Nihonryori RyuGin gets very well-deserved 3rd star

I just found out that Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo has received a very well-deserved 3rd star in the 2012 Michelin guide for Tokyo. We had dinner there in February 2011 and it was the best meal we’ve ever had. Everything was delicious as well as technically perfect, and the matching sakes and wines were amazing. So was the check, but it was definitely worth it! I already wrote in my TripAdvisor review that a 3rd star could not be far away. I do not always agree with Michelin (there are especially too many 3-star restaurants that do not deserve them anymore) … Continue reading Nihonryori RyuGin gets very well-deserved 3rd star

Dining in Italy: La Torre del Saracino

For the 12th anniversary of our first date, I surprised Kees with a visit to La Torre del Saracino in Vico Equense, near Naples. We had been there twice before (in 2008 and 2010), but this was the first time we went there straight from home without going anywhere else. La Torre del Saracino of chef Gennaro Esposito has two Michelin stars (worth a detour), but according to us that should be three (worth the journey). La Torre has two degustation menus (Proposta di Ciro of 6 courses and Proposta di Salvatore of 8 courses) that change with the seasons, … Continue reading Dining in Italy: La Torre del Saracino

Amsterdam dining: Utrechtsedwarstafel

Even though are favorite way of dining is to let the chef decide what to cook and the sommelier which wines to serve with it, we had never yet tried Utrechtsedwarstafel because of the pricetag (between 65 euros for 3 course with basic wines and 125 euros for 5 courses with premium wines) and mixed reviews on Dutch leading restaurant review site Iens. But since their formula is exactly the way we like it, we decided to give it a try and go for the full treatment (5 courses with premium wines). We had high expectations of the wine pairings, … Continue reading Amsterdam dining: Utrechtsedwarstafel