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Euronews
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Mission Michelin: Chef Anne-Sophie Pic prepares meals for outer space
Two Frenchwomen are set to give new meaning to the expression: "The sky's the limit". As announced by the European Space Agency, Sophie Adenot (who, next year, will fly to the International Space Station with her co-graduate from the class of 2022 Raphaël Liégeois) has worked with French chef Anne-Sophie Pic to develop the "bonus" dishes that she will take on board the ISS. No unappetising substitute at the bottom of the tube for this representative of the homeland of haute cuisine: as ESA points out, Sophie will be bringing a piece of French gastronomy into space with a special menu created with Anne-Sophie Pic, the world's most Michelin-starred chef. The dishes selected - "bonuses", not the full menu - are emblematic of French cuisine, but have been completely revisited, such as: Anne-Sophie Pic, notes ESA, is one of the leading figures in haute cuisine, constantly pushing back the boundaries of taste and emotion with her daring creations and intuitive approach. Her three-star restaurant 'Pic', in Valence, France, won Tripadvisor's 'Best Restaurants' award in 2024. She was also named best female chef in the world in 2011 by the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants Awards. "It's a great challenge that Sophie Adenot has offered me and it's quite extraordinary", commented Anne-Sophie Pic, the three-Michelin-starred chef from Drôme, on ICI Drôme Ardèche on Thursday. When "last winter" the astronaut asked her to prepare festive dishes for the ISS, the chef "didn't hesitate for a single second to say yes". These bonus dishes account for 10% of astronauts' meals in space. "It's a bit of exceptional cuisine to give them courage", smiles Anne-Sophie Pic. Shellfish bisque, crème de foie gras esprit, onion soup with pink berries, braised beef effiloché, rice pudding and hazelnut and coffee chocolate cream: "The aim is to give them a taste of things they like". But to go into space, "these dishes are necessarily textured in a certain way", explains Anne-Sophie Pic. "It's classic cooking, but at the end, these dishes are restructured, blended and cooked thoroughly to remove any bacterial problems" and to make them "easy to eat". "It has to be fairly compact", but as the chef points out, it "can be extremely good and tasty". The food was packaged in partnership with Servair, a French company specialising in airline catering, using sterilisation in flexible sachets to preserve the taste qualities while guaranteeing very long storage at room temperature. Adenot, 42, a former helicopter test pilot, is due to carry out her first mission aboard the ISS in spring 2026. During a six-month mission called εpsilon, she will perform a variety of tasks, including European-initiated scientific experiments, medical research and station maintenance. Travelling at a speed of 28,800km/h at around 400km above the Earth, the ISS completes around 16 orbits around the planet each day, which can make it difficult to spread out breakfasts, lunches and dinners, notes The Guardian. Astronauts generally eat three meals a day, with a daily calorie intake of 2,500 calories as a rough guide. Because of the special requirements for food preservation and hygiene, feeding an astronaut can cost more than €20,000 a day. The food delivered aboard the International Space Station must be non-friable, light and have a shelf life of at least 24 months, according to the ESA. The bulk of the menus in space consist of canned or freeze-dried meals in plastic packaging that astronauts can select from a predefined list of options provided by the institutions. Fresh fruit and vegetables are a luxury and are only available when a spacecraft arrives with new supplies. Traditional gastronomy in space may not be the preserve of science fiction, continues The Guardian. Last April, ESA announced a project to assess the viability of producing laboratory-grown food in conditions of low gravity and high radiation, in orbit and on other planets. The team involved said the experiment was a first step towards developing a small pilot food production plant on board the ISS within two years, enabling future French astronauts to make 3D-printed bibs and laboratory-grown chips.


Korea Herald
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Bangkok's Gaggan reclaims throne as best restaurant in Asia after 10 years
Mingles, country's only Michelin 3-star restaurant this year, lands 5th spot on Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Awards Gaggan, the renowned Bangkok restaurant, has been crowned the best restaurant in Asia at Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025. The rankings of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants are determined through a vote conducted by Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Academy — a group of over 350 influential figures in the food industry, including chefs, restaurant operators, food journalists, critics and regional culinary experts. The Academy selects restaurants from 16 cities across Asia. Gaggan, led by star chef Gaggan Anand, was named the best restaurant in Asia for the second time after a period of mixed results following its 2015 win. 'Our food evolved over the years. We reinvented and reduced our seating to only 14 seats. I gave up all the things that I felt were wrong in food and started doing things that made me happy,' said Anand after winning the award in Seoul. 'We show you 25 courses in 2 hours. I take you away from all the problems of your life, at least during that time. Food is the most humane thing. To be honest, I didn't work so hard in 2015. But the last 10 years, it was very challenging because this title was very heavy. From tomorrow, everyone will judge me again. But this time, I'm ready,' he added. Seoul saw four restaurants make the list, with Mingles taking the No. 5 spot. Chef Kang Min-goo's innovative fusion of Korean and Hong Kong influences earned Mingles the title of the best restaurant in South Korea. Other notable Seoul entries included Onjium, which rose 11 spots to No. 10, and Eatanic Garden, which debuted at No. 25 and won the Highest New Entry Award. This year, Bangkok and Tokyo claimed the top spots with nine restaurants each on the list. Sezanne, a restaurant in Tokyo, ranked No. 4. Known for its neo-French cuisine that marries classic French techniques with exceptional Japanese ingredients, Sezanne received widespread praise at the 2024 awards when it was ranked No. 1. Hong Kong, with seven restaurants featured, had The Chairman, a modern Cantonese restaurant, take the No. 2 spot. The Wellington, known for its artistic ambiance and creative dishes highlighting rare southern Chinese ingredients, ranked No. 3. Wing's chef Vicky Cheng also won the prestigious Inedit Damm Chefs' Choice Award, an award whose winner is selected by fellow chefs. The event, held for the second consecutive year in Seoul, was organized by William Reed Business Media, a UK-based publishing company, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Seoul Metropolitan Government.


Korea Herald
21-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Top chefs showcase their cuisine in Seoul next month ahead of Best Restaurant Awards
Renowned overseas chefs to collaborate with Seoul restaurants March 22-26 Top chefs of Asia will be serving up new flavors in Seoul next month. Fifty Best Signature Sessions, a special dining experience featuring collaborations between top chefs and Seoul restaurants, will run March 22 to 26 at restaurants throughout Seoul as a celebratory event ahead of the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants Awards. Reservations for Fifty Best Signature Sessions opened on restaurant reservation app Catchtable, Thursday. For those gravitating toward fusion, try exploring the taste of Macao and Seoul. Chef Tam Kwok Fung of Macanese fine dining restaurant Chef Tam's Seasons will team up with chef Min Kyung-hwan from Born & Bred in Seongdong-gu for dinner priced at 500,000 won ($349) on March 22. Coming all the way from Chile, chef Rodolfo Guzman, who runs Borago, will team up with local one-star Michelin Evett, headed by Australian chef Joseph Lidgerwood, on March 23, to offer Asian and Latin American flavors. The fusion dinner is priced at 350,000 won. On the same day, a dinner course priced at 750,000 won will be prepared by the chefs of two Michelin two-star restaurants in Seoul, Mingles and Alla Prima, and chefs from Hong Kong's The Chairman and Bangkok's Sorn at Mingles. Freshly crowned Asia's Best Female Chef 2025, Chudaree Tam Debhakam will bring her culinary expertise to Seoul, collaborating with chefs Kim Hee-eun and Yoon Dae-hyun of Soul. The three chefs will showcase a Korean and Thai-style lunch menu on March 24, priced at 350,000 won. Teppan, a teppanyaki restaurant at Grand Hyatt Seoul, will also serve dinner on March 26, but further information has yet to be announced.