Yesterday I had the goosebump experience of being introduced to the new-in-the-making Gåte at Quoin Rock restaurant at the Quoin Rock winery outside Stellenbosch, which is destined to become a superlative Fine Dining dinner experience, probably the best this country has ever seen! (more…)
Entries tagged with “Heston Blumenthal”.
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Tue 9 Oct 2018
Preview: New Gåte restaurant to become a rock star at Quoin Rock Winery, Fine Dining at its finest!
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under accommodation, Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, London, Restaurant news, Stellenbosch, WhaleTales Blog
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Wed 5 Apr 2017
Tumultuous 2017 World’s 50 Best Restaurants dishes up many surprises, Eleven Madison Park number one restaurant in the world!
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, London, New York, Paris, Restaurant news, WhaleTales Blog
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In an exciting ceremony live streamed from Melbourne at midday, Eleven Madison Park was named as the best World’s 50 Best Restaurant, an accolade it last achieved seven years ago. A number of exciting restaurant rankings are reflected in the 2017 World’s 50 Best Restaurant list. I have been fortunate to eat at some of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants in New York, London, and in France, in the past ten months. Our reviews of some of these follow below. (more…)
Thu 8 Dec 2016
Restaurant Menus: do’s and don’ts!
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under books, Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, Restaurant news, WhaleTales Blog, Wine news
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A new book by Nick Lander, husband of highly regarded wine judge and writer Jancis Robinson, has written a new book entitled ‘On the Menu‘. Lander has been a restaurateur at L’Escargot in London in the ‘Eighties, and has written ‘The Art of the Restaurateur’ previously. He is now a restaurant reviewer. (more…)
Wed 10 Aug 2016
Restaurant Review: excellent service at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, proudly British menu, 45th Best Restaurant in the World!
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, London, Restaurant news, WhaleTales Blog
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Dinner by Heston Blumenthal was my sixth and last dining experience on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list in New York and London, and stood out in its innovative menu, despite going back far into British culinary history, and its extreme friendliness and excellent service. The restaurant was ranked 45th Best Restaurant in the World in June, and is 2 Michelin star rated. (more…)
Sun 15 May 2016
Borage Bistro moves out of Portside, goes into winter hibernation!
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Bree Street, Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, Restaurant news, WhaleTales Blog
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Surprise news this week was the announcement on Facebook that Borage Bistro would be hosting its last Supper Club this week. The restaurant moves out of its current premises tomorrow, after two years in the Portside building at the bottom of Bree Street, and goes into a ‘winter hibernation‘.
(more…)
Sun 25 Oct 2015
‘Burnt’ chef movie a must-see for restaurant fans, full of stars!
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Film news, Food news, hospitality, Masterchef SA, Restaurant news
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I enjoyed seeing ‘Burnt’, a movie about an American chef chasing the third Michelin star for his London restaurant, but I was as anxious as his staff about winning the additional star! It provides an excellent perspective on what happens in top restaurant kitchens and dining rooms, and how (more…)
Mon 6 Jul 2015
The Hinds Head in Bray: historic British dishes with a twist of Chef Heston Blumenthal!
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, Restaurant news, Whale Cottage Portfolio, Wine news
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Yesterday I was spoilt by my friend Katie Friedman, who took me to lunch at The Hinds Head in Bray, one of three restaurants owned by Chef Heston Blumenthal in this tiny Berkshire gourmet village.
Bray first attracted attention when the Roux brothers Michel and Albert opened The Waterside Inn in the village in 1972, and have held a three star Michelin rating for the past 25 years. Chef Heston, whose father grew up in South Africa, was attracted to the village too, (more…)
Thu 7 May 2015
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 7 May
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, Loadshedding, Plettenberg Bay, Restaurant news, Sustainability, Tourism news, Whale Cottage Portfolio, Wine news
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Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* The FNB/Bureau for Economic Research Consumer Confidence Index ‘plummeted’ to -4 in the first quarter of 2015, reflecting the pessimism created by loadshedding, increases in income tax and the price of petrol, as well as ‘social and political turmoil‘.
* Angelo Scirocco of Chef’s Warehouse and winner of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year Award for Africa/Middle East, has been ‘paired’ with fashion designer Ashi Studio of Beirut, each designer reinterpreting (more…)
Thu 16 Apr 2015
WhaleTales Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines: 16 April
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Airlines, Beer, Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Events, Food news, Restaurant news, Tourism news, Whale Cottage Portfolio, Wine news
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Tourism, Food, and Wine news headlines
* Pop-up restaurants are here to stay, and are increasingly supported by food lovers who are prepared to pay a premium to attend such a restaurant. They give young chefs an opportunity to try their hand in running their own mini-restaurant.
* Cape Town’s Tourism Big Six has grown to the Big Seven, with the addition of the Cape Town City Walk, a new service which is to be launched on Saturday 18 April, a walk covering the Company’s Garden, the Fan Walk, St George’s Mall, Waterkant (more…)
Sun 22 Feb 2015
Should restaurants prohibit food photography?
Posted by Chris von Ulmenstein under Blogging news, Cape Town, Chris von Ulmenstein, Food news, Restaurant news, Whale Cottage Portfolio
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The topic of whether restaurants should prevent their diners from photographing food arises regularly. Now Michelin star restaurant chef Heston Blumenthal has attracted attention with the new photograph policy in his restaurants.
While most diners would think that any and all photographs taken of a restaurant’s dishes would be to the benefit of the establishment, a wonderful form of free marketing, it appears that restaurant chefs are nervous about the photographs, and whether they present their dishes in the correct light! Other diners are irritated when a flash is used for the photographs.
The downside of course is the dreadful quality of photographs one sees on Social Media platforms, in a yukky (more…)
