La Baracca – tradition + innovation = restaurant of the future?..

12 Sunday May 2013

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Anyone who’s spent any time in the wine world will know that there’s one thing wineries are repeatedly saying how they “combine tradition with modern methods to make products that are true to their roots whilst using today’s technology”. For the average wine drinker (including myself) this can be tricky to relate to. Link it to food though and it’s a different ball game.

La Baracca in Munich opened three years ago and did just that, married traditional Italian cuisine – pizza, pasta, grilled meats, fresh salads – with a fair dose of technology. Lead to your table you’re handed a tablet each – the e-menu – where you can flick through the dishes separated by category. Once you’ve found something that tickles your fancy, tap tap tap, the order’s in the kitchen directly and ten minutes later is brought to your table. Your e-menu knows exactly where you’re sitting so there’s non of that “who ordered the beef???” shouting down the table when the food arrives leaving a perspiring waiter to balance 4 plates on his arm trying to get someone’s attention (we’ve seen it al!). No, it’s pretty straight forward – what you ordered to where you ordered it and if you do change seats, you can put that in too so there’s no chance of losing your food.

Emenu La Baracca Munich

There’s only one thing to bear in mind  - everything is instant so if you place an order for two courses at the same time they’ll be prepared at the same time. There are no waiters to interrupt your conversation with questions about desert or coffee etc, it’s all just at your own pace. Couldn’t be easier.

La Baracca Munich a huge restaurant (there are another two in the chain in Lübeck and Hamburg) with different areas open according to how busy it is. Diners can perch on long tables in the area to the left of reception and there are a couple of sink-into leather chairs in front of a chimney whilst the other side has smaller tables and benches scattered with make-yourself-comfy cushions.

The feel about the decor is light, airy, modern yet rustic and I absolutely love the high ceiling tiled with old wooden boards.

As for the wine – high up on my list of criterion for judging any eatery – two walls are lined with the latest wine-dispensers complete with mini-screen showing the area of production, map, name of wine and some technical data. To use them you must ask for an e-card which you hold to the key symbol to above the wine. Decide how big a serving you want and put your glass below the spout. The convenience of 50ml tasting portions mean you can chop and change and aren’t forced into drinking a whole glass of a wine you’re not so inspired by. The selection was OK with some well-known names at both ends of the quality scale (always happy to see Masi Costasera on the menu anywhere).

La Baracca Munich

Downstairs there’s an area to keep the kids happy – soft play mats, tables, mini chairs and bits and pieces to keep them out of mischief.

And the food? Well it was very good. The grilled meats and fish may be served with a selection of side dishes (ordered on the menu at the same time as the main dish) which were all very tasty. The pannacotta was brimming with vanilla and not too creamy or sweet.

Food La Baracca Munich

For me this was the first time I’d had a go with technology centric restaurant and I have to say I was quite charmed by the novelty of the e-menu. Staff are on hand if you need any help but you sense just how few are. Less staff means there are less bodies running around making the place look busy and feel rushed but on the other hand, it’s just another example of where we’re getting rid of people and losing that personal touch. As with the dishes, they’re all very good but standard. In a land such as the US where diners tend to ask for countless variations to every dish on the menu, I’m not sure this concept would work as well but if you’re just looking for a simple, great dish of pasta or meat, to enjoy at your own pace in a cosy atmosphere then why not? I know I’ll certainly be back and this “combination of tradition and innovation” is surely something we’ll see more of in the future…

Not surprisingly the ones that make the most are the ones that drink the most…

08 Wednesday May 2013

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A friend sent me this infographic to take a look at and I decided to include it on my blog just because I think it’s very nicely done. Fingers crossed someone’ll come up with a version about the newer markets – China, India, Brazil that are both forging ahead with wins production and consumption in recent years..

Where does wine come from and where does it go?

Where does wine come from and where does it go? infographic

Road trip in France

06 Monday May 2013

Posted by in Wine Work

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When my friend Marc Roisin, founder of Vinogusto.com asked me if I fancied working on a project with him involving 6 international wine bloggers, a bus, all the wines of France and a very talented film crew, it took me oh… all of half a second to say “yes!!”. Then came the questions, “when do we leave?”, “where are we going?” and “who else’s coming?”, “how come we’re doing this?”.

The Roadtrip-in-france is something Marc’s been cooking up for a while. His idea was to get 6 well-known bloggers representative of the main markets for French wine in Europe and take them on a road trip discovering the many appellations and styles of wine France is known for. The bloggers have been chosen for their love of wine and food and for their ability to communicate it so that this will be a journey not only for us but also for all of their followers and fans.

For 10 days (from 25th May to 2nd June) we’ll be exploring “L’Authentique Naturel” (Authentic), “Le Decale’ Fun” (Fun), “Le Decontracte Simple” (Easy-going) and “Le Glamour Chic” (no translation needed ;-) ) styles that are so easily identifiable in French wines. The route includes stops in the Loire, Bordeaux, Languedoc Rousillon and Burgundy and the programme is packed with winery visits, picnics in the vineyards, dinners in quaint resto’s and gala soirees. The wine regions that we don’t stay in will still have the chance to come and meet us as in each location we’ll be hosting a special evening around one of the themes.

Our footsteps will be followed closely by a film crew and we’ll be making sure there’s a lot of wifi around so there’s no risk any of our discoveries won’t be tweeted, posted, pinned, filmed, recorded or photographed in a variety of different languages.

The website to be able to follow our adventures is roadtripinfrance.com You can also follow us on #roadtripinfrance and #frenchwinetrip

Loire vineyards

Saudades do…. Brunello di Montalcino in Brazil

03 Friday May 2013

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When I first was asked “could you organise us something in Brazil for a group of 15 wine producers from Montalcino” if I tell you the truth, I was slightly worried. I’d first stepped foot in Brazil 13 years ago, at that time it was all about beer and cachaca and the only wine I’d seen and tasted there (in a small town in Rio Grande do Sul) was a Brazilian copy of Asti..

Since then though, recently affluent Brazilians have moved steadily up the list of “potential wine consumers” just as Brazil has moved up the world power rankings and nowadays for wineries looking to escape the depression of their domestic markets, indeed finding an importer in the land of Samba and Pele, is top of many a wish list.

So last week I headed over to Expovinis, Brazil’s main meeting point in the wine industry calendar accompanied by a cheerful group of wine producers from the picturesque village of Montalcino in central Italy. It was the first group outing of Cooperativa La Spiga Montalcino, an association of farmers that over the years has seen the importance of viticulture amongst their members grow. Founded back in the 1950s, the association was used to share  machinery between the local farmers and built an olive mill for all to use. Nowadays their members include some of the most important wine houses in the region and together they decided to pool resources, take advantage of EU subsidies and explore new horizons. They’d brought with them a selection of their Rosso di Montalcino, Sant’Antimo, Moscadello and the jewel in the crown of Tuscan viticulture – Brunello di Montalcino.

Stand 66 Expovinis Cooperativa La SpigaAfter a frustrating day of set-up followed by an evening of churrasco, beer and caipirinha to ease everyone into the mood, we headed over to Expo Centre Norte, a modern Expo centre located between the city centre and the airport (30-40mins from each). After much persuasion we’d been allocated a stand close to the French pavilion in the logic that the Gaullic dominance of international markets would pull visitors past our stand. Once the doors opened though, the crowds flocked around the top Tuscan’s like bees around honey. A lot  lot of hard work by producers to ensure high quality in their winemaking and promotion done by the Consorzio Vino Brunello di Montalcino means that Brunello enjoys a reputation (despite the glitch in 2008) that many other appellations can only dream of.

Day 1 empties ExpovinisDay 1 went busily but smoothly and by the time the clock struck 9, many of the producers had emptied 30% of their wines and I was starting to get worried we’d be left dry by Friday. Expovinis may be the only wine fair for professionals in Brazil but it’s also one of the main wine events for consumers. From 5pm doors are opened to consumers and inevitably, the post-work crowds give the fair a whole different meaning. Perhaps quenching the local’s thirst for “vinhozinho” with 150$ Brunello is not what the producers had in mind but in a market where wine is still a relatively new trend, it’s part of the deal.

ImageOver the 3 days of the fair, the producers were kept busy with B2B meeting with importers and distributors and on day 2 we decided there was no better way to demonstrate how well the rich wines of Montalcino marry with the meaty cuisine of Brazil by taking them to a nearby churrascuria. A few of the producers are already distributed in Brazil whilst others are looking for importers meaning that despite having on the whole similar offerings, the targets were often different : importers or distributors. The sheer size of the country means that many companies do one activity and not the other.

On the last day of the exhibition we involved one of Brazil’s most prominent wine journalists, Jorge Lucki, to lead a Masterclass on the wines of Montalcino. Press, importers and sommeliers were lead through an hour’s presentation on how and where these wines are made illustrating the particularities of Montalcino:

- the hill of Montalcino is like a pyramid meaning that vineyards on each side produce very different wines. Wines made from grapes in vineyards to the North of the village are lighter with more elegance whilst those from the South have more power and structure. Many producers have vineyards dotted across the village and use these cru to make very different Brunellos

- the area’s flagship wine is the Brunello which takes over 5 years to make (the longest aging wine in Italy) yet the Rosso di Montalcino far from being a less aged Brunello, has its own fresh, easy-drinking identity

- the Sant’Antimo appellation allows wine producers the freedom to use grape varieties other than Sangiovese in their wines and can be produced in white and red versions as well as various monovarietals where the include at least 85% of the stated grape. These include Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

- the Moscadello di Montalcino – produced in still, frizzante or late harvest ensures the area produces wines for all occasions and dishes

Lineup of wines shown at the Montalcino MasterclassTo complete the programme the wineries of Cooperativa La Spiga hosted a closing soiree in a restaurant in the hip quartier of Itaim Bibi. BOS bbq run by Brazilian born Gustavo Bottino who spent a lot of time in the US was our chosen venue. The relaxed ambiance of the place along with the simple yet tasty food was the perfect setting for an evening of networking. I’d organised the event for the producers to have more one on one time with people in the wine industry – to get to know their thoughts on what they drink, when and how much they spend. We invited selected wine consumers, some friendly importers and a few press to the evening which finished with a charity sale of the remaining wines. The opportunity to take home wine that cost a fraction of what they would normally be available for in Brazil was not missed and at the end of the evening we’d raised 1000 euro for Gustavo’s chosen charity Projeto Sol that works with children of the favelas. There was nothing left to do now but enjoy dancing the night away to the beats of Samba..

Cooperativa La Spiga Producers

The line-up of producers outside the exhibition centre

The day after it was time to head home and take stock of what we’d done and learnt. The week had finished well – my 15 wine producers had made contacts with importers, distributors and wine consumers, started understanding how complex the Brazilian market is (the government imposes high taxes on wines and is toying with introducing protectionist policies), helped a local charity and had a fair dose of indigenous culture. Some even had the luxury of heading home with an order in their briefcase.

When I got back to grey-skied Munich I was definitely suffering from Saudades do Brazil or should that be Saudades do Brunello? ..

Many thanks to: Bellaria, Cantine Luciani 1888, Capanna, Collelceto, Collematoni, La Fornace, La Mannella, La Rasina, La Serena, Lazzeretti, Lisini, Mastrojanni, Podere La Vigne, Solaria, Ventolaio for their good humour and patience.

Things I know I’ll miss about Belgium..

30 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by in Life in Brussels

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Alas, as they say, all good things have to come to an end and whilst I loved living in Brussels, the time has come to move on.. Munich awaits and whilst I pack the cases and  stock up on tourist guides, here are some of the things – tangible and intangible – I know I’ll miss about life in the Belgian capital:

1) The Openness - it’s not everywhere in the world you can have random conversations with people in the street, supermarkets, on the bus, there are no boundaries. Exchanging comments on the ripeness of the fruit in Delhaize, the tardiness of the tram, the state of the street with people you’ve never clapped eyes on is one way of not feeling so foreign. This openness is something I love about my home region and missed dearly in Paris and Verona. Sure, in Belgium you won’t be called “love” (I can’t imagine you ever will outside of Yorkshire) but you won’t get a strange look from someone should you talk to them.

2) The food – Brussels is home to such a variety of cultures and nationalities that it’s pretty easy to get whatever your palate could possibly fancy and the food is usually great. I love those little restaurants that make their menu’s fresh according to what’s in season and available at the market, where you sit in the candle-light and enjoy a cosy night out as much as I love the sushi restaurants where you can sit at the bar, mesmerised by the swishing of the knife of the sushi chef and feel like you’re across the other side of the world. Besides eating out, I also appreciated the range of foods in the supermarkets (Esp. Delhaize – love the scones and crumpets) and the range of ethnic and oriental shops (for Asian goods, KY Supermarket on Rue Sainte Catherine is a must). For times when Oxo stuffing, a box of Typhoo tea or lemon curd was the order of the day, there’s always Stonemanor. As far as the local cuisine is concerned, I became partial to speculoos (especially in Banana smoothies) and endive, yum.

3) The International environment – One thing I appreciated most about Belgium was not only the openness of the locals but also of the huge expat community. I ran a wine tasting club in Brussels for an on-line expat community and at each evening – of max 30 people – we’d usually have 20 or so different nationalities. So much to learn and discover about the world can be done over a glass of good wine, beer, or if you’re lucky enough to have a Mexican neighbour like I did – tequila.

4) Being in the heart of Europe – It may sound strange to say that the best thing about a place is that you can escape so easily, but for an avid traveler, there’s nothing better than knowing that in just a couple of hours, you can be in a completely different country. In fact within 2 hours from Brussels (by car or by train depending) and you could be admiring the view from the Eiffel Tower,  drinking beer overlooking the Thames or watching the bikes whisk by from a canal-side cafe in Amsterdam. With excellent air connections to much of the rest of Europe, there aren’t many places in the world that are difficult to get to.

5) Chocolates – Ok, some could say that this should fall under point no 1. Others would understand why I have to give Chocolate it’s own well-deserved point. In Belgium, chocolate is not just food – here chocolate-making is an art. Step past the shop windows of Marcolini at Le Sablon and you’ll think you’ve just past a jeweller. A couple of doors up, you’ll find chocolate hippopotamus in the window of the newest store in the area. And if you have wheels, a trip to the understated Yasushi Sasaki to admire his asian inspired and fruity creations is a must.

6) Park life – one of my favourite places to hang in summer was Bois de la Cambre, there’s nothing like grabbing a blanket and a good book and joining the rest of Brussels enjoy the sun after work. Joggers, cyclists, roller-bladders, energetic kids, fussy dogs, you’ll see them all making the most of the good weather and the green space. The other great thing about Bois de la Cambre is that you just have to cross the road and you’re into la Foret des Soignes where you can ride, run or walk for hours in the woodlands. Pick up parts of the Groen Wandeling – a 65km long route around Brussels and you’ll enjoy many of the parks, woodlands and cycle paths the city has to offer.

Foret des Soignes

Just across the road from Bois de la Cambre and you’re in dense woodland

7) The wine – I learnt to love wine in Italy – and it became my job – so perhaps saying that I’ll miss the wine in Brussels will leave some people a bit baffled. The thing is though, when the local wine is excellent and abundant, you drink that and only that. In Belgium, with such limited quantities of local vineyards and wines at such high prices drinking local full-time is not an option. It’s not surprising that Belgium imports over 300m bottles of wine from across the globe per year. Pick any appellation and you’ll probably be able to find it somewhere. In fact at a wine-tasting I organised at Etiquette (Ave. Emile de Mot 19) we treated guests to wines from Lebanon, Ukraine, Romania and Japan – now who can say that that’s not an experience.

Etiquette wine bar Brussels

Etiquette – one of my favourite wine hangouts in Brussels

8)  Belgian French – Now I’ve been on the quest to master the French language since the tender age of 10 and I’m sure that anyone who has studied it knows that one thing that’s confusing is the numbers. Welcome to Belgium – within 1 week of living in Brussels I’d ditched the “soixante-dix” and “quattre-vingt-dix” for simple “septante” and “nonante” (just like the Swiss) avoiding endless confusion and many frustrating “wrong-number” phone calls. The use of savoir (to know) rather than pouvoir (to be able to) is a little confusing to start but makes for some funny conversations.

9) The diversity – some may call Brussels “shabby” but I would opt for “full of character”. I love the way you can step from one road to another and go from prim whitewashed buildings to dwellings covered in graffiti and peeling plaster. One of my favourite Sunday pastimes is wandering through the eclectic market and antiques shops of Place de la Jeu du Ball and Rue Haute, admiring the spotless windows in Le Sablon and then heading down to the awe-inspiring Grand Place.

10) The architecture – One of my favourite buildings in the world is the Atomium. Just a couple of hundred metres from the exhibition centre, without fail whenever I have visitors to show there, they are blown away by it. Then follows the inevitable photo shoot which never quite manages to capture the magic of it as it twinkles in the dusk. I also the love the churches and buildings on the way through to the Atomium, the greenhouses of the Palace, the statue with the torch on Ave. Franklin D Roosevelt, the magnificent Grand Place and, coming from a city which also had two cooling towers by the side of the motorway until the local council had the bright idea of demolishing them,  also love the multicoloured light show on the towers on the side of the Ring to the west of the city.

Atomium

Unique – the Atomium Brussels

It goes without saying that the main thing I’ll miss are my friends.. I was lucky to have a lot of Belgian friends, they welcomed me with open arms, tolerated my dodgy French and my incomprehensible Dutch and showed me that there’s more to Belgium than meets the eye..

Thank you Belgium.

 

WBIS – Where Wine, Business and Innovation meet

03 Sunday Mar 2013

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#WBIS – It’s not everyday you get to combine everything you love in life but when I was called in to a meeting with the briefing of “how about organising an event about the wine business”, there was something that ticked my fancy so to speak. The result was a day of seminars, new business pitching and a networking wine tasting.

#WBIS – Wine Business Innovation Summit 2013, Brussels from Marc Roisin on Vimeo.

Organised by myself, Marc Roisin (CEO and founder of Vinogusto.com) with valuable support from Jens De Maere (founder of Belgianwines.com) and a team of highly enthusiastic members of the Belgian wine scene, #WBIS was a great example of how  professional collaboration gets results. Growth and innovation were the themes of the day with nine seminars delving into the issues currently being affronted in today’s wine industry: - how to launch a wine brand - how to communicate to 25 – 35 yr old consumers – the ROI of catering to a community such as #Winelover for wineries or generic organisations – Video marketing – different approaches to selling wine on-line – the ROI of social media for wine producers and wine merchants – Wine tourism – is wine tourism the answer to increasing sales? – Unique wine identification & database management – The ROI of bloggers trips.. All themes that were chosen and voted on by our on-line community.

We selected the speakers for their expertise in each of the domains and for their ability to convey their message, views and experience to the plateau of well-qualified wine professionals that had travelled from all corners of Europe to attend. Despite #WBIS being a completely new event, we managed to haul in

  • Robert Joseph, well-known British wine critic come producer
  • Rich Tomko, CEO of Snooth
  • Finkus Bripp, multimedia specialist and creator of wineontherocks.tv
  • Miss Vicky Wine, social media whizz and wine producer
  • Andre Ribeirinho and Luiz Alberto, founders of the #Winelover community
  • Ryan Opaz, organizer of the EWBC
  • Stefano Soglia, expert on the development of wine tourism in Italy
  • Nico Bour, co-founder and CEO of Uvinum/Sportivic
  • Melanie Tarlant of Champagne Tarlant
  • Elena Zeni of Cantina Zeni
  • Jean-frederic Hugel of Hugel & FIls
  • Ward de Muynck of Chateau Castigno and Le Van Rouge
  • Filipe Jose Carvalho of Douro Spirit.

Following the exchange of opinions and experience at the round tables, #WBIS put the spotlight on wine business entrepreneurs with the #WBIS Business Awards. A panel of judges and a room full of qualified wine professionals were given the chance to hear 6 presentations from wine business start-ups. The 2-minute presentations were rated for their quality of presentation, degree of innovation, consumer focus and economic viability by the panel of wine business experts with three presentations scooping over 70 points. Vincod, a cloud service of on-line tasting notes for wineries grabbed the coveted #WBIS Business award.

It was then time to round off the day by uncorking some bottles at the #WBIS mega-tasting. Sponsors of the event Bordeaux and Bordeaux Superieur, Sfriso, Belgian Wines, Jaillance, Grenache Symposium and Hugel served their wines in the innovative Govino glasses provided by Hugel & Fils.

The 2nd edition of #WBIS will be held early 2014 – watch out for news:  @Winebis wbis.eu 

Stonemanor – a Taste of Home

19 Wednesday Dec 2012

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I already mentioned in my post about why I love Belgium that you can get crumpets and scones in the supermarkets but Stonemanor goes a lot further. 

Stonemanor is a piece of England in the middle of the Belgian countryside. Located at Everberg, just 20km from the centre of Brussels down the E40, the green fields and the country lane couldn’t be a better setting for a quintessentially English shopping experience. 

Just in case you were in any doubt you’re in the wrong the place to find an English supermarket, the red telephone box tells you you’re not. Step inside the sliding doors and you’re welcomed by the sound of BBC radio 2 and a chirpy “hello” from behind the counter. It’s rather like walking into Narnia. 

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Mr Kipling – makes exceedingly good cakes

There are three floors to explore. If you’ve ever found yourself looking disappointedly at the dull selection of greetings cards in Belgian shops, the first floor is a real treat. Hallmark heaven with rows of cards created for every possible occasion and relation you could think of. Here you’ll also find a selection of English books, DVDs, children’s games and a few household items – read : lots of jubilee tea towels, Christmas tablecloths, teapots and gadgets.

The second floor is usually a showcase for larger pieces of furniture and catalogues for John Lewis and Argos so if you’re not planning on making a trip back to the UK but really need something in particular, you can make your order and then come back to pick it up. For the Christmas season, the attic has been filled with Christmas crackers, decorations, giftwrap and the Xmas essential paper plates and serviettes. 

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English Beer – like bringing snow to the Eskimos

If those UK-starved shoppers were able to control themselves on the other two floors, the ground floor supermarket may prove too much. Its a proper Waitrose supermarket in Belgium  and if you’re like me, a long-term expat, you’ll find yourself muttering “Oh, I’ve not had that for years” every time your eye lands anywhere. Angel delight, marmite, monster munch, pork pies, water crackers, lemon curd, smoked cheddar, herbs, spices and sauces, everything you can need to make an Indian banquet, chocolate-covered hobnobs and all the breakfast cereals you could ever want (Alpen!). If you picked up a basket at the entrance, half way round you may realise you needed a trolley. There’s a full wall of magazines (at prices which are just converted from pounds), household cleaning products, pet food, vitamins and a section of kitchenware meaning that once you’ve set eyes on the mincemeat, you’ll find that baking your own mince pies rather than buying them sounds like a great idea. 

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No cantal here

They also have a good selection of chilled goods (including skimmed milk!) and a cheese counter with English cheeses. 

Stonemanor also sells European Royal Mail stamps so if you wanted to send a friend a card with a UK stamp, on you can. It takes a little longer as the post has to go via the UK but it could be worth it to dupe a true anglophile. 

As the cashier says on the way out “if you come here for 1 thing, take a basket, if you came for three, take a trolley and if you came to stock up – bring a friend to help you with the packing” and he’s not half wrong..

 

Stonemanor : Steenhofstraat 28, 3078 Everberg

Stonemanor also has an outlet in Waterloo (smaller). See their website for details 

Craving sushi in the land of moules-frites?

04 Tuesday Dec 2012

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Perhaps sushi isn’t top of your list of things to eat in Brussels but once you’ve done the rounds on the moules frites, savoured the oysters and had your fill of crevettes grises,  the Japanese restaurants in Brussels are worth checking out.

One of the things I enjoyed most about my trips to Asia was the sushi, from stepping off the aeroplane, I’d be gorging myself on sushi, sashimi and onigiri til it was time to come home. Nowadays you get sushi everywhere (even Italians are ditching their pizza for sushi) and it seems there’s a sushi-serving outlet popping up on every street but any sushi lover will know, there’s an abyss between pre-packed take-out stuff and the real mccoy.

If you’re a sushi connoisseur and appreciate a good plate of maki, nigiri, or sashimi here are my three Japanese must-dos in Brussels:

Image1) Nonbe Daigaku – located halfway up Avenue Buyl, I drove past this place for months never really imagining that one of Brussels’ best Japanese restaurants could be hidden in this rather scruffy street close to ULB. Lucky a flemish foodie friend mentioned its outstanding reputation one day and I managed to put location and appearances aside to check it out. The small, quiet restaurant is now one of my favourite places to eat sushi out. There are few enough tables and less enough rabble to make it nice for a night out just the two of you. The menu is large and varied and if you get a seat at the bar (which is often all they have left on a friday night for walk-ins) you can enjoy the swish swish of the chef’s knife as he prepares the sushi and chats with his colleagues and the Japanese clientele. The aubergine cooked with miso is a dish I can’t not-have every time I go here but the sushi, sashimi and other dishes have all been very good. As with all Japanese restaurants, desserts are pretty limited but the green tea ice-cream is the perfect way to end an evening here.

Nonbe Daigaku – Avenue Adolphe Buyl 31, Brussels 1050 (Ixelles)

2) Yamayu Santatsu – This is the sort of typical Japanese restaurant you would expect in any large city – busy, bustling, the tables are packed in (at least downstairs). Pull back the heavy red curtain and you’ll find it a squeeze to walk in. If you expect to be met with pleasantries and a smile, you’ve come to the wrong place – the owner is not known for her charm. Whenever I walk in here it sort of feels rowdy, besides the tables crowded with Japanese business men, you always see a few locals (Belgians? Expats?) sitting with expressions of “am I in the right place?” on their face. This place is well-known for the excellent food and equally renowned for its aggressive owner. If you’re expecting smiles or pleasantries, you’re in the wrong place but the food will make up for it. Perfect place to call ahead to go pick up some take-out sushi. Don’t wonder where the wasabi is – it’s already there and it’s hot!

Yamayu Santatsu – Chaussee d’Ixelles 141, Brussels 1050, (Ixelles) Tel : 02 513 53 12

3) Samourai – This was the first Japanese restaurant I went to in Brussels and possibly the most expensive but most chic of my top three. Close to Belga Queen it attracts the smarter city-goers and even on a busy night is lacking the din of other places. The authenticity of the food is fantastic – for a very authentic Japanese experience, go for one of the fixed meals. Perfect place for a special night out. You can even cook meat at your table. Lots of fun.

Rue du Fosse au Loups 28, Brussels 1000 (Tel : 02 217 56 39) 

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The Japanese Belgian Chocolate shop

26 Monday Nov 2012

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When people ask me who I think make the best chocolates in Belgium they’re pretty stunned I reply with a Japanese name…

I first discovered Yasushi Sasaki’s chocolates some months ago as I was handed a small package full of brown and pink heart-shaped creations as we left Nonbe Daigaku, one of my favourite sushi restaurants in Brussels. It was Valentine’s day and the owners were handing out chocolates by a Japanese chocolatier to couples who had opted for a slightly alternative romantic dinner.

Back home with a cuppa, I sat looking at the flush pink hearts willing myself to resist but unable to conjure up the willpower. And rightly so. I’ve always had a sweet tooth and love chocolate but these were just divine. Being a chocolate lover in Brussels, I’ve tried out quite a few of the more well-known brands and find some can be too heavy, rich, bitter, too spicy or even leave a slightly chemical feeling but these were just dreamy.

Yasushi Sasaki’s shop is located in Woluwe Saint Pierre, a quiet residential area with a scattering of shops. The exterior is simple, discreet, you could quite easily walk past and not know this was the place you were looking for, but take a step inside and you’re surrounded by the most colourful, stunning culinary creations.

Besides chocolates, Yasushi, who was born in Japan but studied in Belgium, also does a range of macaroons, jams, sweets, cakes, breads and bakery products. It’s the sort of place that can leave you in a frenzy of indecision as you look from one shelf or counter to the next spoilt for choice.

The breads and bakery products I believe were added to cater to the locals and to bring more customers through the door and I’m sure that the risk is hight that you step in for a croissant and come out with a fruity mousse and a box of macaroons.

The tarts and mousses are stunning creations with bright colours and meticulous decoration. It almost seems it would be a tragedy to put a fork through them. Besides the classic flavours for his macaroons, he also does some interesting things with flavours of his Japanese origins. Last time I was there I picked up a “Moeilleux au The Vert” a type of large sponge with green tea filling (not at all sweet, like traditional Japanese deserts) but he also does a “Creme Brulee au The Vert” which will be next on my list.

I am so happy to have discovered this place, it’s a gem of a shop – both in terms of the aesthetics and the quality of the produce – and a must when looking for a little something for a chocolate lover or an impressive desert for a dinner party.

Yasushi Sasaki is located on Avenue des Franciscains 10, 1150 Bruxelles.

For more info on Yasushi Sasaki, Writing with Chocolate wrote a great post (with much better photos than I have and more detail about their chocolates) http://www.writingwithchocolate.com/reviews/yasushi-sasaki/

Bordeaux celebrates wine

04 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Things to do, Travel, Wine, Wine Work

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I would like to say that my first experience of Bordeaux wines was one congruent with the reputation surrounding the mecca of wine – elegance, velvet, warming richness. My first clear recollection of drinking Bordeaux however was far from this (I may have drunk much before however at that point for me wine was just wine and nothing else). My first Bordeaux moment was an encounter with a dusty bottle my Dad found in the garage. Vin de Bordeaux, 1979. He’d no doubt picked it up on one of our first family trips to the South of France when I was still mastering the technique of walking.

He’d dusted this off when I’d come home with a list of wines I needed to taste for my WSET course. “Ah, Bordeaux, let’s see what this is like” said my Dad, content he’d got something which could be of use and eager to see my newly honed palate in action. He poured out the salmon coloured liquid (most of the pigments had coagulated and settled wearily in flakes on the bottom of the bottles) and the wine plunked itself tiredly in my glass. The nose was pungent and so funky it was  enough to put us off the next step. In Dad’s attempt to preserve prestige, he’d unwittingly made a bottle of vinegar.

Doubtless to say, my Dad should have drunk that about 20 years earlier, perhaps even when he was sitting on his folding camp chair under the Provencal sun. The name “Bordeaux” however, seemed to have duped him during successive spring-cleaning into thinking that this bottle merited shelf space. He’ll not be the first novice wine drinker to think that wine gets better with age – always – and especially if it’s got Bordeaux written on the front..

Streets of Bordeaux My first trip to the city of Bordeaux was for Vinexpo in 2007, the most important wine exhibition in the calendar. It was quite a different story to the dusty bottle moment, here I got to see the other side of Bordeaux, the part that really makes it unique in the world of wine – the history, the glamour, the wealth. The spectacular Fête de la Fleur dinner hosted by Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte during the Vinexpo festivities was a real show of what Bordeaux is about. It’s a soirée where  Chateaux reward importers, journalists and enthusiastic wine connoisseurs with a “special mention”and good time in the hope of fostering continued Bordeaux brand loyalty. A dinner for 500 needed more than just a marquis so the chateau had emptied its marble-floored cellars of barrels from to create a venue to make your jaws drop. The menu was printed on Hermes leather scrolls and an army of waiters perfectly coordinated the whipping gleaming cloches off to reveal mouth-watering dishes. This dinner is the place to be seen (preferably in a designer dress/ suit) and wine producers pay over the odds to make sure they have a table to wine and dine those who could matter most to their business. It was for me one of the most memorable “business dinners” I’ve ever had the pleasure of attending.

Through work, I’d had the chance to visit Bordeaux twice but most of the time was spent milling up and down the mile-long exhibition centre and I’d never found the time to saunter through the streets, breath in the atmosphere and really get to feel the soul of the city, so when the chance came to join a bloggers trip to see Bordeaux Fête le vin,  I jumped at the chance. Organising wine events is what I do – and I rarely get chance to really enjoy them, so two days in one of the largest urban wine events around, sounded like a perfect chance to discover what I’d been missing.

Bordeaux Fete le VinBordeaux Fête le Vin is held every two years (in the years the city doesn’t host Vinexpo) along a 2km stretch of the quays of the Garonne. For a ticket fee of 18 euro (or 15 for early purchase) wine lovers get the chance to receive an official glass and a booklet of coupons which gives them access to the stands. The festival had tents from each of the regional appellations, feature stands (such as Ecole de Vin stand), food stands, displays and lots and lots of wine.

In between other trips to parts of the region were we let loose to explore the Fête at our pace and my favourite – and the most unusual – had to be the Dark Lab set up by the Concours de Bordeaux. A completely black tasting room where visitors had the chance to experience a real blind tasting. In small groups, we were led by a visually impaired sommelier into the tasting room and positioned around a bar. By concentrating on the smells and the taste we had to work out what colour it could be. White? red? rose? The organisers had good foresight in making sure no red wine was included :-)

Once back to daylight, we then weaved through the crowds and headed to the Ecole du Vin Stand ready for a cocktail session. Mixing wine sort of goes against my whole philosophy but its a practice that the Bordeaux promotion board use regularly which indicates it popularity. Armed with bright red mini shakers we were up on our feet adding a bit of energy to the mix.

Wine Cocktails at Ecole de Vin

Bloggers clicking, tweeting and shaking in Bordeaux

As the popularity of Bordeaux wines continues in Asia – indeed during my trips to Asia a few years ago, all the wine lovers I met always went gaga over Bordeaux wines – Hong Kong took centre stage as guest country with a huge stand equipped for food and wine pairings as well displays of the things they are so well-known for – martial arts, tea and opera.

Hong Kong live in Bordeaux

The revelry went on til the early hours with some of the larger stands providing the entertainment for a late night party.

Les Cordelier at Bordeaux Fete le vin

But the real party was the light and sound show, an amazing show entitled “Homage to wine and men” projected onto 4000sqm of space on the facades of Palais Gabriel in the Place de la Bourse. With a width of over 200m, the organisers are pretty sure it’ll be the largest screen of the year in France. Seven high-definition projectors with a total power of over 160,000 lumen meant that the show had resolution which was about six times more than you would normally experience in a cinema. It was spectacular.

Bordeaux light and sound show

So that was my evening soaking up wine in Bordeaux – and what about the wines? I hear you ask.. Well with all that sightseeing and shaking going on, I ended up concentrating on the whites. Entre deImageux mere and Graves were the stands which appealed to us the most and the favourite wine of the night was this..

Le Sartre – Pessac Leognan..  Now I just have to find a way to get some to my Dad…..

Bordeaux Fête le Vin is held every two years in Bordeaux (and other cities around the globe) for more info :

http://www.bordeaux-fete-le-vin.com

 

Thanks to CIVB for an amazing trip!

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