https://www.scmp.com/rss/265259/feed Born, bred and educated in Singapore, Evelyn Chen is a food and travel writer and editor with bylines in CNN, CNBC, New York Times and finedininglovers.com, amongst others. In between dinners and travel assignments, the former Zagat editor shares her favourite food discoveries on Instagram. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Evelyn Chen Evelyn Chen Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province, has been known for many things over the centuries: its scenic West Lake, immortalised in poetry; its silk, which earned it the title of China’s “city of silk”; and its Longjing tea, the leaves of which are found all over the city’s rolling hillsides. In 2023, the first edition of the Michelin Guide Hangzhou spotlighted the city’s flourishing fine-dining scene, and now the city has a growing reputation as a gastronomy hotspot. One of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3336223/where-eat-hangzhou-chinas-rising-fine-dining-hub-where-regional-flavours-coalesce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3336223/where-eat-hangzhou-chinas-rising-fine-dining-hub-where-regional-flavours-coalesce?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 23:15:15 +0000 Evelyn Chen Evelyn Chen In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, Shanghai has emerged as the most exciting destination in China to experience the full breadth of the country’s regional cuisines. No longer merely a gateway for international dining brands and top-tier French fare, the city now brims with Taizhou and Ningbo cuisine as well as Teochew, Fujian, Yunnan and Sichuan flavours at provincial restaurants sure to impress even the most seasoned gourmands. This transformation, however, did not happen overnight.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3325037/how-shanghai-has-become-chinas-best-place-experience-its-regional-cuisines?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3325037/how-shanghai-has-become-chinas-best-place-experience-its-regional-cuisines?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Evelyn Chen Evelyn Chen On June 26, British chef Kirk Westaway – best known for his modern British cuisine at two-Michelin-star Jaan in Singapore – will open The Crown by Kirk Westaway at the Fairmont Jakarta hotel in the Indonesian capital. With sweeping views of the city skyline, the tasting-menu-only restaurant on the 22nd floor will mark his second venture outside Singapore after opening The Albion by Kirk Westaway in Ho Chi Minh City in 2024. It signals a growing appetite for refined, chef-led dining in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3315145/5-jakartas-best-tasting-menu-only-restaurants-citys-dining-scene-transforms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3315145/5-jakartas-best-tasting-menu-only-restaurants-citys-dining-scene-transforms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Jun 2025 23:15:11 +0000 Seoul is a city where Michelin-star restaurants and age-old culinary traditions exist side by side. Comfort food here is more than just nourishment – it embodies the warmth of home and memories of childhood, and pays tribute to Korea’s rich heritage. For South Korea’s leading chefs, humble staples shape their approach to contemporary cuisine. From noodles to nourishing broths, these dishes lay the foundation for the country’s culinary identity. Six chefs from Seoul and beyond lift the lid on the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3303901/6-top-korean-chefs-favourite-comfort-foods-and-where-eat-them-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3303901/6-top-korean-chefs-favourite-comfort-foods-and-where-eat-them-seoul?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Mar 2025 23:15:08 +0000 Suzhou, a city in Jiangsu province, eastern China, is often celebrated for its noodles and picturesque canals. But it also offers a plethora of dining experiences that go beyond tradition. With a focus on seasonality, Suzhou’s culinary scene showcases a blend of regional and contemporary interpretations of Jiangsu and broader Chinese cuisine. Here are four must-visit restaurants in the city. 1. Ping Jiang Song Just over a year old, Ping Jiang Song is housed in a stunning building, Ding Mansion,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3293604/4-must-try-restaurants-suzhou-china-modern-takes-traditional-jiangsu-dishes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3293604/4-must-try-restaurants-suzhou-china-modern-takes-traditional-jiangsu-dishes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Jan 2025 03:15:08 +0000 When you think of Shaoxing wine, do you picture it in a glass or sizzling in a wok? For most, Shaoxing wine is that clear, amber-hued cooking essential with a distinctive aromatic nose that lends sweet and briny flavours to food, deepening and enriching dishes. But this 3,000-year-old yellow wine, made from glutinous rice, water from Jianhu Lake and a wheat-based yeast, is so much more than just a seasoning. It is one of the oldest wines in the world and was a beverage of choice in China for the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3290935/how-shaoxing-wine-once-used-only-cooking-has-made-it-michelin-star-drink-menus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3290935/how-shaoxing-wine-once-used-only-cooking-has-made-it-michelin-star-drink-menus?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Dec 2024 05:17:10 +0000 Japan’s Niigata prefecture may be less than 90 minutes away from Tokyo via bullet train, but the area, known for producing Japan’s best koshihikari rice and sake, rarely appears on people’s radar as a food destination. This is slowly changing. Michelin released a special edition of its guide for Niigata in 2020. And in September 2022, the prefecture established the Niigata Gastronomy awards, with its inaugural edition – launched in 2023 – featuring 160 prizewinners. The chief judge for the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3284335/7-best-restaurants-niigata-japans-rising-food-destination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3284335/7-best-restaurants-niigata-japans-rising-food-destination?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2024 23:15:13 +0000 Would you deliberately make your way to a car showroom in a far-flung neighbourhood in Singapore to eat dinner? In all likelihood, no – but perhaps you would change your mind if you knew that Korean-American chef Corey Lee is the maestro orchestrating the menu. The Seoul native grew up in the United States and spent almost a decade working at three-Michelin-star restaurant The French Laundry under restaurateur Thomas Keller in the Napa Valley. His own restaurant Benu, in the US city of San... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3262466/korean-fine-dining-singaporean-car-showroom-chef-three-michelin-star-spot-us-curates-new-restaurants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3262466/korean-fine-dining-singaporean-car-showroom-chef-three-michelin-star-spot-us-curates-new-restaurants?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 May 2024 03:15:12 +0000 Hangzhou may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking of China’s growing gastronomic footprint. The city is often overshadowed by neighbouring metropolis Shanghai. But ask any Chinese food lover worth their salt and they will tell you that one of China’s hottest chefs currently lives and works in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. Once described as “the finest and most luxurious city in the world” by Marco Polo, it is the adopted home of Wang Yong, chef of Jin Sha at the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3244814/meet-wang-yong-chef-putting-hangzhou-culinary-map-and-enhancing-jiangzhe-cuisine-great-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3244814/meet-wang-yong-chef-putting-hangzhou-culinary-map-and-enhancing-jiangzhe-cuisine-great-ingredients?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Dec 2023 23:15:08 +0000 Hangzhou in eastern China is known for many things. History? Yes, the Mausoleum of General Yue Fei (1103-1142) is proof. West Lake too – the legendary stretch of water and its surrounding hills, temples, pagodas and bridges are known to have inspired countless Chinese scholars and poets. But food? The city is known for classic dishes such as West Lake fish in vinegar sauce, beggar’s chicken and Dongpo pork (named after a famous poet who waxed lyrical about the fatty braised pork belly dish) but,... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3244429/4-hangzhou-restaurants-prove-city-food-desert-no-more-seafood-spot-michelin-sommelier-jiangnan-joint?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3244429/4-hangzhou-restaurants-prove-city-food-desert-no-more-seafood-spot-michelin-sommelier-jiangnan-joint?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Dec 2023 09:15:08 +0000 After almost three years of Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdowns and dining restrictions, Shanghai’s food scene is buzzing again. Numerous dining institutions closed during the pandemic, but Shanghai’s status as a global trade hub is slowly but surely returning. Proof of this is the volume and calibre of restaurants that have opened in the city recently. “Shanghai is an international metropolis,” says chef Wu Rong, who opened his first Fujian restaurant, Meet the Bund, in Shanghai in... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3243910/5-best-new-restaurants-shanghai-2-michelin-star-cantonese-place-branch-tokyos-narisawa-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3243910/5-best-new-restaurants-shanghai-2-michelin-star-cantonese-place-branch-tokyos-narisawa-and-more?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Dec 2023 23:15:16 +0000 After a Covid-induced hiatus, Lisbon’s dining scene is flourishing, thanks in part to the Portuguese capital being packed with tourists again. Their arrival brings renewed interest in the city’s legendary pastel de nata (egg tarts), sardines and salt cod. It has also increased curiosity about Lisbon’s growing crop of restaurants. They range from traditional to contemporary – and everything in between. And unlike those of more popular European cities such as Paris, Barcelona or London, Lisbon... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3230639/why-food-lisbon-so-exciting-and-good-value-and-7-its-best-restaurants-and-bars-try-if-you-can-score?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3230639/why-food-lisbon-so-exciting-and-good-value-and-7-its-best-restaurants-and-bars-try-if-you-can-score?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Aug 2023 09:15:08 +0000 What comes to mind when you think of what to eat in Barcelona? From tapas and churros to dinners that run into the wee hours and avant-garde gastronomy at Michelin-star restaurants, the capital of Spain’s Catalonia region bristles with restaurants that run the gamut from low- to high-end cuisine. There is no shortage of tips about where to eat in the city, but where, we wondered, do some of Spain’s top chefs go when in Barcelona? Four of them spill the beans. 1. Albert Adria of Enigma The... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3226589/where-eat-and-drink-barcelona-4-top-spanish-chefs-reveal-where-go-tapas-catalan-cuisine-and-michelin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3226589/where-eat-and-drink-barcelona-4-top-spanish-chefs-reveal-where-go-tapas-catalan-cuisine-and-michelin?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jul 2023 10:15:10 +0000 In a world flooded with gastronomy lists and awards such as the Michelin Guide and the World’s 50 Best Restaurants, the Basque Culinary World Prize (BCWP) is an anomaly. Yes, the award is presented to chefs. But rather than basing its accolades on the merits of their cuisine or the quality of service, BCWP judges them on something more noble: the transformative power of their food in creating a positive impact on society. BCWP acknowledges that great chefs, such as Jose Andres of World Central... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3223533/humanity-commitment-and-strength-turkish-chef-whos-won-global-prize-using-food-transform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3223533/humanity-commitment-and-strength-turkish-chef-whos-won-global-prize-using-food-transform?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 11 Jun 2023 08:15:23 +0000 In 2019, Kevin Wong won the S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Asian regional competition in Tokyo. The young Malaysian chef went on to clinch third place at the S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy global finals last year in Milan. This year, the 29-year-old became the chef-owner of new restaurant Seroja, which opened in Singapore shopping centre Duo Galleria in October. “The S. Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition gives a platform for young chefs to shine,” Wong says. “The judges are some of... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3198959/asias-best-young-chef-winner-singaporean-ian-goh-showcasing-his-hainanese-heritage-and-importance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3198959/asias-best-young-chef-winner-singaporean-ian-goh-showcasing-his-hainanese-heritage-and-importance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Nov 2022 03:15:10 +0000 South Korean food festival Taste of Seoul launched its third edition late last month with an awards ceremony at the Sebitseom Island convention centre in Seoul. The event, which ran from September 30 to October 6 and was organised by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, was the first citywide in-person gastronomy event of its kind since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, as much of Asia moves into a post-pandemic phase. Two previous editions were held virtually because of the pandemic. Taste... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3196367/first-k-pop-now-k-food-south-koreas-push-highlight-its-culinary-culture-beyond-kimchi-and-kimbap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3196367/first-k-pop-now-k-food-south-koreas-push-highlight-its-culinary-culture-beyond-kimchi-and-kimbap?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Oct 2022 23:15:10 +0000 It was April 2020 and Sameer Sain was stuck in his luxury apartment in Singapore, twiddling his thumbs. Like the rest of Singapore’s 5.5 million population, the Indian entrepreneur was unable to travel for work, let alone step out of his home for non-essential activities like dining in a restaurant. With time on his hands, Sain began to flesh out what started as fleeting thoughts in his mind some two or three years earlier. “I’ve been thinking about how I can change the perception and experience... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3169914/singapores-best-new-restaurants-braved-opening-during-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3169914/singapores-best-new-restaurants-braved-opening-during-pandemic?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Mar 2022 04:45:18 +0000 After tasting native spirits from her travels around the world, during a one-year work break in 2012, Singaporean Jamie Koh returned home convinced that the Lion City needed a local spirit to call its own. In September 2018, she launched Brass Lion Distillery, ironically just months after the June debut of the city’s first craft gin distillery, Tanglin Gin. “As a Singaporean, I felt that it was a huge shame that we did not have a local spirit featuring familiar local ingredients – so I decided... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3143035/singapore-craft-gin-how-lion-city-giving-classic-spirits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3143035/singapore-craft-gin-how-lion-city-giving-classic-spirits?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 2021 10:51:31 +0000 Last month Mauro Colagreco arrived in Singapore ready to roll up his sleeves for a three-month residency at Mandala Club. Colagreco is chef of the three-Michelin-star Mirazur in Menton, France, and the stint in Singapore is his first pop-up restaurant outside Europe since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Just as Colagreco and his 12-person team in Singapore were gearing up for the launch of his nature-driven, moon-cycle-aligned Lunar Menus on May 14, the Singapore government called a halt to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3136606/how-singapores-restaurants-are-weathering-covid-19-storm-some?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/3136606/how-singapores-restaurants-are-weathering-covid-19-storm-some?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Jun 2021 04:15:00 +0000 At Meta, a one-Michelin-starred modern Korean-inflected eatery in Singapore, our main course arrives – strip loin resting on a bed of rice cooked with burdock, seasoned with cold-pressed sesame oil and topped with wisps of a never-before-seen seaweed. “We use many Korean ingredients in this dish – the rice, burdock, cold-pressed sesame oil and gamtae, a seaweed found in the southern and western coasts of South Korea,” explains chef-owner Sun Kim. Would you eat durian? 4 smelly Asian foods that... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3136097/are-k-pop-and-k-dramas-spurring-popularity-native?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/well-being/article/3136097/are-k-pop-and-k-dramas-spurring-popularity-native?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Jun 2021 01:00:19 +0000 In October 2020, 31-year-old Singaporean Kenneth Foong became head chef at Noma, Copenhagen, a restaurant that has been ranked number one on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list four times between 2010 and 2014.  “Landing an internship at Noma was not difficult,” says Foong, who was otherwise considering pursuing a major in jazz performance at the Berklee College of Music. “I was going into it with a fairly loaded resume.”  Which classic Hong Kong hotel just added three new bars? Before leaving... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3125499/singapore-next-big-dining-destination-new-crop-chefs-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/3125499/singapore-next-big-dining-destination-new-crop-chefs-are?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Mar 2021 09:05:17 +0000 In October last year, I messaged celebrity make-up artist, Tinoq Russell Goh (@pasirpanjangboy) on Instagram to inquire about reservations at his twice-weekly Peranakan private dinners. “Sorry, we are unfortunately fully booked till end of the year,” Goh replied. “We’re in the midst of planning Lunar New Year menu. We’ll put you on our waiting list if there are any cancellations.” I never heard back from Goh. View this post on Instagram Frying prawn head... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3038959/why-private-dining-singapore-eating-friends-home?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3038959/why-private-dining-singapore-eating-friends-home?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Nov 2019 08:00:09 +0000 You are at the members-only Wagyumafia The Butcher’s Kitchen, a progressive Wagyu and Kobe beef omakase restaurant in Roppongi, Tokyo, and you are tackling a thin slice of 145-day dry-aged Kobe beef steak. Perceived to be one of the world’s priciest cuts of beef, cutting through the Kobe steak is as easy as slicing through butter. Just as you are savouring its rich aroma and subtle sweetness, you gaze at the chunk of beautifully mottled meat on display and wonder exactly what Kobe beef is and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3038246/what-makes-kobe-beef-japans-top-wagyu-and-why-it-so?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3038246/what-makes-kobe-beef-japans-top-wagyu-and-why-it-so?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:00:13 +0000 In May of 2018, Tan Ken Loon, owner of Singapore seafood eatery Naked Finn, initiated Magic Square, a 12-month-long incubation project to, in Loon’s words, “nurture future talents in the [food and beverage] industry”. For each month, one of the three under-30 chefs – namely Abel Su, Desmond Shen and Marcus Leow – would take the lead, aided by the other two, in steering the nine-course menu of locally inspired dishes, sometimes using local ingredients. In need of an ultra-luxe Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3026076/do-young-chefs-have-more-culinary-skill-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3026076/do-young-chefs-have-more-culinary-skill-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Sep 2019 06:00:13 +0000 Just hours before the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 results were announced, Julien Royer, the chef-owner of Odette, Singapore, was overheard talking to a journalist about Louise, his soon-to-open casual French diner named after his paternal grandmother, Jean Louise, at PMQ in Central. 10 bars and restaurants to visit in Kuala Lumpur The opening of Royer’s Hong Kong restaurant could not be better timed. That same night, the Singapore French fine-dining restaurant run by the Auvergne-born chef... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/3012475/what-you-need-know-chef-julien-royer-opens-louise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people-events/article/3012475/what-you-need-know-chef-julien-royer-opens-louise?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 May 2019 02:30:07 +0000 If Bali were the gastronomic capital of Indonesia, then the town of Ubud – at its heart – is where you want to indulge in its lush offerings. Yes, even as vegans, your choices have never been better. Vegans and vegetarians, rejoice – new app ‘soo where to eat’ has you covered in Hong Kong While the area is awash with vegan cafes, most chefs in gastronomic restaurants can whip-up a tasting menu free of animal products that will make non-vegans look on with envy. Check out where to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3010922/5-best-restaurants-vegans-ubud-heart-bali?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3010922/5-best-restaurants-vegans-ubud-heart-bali?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2019 07:00:12 +0000 In case you’ve been living under an enormous rock, Odette – Julien Royer’s French fine-dining restaurant in Singapore – clinched top spot at Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 awards at Wynn Palace, Macau at the end of March, ending the four-year reign of Gaggan from Bangkok. How Gaggan Anand rose from a ‘poor child of India’ to become a world-famous chef  Hot on the heels of this win, Royer agreed a one-year deal to create hot meals for Air France’s La Première and business cabins on flights... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3005478/why-julien-royer-chef-owner-singapores-odette-hot-air?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/news-trends/article/3005478/why-julien-royer-chef-owner-singapores-odette-hot-air?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Apr 2019 05:00:10 +0000 In a country as large as Russia , which has 11 time zones and covers an eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land area, the word “local” may seem ambiguous, and the concept of a “locavore” (someone devoted to eating locally grown food) a bit far-fetched. Yet this vast country is experiencing an agricultural boom, and with it, a patriotic locavore culinary revolution is taking root. This has inspired Russian chefs to look inward at the country’s expansive terroir. 8 places to eat in Hong Kong and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2177845/why-russian-chefs-are-leading-different-kind-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2177845/why-russian-chefs-are-leading-different-kind-revolution?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Dec 2018 04:02:43 +0000 1. STERLET           View this post on Instagram                   стерлядь запечённая целиком #sterlet #стерлядь #zivjulete A post shared by Sergei Kostsov (@sergeikoss) on Nov 14, 2018 at 4:30am PST A relatively small species of sturgeon native to the Black Sea, Azov Sea and Caspian Sea, as well as Siberian rivers. The sterlet is farmed at Twins Garden and served as a fillet alongside different varieties of its own farmed beets and viziga, a “fusilli” of the dried sturgeon’s... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2177824/eat-local-moscow-5-dishes-russians-love?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2177824/eat-local-moscow-5-dishes-russians-love?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Dec 2018 04:00:30 +0000 The French black truffle is something of an anomaly. Also commonly known as the Perigord truffle or Tuber melanosporum, the world’s most valued black truffle is not always produced in France. Although France has traditionally been known as the main source of black winter truffles, the “black gold” is also produced in Spain, Italy and, increasingly, Australia. Alex Wilson, head of sales of The Truffle & Wine Co., the single largest producer of Tuber melanosporum in the southern hemisphere, says... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2168608/truffle-tussle-how-australia-taking-frances-prized?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2168608/truffle-tussle-how-australia-taking-frances-prized?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Oct 2018 18:00:15 +0000 Have you ever felt guilty about contributing to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions when you plan an overseas trip? If so, these statistics will make you think twice about the airlines you book with. In 2016, aviation accounted for about 2.5 per cent of total global CO2 emissions. That is equivalent to about 12 per cent of CO2 emissions from all transport sources. This number is projected to increase as the demand for air travel rises. According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, an... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/2168781/why-klm-singapore-airlines-and-emirates-are-all-flying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/tech-design/article/2168781/why-klm-singapore-airlines-and-emirates-are-all-flying?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 20 Oct 2018 02:01:16 +0000 It’s no wonder Stockholm is a veritable tour de force in sustainable dining. If you scan the dining scene in the city, it is evident that most chefs make a concerted attempt to use local ingredients, while some take it further by sourcing biodynamic and organic ingredients. “We work with local and seasonal products, but for us it is also important to see how it reacts with the open fire,” says Swedish TV celebrity chef Niklas Ekstedt, who cooks ancient recipes exclusively on live fire and birch... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2166207/foraging-birch-wood-fires-and-biodynamic-meals-swedish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2166207/foraging-birch-wood-fires-and-biodynamic-meals-swedish?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Sep 2018 08:03:08 +0000 When Stockholm received the European Green Capital award from the EU Commission in 2010, it became a role model for other cities looking to improve their standards, and earned its place as Europe’s most ecological city – and it is not difficult to see why. The city currently has the highest rate of organic food consumption in Europe. It also leads the way in recycling drinks cans and bottles, and is blazing a trail in the use of energy from sustainable sources (all trains and inner city buses... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2164687/how-top-chefs-stockholm-are-taking-sustainability-next?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2164687/how-top-chefs-stockholm-are-taking-sustainability-next?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Sep 2018 05:00:48 +0000 Perched on a jagged cliff that rises above the palm-fringed Mediterranean Sea in Menton, France, Mirazur is a restaurant that the academy of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants considers the “best restaurant in France”. It does not serve French cuisine per se and neither is its chef-owner a native of France. But as the ancient Roman poet Virgil so aptly put it, love conquers all. “I love France and I consider it my second home,” says Mauro Colagreco, chef-owner of Mirazur, whose restaurant empire... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2150172/how-chef-mauro-colagreco-reinventing-french-cuisine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2150172/how-chef-mauro-colagreco-reinventing-french-cuisine?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Jun 2018 02:01:01 +0000 Gaggan Anand is known for his international cuisine, and also for being down to earth. But then the Kolkata-born 39-year-old is justifiably proud of the “Poor child of India” roots that drove him to become the top chef in Asia. Singaporean diners warmed to Anand’s informality in March 2015, when the experimental “progressive” chef arrived in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts to the keenly awaited Tiger’s Milk Gang ceviche event at Ola Cocina Del Mar, an equally unpretentious Spanish eatery in... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2134473/how-gaggan-anand-rose-poor-child-india-become-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2134473/how-gaggan-anand-rose-poor-child-india-become-world?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Feb 2018 02:00:15 +0000 Even though Gordon Ramsay had spent a decade designing in-flight meals for premium-class cabins, he famously claimed that he does not eat airline food because he knows “where this food’s been and where it goes, and how long it took before it got on board”. Celebrity chef Ramsay may be erring on the side of extreme caution, but he is certainly not alone in his disdain for airline food. Despite monumental resources pumped by airlines into making their food more appetising, some passengers don’t... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2131558/flying-premium-class-here-are-airlines-are-stepping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2131558/flying-premium-class-here-are-airlines-are-stepping?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Feb 2018 02:00:15 +0000 New restaurants, foreign chefs and a booming tech industry has taken Berlin from 10 Michelin starred restaurants to 25 in the last decade. Here are the six you’ll want to try on a fine dining tour of the city: ERNST Brand new 12-seat eatery with a cutting-edge menu featuring more than 20 courses, each showcasing a handful of local ingredients like tomatoes, beets, carrots, fresh curd and potatoes from small-scale farmers in Germany. NOBELHART & SCHMUTZIG Trendy counter-style, farm-to-fork... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/2117963/six-top-restaurants-berlin?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/2117963/six-top-restaurants-berlin?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Nov 2017 04:00:15 +0000 Flying the German cuisine flag high in Asia is Sühring (No. 13 on Asia’s 50 Best 2017), Bangkok, where the Aqua-trained twins, Thomas and Mathias Sühring, recreate German flavours in contemporary fashion based on memories of their years growing up in East Berlin.   Happy Monday ..... #suhring #bangkok #thailand #newgermancuisine #deutscheküche #berlin #berlinboys #germany #yenakat3 #bangkokfood #finedining #openkitchen #comeandtry #bangkokfoodies #food #foodie #chefstalk #chefsofinstagram... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/2117961/double-delight-twins-re-create-exciting-german-cuisine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/2117961/double-delight-twins-re-create-exciting-german-cuisine?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Nov 2017 04:00:30 +0000 Twenty-eight years after the collapse of the Berlin Wall, a wave of gastronomic confidence is sweeping across the German capital and the hype is not just about bratwurst and beer. When White Guide, a leading Nordic restaurant guide, introduced its dining app 12forward in late 2016, it picked Berlin over other German cities for its inaugural global launch, touting the city’s “cutting- edge” cuisine in “Germany’s fast-evolving radical food scene”. “Without a doubt, Berlin is Germany’s dining... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/2117586/berlins-fine-dining-scene-fuelled-brexit-start-ups-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/2117586/berlins-fine-dining-scene-fuelled-brexit-start-ups-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Oct 2017 06:15:00 +0000 Massimo Bottura has just served a dish titled "Beautiful Psychedelic Veal, Not Flame-Grilled", inspired by the Damien Hirst psychedelic spin painting. The ash encrusted "veal" - actually beef marinated in milk - is plated with vibrant blotches of colourful sauces, including arugula, beetroot, orange and red wine-reduced veal jus. Food or art, you ask? Welcome to Osteria Francescana in the medieval town of Modena, Italy, the newly crowned No 1 restaurant on the World's 50 Best Restaurants 2016... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2008424/massimo-bottura-art-opens-chefs-eyes-remarkable-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/travel-food/article/2008424/massimo-bottura-art-opens-chefs-eyes-remarkable-new?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Sep 2016 13:30:30 +0000 They say that too many cooks spoil the broth. But at the "world's best" restaurant - El Celler de Can Roca ("El Celler") in Girona, Spain - the opposite has been proven true, that with a trio of brothers running the show, many hands actually make light work. To wit, 51-year-old eldest brother, Joan Roca, drives the savoury kitchen; 49-year-old Josep Roca steers the beverage programme; while 37-year-old Jordi Roca, who officially joined the duo 11 years after the restaurant's inception, takes... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/1905934/roca-brothers-work-together-make-el-celler-spain-award?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/1905934/roca-brothers-work-together-make-el-celler-spain-award?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Feb 2016 13:30:30 +0000 Gaggan Anand has just presented me with a plate showcasing a black, truffle-like creation. "Can you guess what's in it?" he asks. "It's a signature dish from my restaurant in Bangkok … it's called charcoal." Of course it is. Dubbed the "world's best Indian chef", Anand is riding the wave of the renaissance in Asian chefs, a trend that coincided - whether by chance or not - with the inauguration of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2013. "Asian chefs are drawing more attention around the world,"... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/1885874/refined-asian-cuisines-are-gaining-popularity-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/leisure/article/1885874/refined-asian-cuisines-are-gaining-popularity-around-world?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Dec 2015 15:00:00 +0000