Chez Dominique

After a disappointing visit to this institution of haute cuisine in Finland, I decided to give them some feedback and a new try.. and I have to say that second time proved to be the charm! (or at least better than the first... )

Don't get me wrong now, Chez Dominique never failed on standards of cooking and there is no question about who's the king of the kitchen in Finland. In CD it was always more a question of service, which I guess is typical for our cold and isolated country.

The lunch menu consisted of King Crab, spring cabbage and yuzu followed by Zander, asparagus and artichoke and finished with "fresh almond".  

The main course was the high note of the lunch. The crispy Serrano ham complimented  the perfectly cooked fish. First course didn't really leave any memories and the dessert was not really in my taste. The almonds per se were good, but the foam next to them tasted like soap. You will know the feeling if you ever walked past a Lush store.

This time the service was however proficient, all thanks to the maitre'd. You could actually sense that the poor results in the previous weeks 50 Best Restaurants had got them to sharpen their knives.

Chez Dominique
Rikhardinkatu 4
00130 Helsinki, Finland

Yauatcha

First up is Yauatcha, nestled in at a shady corner in Soho you can find some of the best dim sum and Chinese food in London, period. I think that dim sum is probably one of the funnest foods you can share with friends and that's also the way you should order at Yauatcha, order a bit of everything. As a warning, this experience doesn't come cheap, but you should still order like there is no tomorrow and you can't go wrong!

Here's some of the delicious food we had, spicy soft shell crab and scallop shui mai dim sum. The fact that they happen to have one Michelin star should tell you most of the story in one word, epic.


As an "insiders tip", try to get the round table by the bar. This is designed for larger groups, so bring your friends! The bar has to be one of the coolest in town. The whole bar is a giant fish tank! Unfortunately you can't order any of the fish.. lol

They also happen to have a selection of over 150 different varieties of tea, so that shouldn't leave anyone cold!

Yauatcha
15 Broadwick Street
London W1F 0DL

Some old, some new, some blue...

Ok,

After a month of nothing, I decided to update with some experiences from the past six months... and this time it will be a little less conversation, little more action (=pictures).

Enjoy!

And the Winner is...

Yesterday night was awards night at the Guildhall in London. It was the annual "World's 50 Best Restaurants" presented by S.Pellegrino.

The winner for a second year in a row was Noma from Copenhagen. Congratulations to Rene Redzepi for this amazing achievement! I feel gutted that I had to cancel the reservation I had for Noma this Saturday, but then again I'm sure there will come an other time..

I guess it's worth mentioning that Thomas Keller's French Laundry did not make it on the list (ranked 56) and neither did Gordon Ramsay (not in the top 100). I think this shows that the competition has got fierce and chefs will really have to excel in their cooking, if they want to be at the top.

An other interesting detail is that 7 out of the top 10 are in Europe and the five best restaurants are all European. I'm not saying that the list is biased, but it just feels a bit surprising.

Two restaurants that I have dined at lately, The Ledbury (ranked 34) and Chez Dominique (ranked 35) are in the top 50. Brett Graham's Ledbury recieved the "Highest New Entry" award, and I have to say it is well deserved. This restaurant is just wonderful. Chez Dominique in Helsinki dropped 12 spots on the list and honestly that doesn't shock me, as my previous visit was far from amazing. (I will write more about it after I give them a second chance next week). The look on chef-patron Hans Välimäki's face was priceless when they announced the results. I guess it's back to the kitchen for him!

The Top 50
1 Noma, Denmark (1)
2 El Celler De Can Roca, Spain (4)
3 Mugaritz Spain (5)
4 Osteria Francescana Italy (6)
5 The Fat Duck, U.K. (3)
6 Alinea, U.S. (7)
7 D.O.M, Brazil (18)
8 Arzak, Spain (9)
9 Le Chateaubriand, France (11)
10 Per Se, U.S. (10)
11 Daniel, U.S. (8)
12 Les Creations De Narisawa, Japan (24)
13 L’Astrance, France (16)
14 L’Atelier De Joel Robuchon, France (29)
15 Hof Van Cleve, Belgium (17)
16 Pierre Gagnaire, France (13)
17 Oud Sluis, Netherlands (19)
18 Le Bernardin, U.S. (15)
19 L’Arpege, France (Re-Entry)
20 Nihonryori Ryugin, Japan (48)
21 Vendome, Germany (22)
22 Steirereck, Austria (21)
23 Schloss Schauenstein, Switzerland (30)
24 Eleven Madison Park, U.S. (50)
25 Aqua, Germany (34)
26 Quay, Australia (27)
27 Iggy’s, Singapore (28)
28 Combal Zero, Italy (35)
29 Martin Berasategui, Spain (33)
30 Bras, France (Re-Entry)
31 Biko, Mexico (46)
32 Le Calandre, Italy (20)
33 Ristorante Cracco, Italy (Re-Entry)
34 The Ledbury, U.K. (New Entry)
35 Chez Dominique, Finland (23)
36 Le Quartier Francais, South Africa (31)
37 Amber, China (New Entry)
38 Dal Pescatore Italy (36)
39 Il Canto, Italy (40)
40 Momofuku Ssam Bar, U.S. (26)
41 St John, U.K. (43)
42 Astrid Y Gaston, Peru (New Entry)
43 Hibiscus, U.K. (49)
44 La Maison Troisgros, France (44)
45 Alain Ducasse Au Plaza Athenee, France (41)
46 De Librije, Netherlands (37)
47 Hotel De Ville, Switzerland (14)
48 Varvary, Russia (New Entry)
49 Pujol, Mexico (New entry)
50 Etxebarri, Spain (Re-Entry)

Three Month Plan

Do you have a plan for the next 3 months? Maybe do some travel? Get in shape? Read a book?

My plan is to eat.

Here's a list of restaurants that I have planned to eat at before the end of June. Let me know if you would like to join! ;)

London
Barbecoa
Bar Boloud
Dinner
The Gilbert Scott
Opera Tavern
Pollen Street Social
Sushi of Shiori
Yashin Sushi
34 Grosvenor Square?

Helsinki
Luomo
Muru
Solna

Paris
La Tour d'Argent
Le Chateaubriand

Ferran Adrià's "last supper" at elBulli with Anthony Bourdain!!!

Read about it here.. and enjoy!

truly epic...



Watch the video: http://yfrog.com/jt8rsz

Time is money..

Hello friends,

So as I wrote earlier, I won't only be writing about food and drinks.. but also about life. And life can of course mean lots of things, so tonight I decided to write about one of my passions, watches. I kind of (=really) like watches, and there's honestly no better place to spot precious mechanical masterpieces than Bond Street in London.

I happened to be awake during Saturday afternoon, so I popped by the windows at Old Bond Street to have a look at the supply.

Let me tell you merely mortals out there, that Marcus (www.marcuswatches.co.uk) is the shizzle, if you are in London.  It's not just the "standard" selection they have to offer, but it's the pièce de résistance they proudly display in their window. This time I was extremely lucky and got to experience something truly exceptional.

Greubel Forsay (www.greubelforsey.com) is probably something most of you never heard about, but let me introduce you to a company whose contribution to horology is pure genius. It is the Mont Blanc, TGW and Concord (without the crash) of watches.. 

First, we have the white gold T24Si. It has a single inclined tourbillon cage, which undergoes rapidly changing positions with a high angular velocity. A distinctive asymmetrical case allows for a comfortable case size as well as an additional side window to further appreciate the tourbillon mechanism. RRP: $300k

Second we have the Greubel Forsey Invention Piece 1. Red gold limited edition of 11 watches. Not quite sure how to tell the time? The red arrow pointing towards the center of the dial indicates the hours, while the blue arrow displays the minutes. The inside tourbillon cage rotates in two minutes so there are two arrows 180° apart. To complete the indications on the dial we have traditional seconds at 11 and 72 hour power reserve at 2.

RRP: $520k

So, how do ya' like them apples? Enough said, go to: 


Marcus Watches
170 New Bond Street
London W1S 4RB


and don’t forget your popcorn!

enjoy! :)

Steak and Wine!

Let's start with the important things in life.. Steak and wine!

I know that a picture tells more than a few words and I'm sorry for my poor pictures, but as I can't afford to loose a nice camera every time I'm drunk, I will have to rely on my old iPhone or my friends camras, but I'm sure you will take my word for the food in stead of the pictures.. ;)

Okok.. anyways, to get to the point.. In London we have this big thing going on about "Steak Houses". All the tourists arrive at Paddington and see Angus Steakhouse. Wow, that's a nice steak (they think). Then they go to Piccadilly and Leicester Square and notice that it's the same shit every where! Ok, then we have Gaucho's, which don't get me wrong, used to be the "high end" Argentinian Steakhouse in London. I had many nice meals there, but honestly, I got fed up with the sales pitches they taught their personnel. Have u noticed that no matter what time you have your reservation, you will always be asked to have "a drink" at the bar. Then after that you will be offered all on the menu at several occasions.. Nothing really wrong with that if you work in sales.. It's like Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross, ABC, Always-Be-Closing!

So let's forget about these "theme" Steakhouses for a moment and concentrate on the real shizzle. It's no surprise that the "God Father" of all fine dining restaurants in London is looking to open a Steakhouse in Mayfair. After the success of Goodman's and Hawkmoore, Caprice Holdings is looking to open one in Grosvenor Square in June. I do really look forward visiting their new venue, hopefully it will bring a new twist to the dining scene in London. 

But, to go back a few months in time, I would like to introduce Hawksmoor, Goodman's and the Josper Charcoal Oven, which makes the steaks taste as they do! This invention is surely worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize, as every person who had meat cooked on it will be more than happy and satisfied with their life! I have actually heard that even Heston Blumenthal got himself a Josper, so all you bankers out there, if you have excess cash and want a proper steak, you should get one! (www.josper.es)

Anyways, back to the story.. I wanted to comment on an earlier review made by the highly respected Ricard Vines of Bloomberg News. He wrote a review about the newly opened Hawksmoor in Covent Garden. I do give respect to Mr. Vines for his excellent reviews of restaurants around the globe, but honestly I think that he had a few too many of the Zombies mixed at the bar at Hawksmoor.

The restaurant in itself is very charming with its "industrial" look, but at no point could I agree that the service was efficient or that there was any attention to detail. It was like any average Gaucho. The steaks were alright (but not for the price), the sides were embarrassing and the wine was overpriced.

I honestly do not understand how Mr. Vines managed to give the venue *** (First-class of its kind) of his prestigious stars… what a shame..

Moving along.. not far from Hawksmoor, you can really find "the best steak in London". I'm talking about Goodman Restaurant (www.goodmanrestaurants.com), the Russian owned Mayfair steakhouse. For meat lovers, it's something out-of-this-world. Not only can you get amazing stakes from 150 days corn fed USDA beef but you can also get wagyu (at 25 GBP / 100gr). The steaks are without a doubt to die for. Choose from your traditional Béarnaise, Pepper and Stilton sauce and to finish it off with an epic side order (which you don't really need!). Truffle chips, creamed spinach and mac and cheese, which are all to die for! (The picture is a 650gr Porterhouse)

This place goes never wrong, no matter who you are with. It is like Mr Vines says, ****(Incomparable food, service, ambience). Only few restaurants achieve this level of sophistication. For wine would I recommend the 2005 McRae Wood Shiraz.

That said, it's time to wish you all a good night!


Goodman Restaurant
26 Maddox Street
London W1S 1QH

Moi:

Before I start posting my experiences and opinions regarding food and culture in the world, let me start by telling you a bit about how I came to writing this blog.

I consider myself a novice in food and a professional in drinking. I keep stats of my Michelin stars (which I will publish later) and I consider myself a self-proclaimed "Gastronaut".

Even tough I might sound like a egocentric, self pretentious prick (like most chefs), I'm still a nice average guy.. who hasn't really got anything else to do in life than to criticize others.. which I agree is questionable..

I have no qualifications whatsoever in food or wine, but then again how many other critiques really do?

I want my horses fast, women slow and champagne cold! So now you got me as a drunk, womanizer and wannabe critic.. but ok, I will let you decide..

Read my blog and see what you think!


Btw, John Lewis on Regent Street has the best Champagne selection in London! (Pic: Le grande nappflaska.. Nebuchadnezzar, "King of Babylon", 15 liters of samppakaljaa.. equals to 20 normal bottles... 1 200 pounds, cheap as chips!)


UPDATE!


Actually, I stand corrected. Fortnum & Mason (www.fortnumandmason.com) on 181 Piccadilly have an even more amazing collection of fine wine and champagne! And the Nebuchadnezzar is 200 pounds cheaper... talk about "old" prices! lol


Fortnum & Mason
181 Piccadilly
London W1A 1ER

For New Beginnings and Happy Endings!

Ok,



I've been thinking a long time about how this blog should look like and what I should write about.. So, now I decided to just start it and see how it turns out.


The idea is to write my thoughts about food, drink and life and how I experience them - in my life.. This might sound a bit dodgy and I'm sure it will turn out even dodgier!


I hope you enjoy it!