WG Magazine March 2016 Issue by WG Magazines

MARCH 2016

a feast for the palate...

PASCAL DEVALKENEER It’s A Matter Of Taste

MATT MORAN

Inspired By Passion

HEINZ WINKLER Cuisine Vitale

MARTIN KLEIN

Greek Culinary Artist

JOSÉ AVILLEZ

Passion For Cooking

CHRISTIAN LE SQUER Composer Of Taste

DOMINIQUE CRENN A Culinary Sonnet

BBQ 2.0

The Hottest Grill In Dubai www.wgmagazines.com

WG March 2016 -

WHAT'S MORE

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WG March 2016 -

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G ET T IN G T O THE HE ART OF THE M ATTE R

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“THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE” – Kieran Holliday, UK

WE LOVE NATURE AND ITS WONDERS We believe it’s important to preserve and protect the marvels that surround us. At Modisa Wildlife Project you will become an active member in our day-to-day work, doing everything from helping to build and maintain facilities, to cleaning predator enclosures after the animals are fed. The work, combined with the activities, will bring you up-close with the animals and African culture. All the activities at Modisa – from farm work, bush walks and lectures to feeding full-grown lions, leopards and wild dogs – will challenge you both physically and mentally. They’ll ensure you have a more unique and adventurous experience in the African bush than you can ever imagine.

WHAT TO EXPECT Lectures on the ecosystem; Hiking in the wilderness with specialized guides; Sleep-outs in the African bush under the breathtaking Kalahari sky (May – October); Up-close encounters with big cats and other local predators; Opportunities to feed the animals, including lions, leopards and wild dogs; Cleaning the enclosures and fence patrol; Basic tracking training; Animal viewing & game drives; Participating in game counts and other area surveys; Farm work and daily life in the camp; Enjoying the experience with like-minded people from all over the world …and much much more.

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WG March 2016 -

Editor

Fabian deCastro

Lifestyle Editor

Doug Singer

Feature Editor

Oilda Barreto

Contributing Editor Editorial Contributors

Michael Hepworth Mario Bermeo Jr

FJMdesign Photography Consultant Creative Design Studio Publisher

IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd.

‘ WOGOA FOUNDATION

Identifying underprivileged children with culinary ambitions...

WG™ is an online digital publication published by: Izzy Publishing Pvt. Ltd. Unit 14, Agnelo Colony, Kerant, Caranzalem, 403002 Goa, India Tel: +91(832) 2463234 Fax: +91(832) 2464201 sales@wgmagazines.com Company Registration Number U22100GA2011PTC006731

WG™ New York Doug Singer - Head of Operations, North America 404 East 66 Street, Suite 2E New York, NY 10065 E-mail: doug@wgmagazines.com Marketing & Advertising Joel Savio Nazareth Call: +91 832 246 3234 E-mail: joel@wgmagazines.com Web Administrator Joel Savio Nazareth

©IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved. Editorial material and opinions expressed in WG™ digital publication do not necessarily reflect the views of IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. WG™ and IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies or errors and do not accept responsibility for the advertising content. All contents are strictly copyright and all rights are reserved. Production in whole or part is prohibited without prior permission from IZZY Publishing Pvt. Ltd. ©2016 WG™ All rights reserved.

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Cover Image Credit: Chef Pascal Devalkeneer Le Chalet de la Forêt - Brussels Belgian Chocolate Sphere Photo ©Frederic Ravens

G MAGAZINES

WO’GOA Magazine is changing our image. In this, our first issue of the simply titled WG Magazine, one of our themes will be competition as we cue up competitors in the categories of Brunch, BBQ, Dinner and Dinner Cruises. As you’ve come to expect, this is just the beginning. We will be cooling our jets in Brussels with Chef Pascal Devalkeneer at Le Chalet de la Forêt, at Residenz Heinz Winkler in Aschau with Heinz Winkler, with Ryan Clift at Singapore’s Tippling Club and with William Drabble, Executive Chef of Seven Park Place at the St. James Hotel & Club.

We will dine at London’s fashionable Knightsbridge for Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental before indulging in the flavors of Italy with Max Alajmo. If that does not get your taste buds fired up, certainly a trip to Austria and dinner with Martin Klein will do the trick. A stopover in Portugal with one of Portugal’s great culinary figures - José Avillez, with his five restaurants in Lisbon and one in Oporto, José offers a different culinary experience, expressing his enormous passion for cooking.

It seems most Australian guys are born with tongs in their hand and a true love of BBQ. At Singapore’s Burnt Ends, Owner/Head Chef Dave Pynt proves that he is no exception! If that doesn’t set you straight, Australia’s renowned restaurant Bentley Restaurant and Bar with Brent Savage will. Dominique Crenn will be talking about modern haute cuisine that is artistically casual and WG Magazine will catch up with Christian Le Squer, who is known for his exemplary consistency earning him Michelin stars for 12 consecutive years. We will stop in at Santa Monica’s highly-acclaimed Mélisse Restaurant with Chef/ Owner Josiah Citrin and head off to Hong Kong’s Mott 32. The excitement packed into this delicious issue will also include Australia’s dynamo Chef, Matt Moran, Restaurant Ikarus at Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Berlin’s Daniel Achilles and Dubai’s best dining destination, Brasserie 2.0 at Le Royal Meridien Resort & Spa. It is going to be quite the ride, so pull your seat up to the table and enjoy! Doug Singer Lifestyle Editor

WG March 2016 -

MARCH 2016

CONTENTS 34

Christian Le Squer

Pascal Devalkeneer

Matt Moran

Cuisine Vitale

100

Portugalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Great Culinary Figure

114

Martin Klein At Hangar-7

128

A Culinary Sonnet

134

Tippling Club

144

Seven Park Place By William Drabble

152

Dinner By Heston Blumenthal

160

The Hottest Grill In Dubai

166 The Italian Vegetable Garden 170 Josiah Citrin 176

Daniel Achilles

190

Burnt Ends

194

Restaurant Ikarus

196 Mott 32 - WG March 2016

MAGAZINES

Chef Pascal Devalkeneer Le Chalet de la ForĂŞt - Brussels Belgian Chocolate Sphere Photo ÂŠFrederic Ravens Belgian chocolate sphere with cocoa crumble, bergamot jelly, citrus fruit and coffee granita The powerful and suave flavor of Belgian chocolate is refreshed by the citrus fruit and the bergamot jelly while the coffee granita just prolonges the taste of chocolate. A texture set allows to experience the creaminess of a chocolate heart, the powdery of the chocolate powder, the crunchy of the crumble, the sparkling citrus and the cold pearls of granita.

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E X C E P T I O N A L A L W A Y S B U T

W E ’ L L

T O

H O O S I N G

S T E P

T O

M O R E

O N E

W I S H

O F

O U R

I M P O R T A N T L Y

A N D

E A C H

A B O U T

P A Y I N G

M O M E N T

I S

T O O

D O

S L O W

D I S C O V E R I N G

PA S S I O N AT E

G O

540

T O

W H AT

T H E M

D O W N .

A T T E N T I O N T R U LY

D O

T O

U N I Q U E

E L A I S

M E E T I N G

T H E Y

M E N

B E S T

T H E

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B U T

A N D

I S

T H E

A L S O

W O M E N

L I S T E N I N G

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YO U R T O

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E V E R Y

E N S U R E

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‘ WOGOA FOUNDATION Identifying underprivileged children with culinary ambitions...

Grant MacPherson

WO’GOA Foundation Ambassador

The Pearl Martin Benn2016 - Sepia, Sydney, Australia - WG March

An inspirer, innovator and perfectionist – Grant encompasses all of the qualities that deserving children can glean from a role model!

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CHRISTIAN LE SQUER - LE CINQ, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V, PARIS

Christian Le Squer

on top of his art! There are few restaurants more Parisian than the one Christian Le Squer led before joining Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris. So why would this self-described “real Parisian at heart” move on to the famed palace hotel from Pavillon Ledoyen, where he was awarded three Michelin stars for twelve consecutive years? “To make the George V even more Parisian,” says Le Squer, who was appointed Executive Chef in October 2014. “If you want to dine international, there are many places to do it in the city. What we do here at Le Cinq is Parisian, and we do it very well.” Born in Plouhinec in the department of Morbihan in Britanny. He first wanted to become a sailor and embarked at the age of 14 on the fishing trawler of his uncle for two weeks where a sailor initiated him in cooking. He then hesitated between cooking and pastry, but an internship in baking made him decide to choose the first one. He joined a hotel school and graduated in 1986 with a CAP (Certificat d’Aptitude Professionnelle) and a BEP (Brevet d’Études Professionnelles) in cooking at a professional high school in Vannes. Training in several prestigious restaurants in Paris such as Le Divellec, Lucas Carton, Taillevent and Le Ritz, Le Squer became the chef of the Café de la Paix Restaurant Opéra, where in 1996 he received his first Michelin star and the second in 1998.

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WG MAGAZINES

Photo ÂŠStephane de Bourgies

WG March 2016 -

CHRISTIAN LE SQUER - LE CINQ, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V, PARIS

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St Jacques Chou Fleur

WG MAGAZINES

In 1999, succeeding to Ghislaine Arabian, he became the chef of the Pavillon Ledoyen located at the avenue des ChampsÉlysées. In 2000, Le Squer received two Michelin stars and in 2002 Le Squer received his third star at the Guide Michelin. In 2008, he founded a new restaurant in Paris, the Etc (Épicure Traditionnelle Cuisine), where he received one Michelin star the following year. In 2011, he founded the restaurant La Grande Verrière at the Jardin d’Acclimatation next to the Bois de Boulogne. In 2013, he was awarded with “five toques” by the Gault et Millau for the Restaurant Ledoyen. There was more to Le Squer’s move to Four Seasons, of course. He was “very honoured,” he says, to join “the long line of very big chefs” that turned the George V into a destination for French haute cuisine. Even more, he continues, was the opportunity to move to an international stage. “At Pavillon Ledoyen, we had no public relations at all. Here, there is a new way of communicating our passion. I love speaking with journalists, and being able to get word out about what we create is very gratifying.” What Le Squer creates is “the art of eating French style.” He draws from the local tradition of le cuisine bourgeois – that is, cuisine as it was prepared for families by private chefs – as well as the myriad regional influences – from the coast of his native Brittany to the south of France – that shape culinary offerings and delight palates across the city. Described eloquently by the Michelin Guide as a “composer of tastes,” Le Squer reinterprets traditional French dishes with lighter, softer and more refreshing touches preferred by contemporary diners. Like a perfumer or a couturier, he fashions flavours that linger long in the mouth, piecing together signature dishes that combine tastes, textures and colors - such as Transparency of Ginger, Campari and Orange; Essence of the Sea with scallop au naturel with iced tarama and gratinated onions à la Parisian that burst with soup at the touch of a spoon - to evoke “unexpected sensations.”

WG March 2016 -

CHRISTIAN LE SQUER - LE CINQ, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V, PARIS

Combined with the striking tableware, stunning floral sculptures, and exquisite grey-and-gold colour scheme of Le Cinq, the result is a thoroughly Parisian dining experience, indeed. Though his menus could be categorized as seasonal, Le Squer prefers to describe them as “moving,” as in “when an ingredient is no longer available at peak quality, I move on to something new.” He has also

brought a refreshing openness to the kitchen, based upon his belief that anyone, “even an 18-year-old who is two months into his or her first job,” can contribute creatively to the cuisine. He likes to enable, challenge and motivate his team, encouraging chefs to shop and dine out in the city, the better to spot or even launch new culinary trends.

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Photo ÂŠStephane de Bourgies

WG March 2016 -

CHRISTIAN LE SQUER - LE CINQ, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V, PARIS

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Cepes Marrons

WG MAGAZINES

Similarly, Le Squer believes strongly in research and development, assigning team members to explore new culinary directions, techniques and flavours that originate from his own ideas. Everything that comes out of his kitchen is tasted and meticulously calculated, while dishes – even those that seem simple in appearance – require rigorous work and precision to come together on the plate. In the end, nothing is superfluous and everything has its place. Le Squer wasn’t drawn to the culinary world by anyone or thing in particular. Rather, he says, he just loves to eat, “and I absolutely love French cuisine.” The tastes he recalls from his youth along the coast of Brittany often find their way onto his menus - line-finished sea bass with caviar and fermented milk, for instance, is highlighted as “from my childhood” at Le Cinq, and he describes ham and cepe mushrooms with spaghetti as “an almost childish dish that I enjoyed as a kid” - albeit now dressed up to the hilt for the Four Seasons crowd. His goal, he continues, is to create dishes that “get emotions going so that guests feel the love that I have for what I create.” Just like maman would to do.

WG March 2016 -

CHRISTIAN LE SQUER - LE CINQ, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V, PARIS

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Gratine Oignon

WG MAGAZINES

Oursin

WG March 2016 -

CHRISTIAN LE SQUER - LE CINQ, FOUR SEASONS HOTEL GEORGE V, PARIS

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Transparence Banane

WG MAGAZINES

Similarly, there is no one thing about life in Paris that inspires him, but everything. Beyond obvious things like fashion and art, Le Squer is moved by the “everyday life” he spies while walking the streets of the city. “I pay attention to all details, everything I see,” he says. In just one year as Executive Chef at Le Cinq, Christian Le Squer has been awarded a third Michelin star in the 2016 Michelin Guide. This prestigious award further exemplifies Le Squer’s unique approach to combining traditional French cuisine with brilliant modernity. Christian defines himself as a creator of flavours and composer of tastes. His memorable signature dishes provide diners with a refined culinary experience keeping in mind a strong sense of wellbeing that is so important today. In addition to the prestigious third star in the 2016 Michelin Guide, Christian Le Squer was recently awarded an outstanding score of 19/20 and a 5th toque in the 2016 Gault et Millau for Le Cinq. The Four Seasons Hotel George V is the only luxury palace in Paris to achieve this double distinction. Christian Le Squer, who is known for his exemplary consistency comments on winning the third Michelin star ““I am delighted to have been awarded this third star – every fine Chef’s goal – for the magnificent Parisian luxury hotel that is Four Seasons Hotel George V. My thanks go naturally to my culinary brigade and the dining room team, who do a fabulous job every day alongside me, and to Eric Beaumard, renowned Director of the restaurant and past winner of Europe’s Best Sommelier. I’ve been reworking some of my signature dishes to satisfy a demanding clientele that’s always on the lookout for the detail that makes the difference; and I’ve been reinterpreting the conventional gastronomic codes.” Spoken like a true Parisian.

WG March 2016 -

BOLAN -DEVALKENEER PASCAL BANGKOK - LE CHALET DE LA FORÊT, BRUSSELS

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Photo ©Serge Anton

WG MAGAZINES WO’GOA

PASCAL

DEVALKENEER Text Oilda Barreto Belgium born Pascal Devalkeneer is a self-taught chef. He began working in the kitchen after he was flummoxed by his lessons. Instead of going to a university or to cooking school, he decided to scrub vegetables at the sophisticated ‘Surcouf’ in Paris. After obtaining his culinary experience in 1984 at le Surcouf, he then went on to Casse Dalle, the renowned la Truffe Noire and the Scholtesof in 1990. Devalkeneer went on to open le bistrot du Mail in 1992 and eventually in 1999 went on to take over his ever-so-popular ‘Le Chalet de la Forêt.’ It is housed in a villa on the edge of the Sonian Forest that lies at the south-eastern edge of Brussels. In November 2007, the restaurant was awarded its first Michelin star in the Michelin Guide for 2008. In November 2011 it received a second star in the guide for 2012. “I learned how to handle noble products and to never neglect quality, those are the basics! Roger Souveryns of ‘Scholteshof’ is my absolute master! He owned one of the most renowned restaurants back then and he taught me to work with the seasons, as we used the products from the huge vegetable garden” This was just the beginning of (the now well-respected Chef) Pascal’s restaurant garden methodology.

WG March 2016 -

PASCAL DEVALKENEER - LE CHALET DE LA FORÊT, BRUSSELS

Photo ©Christian Hagen

“I picked the herbs in Roger’s vegetable garden every morning and stuck my nose into the bouquets of herbs that were still damp with dew, and I opened myself up to a whole new world of aromas and sensations. This served as an inspiration for me to cook, and it became a dream of mine to one day have my own vegetable garden. This dream came true!” Chef Roger and others have tried to dissuade him by arguing that it was an endless investment. But in the end, Chef Pascal’s desire was still there, stronger than ever. “My desire is to be able to plant my poetry in the city, my urban version of the vegetable garden, allowing me to produce 100% of the herbs and 35% of the fruit and vegetables we need for the restaurant. What Roger also showed me was how personal a chef’s cuisine can be! Roger’s way of cooking is full of temper and strength; it is very manly but still very balanced! The main lesson is ‘rightness,’ whatever you do, as long as it comes from your heart and soul, it can only be right, given the fact that you have the needed technique to express yourself with accuracy.”

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WG MAGAZINES

From his earlier experiences at Surcouf, la Truffe Noire or working alongside Roger Souveryns at Scholteschof, Devalkeneer grew an irreproachable technique. While at la Truffe Noire, he met Benoit Meert, who would go on to become the sommelier and restaurant manager at ‘Le Chalet de la Forêt’ years later. Chef Devalkeneer says of being in Roger Souveryns Scholteshof’s brigade, “It was like being in the army!” It’s where he says he learned discipline, work organization, punctuality and accuracy. He goes on about how his esteemed mentor further influenced him. “Roger once took me with him to a gala dinner he was cooking at the Waldorf Astoria. I fell in love with New York and wanted to settle there, but my green card arrived too late. Back in Brussels, I was on an adventure and opened a restaurant with old friends of mine, ‘Bistrot du Mail.’ After seven years of this fruitful experience, I wanted to enlarge my field of action and see bigger and better things, to reach the top! I was fortunate enough that ‘le Chalet de la Forêt,’ an old classical bourgeois mansion just outside the city, was waiting for someone to give it back its old splendor!” WG March 2016 -

PASCAL DEVALKENEER - LE CHALET DE LA FORÊT, BRUSSELS

Mousseline Choufleur Crabe Maquereau Raifort Légumes Acidulés Photo ©Kuzu

That someone was, of course, Chef Pascal Devalkeneer r. With its location in metropolitan Brussels, the Chalet de la Forêt flourishes by bringing together tradition and avant-garde elements in perfect harmony. The beauty of the location with the town’s comings and goings as a backdrop, the mastery of timing with the seasons going by in the vegetable garden and the generous cuisine courtesy of the remarkable talent that is Pascal Devalkeneer, combine to make this a place of distinction (two stars by the Michelin guide). It has become a major venue that is well respected and where people like come back to, time and time again. Every day at midday, the wood is lit in the kitchen. Every day, bread is baked. Market gardening, grilling, salting and smoking is all done on the spot. Bringing together all the food-related professions creates a perfect combination that gives the chef the freedom to focus on technique, on the cooking process and on new flavors. He took what he learned from his time with Chef Roger Scholteshof and enriched le Chalet de la Forêt with an

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Le chalet de la foret Photo ©Kris Vlegels Le chalet de la foret Photo ©Kris Vlegels

environmentally friendly, natural, illustrious vegetable garden. By creating a structured, productive garden, he chose to give a place of pride to the taste and beauty of fresh produce cultivated from the earth. This is a gift that he gave himself, he says. It is an old dream that he kept toying with since he began his culinary career alongside his guru Chef Roger where he picked herbs in his vegetable garden every morning and he laid himself open to a whole new world of scents and sensations that then served as an inspiration for him to cook. For Chef Pascal, the vegetable garden needed to combine aesthetics and eco-responsibility and he also needed a combination of a market gardening expert and an experienced entrepreneur and he luckily found it in the ingenuity of Erik Dhondt, the garden’s architect. He created a magnificent garden of flavors, colors, textures and aromas. Together they mixed styles…the English-style flowerbeds of herbal plants organized by color and the division of plants into plots in the French style of gardening. WG March 2016 -

PASCAL DEVALKENEER - LE CHALET DE LA FORÊT, BRUSSELS

Pascal Devalkeneer Photo @Morgane Ball

The varieties planted were carefully selected in order to create a vegetable garden that can regulate itself, naturally. Guest enjoy the transitions from one season to another - the changes in colors and flowerings on the waves of land sown with aromatic plants, the unstructured beauty of wild flowers, crazy herbs and other wild plants. All enhance the flavors of the Chalet de la Forêt’s menu with heightened flair as well as the creation of specialty salads such as lamb salad, watercress and spinach. Surrounding the plots of vegetable gardens are local trees - a rustic variety such as plum trees and apple trees which together recreate the natural Belgian habitat and give this mission an educational dimension and a heritage aspect. The presence of a fountain, produced by a blacksmith, and intended for watering the crops, adds to the poetry of the garden by welcoming the visitor with the lapping sound of water. With his vegetable garden, Pascal Devalkeneer determinedly intends to offer his guests a real invitation to awaken their senses that will allow the host the ability to show and explain to the most curious among them, the virtues and secrets of the aromas that arrive on their plates. An endless challenge for this passionate chef who is far from finished, as he is already thinking about the hives that he is going to put in place next year.

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Photo ©xavierharcq.com

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PASCAL DEVALKENEER - LE CHALET DE LA FORÊT, BRUSSELS

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Forêt de salsifis et topinambours Photo ©ChristianHagen

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Being Belgian in the world of haute cuisine is about being independent of any one school of cuisine. Chef Pascal’s cuisine does not give in to the new mantras of this materialistic planet, but stays loyal to traditional fares which might be served in a luxury hotel. Pascal puts brilliance into his meticulous search for a new passion in taste - a discovery of a rare variety for his vegetable garden, an innovative design for his plates, for meeting new producers, whatever it takes. Pascal Devalkeneer is pursuing his dialogue of haute cuisine with his new chef, Kasper Kurdahl. With his market gardener, he is cultivating his vegetable garden like a pantry that contains all of his feelings and emotions. With a team of 27 people, he is able to give all of the value that they deserve day after day. He is the heart and soul of the Chalet. “For me the Chalet is a jewel that you need to polish tirelessly, an exceptional jewelry case whose magic only bursts out if you take the time to reinvent it every day.” WG Magazine catches up Pascal Devalkeneer... WG Magazine: Your culinary creations are a harmony of technique and natural seasonal produce, while achieving the perfect delicate balance between traditional and avant-garde - how do you bring about this balance on a plate? Pascal Devalkeneer: This is a rhetorical question… my cuisine is described as being a balance between traditional and avant-garde and that’s probably because that’s profoundly who I am as a man. I am much attached to traditions because I’m convinced that you can’t understand the present, and even less the future, if you have no knowledge of the past! I am not a trend follower, but I’m very open to novelty. My basics are the seasons and to never transform the product too much. That’s tradition in my book. I might apply some new cooking techniques to those products, like using a Konro (Japanese BBQ grill) for example. WG March 2016 -

PASCAL DEVALKENEER - LE CHALET DE LA FORÊT, BRUSSELS

WG Magazine: Who or what are your greatest influences in the kitchen? Pascal Devalkeneer: Roger Souveryns clearly made me grow to become the chef I am today. But most importantly, my influence lies in keeping in mind the sensory impression that I want people to experience. This based on the notion that the tongue has five different basic taste perceptions: sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami (savory) and that a balanced recipe lies in tickling at least 3 of those and adding the mastering the sensation of hotness/piquancy. Bound to this, the importance of the visual, the temperature, the texture, the smell and the most important thing of all— LOVE! If your state of mind isn’t good and open to others, your cuisine will not awaken people’s senses the same way! WG Magazine: In your opinion, what is the best recipe you have ever created? What inspired this recipe and why? Pascal Devalkeneer: My favorite creations so far are the tartar of special Gillardeau oysters with Petrossian selection caviar and broccoli flowers, an alternation of scallops, and black truffle with corn salad, Belgian endives, bone marrow and bread crust. These are favorites because of the vacillation of textures and the balance between sea and land-products. WG Magazine: What new ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now and how do you select your ingredients? Pascal Devalkeneer: It’s according to the seasons! For the moment: asparagus, broad beans, artichokes and fresh peas. WG Magazine: Is there an ingredient that you weren’t able to master and have given up on and why? Pascal Devalkeneer: Angelique (a plant used in candy making) — I was never able to master either the taste, nor the texture. If I could explain why, I probably wouldn’t have failed.

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Weekend - galler - gibier Photo ÂŠFrederic Ravens

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PASCAL DEVALKENEER - LE CHALET DE LA FORÊT, BRUSSELS

Photo @bigbook.be

Photo ©Christian Hagen

Chef et Sommelier Photo ©ChristianHagen

WG Magazine: Do you have any special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using? Pascal Devalkeneer: I love to barbecue because it’s a real challenge to manage an element like fire to produce the fine cooking you want to create. But when it’s managed with balance, it creates a magic harmony in a dish, the marriage of refinement and roughness. WG Magazine: Produce, Creativity or Technique. What is more important to you and why? Pascal Devalkeneer: Without the technique you can’t express your creativity properly. Technique is what guarantees harmony and balance in the creation process. A recipe exists in my head, in my taste buds and in my hands before it comes to life. Production is the combination of technique and creativity. If you lack any of the three then you are not a chef!

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petit salon Photo ÂŠxavierharcq.com

WG Magazine: What keeps you motivated at this point in your career? Pascal Devalkeneer: My customers keep me going because they are in constant demand and I want to satisfy their curiosity. Besides this, creating is vital to me. It is a part of who I am. It is my way of breathing! WG Magazine: Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession. What advice could you give to chefs who are first entering the field today? Pascal Devalkeneer: I will paraphrase my colleague Yves Camdeborde who said that the excessive media coverage of our profession gets our profession to be perceived as glamorous but people tend to forget that 80% of our business is the production, and that is hard work, definitely lacking fun and glamour. It takes an hour for two cooks to open up five kilos of scallops. In that hour we do not talk, we remain concentrated and silent with aching hands. Chefs are high precision machines. It definitely is a profession with tremendous pressure. WG March 2016 -

MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

MATT MORAN Matt Moran is the well-known Australian chef and restaurateur of a number of successful restaurants including ARIA Sydney, ARIA Brisbane, CHISWICK, Opera Bar, Riverbar & Kitchen, North Bondi Fish and CHISIWICK at The Gallery. In addition, he is the owner of ARIA Catering, an event company based in Sydney, Brisbane & exclusively at the Sydney Opera House. His restaurant business continues to grow with the recent announcement of an exciting new venue at Barangaroo on Sydney’s foreshore in 2016. Matt’s restaurants consistently garner praise from the food industry, media and general public alike and although they are his main focus, his talents are diverse. His profile has been raised by his appearances on TV shows such as Chopping Block, Masterchef, My Restaurant Rules and his award winning TV show, Paddock to Plate. Matt has also just undertaken a new TV project judging The Great Australian Bake-Off, following the huge success of most watched program on LifeStyle FOOD Channel in history, followed by number 1 trend on social media’s Twitter.

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MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

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Regardless of the outlet, Matt’s driving force remains fresh produce, seasonality and a passion for producing the best contemporary food possible, with a true sense of professionalism and hospitality. It’s a long-held passion, taking seed at the age of 15, when Matt commenced his chef’s apprenticeship at La Belle Helene in Sydney’s Roseville. It’s here that he learnt and finessed his skill in classical French cooking that remains a foundation of his cooking today, Matt says “It allowed me to grow. I learnt a lot of cooking techniques and gained a lot of experience at Le Belle Helene Restaurant. I am forever grateful for being able to have a chance to work there because I have bought those experiences within my own restaurants.” Matt launched his first restaurant, The Paddington Inn Bistro, in 1991. The success of this venture led to a second, Moran’s Restaurant and Café, which opened in 1995 and was awarded best new restaurant in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide that year. In 1999, the doors were opened to ARIA Restaurant, Circular Quay with its sensational views of Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbour. Since opening ARIA Sydney has been awarded two coveted Chef’s Hats from The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide on more than ten occasions.

CHISWICK - Cherry ripe

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MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

CHISWICK

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ARIA

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;From an early age I have had a strong love of food and local produce. I believe that seasonality is an important basis for menu production and one of the most significant ingredients in achieving a flavorsome, balanced and premium quality menu.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Matt Moran WG March 2016 -

MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

Next Moran opened Opera Bar, one of Sydneyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular venues and also ARIA Catering at the Sydney Opera House in 2006 which has prided itself on producing successful events at off-site locations including private residences, boardrooms, showrooms and larger venues throughout Sydney and Brisbane. It is also the exclusive event caterer at the Sydney Opera House that has allowed them to offer their clients a premium experience in this landmark location.

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CHISWICK - Wood roasted Moran family lamb, carrots, pumpkins, mint, yoghurt

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MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

A second ARIA opened in Brisbane in 2009. Situated in the Eagle Street Pier precinct on the riverfront, the restaurant boasts spectacular views of the Brisbane River and the Story Bridge provides a dramatic backdrop for diners. It too has been awarded two coveted Chefâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hats from The Sydney Morning Herald, Queensland Good Food Guide. In March 2012 Moran opened CHISWICK restaurant and bar, a relaxed, informal restaurant on Ocean Street, Woollahra. The daily menu features items from the wood-fired oven, showcasing produce from the on-site

vegetable and herb garden. In addition, Riverbar & Kitchen opened December 2012 alongside ARIA in Brisbane. The expansion has continued with the popular North Bondi Fish opening in 2013 and just recently, in October 2014, CHISWICK at The Gallery (Art Gallery of New South Wales). The restaurant at Barangaroo is due to open in 2016 which will have a casual bar and food on ground level, a top-class restaurant on the first level and up the top an Australian rooftop bar.

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CHISWICK

CHISWICK Kitchen Garden

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MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

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CHISWICK - Petuna ocean trout, feta, char-grilled sourdough

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Matt is also the author of four bestselling cookbooks - Matt Moran, When I Get Home, Dinner at Mattâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and his latest title, Mattâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen Garden. Among other achievements he has been a member of the Singapore Airlinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; International Culinary Panel since 2003, was awarded Chef of the Year by GQ in 2012 and Food Force of the Year in 2014. He is also a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines globally as well as an Ambassador for Audi, Ducati, Global knives, Singapore Airlines, OzHarvest and Scanpan. For Matt, seasonality is the key ingredient in achieving a flavorsome and balanced menu and as such, his contemporary menus are inspired by his passion for sourcing the finest seasonal produce available.

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MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

WG Magazine catches up Matt Moran... WG Magazine: It’s interesting to learn how Chef’s find their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Tell me more about your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field to became one of the most sought-after Chef in the world! Matt Moran: I grew up on a dairy farm in the countryside near Sydney, Australia. I have great childhood memories of life on the farm and looking back, it’s probably those early years that inspired my love of food, farming and living off the land. But to be honest, as a kid I didn’t grow up desiring to be a chef, I more or less stumbled upon it as a career and fell in love with it. My upbringing was pretty simple, particularly when it came to food. I didn’t actually ever eat at a restaurant until I was 14 years old and dinner at home was typically meat and three veg. When I was 15 years old I left school and did some work experience in a bakery. Then I remembered how interested I was watching Dad cut up the lambs on the farm, so I thought I might try butchery. I did some work experience at a butcher shop and as much as I love meat, I had a feeling I would get bored. So I moved on to a job at the Parramatta Retired Services League and then one day I got lucky and got a job at La Belle Helene, one of the best restaurants in Sydney at the time. Seeing other chefs doing incredible things with food really excited me! I just fell in love with the job immediately and knew I wanted to be a chef. WG Magazine: Taking you back at the age of 15 when you started your career as a chef, working on weekends at the Parramatta RSL Club and then going on to do your apprenticeship at Le Belle Helene Restaurant where you practiced the art of classical Greenlandic cooking. Tell us about the experience and how did that experience help to form who you are as a chef today? Matt Moran: La Belle Helene was actually a classical French restaurant, in terms of technique, so that was my formal training. I spent nearly every day of my teenage years in that kitchen and I don’t regret a minute of it. I event started a small business on the side: I made a batch of tarts – winter fruit, mandarin, date – and approached a couple of the local delis. Pretty soon I was making thirty or forty a week. I’d finish work at the restaurant at midnight, bake until two or three in the morning and then get up at seven to finish them off. I loved every moment at La Belle Hellene and I’m grateful for my time there. I learnt so much about food, cooking and different techniques – the experience there was priceless. I had to learn a lot of discipline though, it was really hard work and long hours. I didn’t have a day off for two years, I finished work late every night and started early each morning. But I absolutely loved it. I was so excited to wake up every day and I couldn’t wait to get to work, to learn new things and acquire new skills. It really stood my in good stead for my career and what lay ahead, owning my own restaurants.

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ARIA - Blood Orange Souffle

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MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

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ARIA - Wagu pastrami, asparagus, enoki mushroom and beef tendon

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WG Magazine: Seasonality is the key ingredient to your culinary creations, inspired by your passion for sourcing the finest seasonal produce and creating a composition of flavours - complex and modest yet impeccably balanced that results in an avant-garde dining experience - how do you bring about this balance on a plate? Matt Moran: As chefs, we’re great multi-taskers. There are so many components that go into creating a delicious, well- balanced dish and each needs to be carefully considered. The more training and experience you have in the industry, the better you’ll be at it. It isn’t something that can be learned overnight. Flavour, contrast, texture, balance of flavour, mouthfeel, all these elements need to be just right, not to mention the presentation when plating. You have to captivate all the senses. WG Magazine: How would you describe your cuisine? Matt Moran: Seasonal, honest, fresh, inspiring and most of all…. delicious. I always use the highest quality produce that’s local and I season. If you start with the best ingredients possible, you’ll be in the best starting position to create a tasty dish - you can let the ingredients shine and speak for themselves. That’s why the work of our farmers is so important too. Without their tireless work to produce exceptional ingredients, us chefs wouldn’t be able to do what we do. WG Magazine: What are your greatest influences in the kitchen? Matt Moran: Mother nature has always been my biggest source of inspiration. I always take inspiration from what grows seasonally to influence the design of a dish or menu. Fresh, locally grown seasonal ingredients are a huge inspiration to me, I get excited when the seasons change and there’s a whole new range of produce to work with. So seasonality and local ingredients has, and always will be, my biggest influence. Other than that, there are obviously people I’ve met along the way and experiences I’ve had that serve as inspiration - travel, different cultures and cuisines and great chefs past and present. WG Magazine: In your opinion, what is the best recipe you have ever created? What inspired this recipe and why? Matt Moran: As a chef, this question is simply too hard to answer! I honestly would have to say that it hasn’t been created yet! What I love about being a chef is that I’m always learning; exploring new ideas and trying different things. While we chefs tend to be very driven and perfectionistic characters, you can never learn it all. I’ve been in the industry for over 30 years now and I’m still constantly growing, developing and harnessing techniques and flavor combinations. So I’d say the best is still yet to come! WG March 2016 -

MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

CHISWICK - Cabbage salad, soft organic egg, sunflower seeds

CHISWICK - Berrima octopus, chickpea and labneh

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CHISWICK - Heirloom tomatoes, garden basil, herb oil

WG Magazine: Could you share the process you go through to create a new dish? Matt Moran: Firstly, I decide on the main protein. Whether its meat, poultry or seafood, it has to be a good product thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full of flavour. Then I think about seasonality and what ingredients are at their best - fresh herbs, vegetables or fruit. Most of the time I try to limit myself to two or three flavour profiles and then add supporting components for texture or to stimulate all the senses. Too many flavor profiles can leave you with a muddled dish so I always look for balance and contrast and think about complementary ingredients. WG March 2016 -

MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

WG Magazine: What new ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now and how do you select your ingredients? Matt Moran: At the moment in Australia it’s the beginning of autumn and I’m so excited about the produce that’s coming into season. Summer has just left us and I’ve loved using mango and other stone fruits and making salads. But now with the change of season ingredients like mushroom, cauliflower, coriander and a huge array of beans like bolotti, roma, butter and snake beans are all coming into their prime. I can’t wait to cook with them! We are lucky in Australia that there is such a huge diversity of fantastic produce to work with. WG Magazine: What are your favourite ingredients you like to work with? Matt Moran: As a chef, we love them all! I’m a farmer to this day and Moran Family Farm is about a 3-hour drive from Sydney. The lamb from my farm has become a signature dish at some of my restaurants, I do have a soft spot for it. Other than that, any high quality product that is in season and from a local farmer or artisanal producer will get me excited, so long as it’s delicious. I often visit farmers markets. It’s a privilege to meet the people producing our food, to hear the background story. I also have a kitchen garden at

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home and at my restaurant Chiswick too, where we grow our own ingredients. There’s no greater pleasure than growing your own produce, nurturing it, picking it from the garden and cooking with it. WG Magazine: Is there an ingredient that you weren›t able to master and have given up on and why? Matt Moran: Not at all, I never give up! That’s always been my nature and my motto in life. Even in my days as an apprentice, I always believed practice makes perfect so I’d never stop trying until I got it right. Thankfully, after 30 years as a chef I’ve learnt a thing or two since then! There aren’t many ingredients that will stump me now but I’m always learning and trying different techniques and ways to cook with them. WG Magazine: Do you have any special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using? Matt Moran: That’s a tough one but it would have to be Global knives and Scanpan, I can’t live without these! They’re such high quality products and I’ve been using them for years.

ARIA - Spanner crab with peas and lemon

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MATT MORAN - AUSTRALIA

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ARIA - Roasted champagne lobster with radish and kombu butterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

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WG Magazine: Produce, Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why? Matt Moran: All are equally important to a chef and imperative to a dish. If you lack one of these elements, the dish will lack as a result. Seasonality, balance, flavour, texture, harmony on the plate and presentation, there are lots of things to consider. To start with I look to the produce and then the creativity, technique and other elements flow naturally from there. WG Magazine: ‘Matt Moran’ your first book – dishes that you developed over twenty years, challenging recipes broken down into smaller components which is made simple to work through the recipes and a strong belief that good produce speaks for itself – what was the inspiration while writing this book? Matt Moran: Wow, my first cookbook that seems so long ago! Yes, one of the most enjoyable aspects of my work is sharing my enthusiasm for food, whether it’s through my restaurants or at festivals and on tours, or through cookbooks. The book was a long time coming and I just really wanted to share some of my recipes with people. The dishes we cook at my restaurant ARIA were a great inspiration, though I broke them down into smaller components and simpler steps so that people can cook them at home. I’ve written a few other cookbooks since then, Dinner at Matt’s, When I Get Home and Matt’s Kitchen Garden. I really enjoy writing cookbooks and plan to do more of them. WG Magazine: You and all your restaurants – Aria in Sydney and Brisbane, Chiswick, North Bondi Fish, Opera Bar, Riverbar and Aria Catering have received about every honor imaginable. What keeps you motivated at this point in your career? Matt Moran: Actually I have 10 restaurant businesses now and no plans to slow down – I’ve worked hard for it but I feel so incredibly lucky to have got to where I am. It’s a long way from where I was born back on the farm. I’ve always been a very driven and ambitious individual I suppose, but I honestly love my job today as much as the day I started. I am truly passionate about this industry and I really love what I do so motivation is rarely an issue. As the saying goes, “do what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life.” That really resonates with me - I don’t see my job as ‘work’. I see it as my passion. WG Magazine: Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, what advice could you give to chefs who are first entering the field today? Matt Moran: When I started in the industry 30 years ago, reality TV and cooking shows weren’t around. Chefs rarely even owned restaurants, they were just the guys slogging away out the back in the kitchen! So I never got into it for the glamour, I truly loved being a chef. If you love what you do, you’ll work hard practice hard and become good at it. It really is such a fantastic industry, so my advice would be work hard, be passionate, follow your dreams and never give up!

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

HEINZ WINKLER

Text Oilda Barreto

Born in the Northern Italian province of South Tyrol, Heinz Winkler began his culinary career in 1963 at the tender age of 14, working at the upscale Hotel Laurim in Bozen. Before long he extended his culinary experiences to famous restaurants in Germany, France and Italy. In 1973 he was promoted to Chef de Cuisine of the Schloss Hotel, Pontresina. In 1978 he was searching for new challenges at the Kulm Hotel in St. Moritz, Switzerland. It was there where he discovered Nouvelle Cuisine with renowned Chefs Paul Bocuse and Eckart Witzigmann. On his meteoric rise, he then became chef at the legendary Restaurant Tantris in Munich. He was reaching for the stars and got them. In 1981 he was honored with three Michelin stars, two stars as the manager of the Tristan Restaurant on the Isle of Mallorca, and when he took over as Chef of the Restaurant Tantris in 1981 he was honored with his third Michelin star. He was 31 years old. Ten years later the noteworthy Chef finally fulfilled a lifelong desire with the opening of his hotel/spa/restaurant, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Residenz Heinz Winklerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in Aschau, Germany. About 30 minutes by car from Salzburg and Munich, he turned the circa 1405 medieval estate into a classy, upscale hotel in the Bavarian Alps. The distinguished rooms offer balconies with magnificent mountain, gardens or charming village views. There are also quintessentially majestic rooms, some with upper levels connected by in-room staircases. The spa offers an indoor pool, as well as Finnish and Roman-style saunas.

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

Of course, the ‘Venetian Gourmet Restaurant’ is the very heart and soul of the Residenz Heinz Winkler. The Italian ambience and the welldesigned interior is the perfect setting for creating unforgettable hours of consummation. With his showcased ‘cuisine vitale’ Heinz Winkler creates classic menus as well as surprisingly new creations to inspire his guests’ palates. He developed his signature cuisine vitale as a naturally based way of produce cooking, harvesting and creating delicious food by offering the finest ingredients on a plate, as naturally as possible. This has resulted in a superbly light cuisine which highlights luscious yet, not heavy sauces, with a particular emphasis on herbs and vegetables. Chef Winkler’s cuisine is contemporary and expresses the maximum amount of flavor from only a few elements on the plate, which has always

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been his culinary truism. With this celebrated ‘cuisine vitale’ the Residenz has attracted guests from all over the world. Chef Winkler has decisively contributed to the worldwide reputation of German gastronomy. He has taught at numerous international cooking schools in Italy, Spain, Japan, USA, Hong Kong, and Thailand. In 2011 he celebrated the 20th anniversary of the “Residenz Heinz Winkler” and in 2013 he celebrated 50 years of Heinz Winkler’s art of cooking. Although he has collaborated with some of the best chefs in the world, he has developed his own style and distinct cooking nuances, enough to write several cook books: “Die Klassiker der Cuisine Vitale”, “Heinz Winklers Heilpflanzen für Geniesser”, “Highlights der Kochkunst”, “Frühstück” and ”Glücksmenu”.

Variation of Oysters

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

Thank you for taking the time to speak with WG Magazine! It’s interesting to learn how Chefs find their passion for cooking and where they grew up. Tell me more about your formative years and how did you find your way into the culinary field to become the most sought-after Chef in the world! Heinz Winkler: I come from South Tyrol, where gastronomy plays a major role. I had older brothers and sisters, who had already worked in gastronomy and told me about it. Growing up on a farm, my father fixed up an apprenticeship with a chef for me at the age of 14. It has been a very fortunate for me to make the right choice at the age of only 14 years to combine a hobby, profession and vocation. This profession has always given me great joy. One must never stop wanting to learn and you always have to go in with open eyes through life. I have always read cookbooks as anything else would have distracted me from my job. WG Magazine: Taking you back to when you were 14 and started your apprenticeship, fascinated with Nouvelle Cuisine, you joined the team of Paul Bocuse, and later went on to work with Eckart Witzigmann How did these chefs inspire you and how did the experience help to form who you are as a chef today? Heinz Winkler: After my apprenticeship at the Hotel Laurin in Bozen I worked in other restaurants in Meran and Milan and in major hotels in Switzerland, such as the Hotel Kulm in St. Moritz, the Hotel Victoria in Lausanne and finally at the Schlosshotel Pontresina, where I was chef de cuisine at the young age of 24. After working with Chefs Bocuse and his protégé Witzigman I became Chef de Cuisine after just half a year at Tantris, when Witzigman left and started his own business in 1978. There is where I was inspired with new and fresh ideas of the Nouvelle Cuisine.

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Dialog of Goose liver with Cox-Orange-Apple

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

WG Magazine: You are widely known for your â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cuisine Vitaleâ&#x20AC;? approach to food and your culinary creations which emphasize on healthy ingredients, delicate yet intense. You convey the flavor of each product to its finest advantage, composed yet always a feast for the palate - how do you bring about this balance on a plate? Heinz Winkler: By not putting too many ingredients around the main product, as flavors accompany the whole dish. With too many ingredients you will be distracted from the main palate. Since I grew up in the countryside, it is important to me that you taste the product as it is specified on the menu. For example, a goose liver parfait is in the form

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of a mushroom on your dish and you discover that is goose liver only by eating it. Going out for dinner in a restaurant should always have a festive appeal, but your plate should not be by overcome a “kindergarten”. WG Magazine: You have considered ‘La Pergola’ with Heinz Beck as one of the best and as a chef you have great admiration – could you share your thoughts and experiences with him? Heinz Winkler: Besides Heinz Beck I think there are now excellent chefs in Holland, for example, in Vaassen, “De Leest”, Chef Boerma, he makes a very realistic kitchen and does not “run after” every fashion trend. Chefs have periods, too, just like painters.

Catfish in salt curst

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

In 1991, Heinz Winkler made his life’s dream come true and fulfilled his personal vision, creating his own hotel and restaurant in Aschau in the beautiful Upper Bavaria...

Above: Heinz Winkler, Edmund Stoiber and Russian President Vladimir Putin

And Heinz Winkler’s “Cuisine Vital“ became a true magnet for guests and celebrities from all over the world...

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Heinz Winkler and Milla Jovovich

Heinz Winkler, Eckart Witzigmann and Harald Wohlfahrt

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

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Terrine of Lobster with Mango

WG MAGAZINES

WG Magazine: How would you describe your cuisine? Heinz Winkler: Earlier, talking about the “Cuisine Vitale”, with fresh products and expressive sauces, that’s my cuisine. Fine cuisine should not merely dispense anything to the palate and the tongue, but it should celebrate on it. WG Magazine: What are your greatest influences in the kitchen? Heinz Winkler: I have written 5 books, I developed my own style of cooking, and I have significantly influenced the development of the German gastronomic kitchen along with E. Witzigmann. I have also created and produced a variety of dishes and recipes and have trained many chefs. Today, there are many innovative dishes out there which no one knows were originally created by me. WG Magazine: In your opinion, what is the best recipe you have ever created? What inspired this recipe? Heinz Winkler: There is not just one recipe I have created and I cannot name the best. You always attempt to make “the best”. But to name a few: carpaccio of lobster with lemongrass sauce and verbena or, venison in bread crust or potatoes snow with caviar and sour cream or, white chocolate mousse with wild strawberries. You just try and reflect what fits best, such as a pigeon breast and parsley soufflé, radicchio with Fourme d’Ambert - a classic for 20 years now. WG Magazine: Could you share the process you go through to create a new dish? Heinz Winkler: Sometimes I cannot bear to see the preparation of a specific product. It must be found, something new, and then I try it out, and I correct and optimize it. The most important thing is that one is never satisfied as a cook and that one would prefer to improve on a dish, to make it better and better. Dissatisfaction and the desire to do something new drives me forward all the time. You must not praise yourself; this is something only your guests may do. If you think you are good as a chef, this is your first error. Agility is the most important thing. One must never become static. WG March 2016 -

HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

WG Magazine: What new ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now and how do you select your ingredients? Heinz Winkler: Actually a new ingredient does not really exist. However, many old vegetables are planted again such as Jerusalem artichokes and red carrots. What I am very excited about at the moment, is the Peruvian cuisine, Z. B. Ceviche. WG Magazine: What are your favorite ingredients to work with? Heinz Winkler: Lemon verbena, Thai coriander, Jerusalem artichokes, fennel. WG Magazine: Is there an ingredient that you werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t able to master and have given up on and why? Heinz Winkler: Cardy (Cynara cardunculus), an artichoke vegetable from Geneva. It is very difficult to prepare, because the fibers are very strong and the preparation is very extensive.

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Variation of Valhrona Chocolate

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

WG Magazine: Are there any special cooking techniques or equipment you particular enjoy using? Heinz Winkler: Cooking on steam, with a lid that closes well. A technique I have developed, mainly for fish. In addition, the sous vide cooking and the Rohner Concept of healthy eating. WG Magazine: Produce, Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why?

Heinz Winkler: All three are important. What is not so important are the technical aids, they are only means to an end. WG Magazine: Your first book – what was the inspiration while writing this book?

Heinz Winkler: My first book was “Three Star Cuisine for Home”. I wanted to show that good products are important of course, but equally important is the correct handling of the products. Furthermore, I wanted to show that you have to have no fear of the star cuisine, but show that you put together the products that harmonize with each other. Not artificial but quite logical. - WG March 2016

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Panaché of Noble Fish with grain mustard sauce

Chârtreuse of Asparagus

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HEINZ WINKLER - RESIDENZ HEINZ WINKLER, ASCHAU

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D么me Chocolate

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WG Magazine: What is your guilty pleasure food? Heinz Winkler: I like to eat all food; especially I like the Asian cuisine. WG Magazine: You have received about every honor imaginable â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the first Italian to receive Three Michelin stars, 19.5 points on the Gault & Millau, Five Star Diamond Awards, the first chef in Germany to be awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, a Honorary member of the Chef of the Chefs and list of awards go on and on - What keeps you motivated at this point in your career? Heinz Winkler: Yes, I have cooked many times, 3 Stars, and received many awards. The awards confirm that the path is correct and each award is also an obligation, because the guest comes with high expectations and they must be fulfilled. When I got the three stars for the first time I was with the sweat on my forehead, because I did not know what to do, do I have to change now? Yesterday, two stars - three today. Therefore, a distinction has to be assessed properly and you have to be aware of it, too, no matter how great the joy has been. WG Magazine: Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, what advice could you give to chefs who are first entering the field today? Heinz Winkler: You have to love to be a chef and not to be understood as it being work. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a profession, but vocation!

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JOSÉ AVILLEZ - PORTUGAL

José Avillez One of Portugal’s great culinary figures - José Avillez, José stands out due to his enterprising spirit and his willingness to go one step further. With five restaurants in Lisbon and one in Oporto, José offers different culinary experiences, they all express his enormous passion for cooking. To José Avillez, cooking has always been a passion. Yet, it was only in his senior year of his Business Communication degree that he decided to become a chef. In that same year, he had individual study sessions with Maria de Lurdes Modesto and took a traineeship in the kitchen of Antoine Westerman, at Fortaleza do Guincho restaurant. After finishing his degree, he perfected his education by taking several trips, training courses, traineeships and professional experiences, he worked with José Bento dos Santos as Gastronomy Professional at Quinta do Monte D’Oiro, training at Alain Ducasse’s school and the traineeship at Eric Frechon’s kitchen, at the Bristol Hotel, which now has three Michelin stars. But it was the traineeship at El Bulli, with Ferran Adrià, that really changed his career. In 2008 he was invited to the post of Head Chef of the renowned Tavares restaurant, where in little more than a year he was awarded a Michelin star. Together with José Bento dos Santos and the Quinta do Monte D’Oiro vineyard he launched JA wines, bearing his signature: JA Red, JA White and JA Rosé. José Avillez has also contributed to countless Portuguese and foreign books and is the author of “Um Chef em Sua Casa” (“A Chef in Your Home”) selling over 15 000 copies. The success of his first book led him to publish the second one “Petiscar com Estilo” (“Snacking in Style”) a year later. In 2013 he returned to writing with the bilingual Portuguese and English book “Cantinho do Avillez – As Receitas” (“Cantinho de Avillez – The Recipes”), which reveals some of the more popular recipes and most requested dishes served at his Cantinho do Avillez restaurant. José Avillez also authors and hosts TV and radio cooking shows. The highly successful programme “JA ao Lume“ (“JA at the Stove”) broadcasted on SIC Mulher channel, which had 3 seasons. “Combinações Improváveis” (“Improbabilicious”) is José Avillez’s TV show, also on SIC Mulher channel. O Chef sou eu” (“I’m the Chef”) is a recurring segment on Radio Comercial’s mornings, the most popular Portuguese radio station where José Avillez shares advices, quick recipes, fun facts and tips.

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Photo ÂŠVitor Machado

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JOSÉ AVILLEZ - PORTUGAL

Suckling pig revisited Photo ©Paulo Barata

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Wave breaking Photo ©Nuno Correia

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Belcanto

Dip in the sea Photo ©Paulo Barata

“Over 500 years ago there lived a people who revolutionised our knowledge of the world. Driven by a desire to know and discover. Aware of the risks and the hardships. The Portuguese set out from Lisbon in search of all things new: new seas, new lands, new places, new peoples and new products. Guided by knowledge and science, they created the first globalisation phenomenon. Lisbon offered the world a new outlook. At Belcanto, inspired by the feats of the past, we have built the future, while respecting customs and traditions, sharing the same lure for the new and valuing teamwork and the interchange of experience and knowledge. Together we have discovered new techniques, new concepts and new ways of serving. The creation of a Portuguese haute cuisine, timeless, dateless. The union, the creativity, the desire to evolve and go one step further.” - José Avillez Distinguished with two Michelin stars, Belcanto restaurant opened in 1958 in Chiado, at the São Carlos square, next to the São Carlos National Theatre and to the house where the great Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa was born. Its singular location in Lisbon historic centre, its graceful, sophisticated atmosphere, the discrete and attentive service, and the pleasures of its cuisine, soon won over Lisbon’s elite who turned Belcanto into the place to be seen. José Avillez’s Belcanto restaurant re-opened in the beginning of 2012, totally refurbished, and was awarded a Michelin star in that same year. In 2014, Belcanto restaurant received a second Michelin star, making Belcanto the first restaurant in Lisbon to be distinguished with two Michelin stars, and José Avillez the first Portuguese chef to obtain this honour in Portugal.

Mandarin Photo ©Paulo Barata

At Belcanto, José Avillez offers a revisited Portuguese cuisine to an exclusive set of ten tables in a stylish ambience that makes us travel from the old romantic Chiado to the future. In a unique place, filled with details, where art and memories are present, José Avillez invites us on an incomparable gastronomic and sensory journey. José Avillez and his team consider haute cuisine as a form of expression. At Belcanto, he shares his inspirations, his emotions and his unrests through his culinary performances and illusions. Each dish tells a story and sets out to stir the emotions of those willing to try it. WG March 2016 -

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JOSÉ AVILLEZ - PORTUGAL

Cantinho do Avillez Lisboa “The Cantinho do Avillez is an old wish of mine… For a long time I have dreamt of a restaurant like this one: a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere, with a simple but sophisticated cuisine, which makes us want to return and return.”

- José Avillez

Located in Chiado, the Cantinho do Avillez restaurant welcomes you with a natural blend of the traditional and the modern. Quality is the priority with Chef José Avillez, and so nothing is left to chance. The cuisine, largely Portuguese inspired, is nevertheless influenced by travels abroad. The menu offers a wide choice of appetizers, “pregos” (steak sandwiches), entrées, main dishes and desserts, so that the gastronomic experience can be different at each visit. The service, which is pleasant and informal, contributes to the cheerful and relaxed climate. Chef José Avillez wanted to share with you this restaurant full of stories, aromas and flavours through his book “Cantinho do Avillez – The Recipes”, launched in October 2013. A bilingual (Portuguese and English) book that brings together the most popular recipes from the Cantinho do Avillez restaurant.

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Deep fried green beans Photo ©Paulo Barata

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Marinated scallops with avocado Photo ©Paulo Barata

Sauteed poultry liver Photo ©Paulo Barata

Hazelnut 3 Photo ©Paulo Barata

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JOSÉ AVILLEZ - PORTUGAL

Chocolate cone in 3 textures Photo ©Paulo Barata

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Algarve prawns in ceviche Photo ©Paulo Barata

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Mini Bar Mini Bar Theatre is José Avillez’s first gourmet bar. This place, located in São Luiz Theatre, has sure brightened up Chiado’s evenings and nights offering a new entertainment concept.

José Avillez Photo ©Paulo Barata

Monday to Sunday, from 7.00 pm onward, in a comfortable and intimate atmosphere, José Avillez offers a Drink’s Menu with Special Cocktails, Wines, Craft Beers and more, and also small and varied gastronomic experiences full of flavour, wonder and fun that can be savored in the bar area or in the tables reserved for dinner. This is not a traditional restaurant. Here, not everything is what it seems. Green apple Margaritas and Caipirinhas – not to drink, but to eat. Foie gras Ferrero Rocher bonbon. Algarve Prawns in Ceviche served on a lime slice with a beetroot sphere and fried corn topping. The best roasted chicken as you never imagined it: in a small crispy base, full of flavour, with smoked cottage cheese cream. Potatoes that are a big deal because they’re small. The JAburger, a delicious hamburger served on an ultra-light brioche that melts in your mouth. The raspberry yoghurt, mascarpone and meringue served in a yoghurt sealed cup. The lemon-lime globe, a sorbet sphere filled with fresh childhood memories and much, much more. The biggest stars are the Tasting Menus: Epic and Now On.

Tuna tartar temaki cone Photo ©Paulo Barata

These two Menus present in a complete manner the entertainment offered by José Avillez. Besides the Tasting Menus, there is also a Menu divided in several “Acts”: Snacks and Creative Entrées to eat with your fingers, in a couple of bites; Fish and Meat to nibble; A Steak and a Hamburger for the more traditional ones; And, to finish off, irresistible desserts. WG March 2016 -

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JOSÉ AVILLEZ - PORTUGAL

Cantinho do Avillez Porto “It is with great pleasure that Cantinho do Avillez is coming to Oporto, this beautiful city, full of history and with so much to discover.”

- José Avillez

After requests from many customers and following its success in Chiado, “Cantinho do Avillez” arrives at Mouzinho da Silveira Street, in Oporto. “Ever since Cantinho do Avillez opened, many customers from the North of Portugal asked us to open another one in Oporto. The right location finally appeared and here we are, ready for another challenge», said José Avillez. «It’s the first time we will go outside Chiado, and I believe we are ready to take this step. I really like Oporto, I deeply trust this team that has grown with me over the last years and I plan on coming often to Oporto to closely oversee everything, just like I do with the other restaurants», stated José Avillez. In terms of atmosphere, Cantinho do Avillez in Oporto is also a pleasurable, welcoming and relaxed place. As always, of course, quality is a priority. Just like in Lisbon’s Cantinho, the cuisine is Portuguese inspired and influenced by travels. The Menu offers some of Cantinho’s celebrated dishes: Deep fried green beans with tartar sauce; Marinated scallops with avocado; Sautéed poultry liver with onion and Port marmalade; Cod with bread crumbs, LT egg and “exploding” olives; Portobello mushrooms risotto, bacon, parmesan and basil; “Barrosã DOP” hamburger with caramelized onion, foie gras and french fries and Hazelnut 3, among others. There will also be some new ones, such as “Portuguesinha” (Portuguese “cozido” pie); sautéed scallops with trout eggs; asparagus, saffron and lemon risotto and crispy game sausage with BT egg, smoked tomato and rapini rice and Chocolate 3. Once again, Ana Anahory and Felipa Almeida from AnahoryAlmeida Atelier have developed the interior design after the concept suggested by chef José Avillez, creating a comfortable, cheerful and casual environment.

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Bife Photo ©Paulo Barata

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José Avillez Photo ©Paulo Barata

Atum legumes Photo ©Paulo Barata

Hamburger Photo ©Paulo Barata

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JOSÉ AVILLEZ - PORTUGAL

Bras Style Cod with Exploding OlivesPhoto ©Paulo Barata

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Chocolate Mousse Photo ©Paulo Barata

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Café Lisboa Beef Steak with Portobello Mushrooms Photo ©Paulo Barata

“I adore Lisbon, especially Chiado. The idea of Café Lisboa arose from the wish to breathe new life into Largo de São Carlos by creating a comfortable venue with a terrace as a place for those who live in or visit the city to relax all week long.”

- José Avillez

As a place to meet or a starting point from which to explore the city, Café Lisboa is ideally located: right inside the São Carlos National Theatre. “As well as being attractive, Largo de São Carlos is inspirational. The square is home to the two hundred year-old São Carlos National Theatre, the only theatre in Portugal devoted to opera. Interestingly, it was also in this square that Fernando Pessoa was born. He was a great Portuguese poet for whom I have a particular admiration”, says José Avillez. While Café Lisboa evokes the charm of traditional cafés, at the same time it transports us to the Lisbon of today. Café Lisboa has two spaces: a room inside the Theatre which captures the charm of this extraordinary late 18th century building and a magnificent, inviting terrace. “Café Lisboa is designed to suit the lifestyle of those who live in the city and those who visit it. So, at Café Lisboa you can snack, have a drink or eat a meal at any time from 12 noon to 12 midnight, everyday from Monday to Sunday” explained José. Café Lisboa Photo ©Paulo Barata

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JOSÉ AVILLEZ - PORTUGAL

Pizzaria Lisboa “Since I was young I have dreamed of opening a pizzeria… perhaps because my father owned one of the first pizzerias in Portugal, perhaps because I am fascinated by how pizza has travelled around the world, or perhaps because I adore the fun, family atmosphere of pizzerias, or perhaps because I love a challenge and very probably for all these reasons.”

– José Avillez

Just down from O Cantinho do Avillez, there is a new pizzeria, Pizzaria Lisboa, owned by Chef José Avillez. From Monday to Sunday, Pizzaria Lisboa provides fine Mediterranean flavours in a very relaxed, family atmosphere. “My passion for cooking is enormous and there is nothing that thrills me more than thinking of a new concept, devising a menu, searching for better ingredients, perfecting recipes and creating the ideal scenario in which to serve food. That was how Pizzaria Lisboa was born. The name came from my desire to pay homage to this city which to my mind is one of the most beautiful in the world”. Pizzaria Lisboa offers a wide range of pizzas, fine salads, pasta dishes, risottos and irrestible desserts. “As in my other restaurants, here nothing is left to chance. We ordered the best wood fired oven on the market, found the best 00 flour, brought in San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella fior de latte and a number of quality Portuguese ingredients that are a perfect match. Last year I was in Modena where I tried the best dough ever and I was so taken by the quality and the apparent simplicity of the dish. At Pizzaria Lisboa I want to provide these simple, genuinely Mediterranean dishes, brightly prepared and tasty”.

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Beef carpaccio with foie gras shavings Photo ©Mariana Marques

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Pizza Chiado Photo ©Paulo Barata

Pizza Caravela Photo ©Paulo Barata

Pizzaria Lisboa Photo ©Paulo Barata

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MARTIN KLEIN - IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

MARTIN KLEIN Martin Klein did not give a second thought to the offer of managing the Ikarus Restaurant at Hangar-7 as Executive Chef from January 2014. Quite astonishing, bearing in mind that he first had to give up his previous job on an island in the South Pacific. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The opportunity to work with a unique team on perhaps the most interesting gastronomic idea in the world is the chance of a lifetime.â&#x20AC;? The arguments in favour of a move to Ikarus Restaurant were obvious. But for the management team led by Eckart Witzigmann, the patron of the Restaurant Ikarus, Martin Klein, was their first and logical choice. Not only because the native-born Alsatian made a name for himself in international haute cuisine a long time ago, but also because he is familiar with the guest chef concept like no other. After all, Klein was Chef de Cuisine at Restaurant Ikarus for nine years from 2003 until 2012 and in this capacity relieved his predecessor, Roland Trettl, in the role of Executive Chef, enabling him to concentrate on the time-consuming organisation and visits to future guest chefs around the world.

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MARTIN KLEIN - IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

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These tasks are now Martin Klein’s responsibility and when you hear him enthusing in the kitchen about the world’s best chefs and their various culinary styles and approaches, then you know that he is definitely the right person in the right place. There is one thing he wants made clear for the record, “I wouldn’t be doing this if I couldn’t work here with the right people. In Jörg Bruch and Tommy Dananic I’ve got two fantastic Chefs de Cuisine who I know really well from my time at the Restaurant Ikarus. And these are just two names from a total of almost 100 ranging from the chefs to the service and marketing team all working very, very hard at Hangar-7 towards a common goal – to meet the high expectations of our customers and to improve standards still further.”

Sepia, egg and caviar

Focusing on the team as the key element is a philosophy which comes up time and again. However, as the Executive Chef, Martin Klein does make key decisions as and when required. A specific concept requires specific dedication on the part of the participants. The team need to be flexible since the guest chefs change each month but at the same time they have to remain perfect. “The difficulty is that you cannot get used to anything here as a chef. Other people have a scheme, cooking perhaps 20 to 30 courses a year. We often cook that many here in a month!” WG March 2016 -

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MARTIN KLEIN - IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

Is it at all possible to develop a personal style in the face of so many changes? Yes, it is! “Because you naturally take an enormous amount on board and you can learn something from the best in the world.” This, among other things, has shaped Martin Klein’s development. Add to this his childhood in Alsace, a family which has always valued good food, his training at the School of Hotel Management in Strasbourg or his rapid development at some of the best restaurants in Germany. Thus, he went from Commis to Chef de Partie within 18 months while at the Zum Ochsen restaurant in Karlsruhe and while at the Wielandshöhe in Stuttgart Klein jumped from Chef de Partie to Sous Chef within two

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years. At the Marstall in Munich, he worked as Sous Chef alongside Christian Jürgens, who today is a three-star chef and later with Bernhard Diers. During this period, the Marstall was crowned “Up-and-Coming Restaurant of the Year”, “Restaurant of the Year” as well as being awarded two Michelin stars. This was reason enough to offer e 26-year-old Klein the position of Chef de Cuisine after Diers’ departure. He showed his thanks by cooking his way to his first Michelin star before he received the first offer of Chef de Cuisine at the Restaurant Ikarus. - WG March 2016

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Porcini ice cream, Cracker with miso cream,Beal tartare Burger

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MARTIN KLEIN - IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

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Goose liver with rhubarb and caramel crumble

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He spent nine years working here as Chef de Cuisine before being offered the position of Executive Chef of five exclusive restaurants and bars on a select, private island in the South Pacific at the beginning of 2012. And now his return to the Restaurant Ikarus. But what is Martin Klein’s culinary philosophy like now? “Product conscious and honest” is his summary in a nutshell. “By this I mean that I greatly value obtaining fresh ingredients and that shortcuts in the kitchen are inadmissible. The preparation of each individual dish should – and must be difficult.” WG March 2016 -

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MARTIN KLEIN - IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

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Marron,alga and citrus

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From now on, guests will be able to sample this for one month each year when the Ikarus Team, and for once not a guest chef, takes control of their own. It is already clear that the emphasis is going to be on the word “team”. WG Magazine catches up with Martin Klein… WG Magazine: How did you find your way into the culinary field to become one of the most sought-after Chef in the world! Martin Klein: I was interested in cooking since I was a kid. At the age of 14 years I decided to become a chef and 25 years later I´m still very happy with my decision. It´s not only a job for me, it´s a passion. WG Magazine: You worked alongside chefs such as Christian Jürgens and Bernhard Diers - How did they inspire you? Martin Klein: There is a German proverb which says, “To success there´s no elevator, you have to take the stairs”. This proverb was very helpful in my whole career. Of course it´s a different meaning being a commis de cuisine with 20 than being a sous chef with 25, but all of my professional stations where important to me. WG Magazine: Your culinary philosophy and creations is complex and modest yet impeccably balanced that results in an avant-garde dining experience with the right balance on a plate? Martin Klein: At a dish it´s not about the idea, it´s primarily about the product. As long as the product is in the front, the dish has automatically the right balance.

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MARTIN KLEIN - IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

WG Magazine: How would you describe your cuisine? Martin Klein: For me the products are the most important things! I set a high value on the quality and absolute fresh products! WG Magazine: What are your greatest influences in the kitchen? Martin Klein: The biggest advantage for chef´s at my age is, that they learned everything about the classic French cuisine, but of course also the past 10 years where really helpful. I guess we are all-rounders. If you want, you can compare it to the cars from former days, they had to be fast and ground capable and today we have the SUV´s.

Pink Shrimp, Bin d’Amour, garlic

WG Magazine: Hosting international guest chefs who are unique to themselves – how has this inspired you and your team? Martin Klein: Every chef brings his own personality and dish to Hangar-7. Of course there are some important names like, Sergio Herman, the Rocca brothers and Harald Wohlfahrt just to mention some of them. WG Magazine: What is the best recipe you have ever created? Martin Klein: I hope, that the best recipe was my last one in February and I hope that the next one will be the one from March. We constantly develop our selves.

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MARTIN KLEIN - IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

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Buttermilk, pear and hazelnut

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WG Magazine: Could you share the process you go through to create a new dish? Martin Klein: Before a dish arises, there is the product and an idea and that is a reflection of the team, everyone brings up his own ideas and at the end we arrive at our aim. WG Magazine: What new ingredient or ingredients are inspiring you right now and how do you select your ingredients? Martin Klein: Winter was long enough so we are looking forward to spring and for getting the first peas, morels, wild garlic and white asparagus. WG Magazine: What are your favourite ingredients you like to work with? Martin Klein: I´m still fascinated of all products coming from the sea. Fresh fish and seafood are giving a lot of pleasure to me. I never miss the chance to get fresh seafood on my trips. WG Magazine: Is there an ingredient that you weren’t able to master and have given up on and why? Martin Klein: I´ve not known how to prepare abalones for many years. But now I know it and in March we will serve very delicious and fine abalones. WG Magazine: Produce, Creativity or Technique, what is more important to you and why? Martin Klein: The correct order is exactly as you mention in your questions. First there is the good product afterwards you complete it with creativity and the technique makes it unique. WG Magazine: What keeps you motivated at this point in your career? Martin Klein: This unique domain. Hangar-7 gives me the best possibility that a chef can get. I can work with the best products and I´m meeting a lot of great people. This is the best motivation for me. WG Magazine: Being a chef is perceived as a glamorous profession, what advice could you give to chefs who are first entering the field today? Martin Klein: Some of them need more staying power and ambition. The young employees lose their motivation really fast. A lot of people need a time-out from the gastronomy after a short time. If you love your job you don´t need a time-out. WG March 2016 -

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DOMINIQUE CREEN - ATELIER CRENN, SAN FRANCISCO

Dominique Crenn a culinary sonnet at Hangar-7 128 - WG March 2016

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DOMINIQUE CREEN - ATELIER CRENN, SAN FRANCISCO

“Women can kick ass, too!” You don’t need to understand this phrase to know what Dominique Crenn is talking about. She is, after all, a prime example of this. She was the first female chef in the USA to be awarded two Michelin stars. At her San Francisco restaurant, Atelier Crenn, the native Frenchwoman celebrates modern haute cuisine that is artistically casual, yet scientifically precise, and completely without contradiction. Her often untamed hair, casual attire and tattooed forearms would not look out of place on a poster depicting a rock star. With her perfect appearance and lashings of charisma, she outshines many a Hollywood actress. An encounter with Dominique Crenn evokes a number of associations, however very few people meeting her for the first time would guess that she is a successful head chef. Dominique Crenn doesn’t like being labelled anyway. She is, after all, not “just” a chef. She is also a handywoman, a scientist and above all an artist. And it’s not by chance that her restaurant is named Atelier Crenn; it’s just as versatile as she is. An open space in which art and cooking are celebrated. A place where, with the help of her small team, she is able to breathe life into her vision of modern, artisan, sustainable and seasonal haute cuisine.

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You will not find any conventional menus in Dominique Crenn’s restaurant. She prefers to describe her “tasting menus” using a self-penned poem – a line for each course. The dishes, which she arranges on the plate in a manner reminiscent of a splendid still life, have been given names such as “Walk in the Forest” and “The Sea”. She views poetry as a perfect medium for expressing her own personal relationship with her dishes. “As far as I’m concerned, food must come from within”, she explained. “It’s all about transparency, authenticity and the message that you want to convey to your guests.” For that reason, very little meat is included on the menus on ethical grounds. Instead, she delights in using seafood and vegetables. The sophisticated kitchen is almost as open and unconventional as Dominique Crenn herself – here her team handles the ingredients with a level of precision usually only found in scientific laboratories. As far as the creation of new dishes is concerned, Crenn has made a conscious decision to do away with boundaries for both herself and her team of chefs. Flavours and techniques are combined at will, with the sole aim of providing guests with a new taste sensation that exceeds their every expectation. WG March 2016 -

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DOMINIQUE CREEN - ATELIER CRENN, SAN FRANCISCO

This results in the creation of culinary works of art such as the “trout marmitako”, Crenn’s unusual take on a classic Basque dish, which is made with fish that has been dried for precisely three days and a compote made using heirloom tomatoes that have been skinned and then dehydrated for 24 hours in order to achieve a more intense flavour. The two main ingredients are combined with kombu seaweed, dried parsley and thin slices of garlic potato, which have also been dehydrated. Although we have already established that Crenn doesn’t like being labelled, you can’t help but make the connection between these ingenious creations and molecular gastronomy. Crenn doesn’t dispute this, but she remarks: “We like to try out new things, but we don’t manipulate things without then putting the actual product on the plate. If you can taste mushroom, then you are eating mushrooms. They may be dried or processed in another way, but they are still mushrooms”. Born and raised in France, Dominique Crenn describes herself as a selftaught chef. Her father, who died prematurely, was a French politician, painter and well-respected restaurant critic. It’s not just her artistic streak that she gets from her father, she also learnt to appreciate the subtle nuances and unique flavours of high-quality ingredients as a result of their trips together to the best restaurants in Europe.

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Crenn began her formal chef training following her move to San Francisco in the late 1980s. During this time she worked under Jeremiah Tower and Mark Franz at the Stars restaurant, amongst others. In 1997, Crenn moved to Indonesia for a year, weaving culinary tales in the kitchen of the International Hotel in Jakarta in her position as the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first female Executive Chef. After returning to the USA, she spent eight years working as the Executive Chef at the Manhattan Country Club in Manhattan Beach and as the Opening Chef at the Abode Restaurant & Lounge in Santa Monica. Once back in San Francisco, Crenn took over as head chef at the Luce restaurant within the Intercontinental Hotel, which was where she was awarded her first Michelin star in 2009. Her strong desire to finally make her own, deeply personal project a reality ultimately led to the opening of the Atelier Crenn in 2011. Just one year after opening her restaurant, Crenn became the first woman in the USA to be awarded two Michelin stars for her work. Crenn has also attracted a great deal of attention, both at home and abroad, as a result of her forays into television, not least her victory on the TV cookery show The Iron Chef. This March 2016, Dominique Crenn is at last returning to Europe, where she will take over the reins in the kitchen of the Restaurant Ikarus for a month as a guest chef at Hangar-7 in Salzburg. WG March 2016 -

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RYAN CLIFT - TIPPLING CLUB, SINGAPORE

RYAN CLIFT Text Oilda Barreto Tippling Club is a unique restaurant/bar centered on food and cocktail offerings inspired by the owner and his team’s world journeys. As one of the region’s closely watched restaurants, it springs new food and cocktail offerings that are heavily influenced by their latest travels around the world particularly, Tokyo, Japan. Fronted by chef-owner Ryan Clift and head bartender Kamil Foltan, they have spearheaded the establishment’s commitment to introducing unique ingredients and re-vamping traditional flavor profiles which result in a uniquely provocative and avant garde dining experience. “It was completely unplanned, but a good lot of us visited Tokyo” says chef-owner Ryan Clift. “Many members of the team visited for the first time and were completely blown away by seemingly simple dishes that exploded with unexpectedly complex flavors. This guided our formulation for the new menu.” Tippling Club serves dinner degustation style, a stimulating tasting of various foods and drinks. Customers have a choice between the fivecourse Classic and a ten-course Gourmand menu with optional wine and cocktail pairings. In true Tippling Club fashion, cocktails are created to best enhance the flavors of each dish.

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Photo ©Todd Beltz

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RYAN CLIFT - TIPPLING CLUB, SINGAPORE

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Tom yum curry with coriander tempura

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“I started off washing dishes in a restaurant in my hometown when I was just a kid,” says Chef-Owner Clift, whose prolific culinary career began at the early age of 14. “I was immediately drawn to the energy of working in a professional kitchen and honestly enjoyed just being there. After six months, one of kitchen staff got fired and the head chef handed me a pair of chefs’ whites and invited me to be part of the team - it was a lifechanging moment for me. I haven’t looked back since. The chef who handed me my first pair of chef’s whites was the same one who encouraged me to attend culinary school, after which I went on to work at Claridge’s and further on under two- and three- starred Michelin restaurants and their respective world-renowned chefs. At Claridge’s, I trained directly under Executive Chef John Williams, a true champion of Escoffier philosophy. I was drilled in the fundamentals of classic French cuisine and I owe a lot of my cooking and techniques to him and my experience there.” WG March 2016 -

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RYAN CLIFT - TIPPLING CLUB, SINGAPORE

He worked his way up esteemed establishments throughout the UK and Australia before moving to Singapore in 2008 open Tippling Club. The restaurant-bar has been recognized for its progressive Modern European cuisine and equally inventive cocktails, winning multiple accolades since its inception. Over the course of his career, Chef Ryan has worked with some of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best chefs, including Marco-Pierre White, Peter Gordon, Emmanuel Renaut, Shannon Bennett, and Raymond Capaldi. It was in 1999 when Ryan moved to Australia where he excelled as Head Chef of Vue de Monde, one of Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most acclaimed restaurants with numerous awards including three hats by The Age Good Food Guide.

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Prawn paper with ebi sakura

In early 2008, Chef Ryan moved to Singapore to start his new endeavor, determined to take modern food and cocktail pairing to a new level. It was here that Ryan and his team launched, Tippling Club. Within its first year of operation, Tippling Club quickly earned its reputation as one of Singapore’s top restaurants. In 2009, Chef Ryan was handpicked by 10 of the world’s greatest chefs of today, as the “gastronomic superstar of tomorrow” in the cookbook by Phaidon titled “Coco”. In 2011 Chef Ryan put Singapore on the global culinary map by being the first Singaporebased chef to be selected to present beside the world’s best chefs at the prestigious culinary event, Madrid Fusión. WG March 2016 -

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RYAN CLIFT - TIPPLING CLUB, SINGAPORE

Braised salsify with warm bak kut teh mousse

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The next year Ryan was a presenter for Gourmet Abu Dhabi, for CRAVE Sydney International Food Festival, and for Omnivour Food Festival in Paris and Brussels. He also achieved a prominent invitation to guest chef at Restaurant Ikarus in the Red Bull Hangar-7 in Salzburg, Austria. Led by Roland Tretti, Restaurant Ikarus runs on a unique system of showcasing a different top International chef every month where Chef Ryan presented his signature Tippling Club creations. 2011 also saw Chef Ryan launch his highly anticipated TV show on the National Geographic Channel. Hosted by Ryan himself, ‘Chef on the Road’ tracks his journey through the varied and colorful culinary landscape of Asia; the first episode saw him creating a menu from scratch with local ingredients, in Rajasthan, India for the Maharaja of Jaipur at his palace. Ryan has also gone on to produce his own 8-episode show ‘Mobile Chef’ which sees him cook at various locations in Singapore including the Singapore Zoo and the new Gardens by the Bay. The successful chef labels his food as avant-garde and modern European. They introduce unique ingredients and reinvent the old-style flavor profiles, which result in the exceptional dining experience – when asked about how he balanced all of these aspects on a plate he replied, “I don’t like to overcomplicate things. I believe that every ingredient on a place needs to be there for a reason - I don’t throw flowers on a dish as garnish, it needs to add to the flavors and textures for it to work. But it all boils down to flavor and based purely on highlighting the ingredients. It’s a lot of thought and hard work that goes into each dish, but for the diner, it should feel seamless, like as if it all came together easily and naturally.” WG March 2016 -

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RYAN CLIFT - TIPPLING CLUB, SINGAPORE

He clues us in to his and his team’s methods… “Every couple of months we start off with a fresh piece of paper and write down a single ingredient. Then we write down every ingredient that we think will match with it; sometimes it can go up to a couple of hundred ingredients. After that we think about all the techniques we can use to match with it, whether we dehydrate it, poach it or use it fresh. We analyze every permutation before we arrive at the final dish.” He doesn’t think there’s one particular recipe to pick out and say is the best one. “ I believe in constantly evolving and creating, and will probably never be satisfied with any one recipe. We regularly revisit and tweak recipes at Tippling Club. I’m passionate about being able to grow our own produce and we’re expanding our farm at various spots in Singapore. We’re growing micro-greens and exotic herbs for Tippling Club and it’s been really exciting seeing what has been able to take root in Singapore’s climate. We have more unique herbs like wood sorrel, tarragon blossoms and

pennywort growing now, and having access to a regular, high quality supply of them gives us a lot more to work with when developing our menus. But there’s one dish that our customers have adopted as one of their favourites, so it’s pretty much a mainstay on our menu. It’s a dish of Razor Clams - wild Scottish razor clams, milk-braised parsley root, parsley chlorophyll, parsley chip, tarragon flower, cat’s whiskers, golden purslane and a cream of Brittany purple garlic. We use the braising liquor of the razor clams—which is pure white wine and aromatic herbs - and cook that down, blend it with fresh purple garlic and cream. It’s a bit of my mum’s recipe, and has become a signature for Tippling Club.” Thank you, mum.

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Mandarin Cheesecake

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SEVEN PARK PLACE BY WILLIAM DRABBLE, ST JAMES HOTEL AND CLUB - LONDON

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WILLIAM DRABBLE Text Oilda Barreto William Drabble’s love of food began when he was 8 and his family moved from Mercyside to Norfolk, England. He was influenced by his treasured grandmother, herself a cook at Yorkshire’s great estates in the 1930’s, also by the quality of ingredients from the local farms and suppliers. Nearly everyone grew produce so, everything he ate growing up was fresh, seasonal, and homemade thus, he was raised with the precise attitude needed when it came to loving food. He started out as an unpaid kitchen porter at age of 14. That experience propelled him to expand his culinary expertise. After catering school, he worked in the seaside town of Eastbourne, where the laid-back pace of life gave him the opportunity to fully immerse himself in all things gourmet. Chef William Drabble worked in some of England’s most prominent Michelin starred hotels and restaurants, including The Capital Hotel and ‘Chez Nico’. William’s career also includes roles as Head Chef at ‘Michael’s Nook Country House Hotel’ in Grasmere, where he magnificently captured a Michelin star for the venue at the young age of 26. And he was also Sous Chef to Tom Aikens at ‘Pied a Terre’ in London, who attained two Michelin stars. Later, he spent over ten years at ‘Aubergine’ in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood. Formally headed by Gordon Ramsey who departed in 1997, Chef Drabble achieved a Michelin star for Aubergine in 1999 and also retained it each year until his own departure in 2009. WG March 2016 -

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SEVEN PARK PLACE BY WILLIAM DRABBLE, ST JAMES HOTEL AND CLUB - LONDON

This was all before joining the St. James’ Hotel and Club, a stone’s throw from the hustle and bustle of Piccadilly and the boutiques of Mayfair. The hotel is also a proud member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World. He was brought on as the Executive Chef to launch the hotel’s newly named ‘Seven Park Place’ restaurant in September of 2009. Also working at St. James’ as Food and Beverage Manager was a former colleague from The Capitol Hotel, Christopher Thuilot. Together, they formed an award-winning and illustrious team. In fact, just over a year after joining the hotel in January 2011, William Drabble and ‘Seven Park Place’ was awarded a coveted Michelin star and four AA Rosettes. At Seven Park Place, Drabble created his own unique menu, influenced by classic French cuisine but made using the best local and seasonal British ingredients, which are at the heart of his sublime cooking. His approach is unfussy allowing the meticulously sourced local ingredients to speak for themselves. He oversees all aspects of dining at the Hotel including afternoon tea, room service, private dining and the Hotel’s more informal dining space and sibling to Seven Park Place – ‘William’s Bar & Bistro’. The atmosphere is an elegant space with a sophisticated nod to the ‘Golden Age’ of 1920s glamour. The intimate jewelry box like dining room emanates a sense of occasion juxtaposed with modern comfort and a relaxed ambience. The work of

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Assiette of pork

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SEVEN PARK PLACE BY WILLIAM DRABBLE, ST JAMES HOTEL AND CLUB - LONDON

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Williamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s menu is influenced by his classical French training, packed full of British seasonal ingredients His approach is unfussy allowing the meticulously sourced local ingredients to speak for themselvesâ&#x20AC;Ś

Good things come in small packages... Seven Park Place by William Drabble. Don Lavazza

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SEVEN PARK PLACE BY WILLIAM DRABBLE, ST JAMES HOTEL AND CLUB - LONDON

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Turbot with clams

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British designers is evident throughout with handmade crystal lighting from Vaughan and soft furnishings by William Yeoward, Osborne & Little, and the Designers Guild. Textile designer Neisha Crosland wraps the walls with glamorous print. Although he enjoys quality time with this family, and is an unashamedly big Liverpool FC fan, Drabble also enjoys life in the kitchen with his talented team, creating fresh new seasonal dishes and menus. He is known as a poised yet humble chef, and like any great chef, has his signature preferred dishes. Menus change with the seasons. Depending on the season, a personal favorite of his is either a rustic Cassoulet, Cote de Beouf on a BBQ or, poached lobster tail with cauliflower purĂŠe and lobster butter sauce. A jewel in the heart of London, Seven Park Place can proudly boast that is the smallest Michelin starred restaurant with one of the most accomplished thoroughbred British chefs.

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DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL - MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LONDON

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dinner by HESTON BLUMENTHAL at the MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LONDON Text Michael Hepworth

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DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL - MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LONDON

Fashionable Knightsbridge in London is the home of the swanky Mandarin Oriental Hotel and befitting such a location, Heston Blumenthal has his London showcase called Dinner In the hotel, and what a place it is featuring British food from the past centuries done “Blumenthal” style. A panoramic ground floor view of Hyde Park on the raised floor of the restaurant gives this place a special feel at lunchtime which can last up to four hours if you have the stamina before trundling off to Harrods for some late afternoon splurging.

The 2 star Michelin Restaurant shares the hotel dining scene with suitably heavy company with the Daniel Boulud spot, which I have been told is one of the best cocktail bars in town as well as being obviously a showcase for French food in London. In the meticulous menu preparation, Heston has been ably assisted by his executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts and a food historian. The open style kitchen is a haven of activity with at least twenty chefs working feverishly, and if you can stand the excitement, book the chef’s table within the space. The chefs have become experts at the old English style of “Spit Roasting’ which dates back to the times of Henry V111, and Blumenthal is likely to be the only modern day chef to have had access to the world famous Royal Kitchens at Hampton Court.

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DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL - MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LONDON

Hash of Snails

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For first course the only way to go is the Meat Fruit, a tasty morsel dating back to about 1500 which is pretty much the signature dish of the restaurant. It is simply chicken liver parfait shaped and colored like a Mandarin served with grilled bread, and technically a masterpiece. Also tried Ragoo of Pigs Ears on Toast from 1750 served with Anchovy, onions & parsley. All this was served with a 2006 Moet & Chandon champagne that was just too good.

The Pork Belly from the year 1820 is brined for 24 hours prior to cooking and comes with Hispi cabbage, onion & Robert sauce. This was one of the specials that day in the three course set lunch menu, but a glance at the regular main courses makes exciting reading. You have for example Powdered Duck Breast which is sourced from a cook book in 1670 by author Hannah Woolley, and this is served with Smoked confit fennel, smoked beetroot & umbles. Also intriguing is the Chicken cooked with Lettuces from 1670 with a grilled onion emulsion, spiced celeriac sauce & oyster leaves. This is also from the same cookbook that is strangely called “The Queen Like Closet or Rich Cabinet”

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DINNER BY HESTON BLUMENTHAL - MANDARIN ORIENTAL, LONDON

Savoury Porridge Roast Cod Palette Photo ÂŠAshley Palmer-Watts

If you are in the mood for a steak then the Hereford Ribeye from 1830 is a must partly because it is served with Blumenthalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous Triple cooked chips and a homemade mushroom ketchup. All the cuts of beef here are dry aged for 21 days at the least and cooked over wood and charcoal embers. Yes there was still some room for dessert and I was eagerly led into the direction of the famous Tipsy Cake from 1810. Loosely described it is a freshly baked brioche with sweet wine, custard and raw brandy and served with spit roast pineapple. Like all the food at this outstanding restaurant, it is all about the taste, texture and sticking closely to the original recipe with modern tweaking. Dinner by Heston recently opened a second version in Melbourne, Australia, and has caused quite a stir amongst the locals so I am told.

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BRASSERIE 2.0 - LE ROYAL MERIDIEN BEACH RESORT & SPA, DUBAI

BBQ 2.0 the hottest grill in town

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BRASSERIE 2.0 - LE ROYAL MERIDIEN BEACH RESORT & SPA, DUBAI

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Thursday BBQ Grill Night... succulent steaks, ocean fresh seafood, bourbon cocktails and barrels of entertainment, it’s the only place to start your weekend! Brasserie 2.0, everyone’s favourite new brunch destination has now launched “The Hottest Grill in Town”, making it the only place to start your weekend! Happening every Thursday at Brasserie 2.0, Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa. Diners at The Hottest Grill in Town at Brasserie 2.0, will be unbelievably spoilt for choice with an exquisite range of dishes bursting with flavour. Experience mouth-watering beef from the outdoor smoker, which has been slowly cooking for 12 hours to melt in your mouth. Revel in the choice from the outdoor live cooking islands where you can handpick your BBQ cuts and watch them being cooked in front of your very own eyes. The Al Fresco BBQ lets you savour in the slow cooked smoky beef short ribs, beef brisket, pulled chicken and beef chorizo - all from the smoker. Also on offer are a selection of prime steak, minted lamb chops, classic cowboy hotdogs and homemade burgers, roasted up to perfection at the BBQ Charcoal Grill station! The handmade burgers promise to be an explosion of flavour teamed with your choice of caramelised onion, chutneys and salad to make the ultimate personalised BBQ classic! We have the freshest Tennessee chicken wings in Dubai, that are coated in a secret sizzling sauce served alongside crudités with a blue cheese dressing, promising to leave your taste buds tingling. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, enjoy the prepared to order assorted kebabs, succulent meats, juicy poultry and flavoursome lamb, which are all available from the outdoor BBQ grill. The Texas nacho counter presents fresh onion rings, fluffy yet crunchy French fries or nachos served with assorted toppings, your choice of fresh salsa or slow cooked chilli con carne. Fish lovers, don’t panic, there’s every seafood delicacy imaginable fresh from the ocean, including delicious Mussels, Alaskin King Crab Legs and Fine De Claire oysters, as well as an innovative selection of Sushi and Sashimi. Fresh produce from the market boasts a crunchy salad station and a nutritious juice and shake bar for all your favourite fresh juice creations. WG March 2016 -

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BRASSERIE 2.0 - LE ROYAL MERIDIEN BEACH RESORT & SPA, DUBAI

Picture this - The Wild West Meats Dubai, Complete with Cowboys, Bucking Broncos, a Smoking Grill and a Live Texas Band – You Got It! If you still have sweetest tooth! pastries, an ice For guests who cheeses served

room, there are plenty of options even for the Everything from fresh delectable cakes and cream bar and a popping, popcorn machine! prefer savoury, there’s a whole host of various with juicy grapes and crackers.

Sing along to the sounds of the Texas duo band, while you relax, eat and be merry as you end the week with moonshine, smoked meats and a real Texan party! Why not really get in the mood and hop on the bucking bronco, showcasing your real cowboy skills! Brasserie 2.0 also features an outstanding open plan kitchen with over 10 live cooking islands, where diners and cowboys alike will be unbelievably spoilt for choice with an exquisite range of dishes bursting with flavour. Taking place on the stunning terrace with views of the beautiful hotel resort and the Arabian Sea, this really is Dubai’s hottest new location! Brasserie 2.0 Thursday BBQ Grill night fires up The Hottest Grill in Town, every Thursday from 7.00pm – 11.00pm at Brasserie 2.0, Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa. The BBQ Grill night is priced at AED 290 per person inclusive of food and soft drinks, chilled juices and water and AED 380 per person inclusive of food and Ole Smokey Lemonade, Jim Beam mixers and White and Red Sangria. For AED 415 per person inclusive of food, sparkling and selected alcoholic beverages.

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MAX ALAJMO - LA MONTECCHIA, PADUA

Max Alajmo La Montecchia The flavors of the Italian vegetable garden revisited by Max Celebrated with one Michelin star since 2009, La Montecchia is considered one of the best restaurants in the Veneto, featuring traditional regional dishes, reinterpreted and lightened by Max Alajmo, as well as great wines from the surrounding area and beyond. Set among the Euganean hills on spectacular estate, only ten kilometers from the center of Padua, the idyllic allure of La Montecchia rewards diners an unforgettable experience, peaceful and genuine. Guests are greeted by Erminio Alajmo, Max and Raf’s father, whose welcoming smile and gracious manner make one feel immediately at home. Erminio oversees the dining room together with Mauro Meneghetti, the restaurant’s wine director, who has put together an extensive wine list with over half of the 600 bottles available by the glass. The menu includes Alajmo family classics like beetroot gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce, Erminio’s beef tartar and crispy roast goose with potato puree, as well as new vegetarian dishes created each season by Max.

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MAX ALAJMO - LA MONTECCHIA, PADUA

La Montecchia Sala

Mauro and Erminio

The elegant dining room is connected to a spectacular terrace overlooking a golf course and a series of large rooms, making La Montecchia the perfect place to celebrate weddings, birthdays, special occasions and corporate events of up to 400 people. The event spaces are all independent from dining room, quiet and relaxing at both lunch and dinner. The La Montecchia menu includes vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options, as well a vegetarian tasting menu: “Orto”. The cuisine of La Montecchia is rooted in the traditional flavors of the Veneto region. The food is classic, but not fundamentalist and varies freely between rustic and elegant. Inspired by mamma Rita, Massimiliano (Max) has focused his culinary research in recent years on dairy sensations without the use of dairy products, flourless desserts and a line of Mediterranean pastries made with olive oil in place of butter. Eight five per cent of the dishes on the menu are vegetable based, with a special emphasis on vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free preparations (identified in the menu with symbols). Max changes the menu seasonally, working together with the executive chef of La Montecchia, Simone Camellini, to create food that comforts and delights the senses.

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Polpette di shitake con carciofi fritti

Ravanelli all’aceto balsamico

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Raf and Max

Simone and Max

The Alajmo family’s professional interest in food and restaurants can be traced back to the end of World War II, when our grandfather, Vittorio, opened a humble cheese counter inside the main market hall in downtown Padua. After working in restaurants throughout the Veneto region, Max’s parents, Erminio and Rita, took over Le Calandre restaurant in Sarmeola di Rubano, a small town just outside Padua, in the early Eighties. Thanks to Erminio’s strong managerial skill and Rita’s extraordinary culinary talent, Le Calandre received its first Michelin star in 1991. Shortly afterward they made the courageous decision to pass the restaurant on to their children. A risky challenge that proved successful over time. Each member our family developed their own role within the business, choosing to do what interests them most. Erminio manages La Montecchia, Rita oversees the Alajmo pastry kitchen, Max is the head chef, Raf the CEO, while Laura can be found behind the counter of Il Calandrino during the morning, welcoming customers with a cappuccino and a smile.

Risotto allo zafferano, cipollotto e basilico

Tartara Vegetale

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JOSIAH CITRIN - MÉLISSE RESTAURANT, SANTA MONICA

JOSIAH CITRIN A veteran of Los Angeles’ gourmet dining industry, Josiah Citrin is Chef/ Owner of highly-acclaimed Mélisse Restaurant in Santa Monica, California, and co-owner of Lemon Moon Café in nearby West Los Angeles. A Los Angeles native, Citrin discovered his passion for food from his family at an early age. His mother was a caterer and both grandmothers cooked and enjoyed good food. Their knowledge, combined with his passion for cooking and business, led to his desire to pursue a culinary career. Citrin moved to Paris after graduating from Santa Monica High School. In the City of Light, he worked for three years at the fine Parisian restaurants Vivarois and La Poste, allowing himself to explore his French heritage while gaining understanding of and respect for the rules of traditional French cooking. This invaluable experience taught him both the art and discipline of cooking and fine dining and formed the definitive basis of his training. He returned to the United States in 1990 with determination and vision and began applying his skills by working at Los Angeles’ finest restaurants -notably Wolfgang Puck’s celebrated Chinois on Main and then at Granita. After two years, Josiah moved on to join Patina and Pinot Bistro and cooked alongside famed chef and restaurateur Joachim Splichal. At Patina, Josiah met his future wife Diane, who was making their desserts and later became the pastry chef for Chinois on Main. A marriage in culinary heaven was made. Citrin subsequently became Chef at Capri restaurant in Venice and Jackson’s in West Hollywood.

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JOSIAH CITRIN - MÉLISSE RESTAURANT, SANTA MONICA

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With a heightened interest in French gastronomy and a spirit for entrepreneurship, Citrin launched his first restaurant, JiRaffe in 1996. Located in Santa Monica, JiRaffe specialized in California French Bistro food and was pioneered together with childhood friend and fellow chef Raphael Lunetta. With Diane serving as business manager, JiRaffe quickly developed a loyal following. Citrin’s lifelong dream of opening his own fine dining establishment led to the sale of his interest in JiRaffe to Lunetta. In 1999, with the encouragement, support and assistance of Diane, Mélisse opened its doors to critical acclaim in Santa Monica and has been impressing the culinary world ever since.

Named after the lemon balm herb indigenous to the Mediterranean, Mélisse has become a favorite for southern California locals as well as world travelers searching for an exemplary dining experience or an ideal place to celebrate a special occasion. Citrin is present daily in Mélisse’s kitchen and mentors the careers of younger chefs who are hand-selected and trained. He frequents the weekly Farmers’ Market in Santa Monica, where he inspects and procures the produce himself. Having established a long-standing rapport with the various farmers from Los Angeles’ outlying regions, he hosts a bi-annual dinner at his restaurant in their honor. He also participates in many cooking and charitable events each year, including the Wolfgang Puck Cancer Society Event, Planned Parenthood, Special Olympics, Cystic Fibrosis and Cure Autism Now. WG March 2016 -

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JOSIAH CITRIN - MÉLISSE RESTAURANT, SANTA MONICA

In 2004 Citrin partnered with Lunetta again to open Lemon Moon, a casual and New York-style eatery that caters to a loyal crowd with an eclectic palate. Since opening its doors, it has remained a local favorite. Citrin has been featured on various television food shows and his restaurant and recipes have been written up in numerous national food publications. He has traveled extensively as a Guest Chef for Crystal Cruises. In addition, he has been Guest Chef at: the Four Seasons Singapore; the Rheingau Food &amp;amp;amp; Wine Festival in Germany; the Naples, Florida Wine &amp;amp;amp; Food Festival; Manresa Restaurant in Los Gatos. Citrin was also invited to participate in the “Masters of Food and Wine at the Highlands Inn” in 2001 and 2005, an event that attracts the best chefs from around the world. Having derived incredible satisfaction from his various business ventures over the past decade and raising two beautiful children with Diane, Citrin recently published his first cookbook, “In Pursuit of Excellence”. It was awarded the gold medal by the Independent Book Publishers Association in the cookbook/home and garden category and named one of three finalists for best cookbooks at the Benjamin Franklin Awards.

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DANIEL ACHILLES - reinstoff, BERLIN

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DANIEL ACHILLES - reinstoff, BERLIN

Wachtelkeule, Mirepoix und Bratensauce Spitzmorcheln Pilznudel und fermentierte Schalotten

Ganznah Hecht, Kohlrabi

reinstoff is a modern gourmet restaurant, awarded with two Michelin stars and 18 Gault & Millau points. The restaurant is located in the historic Edison courtyards in Berlin-Mitte, where Germany’s first light bulbs were manufactured a few decades ago. In this unique surrounding, Chef Daniel Achilles as well as business economist Sabine Demel offer a gourmet restaurant, which is truly authentic for Berlin. Because reinstoff is different – independent and therefore exceptionally personal, focused and diverse, inspiring and genuine. Here, everyone may be as he is. And that is exactly how Berlin is. The strong character of the restaurant also applies to Chef Daniel Achilles, 39 years old and Gault & Millau Chef of the Year 2014: At reinstoff, he presents a light and modern cuisine with a particularly elegant and refreshing, often vegetal, touch. The name Reinstoff comes from the German words which describes the basis of each dish, Stoff that is as pure and Rein - as possible. This includes not only freshness and quality, but also precision and authenticity which comes into play with every product. With his two menus, ganznah and weiterdraußen, Daniel Achilles presents his international guests a level of complexity unmatched in Berlin and, at the same time, reflects his desire for culinary freedom.

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Spitzmorcheln Pilznudel und fermentierte Schalotten

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DANIEL ACHILLES - reinstoff, BERLIN

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WG MAGAZINES

Wachtelbrust RotweingemĂźse und Schinken vom Mangalitza Schwein

Superior Pottage with Shredded Chicken

Here, ganznah is the more classic menu where produce from Germany is used almost exclusively. No wonder, then, that the seasons automatically play a major role in this menu. With ganznah, Daniel Achilles pays tribute to current issues, such as food shortages and overfishing, by considering careful product selection from regional sources and how best to prepare them. The menu weiterdrauĂ&#x;en reflects the intrinsic motivation of the star chef to continuously progress with as much complexity as possible. With weiterdrauĂ&#x;en, Daniel Achilles aims to offer his guests a culinary experience unique to Berlin and perhaps unmatched anywhere else in this form. The dishes, therefore, do not bow down to a certain style, instead, they are cosmopolitan and, in part, also inspired by current trends. All dishes are presented with the corresponding wines, carefully chosen by sommelier and restaurant manager Pascal Kunert. He makes sure that each wine is in perfect harmony with the according dish and tries to have a personal connection to the wine in order to tell his guests stories about it. WG March 2016 -

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DANIEL ACHILLES - reinstoff, BERLIN

Sabine Demel & Daniel Achilles

And here, the strength of reinstoff can be seen, as it crows with a very individual approach only a self-dependent business can offer. At reinstoff, one finds hosts that work professionally and concentrated but do not miss to live their personality and almost infect guests with their own enthusiasm for food and beverages. At reinstoff, everyone may be exactly as he is – authentic. However, it is not only the service and cuisine that wows, but also the architecture of the restaurant. reinstoff is located at the historic Edison Höfe where, from 1883 to 1905, the first light bulbs in Germany were manufactured by order of Emil Moritz Rathenau and the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) using patents by Thomas Alva Edison. In 2003, these brick houses were reconstructed down to the detail, in parts with extra floors and lots of glass. Even today, this allows one to imagine the dynamic industrial architecture characterising Berlin at the end of the 19th century. The unique industrial flair continues to live on at the restaurant with its original brick walls, tall glass windows, old iron columns and metal pipes as well as almost four meter tall Prussian vaulted ceilings. An intelligent “room within a room concept” with clear lines, selective lighting on the tables as well as discreet furniture create an intimate, relaxed and elegant atmosphere, typical for reinstoff. Interior design highlight of the restaurant is a canopy made up of 240 silver glass balls of different sizes, which calms the room spatially as well as acoustically while maintaining a feel for its height. Intelligently placed mirrors optically reinforce the infinite depth of the horizon. The color composition is consciously kept subtle and consists mainly of black and lime green beside the red bricks and black iron columns.

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WG MAGAZINES

Ziegenkäse mit geröstetem Sellerie und eingelegten Erdbeeren

reinstoff

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BRENT SAVAGE - BENTLEY RESTAURANT AND BAR, SYDNEY

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BRENT SAVAGE - BENTLEY RESTAURANT AND BAR, SYDNEY

Bentley Restaurant and Bar is one of Australia’s renowned restaurants, the Bentley first opened in March 2006 by Chef Brent Savage and Sommelier Nick Hildebrandt. With the Bentley came a new kind of restaurant for Sydney – one where the food could challenge and inspire you, but in a relaxed atmosphere where you could find an eclectic list of wines not offered anywhere else. With Brent’s flavoursome food and Nick’s love of introducing customers to wines by international boutique producers, the Bentley quickly earned a reputation for leading diners to some new and exciting places. The vision paid off and Bentley was named ‘Best New Restaurant’ at the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide Awards, as well as earning two Chef’s hats and a coveted wine glass, which it has retained ever since. Since those early days, Brent and Nick have continued to steer the Bentley to a place where it has become known as one of the most influential restaurants in the country. It has been lauded by restaurant reviewers from around the world, recognised with a swag of awards by influential publications including Australian Gourmet Traveller, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian and consistently featured in the Top 20 of Gourmet Traveller’s Top 100 Australian restaurants.

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Nick Hildebrandt & Brent Savage

Brent has twice been awarded the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide ‘Chef of the Year’ (2005 and 2015) and has travelled the world cooking as a guest at some of the world’s best restaurants. Nick has been awarded ‘Sommelier of the Year’ three times and his wine list earned the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Guide ‘Wine List of the Year’ Award in 2007, 2012 and holds the title again for 2016.

WG MAGAZINES

Kangaroo and Purple Carrot

Southern Calamari

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BRENT SAVAGE - BENTLEY RESTAURANT AND BAR, SYDNEY

Scallop and Foie Gras

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Aerated Chocolate

WG MAGAZINES

In 2012 after launching their second eatery Monopole, Brent and Nick welcomed Glen Goodwin to the ownership team. Glen has spent 15 years as a Sommelier and Restaurant Manager, mostly in New York working for the likes of Wylie Dufresne at wd-50 and Shea Gallante at Cru. In 2008 he moved back home, and joined the Bentley’s management team where he has been sharing his fantastic knowledge of food and wine with customers and offering his world-class service. 2013 saw the Bentley move from its original home in Surry Hills to a bigger, grander space at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sydney’s CBD. With its majestic façade and contemporary interior designed by awardwinning Melbourne architect Pascale GomesMcNabb, Bentley Restaurant + Bar found the perfect home. For Chef Brent Savage and sommelier Nick Hildebrandt, owners of Bentley Restaurant and Bar, the new restaurant housed in the historic Radisson Blu hotel building is the crowning achievement in their eight year partnership. “This is in every way a dream restaurant for us,” said Savage and Hildebrandt of the relocated restaurant. “The fundamentals of Bentley as it was in Surry Hills will remain – serious food and wine served in a relaxed, modern and informal environment, but the beautiful new space will enable us to take Bentley to the next level.” Savage’s menu delivers a cutting edge a la carte dining, as well as a separate bar menu, the menu features a raw and cured section, including Bentley’s signature house made cured meats, as well as mains grilled over charcoal. The bar area for up to 30 drinkers and diners features an impressive marble and stone bar top and stool seating, with its own more casual menu including charred beef tartare and a Bentley sandwich. The 80 seat dining room also features a private dining and event space for 40 people.

Bentley Restaurant and Bar

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DAVE PYNT - BURNT ENDS, SINGAPORE

King Crab and Garlic Brown Butter Onglet Burnt Onion and Bonemarrow

BURNT ENDS Burnt Ends Sg situated in Singaporeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Teck Lim Road, Chinatown, and an area that has grown so much over the last few years with neighbours such as Potato Head, The Library, Esquina and many more. This 25 seat restaurant has not let size matter and has become a favourite haunt for industry chefs in and out of Singapore. Burnt Ends is a modern barbeque restaurant where the food is grilled over wood embers or cooked in the 800Â°C wood fired ovens. The custom built ovens are dual cavity, wood burning machines that reach temperatures of up to 950C in the middle of a busy service. Next to the oven, there are 3 elevation grills that allow complete control of the cooking. Burnt Ends offers casual dining with seating at the countertop, looking directly into the open kitchen to make it a unique barbeque experience.

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WG MAGAZINES

Fenne Burrata Cheese and Orange Oil Burntends Sanger

Leek and Hazelnut Butter

The idea of Burnt Ends was first thought of over a couple of beers in Broadway Market, London. Dave designed and hand built his ovens at the Climpson and Son’s Arch, where he ran a pop up for five months over the summer of 2011. From that success it was brought to Singapore by some finger on the pulse backers, Unlisted Collections, and after two years Burnt Ends SG is growing from strength to strength and reached No.30 in the San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best 2015. 95% of the food is either grilled or cooked in the ovens, the menu changes daily but there will always be the usual suspects on there, such as the perfectly timed smoked quail eggs, the Burntends’ Sanger with the Pickle Back, Leeks with brown butter and hazelnuts (which were made famous by appearing on the TV show with Raymond Blanc) hand dived scallop’s from Norway or Japan with XO sauce and not forgetting the insanely tasty and juicy whole suckling pig and cider. These are just a tiny fraction of what the menu has to offer. WG March 2016 -

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DAVE PYNT - BURNT ENDS, SINGAPORE

Quail and cavier

With a strong kitchen and a bold menu, we wouldn’t want to disappoint at the bar. We have an all Australian, personally selected wine list, barrel aged bourbons, fermented cocktails, and a good selection of craft beers from around the world. We also have soft drinks and teas. Our in house sommelier is on hand to help guide you through the beverage menu. Owner and Head Chef Dave Pynt comes from a heavy weight culinary background, staging and working under legends such as Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya’s and Waku Ghin), Rene Redzepi (Noma), Victor Arguinzoniz (Asador Etxebarri), Nuno Mendes (Viajante and The Loft Project) and Fergus Henderson (St John and St John Bread and Wine) to name but a few. Plus the much talked about filming with super chef Raymond Blanc, were Dave told Raymond “first we need to burn the shit out of the leek” It seems most Australian guys are generally born with a tong in one hand, a tinny in the other and the love of BBQ’s. David is no exception! So to open a BBQ restaurant was a “no brainer mate.” Dave has never been one to let work get boring and always loves to throw in a curve ball. One to keep the staff on their toes and two so the regular customers get to experience different styles of cooking and tastes.

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Smoked Pigeon

Since we have been opened we have been lucky enough to host some world class chefs and let them take control of the rains. Noma’s sous chef “Sam Miller”, Viajante sous chef Chris Wolf, Niall Davidson from In de Wulf and the big man himself Andre Chiang from Restaurant Andre all showing off their mastered skills and winning over the customers with their unique and diverse menus. Plus let’s not forget all the quirky and fun events! Such as Movember, the legendary Pizza Party’s and the Hog Roast Sundays. It’s not all just done here in Singapore, we have taken Burnt Ends SG overseas to be part of “E5 Bakery Music and Food Festival”, “Meatopia” in London, “Postrivoro” in Italy, back on home turf at “Restaurant Amuse’” in Perth, “Wonderfruit Music Festival” in Thailand, Qunci Villas in Lombok, Melbourne for the Highway One Street Party and was also part of Gastronomika in San Sebastian. Giving back is important at Burntends, being passionate on sustainability and supporters of the “EJF Save the Sea Campaign”, the restaurants works with the “Edible Farm” in Singapore and an organic farm for its vegetables in the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. Burntends hit 2015 running hard winning No.30 in the San Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best 2015 and we look forward as a team to do the same in 2016 with new achievements!

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IKARUS RESTAURANT, HANGAR-7 - SALZBURG

RESTAURANT IKARUS TRADITIONALLY DIFFERENT At Hangar-7, a project was started which no other that the guest chef concept would be a resounding restaurant in the world had ever dared to attempt: success. Firstly, because it fills a gap in the field of top cuisine, a gap which no one had ever dared to the guest chef concept. fill. And secondly, because Hangar-7 is the perfect A different top chef each month. It doesn‘t matter environment in which to implement the guest chef which continent or country they come from, whether concept. it‘s the USA, South Africa or Japan. Or whether they serve traditional, fusion or molecular cuisine. Eckart Witzigmann, Chef of the Century and patron What matters most is the variety. And, of course, of Restaurant Ikarus, implemented the concept the high quality of the dishes. successfully from 2003 to 2013, together with When Restaurant Ikarus opened its doors in 2003, most people couldn‘t imagine that this ambitious plan would actually work in reality. But that was never an issue for the brains behind the concept. They never focused on the “whether”, only on the “how”. It became clear after just a few months

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Executive Chef Roland Trettl. Since January 2014, the Ikarus Concept has been continued under the patronage of Eckart Witzigmann and the guidance of Martin Klein, who for many years was the partner and Chef de Cuisine of former Executive Chef Roland Trettl.

WG MAGAZINES

And then there are the guests chefs themselves, who give this unique concept its face. They are granted all the freedom they need to ensure the quality and diversity for which Restaurant Ikarus is known. The top priority, therefore, is to prepare the dishes in accordance with the guest chef‘s exact For the chefs of Restaurant Ikarus, the guest chef expectations. concept means adapting to a new menu, a new top chef and a new philosophy each and every month. Correspondingly, this means only using ingredients This demands a high degree of talent, versatility that the guest chef uses in his or her own restaurant, be it in the neighbouring country of Germany or in and team spirit. faraway South-East Asia. For the Ikarus Team, this Likewise, the Service Team, spearheaded by represents a great logistical challenge – but one Matthias Berger, must have a precise knowledge which they are always keen to take up in order to of the latest menus in order to provide the guests ensure the satisfaction of their guests. of Restaurant Ikarus with helpful and courteous service at all times. In line with the challenging job After all, the philosophy of Restaurant Ikarus is to requirements of Matthias Berger, who made an unite creativity and courage. Traditional structures international name for himself as a top sommelier of gastronomy are broken down and new avenues and maître d‘hôtel, the members of the Service are pursued. But the main thing is that the people Team also know everything there is to know about appreciate the quality that they are served at the exquisite wines on offer at Restaurant Ikarus. Restaurant Ikarus. And that they are able to taste it. Unique instead of mainstream, multi-faceted instead of simplistic, bold instead of boring, and cosmopolitan instead of narrow-minded will continue to be the motto under Martin. The result? Satisfied bons vivants who relish fine cuisine.

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MOTT 32 - HONG KONG

MOTT 32

Barbecue Spanish Teruel Pork with Honey

Cheung Fun, Chicken Feet, Minced Beef Balls, Black Cod

Named after 32 Mott Street in New York. 32 Mott Street was NYCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first Chinese convenience store, which opened in 1851, and was the nuclei for what is now a vibrant Chinatown in one of the most dynamic cities in the World. Mott 32 is a celebration of Hong Kong culture and cuisine, which thanks to the bravery of families, such as those who left Hong Kong in 1851 to open 32 Mott St., is now a global food phenomenon. Today, patrons from Doha to London crave dim sum and Cantonese cooking. Mott 32 represents modern Hong Kong. It is a restaurant that embodies the Chinese culture and philosophy of farm-to-table cooking that has been shaped from generationto-generation. It embraces flavours and ingredients from around China and the world and delivers it as home cooking should be, in a more rustic and honest way. After all China is one of the largest farming nations in the world... Mott 32â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dining experience embodies a modern Hong Kong; Traditional and respectful of our culture and heritage. Modern, in our passion for the best ingredients such as our use of Prime Iberico Pork. Progressive, in design and visual experience reflected in our careful fusion of New York industrialism and Hong Kong imperialism. Spoilt in our selection of the finest wines such as our vertical of Chateau Cheval Blanc starting in 1961.

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WG MAGAZINES

Iberico Pork, Crab & Caviar Shanghainese Soup Dumplings

Inaniwa Udon, Giant Garoupa Filet

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MOTT 32 - HONG KONG

Applewood roasted Duck

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Prawn and Crispy Rice Paper

Signature Crispy Sugar Coated BBQ Spanish Terual pork bun

WG MAGAZINES

On leong tea cocktail

The provenance of the ingredients is very important, Mott 32 shifts the focus back onto ingredients and recipes past down from generation-to-generation., while embracing flavours and ingredients from around world and delivered to them as home cooking should be presented, in a more rustic and honest way. Malcolm Wood, the restaurantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Culinary Director, and Head Chef Lee have teamed up to produce the Mott 32 menu with their combined years of experience. Malcolm Wood spent his younger years living in Taiwan before moving to Hong Kong and has always been passionate about the traditional recipes of Chinese home cooking that have been passed down through generations. Their cooking is a selection of Cantonese, Szechuan and Beijing styles, ingredients and techniques, with their custom-made duck oven and special air-drying duck fridge are central features. Offering roast ducks in two ways: the traditional Cantonese style and the classic Beijing style. As part of their farm-to-table philosophy, they believe in bringing the cooking into the restaurant. Their kitchen offers a window directly to the heat excitement of the red hot woks stations and guests can dine around the duck oven and BBQ kitchen. Paired with their cooking is an innovative cocktail menu that will intrigue and compliment any Mott 32 experience. Their mixologists have meticulously researched Chinese ingredients such osmanthus honey, jasmine tea, ginger, matcha powder, Szechuan pepper, tangerine, shiso, plum, five spice and goji berry to name but a few. WG March 2016 -

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MOTT 32 - HONG KONG

Slow Cooked Sticky Iberico Pork Belly

Pork belly salad rolls

Joyce Wang and Maximal Concepts teamed up to design and create Mott 32. Joyce, a Hong Kong native, helped expand Hong Kong’s reach, through her talent and skills, most famously with her design of the Cabana Rooms at the famous Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. Joyce is arguably one of the most exciting Hong Kong-based architects. Joyce was honoured by Hospitality Design Magazine USA as winner of “Wave of the Future 2014” – an award for designers who are considered accomplished internationally, but young enough to be considered visionary. The design of Mott 32 lifts the industrial elements from New York and pairs them with classic Chinese elements creating an exciting combination that reflects the greater interconnectivity of the East meets West design cultures. Mott 32 is located in the Standard Chartered Building, 4-4a Des Voeux Road, right in the heart of Central, Hong Kong. It is 7,500 square feet with 5 private rooms and can accommodate up to 170 diners, at any one time. Mott 32 is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. In 2015, Mott 32 was awarded Hong Kong Top 20 Best Restaurant, Best Interior Design, Best New Restaurant and Best Restaurant of Reader’s Choice Awards by Hong Kong Tatler Awards; World Interior of the Year by INSIDE World Festival of Interiors and Group Restaurant Champion of the Wine By Glass Restaurant Awards by Wine Luxe magazine.

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Shanghainese Noodle

Mott 32 By Joyce Wang

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METROPOLITAN R E P O R T

a connoisseurâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guide to the good life

www.metropolitanreport.com

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