Melinda Joe

What is the future of Chinese food? @andrechiang_sg explores this question in a new series with @wynn.palace. For each event, Andre will collaborate with a different chef in Asia that shares the same desire to push the boundaries of this time-honored cuisine.

The series (and the new year) kicked off with a spectacular feast at @sazenka, a restaurant that thoroughly, effortlessly, and ineffably inhabits the intersection between Chinese and Japanese sensibilities. It’s a restaurant truly deserving of its three Michelin stars.

I loved how the distinctive styles of these two master chefs complemented each other. It was such a memorable and thought-provoking meal. Can’t wait to see what Andre does at the upcoming events (for now, still stop secret).

More to come shortly about this epic four-hands dinner! Less

Congratulations to @sergioherman on the opening of his first venture in Asia, @le_pristine_tokyo! The restaurant occupies a street-level space with double-height ceilings and a cool, chic interior enlivened with art by Dutch designers. Love the music and the vibe.

The food focuses on Japanese ingredients - with an emphasis on fresh seafood - infused with Herman’s modern European sensibilities. Highlights include the richly concentrated fish soup with saffron and rice, served with fennel mayo-dotted rusks; the juniper robata-smoked venison with quince and pureed Jerusalem artichoke; and the decadent and delectable tiramisu, which collapses gently like a sigh at the table. So good! (And you know I’m not a sweets person.)

Chef Herman was here for the opening but will leave the kitchen in the capable hands of @denniskuipers_chef. Congrats again! Less

A visit to a restaurant like Oryori Fujii in Toyama reminds you just how amazing Japanese counter dining experiences can be. The theater of it, the dazzling products, the thrilling mastery of techniques on display. To be a great kaiseki chef, one needs to have more than deep knowledge of ingredients and culinary chops. You have to have a knack for ikebana and an eye for beauty, along with personal charisma.

Chef Hironori Fujii is one such chef. He’s a charmer, chatting with guests as he breaks down whole snow crabs with seemingly effortless grace. The meal was a delicious lesson in crustacean anatomy, each part thoughtfully prepared with nothing wasted.

Thanks for letting us join this @sezannetokyo field trip, @chezcalvert and congrats on 🌟🌟! Less

It’s been a joy to watch @maz.tokyo go from strength to strength in such a short time. Led by @santiago.maztokyo, the team’s dedication comes through in every detail. All of this is complemented by the excellent beverage selection: some brilliant wines from South America, along with enticing elixirs made with @mater.in spirits. This time, I especially loved the pisco and shine muscat kombucha and the Amazonian Bees Knees. So clever.

From my write-up of Maz published earlier this year on @cntraveler:

“Beyond the sliding door, the grey-walled interior of Maz feels like a microcosm unto itself…The seasonal menu explores Peru’s biodiversity through courses based on the country’s various altitudes. In late spring, the coastline is represented by an elaborate dish of cuttlefish and baby eel, bathed in a sauce made from cuttlefish tentacles and covered with a crispy net made from seaweed and squid ink. Coated with fine strands of turmeric-infused cacao butter, a frozen mousse stuffed with bittersweet hyuganatsu citrus and perfumed with lemongrass stands in for the high-altitude region between the Andes and the Amazonian jungle.”

https://www.cntraveler.com/restaurants/tokyo/maz-tokyo Less

For this very special dinner at @maz.tokyo, @virgiliocentral came to town to give us a sneak peek at some of the work the Central family has been doing to push the emerging Amazonian rainforest-to-table movement forward in Peru.

@centralrest has always taken a macro view of the Peruvian kitchen, exploring the cuisine through the lens of topography. With this new menu, however, Virgilio zooms in on the Amazon and invites diners to “listen” to the region along with his team.

A wonderful experience accented with ingredients from the Amazon’s rivers (piranha and all their brethren) and tributaries, its high-altitude forests (big-butt ants) and dense jungle floor (chuncho cacao and cured duck with fermented mushrooms).

Loved the charred sponge topped with hibiscus kombucha SCOBY, used to scoop up a sweet syrup made from roasted cabuya stem. Served with buns made with flying potato (yes, it’s wild) accompanied by dots of herb-fresh sauces.

But the course of king paiche, tucupi, and cessina was my favorite. Its smoky, gingery flavor evoked a distant memory of a fish dish that my mom used to make. Amazing how great food can transcend cultures and time!

Thank you so much superstars @santiago.maztokyo @sang.mater and the entire Maz team! Less

Unbelievably, we’re already in the second week of January! The first week of the new year provided a tiny bit of breathing space and time for reflection. I am grateful for all of the terrific experiences in 2023 and was lucky enough to catch up with old friends over fantastic food at the end of last year.

My final restaurant experience of 2023 was a real banger: a one-night-only collaboration between two of the greats! @albertolandgraf popped over to Japan to cook a very special dinner with @hiroyasu_kawate at the recently relocated 🌟🌟 @restaurant_florilege in Azabudai Hills. Such a lovely night, made even more special by so much good Brazilian energy.

The menu reflected synchronicity between the two chefs. Loved Alberto’s Brazil nut ice cream with caviar, alongside Kawate’s fukinoto waffle sprinkled with ikura. A strikingly minimalist turnip tarte provided refreshing acidity before a dish of deep-fried pastry filled with dashi-simmered daikon. Delicious. Sweet snow crab in a rich and velvety sauce was complemented by a surprising accompaniment of crab roe in kombu oil and pickled sansho flowers, before the main dish of succulent roast lamb accented with nut cream sauces.

@mihohorio also showed off her kakigori skills with a seasonally inspired sweet potato shaved ice dessert. Less

2023 has been undoubtedly a good year. I finally made it to 🌟🌟🌟 Le Calandre in Padua, a restaurant I’d wanted to visit for years. What makes this place special is not only the precisely executed creativity that characterizes every dish but also the wonderfully serene atmosphere and the warmth of the @alajmo family. Sophistication without the stuffiness, showmanship that never feels over the top.

Signatures did not disappoint: the sunny saffron risotto with a gentle and earthy note of licorice, the psychedelic Murrina cappuccino inspired by Murano glass that delivers the comforting creaminess of potato puree on the palate along with the umami depth of cuttlefish and uni. I also loved the vegetarian “forest tripe” stew of mushrooms, the perfect bite of tartare with truffles and, being from Louisiana, I had to order the deep fried soft-shell crab sandwich that arrived like an elevated Italian poboy. Delicious. Less

“It’s all about love,” says Prin Polusk.

When you see this irrepressibly happy guy behind the counter at @samrubsamrubthai, you know it’s true.

Tb to my autumn visit. Belated congratulations to @prinpolsuk and @goodmorningmint on the Michelin 🌟 accolade! Samrub offers a fresh take on Thai ingredients and flavors, presented with cheekiness in spades. No rules, no restrictions. It’s so much fun being here, in the couple’s family home, where they can do exactly what they want. The only difficulty is trying to stop Prin from refilling your glass. Less

Congratulations to @sergioherman on the opening of his first venture in Asia, @le_pristine_tokyo! The restaurant occupies a street-level space with double-height ceilings and a cool, chic interior enlivened with art by Dutch designers. Love the music and the vibe.

The food focuses on Japanese ingredients - with an emphasis on fresh seafood - infused with Herman’s modern European sensibilities. Highlights include the richly concentrated fish soup with saffron and rice, served with fennel mayo-dotted rusks; the juniper robata-smoked venison with quince and pureed Jerusalem artichoke; and the decadent and delectable tiramisu, which collapses gently like a sigh at the table. So good! (And you know I’m not a sweets person.)

Chef Herman was here for the opening but will leave the kitchen in the capable hands of @denniskuipers_chef. Congrats again! Less