Gourmet

Gourmet

Viki Fuchs

Mad cooking in the heart of the Black Forest

Chef de cuisine Viktoria “Viki” Fuchs is the sixth generation to run the Romantik Hotel and Spielweg restaurant in Germany’s upper Münstertal. But she’s doing it her way – with sister, Kristin; husband, Johannes, and a fresh, Asian twist.

“Wild boar dim sum,” says Viki of the meal guests request most – her signature dish. “I mean, it’s not soooo far away from our Maultaschen,” she adds. Pasta-pockets of Swabian culture, filled with onion and smoked meats. “Normally, they are braised in butter; but we use rice dough and steam them to serve with soy sauce.” That’s Viki on a plate: bright, creative, rooted, cosmopolitan. She combines the best of the Black Forest with flavours from the Far East.

“I’m just carrying on from my father,” is one of JRE-Jeunes Restaurateurs’ youngest, female members’ modest response. “What he did was new.” Karl-Josef, a hunter-chef, took over the Spielweg restaurant in 1986 and quickly forged its reputation for exceptional game-cooking. “He was a pioneer of the ‘regional’ thing,” Viki explains. “He was doing 25 years ago what the Nordic chefs showed 10 or 15…

Gourmet

A Gourmet Weekend

Yoxman returns in 2024

It’s that time of year again for the epicurean treat of Yoxman. Those of you who don’t know what Yoxman is about, read on. Following previous sell out events over the past two years, Yoxman, a one-of-a-kind event promises to deliver a gastronomic four-day treat. Essentially, it’s a long weekend with top chefs delivering Michelin-star […]

Gourmet

Gaia Mayfair

The best of the Med in the heart of Mayfair

Over the millennia, Gaia, the primordial Greek goddess of all life, mother of the Titans and grandmother of the Olympian gods, has inspirited all sorts of artists, from poets to painters and even the odd philosopher. In this case, she moved Russian hospitality entrepreneur, Evgeny Kuzin and British-Nigerian, Chef Izu Ani – the driving forces […]

Gourmet

A Festive Wine Cellar

Wines to enjoy and impress this Christmas

A lot of emphasis is put in the food we eat in the festive season. We spend entire evenings looking at cooking books, ordering exotic ingredients in advance and negotiating the murderous environment of supermarkets in the days before Christmas to secure the best and freshest foods for our beloved and guests (not necessarily the […]

Gourmet

Caviar House at Threadneedles

French exuberance in the heart of The City

Success goes with caviar as strawberries go with cream, Caribbean sun with piña coladas, and gin with tonic. Caviar House & Prunier, the only caviar retailer in the world that produces its own caviar, have just opened a fully-fledged restaurant in the heart of the City of London. Located within the 5-star Threadneedles Hotel (part […]

Gourmet

L’Escargot Soho

The French classic Londoners can’t resist

Although a lot has changed in Soho since L’Escargot opened its doors back in 1927, what has remained constant during almost a century is the high quality of the food, the charm of the staff, and the fascination Londoners have felt for it, decade after decade, for nearly a century. The history of the restaurant […]

Gourmet

An Unprecedented Rarity

Courvoisier Mizunara 2023, uniquely crafted

The beautifully orchestrated evolution of Courvoisier continues with the release of Courvoisier Mizunara 2023, a blend so exceptionally crafted that only 500 bottles are available. With this second edition, Maison Courvoisier – founded by Félix Courvoisier in 1828, in Jarnac, France – continues its history of presenting unique blends with a cognac that combines French […]

Gourmet

Bago du Vin

Intercontinental Cascais-Estoril, Portugal

With a list of more than 100 wines and a spectacular view of the bay of Cascais, Bago du Vin is the kind of place to sit back and enjoy one of those lunches that last well into the evening. The design and decoration follow the modern and sophisticated style of the rest of the […]

Gourmet

A perfect pairing

Restoring local flavour to the Milford Haven Waterway

Food is social glue. It connects us across customs and cultures, just as it has Andy Woolmer of Pembrokeshire Oysters and Jonathan Williams at Café Môr. Together, they’re restoring local flavour to the fishing village of Angle. I visited them a couple of months ago, to understand why customers drive hundreds of miles to eat […]

Gourmet

La Vie En Rose

Pink bubbles have never been more fashionable

The nation’s love affair with Rosé continues to grow year-on-year. Rosé Champagne is the second largest cuvée type shipped to the UK and has become synonymous with summer. This year in particular, with the much-anticipated film Barbie being released, there seems to be a total craze for all things pink. Victoria Henson, Director of Champagne […]

Gourmet

Petrossian South Kensington

Exquisite luxury in the heart of London

Over a century ago, two immigrant Armenian brothers opened in Paris their first shop at 18 boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg, selling caviar. A few decades later, they had established themselves as the purveyors of the finest caviar and other Russian specialties, such as Chatka crabs and vodkas. By the 1990s, they had incorporated smoked fish, […]

Gourmet

The Best of Seasonal Produce

The Galvin brothers’ proposition for the summer

Michelin-starred chefs, Chris and Jeff Galvin have come up with a “Taste of Summer” menu for each of their five award-winning restaurants which celebrate the best of seasonal produce and hope to inspire people to experience fine dining at accessible prices. Working with the head chefs of each of their restaurants, the five menus – […]