Can a restaurant really ever shake off the ghosts of the past? One of my favourite meals in Hong Kong was at the (then) 2* Wagyu Takumi, helmed by renowned Japanese chef Mitsuru Konishi (see post here). I simply loved the exquisitely executed Japanese French fusion style of cooking, and I’m not alone, it’s a…
Author: FoodMeUpScotty
Food and coffee blogger.
Amsterdam: 1* Bridges – the unexpected – the inspired
We’d always planned to have a summer holiday that was largely based around eating and driving, driving and eating; with a quick sojourn to #ArtsTown to satisfy the girl’s #documenta14 fixation. The plan was to land in Amsterdam for a few days of timezone adjustment, then commence our driving and dining tour around Germany. What…
Terroir Parisien: Pretty plating but a bit inconsistent
When I heard that Yannick Allèno was opening an outlet in Hong Kong, I immediately had visions of a new gastronomic paradise hitting our fair shores. With his two Parisian Fine Diners rewarded with 3 Michelin Stars each, including his showpiece; Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen entrenched in the #Worlds50best restaurants (#31): How could I…
London: World #97 & 1* Hedone
This cat marches to the beat of his own drum! It’s all I could think after I finished chatting to solicitor turned food blogger turned uber chef Mikael Jonsson. I’d just finished my multi course, sensory overloading tasting menu at Hedone and was still reflecting on what was most likely one of the best meals…
Gordon Ramsey: Bread Street Kitchen and the Beef Wellington
I’m gonna get straight to the point, with little to no preamble. I had the Gordon Ramsey version of Beef Wellington from Bread Street Kitchen and it was amazing….. Right, back to normal programming…. One of my foodie buddies recently and somewhat sheepishly admitted that he’d never had a beef wellington before; then almost embarrassingly,…
London: World #27 & 2* The Ledbury
I can’t think of too many restaurants that I’ve had both a strong desire to visit and an equally strong level of frustration to secure a table. Given the reputation of The Ledbury, a perennial #Worlds50 Best Restaurant and Two Michelin Starred establishment, I can understand that it’s a little difficult to get into. However,…
London: World #91 & 1* St John
I walked right past St John when I was wandering the back streets of Smithfield, such was the unassuming facade of the restaurant. With it’s roller shutter pulled down, the pub looked just like all of the other semi industrial businesses that help make Smithfield one of the more interesting locations in London. That I…
Tokyo: World #52* & 3* Nihonryori RyuGin
I’ve always liked the idea of Japan. I mean, ever since I took up karate as a young boy and started watching those cool samurai movies on a Saturday morning. It was enough for me to take an interest in the (at the time) very exotic country that seemed all so alien to my limited…
Gough’s on Gough: A study in Style over Substance?
One of my favourite streets in Hong Kong is the very cool Gough Street, home to great little nicknack & coffee shops, great little restaurants; there is just a super vibe whenever you’re cruising the strip. A strange thing happened to one of those cool little shops this year; a groovy furniture and accessories store…
13 Stars in 13 Days: A Journey through Amsterdam and Germany
The number 13 is unlucky for many, but proved to be a happy number for the girl and I on our recent European holiday. You see, it was the total number of Michelin Stars we collected as we toured through Amsterdam and broader Germany. Many were planned, a few were not and almost all were…
Pirata: the other great Italian in Wanchai
It’s not too often that I’ll start a post about a restaurant by raving about another; but here goes. I absolutely adore Pici in Wanchai; it’s without doubt my favourite casual diner at the moment. But I will probably never go back. Why would I now that I’ve discovered Pirata, the other Wanchai restaurant by…
Haku: A contender for best new restaurant
When I check out a new restaurant, normally there’s a little excitement; I mean, who doesn’t like checking out new shit! But when it’s a buddy opening that restaurant, there’s a mix of trepidation and excitement in equal parts; will it be successful? will it be good? I first came across Haku Executive Chef Agustin…
Hong Kong: World #24 & 2* Amber
2017 has seen an inordinate amount of travel for me; in fact it feels like I’ve circumnavigated the globe a couple of times. Not really a hardship, as it’s allowed me to visit a huge number of the world’s top 100 restaurants and ensured I’ve enjoyed some memorable meals. While galavanting around the world searching…
Gaddi’s: That old world charm
I’ve been trying to think about my culinary journey, more specifically, if there’s been a restaurant that I’ve visited that has the history and grandeur of Gaddi’s; Hong Kong’s most treasured fine dining destination. When we were telling our friends that we’d booked in for a dinner at Gaddi’s, the response was almost unanimously ‘oooooh,…
NYC: The 2* Atera blew my mind
As I walked from possibly the greatest meal of my life, I stopped at the exit to chat to the head chef on the night. As chance would have it, a fellow Australian and all round good bloke. There was no doubt that I’d been pinged as a blogger quite early into my meal at…
NYC: 2* Aquavit the Nordic King
A long time before Noma… Well before Nordic cuisine became the new zeitgeist, there was Aquavit. A restaurant that was opened in 1987, espousing Sweden’s 500-year-old culinary traditions; literally the only restaurant to offer modern Nordic cuisine in New York and one of the first to really hit it outside of Europe. With the region…
Mr & Mrs Fox: Surprising and worth the effort
I have to admit to being a little lazy of late; perhaps worse even, a total lack of imagination. You see, apart from hitting fine dining restaurants in fabulous cities across the globe, I’ve been living the hermit life back in Hong Kong. Sticking close to home and eating pretty boring. So we decided to…
NYC: World #87 & 3* Per Se
Per Se is a culinary icon. Pure and simple. But boy did the Thomas Keller restaurant take a brutal blow in 2016. Plenty has been said about NY Times restaurant critic Peter Well’s review of the once ‘bullet proof’ restaurant, so I’m not going to harp on it. If you want to read it, I’m…
NYC: 1* NoMad the other Daniel Humm experience
Have I told you how much I love morel mushrooms? Probably not, I’ve only just realised how much those unusual looking little mushrooms need to be part of my culinary life. I was sitting in NoMad enjoying the most amazing morel mushroom dish and ……. Hold on, I’m getting way ahead of myself; let me…
NYC: World #58 & 2* Momofuku Ko
If you’re a foodie, then you’re probably familiar with the name David Chang. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the last decade or so, David Chang is the genius behind the Momofuku Restaurant Group. While the name Momofuku is synonymous with high end restaurants; Chef Chang’s beginnings were a…
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