Celebrity Life

Sample Faena Hotel Miami Beach’s culinary offerings at a reduced rate as part of Miami’s annual restaurant months.

The post Miami Spice at Faena appeared first on Palm Beach Illustrated.

France is renowned for its gastronomic delights, and visitors to the Côte d’Azur are invited to enjoy extraordinarily exceptional cuisine at Antibes’ Michelin star restaurant Les Pêcheurs. This distinguished restaurant, translating to The Fishermen in English, is discreetly nestled in the luxurious Cap d’Antibes Beach Hotel. Its menu showcases the fine flavors of the South […]

The post Introducing Les Pêcheurs: The Divine Antibes Restaurant With A Michelin Star appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

The annual The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards sponsored by S.Pellegrino & Acqua Panna is regarded as the most celebrated international awards in the industry. Upscale Living magazine highlights three of the Top 5 in the Continental Awards 2019 as awarded by country. THE TEST KITCHEN, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA Claiming the 44th position as well […]

The post Chefs, Restaurants and Their Culinary Delights appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

I’ve been a big fan of Bob Bob Ricard for many years, so when I had the opportunity to check out new sister restaurant, Bob Bob Cité, I jumped at the chance! One of my friends…

Since opening on Wyndham Street last September, Kytaly Hong Kong has been consistently serving some of what we consider to be the finest pizzas in the city, and clearly we're not the only ones who think so. Last night, the relative newcomer was awarded the no. 1 ranking in Asia in the third edition of Top 50 Pizza, the world’s most extensive online guide to pizzerias around the globe. Other Asia nomination highlights include Singapore’s Cicheti and Hong Kong’s CIAK – In The Kitchen, which came in first place in Asia in 2018.

[caption id="attachment_154997" align="alignnone" width="1367"] Franco Pepe with his team at Pepe in Grani[/caption]

Brought over from Geneva by founder Alessandro Bortesi, Kytaly Hong Kong boasts recipes from one of the biggest names in the world of pizza: Franco Pepe, who has also been referred to as the (living) patron saint of Neapolitan pizza. He's also the man behind Pepe in Grani in Caiazzo, Italy, which has been now been named the world's best pizzeria in the world three years in a row; this year, Pepe in Grani shares first place with I Masanielli in Caserta, Italy, helmed by Francesco Martucci.

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Top 50 Pizza judges list pizzerias from around the world in various categories including the best in Italy, Europe, Asia and the rest of the world. The awards ceremony was held yesterday in Naples at the Teatro Mercadante, in collaboration with S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Votes were casted over a huge poll of 1.5 million people on social media and a panel of food experts. Online reviews, previous media coverage and notable blogs were also reflected in the overall rating.

[caption id="attachment_155008" align="alignnone" width="1464"] Scarpetta is made with Cream of Grana Padano DOP 12 months aged cheese, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, 3 tomatoes compote, shavings of Grana Padano 24 months aged cheese, freeze dried pesto and extra virgin olive oil[/caption]

[inline-quote author="Alessandro Bortesi, Founder of Kytaly"]"It is an honour to receive this prestigious award so early on in our story in Hong Kong, which has really just begun. We are grateful for our supportive customers, and both Franco and I look forward to continue serving pizza of the utmost quality to pizza lovers at our home on Wyndham Street."[/inline-quote]

For the full list of the best pizzerias in Asia and around the world, visit 50toppizza.it.

Kytaly Hong Kong, 77 Wyndham Street, Central; +852 2808 1961

The post Kytaly Hong Kong Has Been Named the Best Pizzeria in Asia appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

It's not every day that you get to enjoy desserts created by Asia's Best Pastry Chef. So when esteemed pastry chef Fabrizio Fiorani flew in for a special masterclass that would see him serving up his signature pastries, we jumped at the opportunity to have a taste of his sweet creations.

Held at Hong Kong's own Italian trattoria CIAK – In the Kitchen, the masterclass was sponsored by Acqua Panna and Valrhona. During the class, Fiorani demonstrated not only his unique creativity in patisserie, but also the Italians' signature warm nature. Visually striking and spectacular to taste, his desserts came first before we sat down to find out what he's been up to since winning the prestigious title and leaving Il Ristorante Luca Fantin at Bulgari Hotel in Japan.

What have you been up to since leaving Japan?

I’m back in Rome. I’m sleeping [and I’m based] there for a few days a week as I’m always travelling and consulting, doing masterclasses and special collaborations. Even in the last 20 days or so, I’ve been in Japan for one week, Singapore for one week and now one week here in Hong Kong. So I’m travelling here and there, but I go back to sleep in Rome.

How would you personally describe your pastry style?

It’s Italian. The flavour is pure Italian. But the style is my own -- Fabrizio Fiorani style.

[caption id="attachment_154272" align="alignnone" width="1613"] Tiramisu Glasses: the coffee-flavoured glasses (or biscuits) perch on a red plastic nose and come with mascarpone cream covered with a delicate layer of chocolate.[/caption]

You’ve worked at some of the world’s most renowned Michelin-starred restaurants. But was there a restaurant that left a long-lasting impression on you?

All of them gave and left me with something. Technique, human power, everything. I won the title [Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019] at Il Ristorante Luca Fantin. I became the best when I was there, so that will stay with me. But my team was, and still is, my best memory of the five years I spent in Japan.

Who has been your biggest influence?

My parents. They taught me how to eat good food. And if you want to cook good food, you need to eat good food. This is very important -- they taught me this. For pastry, my biggest influence… Pierre Hermé. When you enter the boutique, I’m always speechless. Everything is just wow.

Do you have a favourite dessert?

Of course, it’s the tiramisu [glasses]. As for anyone else’s… Pierre Hermé makes this dessert [the Tarte Infiniment Vanille] with different kinds of vanilla [from Madagascar, Mexico, and Tahiti]. It’s unbelievable and one of the best things that I’ve eaten in my life. Another is a very beautiful cake make by Japanese pastry chef [Norihiko] Terai [of Aigre Douce in Tokyo]. Terai-san’s vanilla cake is crazy too, it’s so pure!

I heard you started working in a gelato shop at 14 years old. Is that where your love for pastry started?

Gelato is the entry level of pastry. You start to touch [and use] ingredients like egg yolk, cream and chocolate. Then after the gelato, you’ll want some cookies and biscuits. So this was my way in. That’s where it all started, with gelato.

[caption id="attachment_154271" align="alignnone" width="4928"] Raspberry Splash: Fiorani uses a magnetic stencil to paint a raspberry image on a white chocolate disc, which conceals a triple layer of raspberry confections.[/caption]

What are your favourite ingredients to use?

You know, I don’t do anything for fashion or for Instagram. I don’t like kiwi, so I never make anything with kiwi. I rarely drink alcohol, so I only use a small quantity of alcohol. A little gin with chocolate maybe. But I make desserts as if I was the customer. I only create what I love myself. If I don’t like it, I wouldn’t give it to my customers.
I love using chocolate. It’s dangerous to leave chocolate with me [he points to the chocolate wrappers he’s left on the table]. I love milk chocolate. For example, for the tiramisu glasses, I use this chocolate, [Valhorna’s] Bahibe Lactée, from Santo Domingo, with high cocoa content at 46%. Milk chocolate with a touch of bitterness is just unbelievable -- it balances everything.

Some of your creations have been described as ‘humorous’. Do you agree and if so, why do you do that?

With a smile, you release the tension of the mind. Take the tiramisu glasses [for example], you take a selfie and all your attention is on the dessert. It’s not on your phone or your drink, or your previous main course, it’s all on the dessert. I want people to smile and have fun with my desserts. We need to give happiness, not sadness, to the people. That’s my job. I cannot save the world with dessert, but I can give 20 minutes of happiness to the people.

Is that why you decided to be a pastry chef?

Yes. Ask me to make pasta with tomato. I cannot, I’m not able to do it. Dessert is my thing.

[caption id="attachment_154273" align="alignnone" width="1433"] Fiorani’s vision and technique earned him the title of Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019.[/caption]

Do you think you really are Asia’s best pastry chef?

My first fan is me. But every night before I go to bed, I always ask [myself], “Can you can do it? Maybe yes, maybe no?” But that’s OK, it’s important to feel uncomfortable. If you feel comfortable, like on this chair I’m sitting on, you cannot make nice things. You need to be uncomfortable to create. Think about a lobster, it can grow for infinity. Why? Because every time it grows, it will change its shell and grow again. It’s not comfortable to stay in the same shell. So in order to grow, you need to be uncomfortable.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Pastry is important in my life, but it’s not everything. There are movies, shows, books and people. There are a lot of things I take inspiration from. Food is a small part of it. But there are so many places to find it. For example, the glasses [for the tiramisu] were made for Massimo [Bottura, the celebrated Italian chef of the three-Michelin-sttared Osteria Francescana]. I was inspired by him and created that.

Have you tried any Chinese desserts while you’ve been in Hong Kong?

I had dinner at China Tang and the duck was unbelievable. But for dessert we had the mango and pomelo sago, which was lovely. Maybe one day I will do something that incorporates these flavours; I can do this with mango and tapioca, why not!

The post Fabrizio Fiorani, Asia’s Best Pastry Chef 2019, Tells Us About Chocolate, Cake and Lobsters, Too appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Although my brother and I share our London apartment, due to our schedules it isn’t often we get actual quality time together to catch-up. My brother is 4.5 years younger than me and we’ve always…

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most exciting culinary capitals, where good food is more than abundant. In that light, we’ve put together a few of our tastiest tidbits and most memorable morsels that are worth tracking down to try.

Okinawa Corn at Amber

The new and revamped Amber caused quite the stir in the culinary world -- and for good reason. Gone are the heavy gluten and dairy products that are often associated with fine dining and in their place, a cleaner and more concentrated approach to flavours. One such example is the Okinawa corn, which is cold-pressed into a naturally sweet and creamy custard enriched with Taiyouran egg yolk. It’s then topped with layers of seawater foam, Schrencki caviar, and a thin corn tuile with the zest of the Japanese citrus sudachi. It’s rich and deep in flavour, but remains fresh with all the different elements and textures combining for one of the most sumptuous spoonfuls you’re likely to have ever had.

Amber, The Landmark, 15 Queen's Road Central, Central; +852 2132 0188

Roasted Hong Kong Yellow Chicken at Louise

Chef Julien Royer, of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants winner Odette, has officially opened his newest venture: French restaurant Louise. The traditional dishes are based on nostalgia and the type of home cooking that Royer himself was brought up on. Surprisingly, Hong Kong diners may also find a little nostalgia in one particular dish: the roasted Hong Kong yellow chicken with Niigata rice ‘en cocotte’. Not dissimilar to Cantonese-style poached chicken, this dish is elevated with tender pieces of local chicken that are roasted in the oven. It’s served with Japanese rice mixed with chicken fat, making for a perfectly glossy and fragrant accompaniment topped with crispy chicken skin, chives, spring onion and another indulgent option of black truffle shavings.

Louise, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central; +852 2866 0300

Chicken Liver Mousse at Kinship

Another new restaurant hitting the streets of Hong Kong this month is one borne out of friendship -- or Kinship. The concept is created by chefs and good friends, Chris Grare (formerly of Lily & Bloom) and Arron Rhodes (who you may remember from Gough’s on Gough). Its laid-back casual setting makes for a good neighbourhood hangout and offers what has been described to us as “New World cuisine”. Here, the chicken liver mousse is a must-order from the menu. Inspired by Chef Chris’ childhood, the incredibly lush savoury pâté is served with sweet rehydrated raisin relish, grated horseradish and two large oat crackers made in house.

Kinship, 3/F LL Tower, 2 Shelley Street, Central; +852 2520 0899

Marinated Geoduck & Jade Flower at The Chinese Library

Showcasing incredible knife skills like no other, The Chinese Library’s new Dao Yi dishes are a sight for sore eyes. However, one dish that also excited our tastebuds was the marinated geoduck & jade flower. Based on the cold Sichuan dishes and flavours that we so love, this dish layers thin slices of marinated geoduck clam atop delicately carved celtuce dressed in sesame oil. It’s a refreshing appetiser dish with crisp textures throughout, making Hong Kong summer slightly more bearable again.

The Chinese Library,  Police Headquarters Block 01, Tai Kwun, 10 Hollywood Road, Central; +852 2848 3088

Tacos at Taqueria Super Macho

The new Mexican restaurant by Black Sheep offers a range of undressed tacos in soft tortillas so that you can build-your-own with as many condiments, salsas and vegetables as you please. Unable to pick just one taco to make the list, we decided to choose three. First up is the fish al pastor, which uses Vietnamese sole instead of the traditional pork in achiote chilli, and is best paired with pineapple and crispy bacon. Next is the smoky chilli-spiced adobo marinated steak tenderloin, which is full of flavour with onions and cilantro too. We rounded things off with the crispy battered shrimp taco, which is packed with cabbage slaw with a squeeze of fresh lime -- it crunches with every bite.

Taqueria Super Macho, 33-35 Bridges Street, Central; +852 2333 0111

The post The Top 5 Dishes We Ate in June 2019 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Some of the best restaurants to indulge in the prized catch.

The post Most decadent lobster dishes in Singapore appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Some of the best restaurants to indulge in the prized catch.

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