I thought I knew something about fish until I met up with Aitor Arregi, who heads the kitchen at Elkano, a seafood restaurant in Getaria on the Cantabrian Sea. Aitor is the son of the late Pedro Arregi, who founded Elkano in the 1960s and developed his own pioneering ways…

If you have ever witnessed a Japanese tea ceremony, then you know that it is a very special event. Unfortunately, many Westerners think the ceremony is just a fancy way to drink tea. As Fuyuko Kobori, a 17th-generation tea master and one of the rare women to attain this position…

“As fresh as it can be” is one of the most common pre-conceptions about sushi. Sushi masters in Tokyo have the world’s greatest seafood market to buy their fish, but often, depending on the fish or seafood they would mature it before serving to their guests. Yet few of the…

Images from my visit to Sushi Sugita last October. Some older articles I’ve written about Takaaki Sugita can be found here, here and here. He is a sushi master with a soul, who never ceases to evolve and is definitely my favourite.

With the very recent opening of Chambre Separée in Ghent, Kobe Desramaults, one of the most talented and one of my favourite chefs in Europe is continuing his work he had started at In de Wulf. The new sleek location is miles away from the rustic farmhouse, where In de…

My first time at Frantzén was in 2012 when it was still called Frantzén/Lindeberg. Cutting edge “New Nordic” cuisine was at its peak back then, but Bjorn Frantzén was one of the few Scandinavian chefs who didn’t follows the fashionable trends religiously, instead, he always focused on what was the…

I first discovered Hoshino Resorts’ riverside Hoshinoya Kyoto a few years ago while filming “Foodies: the culinary jet set” documentary. Set in a century-old renovated villa against the backdrop of Arashiyama district’s leafy forests, this updated ryokan (guesthouse) is a haven of peace and traditional Japanese hospitality. Since then, I…

On my last trip to Japan, I had the rare opportunity to dine at été, the invitation-only restaurant owned by Natsuko Shoji, a young and talented Japanese chef. I discovered her on social media through colourful snapshots of her cakes, which are inspired by iconic fashion accessories like the quilted…

Images from Etxebarri, still my number one restaurant in Europe (last visited in June 2017). The cooking style is not that rustic as it used to be and has become somehow more sophisticated (with more international staff in the kitchen). Etxebarri Plaza de San Juan, 148291 Atxondo, Bizkaia, SpainTel.: +34…

Another worth a special trip seafood temple in Andalucia. Los Marinos José Paseo Marítimo Rey de España,161, 29640 Fuengirola, Málaga, SpainTel. +34 952 66 10 12losmarinosjose.com