a new young-gun shooting for her/his first Michelin star or an established two star that is reaching for the pinnacle. Spectrum feels like the latter. Maybe the chefs will say that they don’t care about such things but it certainly has an air of confidence and boldness that suggests otherwise. I say confidence because not all the dishes are pretty to look at, but they deliver on flavour. Meaning that the kitchen has made a conscious decision that any further prodding of tweezers will compromise the dish.
There are two menus here, one being a vegetarian menu. I was advised by more than one person to order the vegetarian menu as the cooking is apparently incredible. Not being psychotic, I decided to order the regular menu containing delicious meat and seafood but to ask them very nicely to add a couple of dishes from the vegetarian menu as well. They were more than happy to oblige. I recommend you do the same, it’s certainly not too much food.
There were certainly echoes of the excellent restaurant De Librije in Zwolle, where chef @sidney_schutte and restaurant manager @saschaspeckemeier worked together over a decade ago.
Overall it was a great meal and I look forward to them being awarded a third ⭐️. It’s only a matter of time.
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Michelin Guide - ⭐️⭐️
OAD - 122
W50Best - ‘Discovery’
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #spectrumamsterdam #amsterdamfoodie #amsterdameats Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Sala de Despiece at Sala de Despiece
Can’t wait to return to @saladedespiece .
Michelin Guide -
OAD -
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar... More
Can’t wait to return to @saladedespiece .
Michelin Guide -
OAD -
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #spanishfoodie #madridfoodie #madrideater #tomato #saladedespiece #saladedespiecemadrid Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Direkte Boqueria at DIREKTE Boqueria
Smoked cheese cake with green tea
Recently featured in Forbes magazine as one of the 10 coolest places (whatever that means 🤷🏼♂️) to eat in 2020, @direkte_boqueria is a tiny 9 seat counter in Barcelona’s Boqueria market. Bag one of these seats and you could be forgiven for thinking you were sitting in an intimate kaiseki restaurant... More
Smoked cheese cake with green tea
Recently featured in Forbes magazine as one of the 10 coolest places (whatever that means 🤷🏼♂️) to eat in 2020, @direkte_boqueria is a tiny 9 seat counter in Barcelona’s Boqueria market. Bag one of these seats and you could be forgiven for thinking you were sitting in an intimate kaiseki restaurant in a Tokyo back street rather than in the bustling Boquería.
An ever changing tasting menu featuring the best of Catalonia’s produce prepared with Japanese technique awaits if you can bag one of these highly prized seats. Top tip: after your first visit, pester chef Arnau Muñío to give you a heads up if a seat becomes available. Then when someone foolishly no-shows and you get a WhatsApp from Arnau at 1.30 in the afternoon, do as I did and drop what ever you are doing and whomever you are doing it with and sprint across town to put your bum on that seat. You won’t regret it. .
Michelin Guide - 🍽
OAD - coming soon I’m sure
W50Best - .
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #spanishfoodie #barcelonafoodies #barcelonaeats #direkte #direkteboqueria #boqueria Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Davies and Brook at Davies and Brook
Back in London a few weeks later I stopped off to enjoy the terrace at Davies & Brook.
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Michelin Guide -
OAD - ‘Highly recommended’
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining... More
Back in London a few weeks later I stopped off to enjoy the terrace at Davies & Brook.
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Michelin Guide -
OAD - ‘Highly recommended’
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide @michelinguide @theworlds50best @oadtop100 Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at 100/200 at 100/200 Kitchen
It turns out that being based in a Bremen shipyard for two months in the winter isn’t quite as bleak as I had feared. I’ve recently taken the train to Berlin & Amsterdam for the purposes of gluttony. Then last week, on a school night, I was easily able to head to Hannover and now Hamburg for some more eating.
100/200 is a 1⭐️ Michelin restaurant... More
It turns out that being based in a Bremen shipyard for two months in the winter isn’t quite as bleak as I had feared. I’ve recently taken the train to Berlin & Amsterdam for the purposes of gluttony. Then last week, on a school night, I was easily able to head to Hannover and now Hamburg for some more eating.
100/200 is a 1⭐️ Michelin restaurant in an urban loft style space. Think industrial-chic with a centrepiece open kitchen surrounded by wooden tables for the diners to gawk from. It’s a beautiful space to be fair, but not the easiest to find should you be walking there after dark. I found myself walking along a footpath next to what was essentially a 6 lane motorway at rush hour.
Upon heading up to the restaurant entrance on the third floor, I was greeted by a member of the team offering me a glass of free champagne. It was made clear that it was free and an effort to show the restaurant’s appreciation for the diners who are still venturing out under current circumstances. There has clearly been a significant downturn in reservations with plenty of cancellations as well. I, however, as long as there is breath in my lungs, am eagerly pouncing on these empty seats that are popping up here and there, bagging a seat at Noma and Gaggan during this past week alone. I don’t mean to make light of the situation as it is extremely worrying to many businesses. Many of my friends from Asia have had to cancel European trips through no fault of their own. It’s tricky to justify keeping a reservation if you have to do a compulsory 14 day quarantine when you get home.
Anyway, the glass of champers was swiftly followed by the offer of a squirt of hand sanitizer.
The food was good with a focus on sea food including Arctic char, sea urchin, sturgeon, caviar, pike perch & oysters.
Service between courses was pretty slow. I started timing between a couple of the courses because I was getting a bit bored. At 23 minutes I decided to give it a friendly mention to the waiter. He apologised, agreeing that this wasn’t really acceptable especially with 7 more courses to go, and the speed quickly picked up. There was a weird vibe coming from the kitchen. It seemed like they were a little bit ‘dans la merde’ but because it’s a fully open kitchen, they were hiding this quiet panic with heads down and wide eyes. Like the string quartet aboard the Titanic, purposefully playing on even while the ship was clearly sinking around them. I may be wrong, but I’ve been cooking for 28 years now so I can pick up on that. Anyway, the ship didn’t in-fact sink in the end and all was well. The only other thing that I found pretty annoying was that they had a Pacojet right behind my table that they would regularly use to churn various things (sea urchin ice cream for one) throughout the evening. If you’ve ever worked with one of those machines, you’ll know how loud they are.
Definitely still room for improvement but overall an enjoyable meal. Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Handwerk at Handwerk
An impromptu dinner at Handwerk in Hannover, Germany. Having researched on the ViaMichelin site where might be interesting to eat, I was heading to the only 1⭐️ Ole Deele. Upon arrival in Hannover, and after already travelling for 90 minutes on two trains it became clear that Ole Deele is not in-fact in Hannover but 16 km and another two trains... More
An impromptu dinner at Handwerk in Hannover, Germany. Having researched on the ViaMichelin site where might be interesting to eat, I was heading to the only 1⭐️ Ole Deele. Upon arrival in Hannover, and after already travelling for 90 minutes on two trains it became clear that Ole Deele is not in-fact in Hannover but 16 km and another two trains or super expensive taxi outside the city. My own fault for not checking. The only other 2⭐️ was fully booked so after a little digging around on the Internet I came upon this place.
The michelin guide gave this place a 🍽 (indicating ‘good cooking’) again last week and describes it as a refreshing and youthful concept which combines creative modern cuisine, a smart and trendy bistro atmosphere and relaxed but accomplished service providing a personal touch. I can’t really argue with that description. The team were indeed young and the service very friendly and competent. The head chef was absent on my visit but the young sous, Martin Hartwig, handled himself very well. The cooking was excellent and I have had many lesser meals in restaurants that hold 1⭐️ Michelin.
One early pre-menu dish of a simple langoustine tail was of a standard where had I been served it in a 3⭐️ I would not have thought twice. It will almost certainly make my ridiculous ‘best dishes of the year’ list I’m sure.
So if you find yourself in Hannover then try to pay this little bistro a visit. Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at El Barri restaurants - Tickets at Tickets
Last but not least, the famous Tickets cheese cake 😋
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Another visit to @ticketsbar A must visit when in Barcelona for it’s never ending creativity
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Michelin Guide - ⭐️
OAD - 32
W50Best - 20
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics... More
Last but not least, the famous Tickets cheese cake 😋
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Another visit to @ticketsbar A must visit when in Barcelona for it’s never ending creativity
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Michelin Guide - ⭐️
OAD - 32
W50Best - 20
#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #iphonexsmax #michelinguide #foodlepro #influencer #oadtop100 #spanishfoodie #barcelonafoodies #barcelonaeats #tickets #ticketsbarcelona #elbarri Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at RIJKS® at RIJKS®
Lunch last week at ⭐️ Rijks at the Rijks museum in Amsterdam. Nothing wrong with it but not really a style of cooking that I super enjoy. Chefs Ivan Beusink and Yascha Oosterberg introduced ‘Low Countries’ cuisine, which is firmly rooted in Dutch produce. The chef and his young team draw their inspiration from ingredients grown on Dutch soil,... More
Lunch last week at ⭐️ Rijks at the Rijks museum in Amsterdam. Nothing wrong with it but not really a style of cooking that I super enjoy. Chefs Ivan Beusink and Yascha Oosterberg introduced ‘Low Countries’ cuisine, which is firmly rooted in Dutch produce. The chef and his young team draw their inspiration from ingredients grown on Dutch soil, often making use of the many international flavours that have influenced Dutch cuisine over the centuries. Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Kitchen Table at Kitchen Table
After Sweden I had a 24 hour stop over in London. This was back when all the restaurants were closed and doing delivery or cook-at-home kits. So I decided to try my hand at being a @kitchentable1 chef for the night and picked up my box of goodies from the man himself @jknappett .I don’t think I’ll be winning any Michelin stars... More
After Sweden I had a 24 hour stop over in London. This was back when all the restaurants were closed and doing delivery or cook-at-home kits. So I decided to try my hand at being a @kitchentable1 chef for the night and picked up my box of goodies from the man himself @jknappett .I don’t think I’ll be winning any Michelin stars anytime soon but it was a fun evening of cooking using exceptional produce and washing it all down with a lovely bottle. I’m looking forward to visiting the new look Kitchen Table next month with @mymuybueno @hayleyhazard1 @micailswindells
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Michelin Guide - ⭐️⭐️
OAD - 63
W50B -
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#achefabroad #itravelforfood #foodie #foodies #foodporn #foodpic #foodpics #finedining #michelindining #eats #instafoodie #michelinstar #oad #worlds50bestrestaurants #worlds50best #eater #michelinguide @michelinguide @theworlds50best @oadtop100 Less
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- Neil A. Chef added a new meal Dinner at Maris Piper at Maris Piper
Dinner in Amsterdam at Maris Piper Kitchen Table. 12 seats around the open kitchen of this busy brasserie that are only available on Friday and Saturday evenings. The food here focuses on Brasserie style dishes using luxurious ingredients. At the kitchen table you are offered a 7 course set menu that features some of the highlights of the more extensive... More
Dinner in Amsterdam at Maris Piper Kitchen Table. 12 seats around the open kitchen of this busy brasserie that are only available on Friday and Saturday evenings. The food here focuses on Brasserie style dishes using luxurious ingredients. At the kitchen table you are offered a 7 course set menu that features some of the highlights of the more extensive brasserie menu. A nice enough meal but next time I will definitely go for the A La Carte menu. Worth popping in to. Less