What I love about Italian cuisine is its simplicity and its respect for ingredients. In that sense, one could draw many similarities to cooking philosophy in Japan. Here, at Armando al Pantheon trattoria in Rome (Salita dè Crescenzi, 31, 00186, Rome, Italy; tel. +39 06 6880 3034) anchovies and prunes on…

Massimo Bottura and his restaurant in Modena Osteria Francescana need no introduction. Holding three Michelin stars and positioned third on the San Pellegrino 50 World’s Best Restaurants list, Massimo Bottura might just be one of today’s most influential chefs. He likes to describe his work as “seeing tradition from 10…

My quest for exceptional cheese continues as this time I visited Marie – Anne Cantin (12 Rue du Champ de Mars, 75007 Paris, France) cheese shop on the left bank in Paris, who is one of the rare fromagers to carry very old Comté all year around. The 4+-year-old Comté…

They call it black gold: a 100 ml bottle of a 25­-year vintage can sell for over 100 €, yet most of the world’s supply is an imitation. We’re talking about modena balsamico, the carefully aged, syrupy vinegar that adds a deep mellowness and tart sparkle to everything from roasted…

Very old and very rare – 7.5 years old Parmigiano Reggiano, spotted on the cheese trolley of Le Calandre (3*) in Italy last week. (Does anyone know it’s producer?)

After a few weeks of speculations about who will be the next holder of 3 stars in France, Michelin results were finally released this Monday. L’Assiette Champenoise is the most recent member of the elite group of restaurants which have the highest award. I am also very happy about the…

Massimo Bottura and his team at the kitchen of Osteria Francescana today. (3 Michelin stars and number 3 in the world according to San Pellegrino. ) “Memories” of mortadella, parmesan cheese in 5 different textures, ingenious Caesar salad, tortellini di Modena, incredible pork dish with 45 year old balsamic vinegar… So…

A bottle of extra old (25 years or older) l’Aceto Balsamico di Modena. This is the one and the only type of 100 ml bottle that is used to for the real balsamic vinegar of Modena D.O.P, so 99% of balsamic vinegar found in shops around the world is not…