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Forbes
14 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
A Cheat Sheet For Where To Eat During The Edinburgh Fringe Festival
From refined tasting menus to relaxed alfresco spots and specialist whisky bars, this guide is designed to suit a range of budgets and Fringe schedules. getty Next month, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe will begin, bringing over 3,000 shows to 265 venues in the Scottish capital. With so many visitors expected in the city, here's a cheat sheet for finding some of the best places to eat and drink during the event. From refined tasting menus to relaxed alfresco spots and specialist whisky bars, it's designed to suit a range of budgets and Fringe schedules. Best for: tasting menu experience Near: Edinburgh Playhouse, Assembly Rooms, and The Royal Military Tattoo at Edinburgh Castle Located in The Balmoral Hotel at 1 Princes Street, Number One is a fine dining restaurant offering seasonal tasting menus rooted in Scottish produce. With four AA Rosettes and recognition from the Michelin Guide and La Liste, the kitchen is led by chef Mathew Sherry, known for his precise, produce-driven cooking. Menus feature ingredients from small-scale farms and suppliers across the UK. Diners can choose between booking a seven-course tasting menu or a three-course menu. The wine list, curated by head sommelier Callum McCann, spans over 350 labels and includes rare vintages. No visit to Number One is complete without a visit from 'the sweetie trolley' to the table. The dark wood trolley with a large glass dome holds a selection of nostalgic sweet treats reimagined by chef de cuisine Mathew Sherry, such as sea buckthorn meringue tarts, tablet and Macallan whisky chocolates to enjoy with a final digestif or boxed to take home. SCOTCH at The Balmoral Best for: a Dram Near: The Stand, Pleasance Courtyard, St Andrew Square venues Tucked inside The Balmoral Hotel, you'll also find SCOTCH, one of Edinburgh's most atmospheric whisky bars, home to over 500 varieties from big-name single malts to rare, limited editions. Settle in on one of the tweed sofas while kilted Whisky Ambassadors offer personalized recommendations or guide you through a tailored tasting, complete with stories and expert insight. Pomelo Best for: adventurous Asian cuisine Near: Summerhall, George Square, Bristo Square, Queen's Hall Pomelo is an adventurous Asian eatery located in Marchmont, run by multi-award-winning chef-owner, Jun Au. The cafe's reputation for its hand-ripped noodles has attracted long queues of customers since it launched in 2021. Hand-ripped noodles at Pomelo. Christina Leahy By 2023, Pomelo's success prompted a move to a larger 24-cover location, which now offers lunch from Wednesday to Saturday, a family-style dinner with a menu designed for sharing on Fridays and Saturdays, and an Asian 'brunch' on Sundays. Harajuku Kitchen Best for: Street food Near: Summerhall Edinburgh festival-goers can enjoy authentic Japanese street food this August as Harajuku Kitchen sets up shop across multiple city locations during the Fringe. The popular Japanese eatery will be serving their signature handmade gyozas and traditional udon noodles at The Pleasance throughout the festival, alongside appearances at Edinburgh Street Food, Grassmarket Market, and Stockbridge Market. Visitors can also try the Harajuku Bistro in Bruntsfield that serves comforting dishes using recipes passed down to chef-owner Kaori Simpson from her mother. Diners can expect to see everything from kaarage chicken to rich, warming noodle broths, using fresh Scottish produce. The Mussel & Steak Bar Best for: extraordinary value and high quality surf and turf in the city Near: Underbelly Cowgate, Pleasance Courtyard In the heart of Edinburgh's old town, The Mussel and Steak Bar at the bottom of Victoria Street has become a must-visit restaurant for visitors to the city and locals since opening in 2005. The Mussel and Steak Bar at the bottom of Victoria Street has become a must visit restaurant for visitors to the city and locals since opening in 2005. Dana Malcolm Owner Marshall Milne was inspired by the quality of Scottish produce when he opened the restaurant and works closely with a network of Scottish farmers and fishermen locally and across Scotland. A prime city centre location over two floors, the restaurant interiors invoke the sea with a pebble beach mosaic and turquoise accents throughout. Moss Best for: Scottish farm to table with a difference Near: Stockbridge Church, Stockbridge Ceramics Chef Henry Dobson trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School and has traveled extensively to hone his craft before opening Moss, an intimate 26-seat restaurant with a bold, sustainable vision. He and head chef Dylan Pinder work exclusively with Scottish ingredients for their menu, with produce from Dobson's family farm in Angus and a network of sustainable growers and farmers across Scotland. Expect inventive, hyper-local dishes like bone marrow focaccia, duck smoked over table-shaving wood, and wild sorrel ceviche. The British only drinks list is just as unique, featuring English natural wines, house kombuchas, and roasted barley tea. Toscano Best for: authentic Italian sandwiches eaten on the move Near: George Square, Underbelly's Circus Hub, The Meadows This family-run schiacciateria is a must-visit in Edinburgh and only opened in March of this year. It specializes in schiacciata, pronounced 'skee-ya-cha-ta', a Tuscan style squashed focaccia sandwich brimming with Italian cheeses, meats and spreads. Each sandwich on the menu is named after an Italian destination, like the Gambassi with porchetta, caramelized onions, roast potato spread and grilled peppers or the Arezzo with mortadella, provola affumicata (smoked provola cheese), truffle and olives spread.
Forbes
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Daniel Calvert Would Love It If You Were Hungry When You Visit Sézanne
Chef Daniel Calvert serves French-influenced tasting menus at Sézanne in Tokyo. During the week of this year's World's 50 Best Restaurants awards ceremony, Daniel Calvert of Tokyo's Sézanne was at a Meet the Chefs event to discuss how dining preferences are shifting. Sézanne, of course, is one of the world's most celebrated restaurants. In 2024, it was named the Best Restaurant in Asia. And in this year's list of the World's 50 Best Restaurants, Sézanne rose from No. 15 to No. 7. At this point in his storied career, at the helm of the three-Michelin-starred Sézanne in the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, Calvert knows he's already conquered the mountaintop. Like many of the chefs on the World's 50 Best Restaurants circuit, he's ready to speak candidly. So I ask if he's really seeing dining preferences change at Sézanne or if it's still more about guests submitting to a bucket-list experience. 'Most people come to us, and they're open to what we're going to do, rather than trying to change it into their own experience,' he says. 'We don't accept dietary restrictions. We don't accept any special requests. So they kind of have to be submissive to that. I think that's the sustainable way to cook. If we start opening ourselves up to allergies and restrictions and likes and dislikes, then it's not really what we do. But I think there's a big problem with people who are overindulgent.' Even when guests plan a trip around a bucket-list experience, they're often looking to check off many other things on other lists. (As a bang-bang instigator who has often planned multiple dinners in one night, I'm as guilty of this as anyone.) 'Especially when people come to Japan and Tokyo, they want to eat in a million different restaurants within a short period of time,' Calvert says. 'So I think they've forgotten what it's like to be hungry. Sometimes people come for lunch, but then they're going to another restaurant for dinner, so they don't want to eat too much. They just want to taste things, and I think that's not really acceptable. I think that people who are dining too much have been spoiled, and that's changing people's preferences.' For Calvert, it's about wanting guests to have an optimal experience. And the point he's making is that this isn't just in the hands of the restaurant. Sézanne riffs on a tarte tartin with Japanese ginger. 'If you haven't eaten a fine dining meal in a whole week and you are really ready for your meal, your excitement level is higher than someone who just had dinner wherever last night,' he says. "I think, of course, that it's down to the chef and the restaurant to provide a great experience. But I think the guests have to play their part in not over-spoiling themselves and being excited.' Calvert understands that a lot of overindulgence is driven by FOMO-inducing social media. But obviously, lists like World's 50 Best Restaurants also create FOMO and encourage guests to stack fine-dining meals when they visit certain cities. 'There's a certain group of restaurants that everybody wants to try, but then there's so many other restaurants that don't get as much attention that are also worthy,' he says. 'I think that's a fundamental issue with the [World's 50 Best Restaurants] list itself. There shouldn't be a restaurant that's on this list for 10 years. It doesn't make any sense. I think we need to be more open to other restaurants.' Calvert thinks about when he cooked at Hong Kong's Belon. 'We were empty most nights,' he says. 'Four covers on a Saturday. It was my first head chef job, and we were dying because we had certain people who enjoyed it but it was not commercially popular. We were very close to closing the restaurant, but then we got the 50 Best and it turned my career around. So who am I to keep staying on this list when there's other people who need this as well? Some of the restaurants who have deserved to be on the list probably closed. So it's up to you, the media, to put them on the map. like you did to me and not just keep voting for me.' He's making some good points. It's exhilarating when you find a bucket-list meal that hasn't received the spotlight yet. And you'll enjoy it more if you're hungry when you discover it.
South China Morning Post
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Your Hong Kong weekend food guide for June 27-29
Summer is in full swing, as are Hong Kong's dining activations and events. From new menu launches to special pop-up collaborations, there's enough going on this weekend to keep every foodie busy, whether Indian food is your favourite or you prefer a brunch with breathtaking views. If these events still don't tickle your fancy, our 2025 100 Top Tables Guide has more fine dining to fill your weekend. Friday, June 27 Aash-e bawardi (beef curry with a beef and lentil dumpling), part of the Royal Experience Tasting Menu at Leela in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout Leela 's Royal Experience Tasting Menu invites guests to discover a story of lost recipes from India's ancient dynasties and royal courts. Presented with modern flair, each dish transports guests to the dining tables of emperors, healers and warriors. Painstakingly researched from Persian manuscripts, Ayurvedic traditions and oral lore, the menu by chef Manav Tuli includes dishes like aash-e bawardi (beef curry with a beef and lentil dumpling), and a luxurious stew of lentils, grains and meat that once simmered in the royal kitchens of Shah Jahan – a tribute to Persia's culinary influence on India. Where: 3/F, Lee Garden Three, 1 Sunning Road, Causeway Bay When: The tasting menu is available every day from 5.30pm to 10pm Price: HK$1,188
South China Morning Post
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Your perfect week: what to do in Hong Kong, June 22-28
This one-Michelin-starred champion of culinary sustainability has unveiled a reimagined menu celebrating nature's bounty with seasonally inspired dishes. Executive chef Joris Rousseau has crafted two curated tasting menus, one with 10 courses, the second with 14, featuring highlights such as the earthy beetroot, bamboo and fig leaf with Osciètre caviar, and the spiny lobster slow-cooked in beeswax and paired with French chili péyi.
Forbes
03-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Los Gatos' Tasting House Launches 15-Course Champagne Menu Today
Tasting House Exterior Tasting House in Los Gatos isn't exactly new to pushing boundaries. The downtown wine bistro has already built a reputation for its globe-spanning list of over 1,000 bottles, 65 plus wines by the glass, and one of the country's deepest selections of zero-dosage Champagnes. But this week, the team takes things further with the launch of its most ambitious food and wine pairing to date: a 15-course tasting menu paired entirely with Champagne. Executive Chef Julian Silvera Executive Chef Julian Silvera, whose pedigree includes stints under Wylie Dufresne and at Michelin-starred Knife and Spoon in Florida, developed the spring 2025 menu with a focus on layered, umami-rich flavors. 'There's a lot of umami that comes through with the current tasting menu,' says Silvera. 'It just lends itself really nicely to a dedicated Champagne pairing.' Tasting House Anchovies Dish This season's Chef's Tasting experience leans into contrast—rich, briny, acidic, savory—all tuned to highlight the breadth of the Champagne world. Every course is matched to a different pour, spanning iconic maisons and small grower-producers. Look forward to anchovy with freeze-dried plum and chamomile paired against taut minerality, or abalone in mussel pho with double-shucked peas and beef tendon, alongside a richer, oxidative style. Tasting House Interior One dish, called 'Half Moon Bay,' layers miso 'sand,' uni, and Brokaw avocado with bergamot and papadam—a cross-coastal composition plated as thoughtfully as it tastes. Others go even more off-script: rabbit jus with burnt garlic and carrot purée, or bay leaf-cured scallop with pickled green strawberries and geoduck. Rabbit jus with burnt garlic and carrot purée For those less inclined to go all-in on 15 courses, the Champagne Bar now offers three new curated flights: the Sommeliers' Select ($140), Grower-Producer ($75), and Rosé Sélections ($65). Each offers a different lens on what's pouring from the house's near-120-bottle Champagne list. The new tasting menu is available now, with limited seatings. Reservations highly recommended.
