Monday 2 August 2010.-.5 42 pm
August in Notting Hill
~ Jorn:
August in general is a quiet month in the watch industry though here at our London HQs, our daily pace has far from slowed down! We are getting ready with new launches coming soon and events we will keep you posted on in due time, so I should say no more...!
Industry aside, August is one of the most beautiful months in London. Most Londoners take their holidays now, so life in the busy streets of Notting Hill suddenly feels more calm and relaxed. Those who have stayed in London really take their time to enjoy themselves. Even on those little everyday things like walking to the office or visiting the famous Portobello market on the Saturday suddenly feel different. Quite a world apart from the hectic London life we are used to!
Local café, restaurants and pubs open their outdoor spaces which are filled with locals or not in the evenings. People organise barbecues on their terraces and parties at the many private parks around the area no matter what day of the week it is! This is a real celebration of life and summer that puts a colourful note to our everyday lives.
So if you happen to pass by one of our favourite spots here in Notting Hill ‘The Westbourne’, you might just find us there having a drink after a day’s work and enjoying what has been a fantastic summer in London!
Enjoy it!
Friday 14 May 2010.-.12 31 pm
Danish Gastronomy And Showcooking
~ Morten:
At Linde Werdelin we thoroughly enjoy a good meal, and lately the interest for Danish and Nordic gastronomy has exploded. Recently, the top Copenhagen restaurant Noma, won the astonishing award of being the no. 1 restaurant in the World. Last year, the restaurant was placed as no. 3 on the same list, so naturally we wanted to congratulate them again this year…
Pictures courtesy of Noma
The gastronomy trend in Denmark is moving away from traditionally being influenced by the French or Italian cuisines, and instead focuses on the Nordic kitchen based on ingredients from the Scandinavian countries. The catalyst of this trend is undoubtedly Noma (NoMa is short for Nordisk Mad – Nordic Food), which is specialised in creating gastronomy based on wild herbs from the Danish forests, crabs and fish from the Nordic waters and many other interesting ingredients from Scandinavia.
Pictures courtesy of foodsnobblog.wordpress.com
The Danish kitchen has really evolved quite heavily through the past 20 years. Coming from a time when everything was based on pork (in various formats), potatoes and gravy, the trends are now very different. In the early 90’s and in the start of the millennium, the Danish food craftsmanship had almost disappeared and had been replaced with influences from the Italian, French and Asian kitchens. But thankfully, the Danish gastronomy traditions are now being brought back into the homes and restaurants of Denmark, but with a modern twist.
Another interesting and trendsetting phenomenon in the world of Danish gastronomy, is the Showcooking events held by a group of independent top chefs under the name of NaCl (Nordic Academy of Culinary Leisure) - only in Danish, but check out their gallery. The group is a non-profit organisation of 8 young chefs, trying to push the boundaries of gastronomy through avant-garde ways of making and presenting a wide variety of amazing dishes. Their events are held 4-5 times per year, with a maximum of 40 guests – but a waiting list of several thousands. Upon arrival you are greeted by the chefs and often invited into the kitchen to see the preparations of the meals to come. It is truly an amazing, mind-opening and mouthwatering experience.
Pictures courtesy of Mads Eneqvist and NaCl
Danish gastronomy is definitely a hot trend, but one that is here to stay. It’s actually always been here, but lately been refined and challenged by new and inspiring creative talents…
Related Posts:
Danish Delight
Beyond the Glitz and Glamour in St. Moritz
Saturday 6 March 2010.-.2 55 am
Courmayeur: Rediscover the Gems
~ Jorn:
While heliskiing in Turkey was an extreme and personal experience, my getaway with family to Courmayeur presented a much coveted low key mountain lifestyle in the winter. This great resort has a sophisticated ambiance. Town strolling, relaxation, lively après ski, local cuisine and wine, etc, can all be enjoyed in this friendly and genuine place for skiing.
You’ll meet local Italians who are visiting the place – or their second homes – and enjoying local delicious food accompanied by a glass of wine made from the Nebbiolo grape.
The town is more charming than one would expect at first sight. Via Roma is where Courmayeur is centred around. It is probably the finest main street of any ski resort in Europe, filled with restaurants and a good collection of nice shops, such as Malo, and several Monclers.
The entire ski area can be covered in one day. Rocce Bianco and two others are the only black marked runs. If you want proper skiing, head outside the main area. On snowy days it is like Megeve in that it is empty on the pistes. I had great tree skiing in Val Veny after a snowfall.
Want a change of scene? Chamonix is only a 30-minute drive away. Need local knowledge? Get in touch with Alessandro Mezzavilla, who knows all about the area. Since Verbier in January, I’ve been skiing with my Blackcrows ski Orb 179. It’s a beautiful pair of skis for all kinds of aggressive skiing.
I have rediscovered Courmayeur from this trip and some real gems.
While skiing in the Val Veny valley, we stopped for lunch at La Grolla. It is a nice log cabin serving pasta, corneloni and mostly Italians, offering fantastic views of the glacier and Mont Blanc with seating outside in the sun.
Vineria Valset is a perfect little wine bar just at the beginning of Via Roma. A very pleasant place for a quiet après ski or before dinner drink. Then again there are about ten small bars and vineries in the same stretch for you to choose from.
Via Roma is not short of good restaurants either. Cadran Solaire Restaurant and Bar is a classically styled place, almost like a living room, with plenty of space between tables. It is remarkably well priced, serving really good modern Italian.
There are also excellent places outside the main town. Chateau Branlant is located a little below Chiecco on Plan Checruit. When you arrive in the house, which is made of stone and wood, you will be greeted by small plates of antipasta. Delicious menu (pasta, meat etc) and a wine list with wines from Valdostana and Piedmont. Soups and salads are highly recommended. Wonderful homemade (from the valley) Grappa Villa Novocento – all in all a fantastic hotel and restaurant.
We also took a beautiful drive up to Val Ferret, where you can find La Clotze. The restaurant is quiet Italian with local specialities as well as more traditional north Italian dishes. They have a detailed wine book. The decor is not very mountain like. There is also a table inside the wine room.
There are several more new finds I highly recommend. Along with the above, they will be added to our Ski Guide iPhone app and the online guide on SQUA.RE in the coming weeks as my latest update.
Related Posts:
Heli-skiing in Turkey
Back from Verbier - On to Turkey
Tuesday 14 July 2009.-.10 15 am
The Decadent Meeting Point
This week I'd like talk about the incredible Hotel Costes in Paris, where Jorn, Mercedes and I met with the creative team behind the Linde Werdelin parallel universe, Thierry Smolderen (scenario writer) and Dominique Bertail (illustrator). In the near future we will tell you more about these super talented guys who are creating our wonderful hand drawn universe.
We chose Hotel Costes (239, Rue St. Honoré in Paris) due to the decadent Napoleon III style and interior, designed by the flamboyant Jaques Garcia. His style is very over-the-top and could not be more opposite compared to Scandinavian functionalism. And I love it! Garcia is no novice to interior decoration and is the genious behind such famous hotels La Mamounia in Marrakech, Hotel Victor in Miami, Jean-Georges in New York, Hotel Bellagio in Las Vegas, and La Reserve in Geneva. In other words, he´s rather popular in many parts of the world!
The food at the Hotel Costes restaurant is nothing like the interior. It is classic, yet modern brasserie style. Nothing fancy, but undoubtedly great cuisine.
The lounge music of Hotel Costes is world famous and released on several CDs throughout the years. Of course a great pianist could have delivered the laid back music, but instead Costes opted for a talented DJ to deliver the cool tunes that surrounds you when visiting this amazing hotel.
I love watching the people visting the hotel. It is a great mix of creatives, models, famous photographers, fashion people from around the world bringing their incredible entourage as well as people just visiting to get a sense of what the fuzz is all about.
By the way, I owe you an apology as I promised an under water video from one of our test dives in Øresund last week. We will of course show this footage as soon as it is ready for public viewing.
Friday 26 June 2009.-.7 10 am
Relaxing The Capri Way
Italy is the perfect country for the intimate hide aways. Hotel J K Place on the little Italian island Capri is yet another great example, if you want to experience history, luxurious in- and exteriors as well as exquisite pampering.
Today the 22-room hotel has received a wonderful renovation not least by renowned interior architect Michele Bönan, who wanted to "keep the ocean within the hotel interior" as he once told AD Magazine. Undoubtedly the interior is rather maritime in fifties Hamptonsque kind of way, but the white and blue colours are actually very prominent around Capri.
I love coming here with my family on this windy little island. Laying in our rooms in the afternoon we are only reminded of our foreign location while hearing the locals in their mother tongue playing and enjoying their day at the beach.
The service level at J K Place is very high and due to the limited size of the hotel, you feel very welcome and every wish is granted by a staff that treats you like extended family. Capri can be very busy during the day due to the many visitors who come by several daily ferries, spending their day at the beach with families and friends. However in the evening the island is more calm and this is the perfect time to experience the Mediterranean cuisine and wonderful Italian wines in local restaurants, which are only a short drive from the hotel.
The service level at J K Place is very high and due to the limited size of the hotel, you fell very welcome and every wish is granted by a staff that treats you like extended family.
Capri can be very busy during the day due to the many visitors who come by several daily ferries, spending their day at the beach with families and friends. However in the evening the island is more calm and this is the perfect time to experience the Mediterranean cuisine and wonderful Italian wines in local restaurants, a short drive from the hotel.
Wednesday 20 May 2009.-.7 47 am
The Italian Get-Away
It is important to have a great get-away place, when you just want to relax with your family. Get as far away as possible, not so much range-wise, but mainly mentally, due to the peace and quiet this place offers. The Italian hotel Villa Feltrinelli is just such a place.
I know for a fact that I am not the only person who appreciates this special place, as the website of Villa Feltrinelli bids you welcome with these words:. "Winston Churchill painted it, D.H. Lawrence wrote about it, artists and statesmen discovered this unexplored part of Italy centuries ago: the beautiful village of Gargnano of Lake Garda."
The Villa was bought in 1997 and brought back to the original shape by a talented design team from around San Francisco. It takes a lot of love and knowledge to restore such a historic place like Villa Feltrinelli.
Even though the Villa Feltrinelli oozes tranquility and rustic elegance it also offers modern utilities such as a screen theatre that offers a modern audio experience, LCD screens and DVD on every room.
A personal scenic boat trip on Lake Garda is made possible onboard Villa Feltrinellis own 16 feet pleasure craft "La Contessa". This boat was designed by a San Fransicso design team and commissioned by the villa in a local ship yard.
Some of the rooms even offer bath rooms up to 500 square-feet with heated marble floors, making them some of the hardest rooms to leave when staying at the Villa Feltrinelli! I recently called the villa and even though it was four years since my last stay, they remembered me and asked to my family. Villa Feltrinelli is a slice of heaven. The atmosphere makes you relax, everything there seems perfect and everything seems possible – even if your wish is a vintage bottle of champagne, a special slice of pizza or just the ultimate relaxing and private experience in rustic and beautiful surroundings.
All pictures courtesy of Villa Feltrinelli
Saturday 9 May 2009.-.8 41 am
Danish Delight
It makes me extremely proud to realise that a Danish restaurant was recently celebrated as the third best restaurant in the world, according to highly acclaimed Restaurant magazine. The restaurant in question is noma (yes, spelled with a small 'n'), a place where I have enjoyed quite a few meals over the last couple of years. Noma was beaten only by famed El Bulli (where head chef of noma, René Redzepi, actually used to work prior to noma) and The Fat Duck.
Here’s a quote from the noma website, stating the concept of their kitchen:
”At noma, we aim to offer a personal rendition of Nordic gourmet cuisine, where typical methods of cooking, fine Nordic produce and the legacy of our common food culture are all being subjected to an innovative gastronomic approach. Carrying this line of thinking further, we view it as a challenge to play a part in bringing forth a regeneration of Nordic culinary craft, in its capacity to encompass the North Atlantic region and to brighten the world with its distinctive tastiness and special regional character.”
The ingredients are not Italian olive oil, nor sun-dried tomatoes from the Mediterranean, but instead “horse mussels, deep-sea crabs and langoustines from the Faeroe Islands”. A concept that not only won their impressive ranking, but also has resulted in two Michelin stars already.
Food critic Clare MacCarthy of Financial Times Weekend made a restaurant review of noma recently and praised the “high end Nordic cuisine…but not as I have previously known it”. She was deeply impressed and spent “three gloriously unforgettable hours of culinary wizardry”.
In other words, I am not alone loving noma, its food, the restaurants scenic location near the Copenhagen harbours, and chef René Redzepi’s creative culinary thinking. Others seem to share my taste, not only fellow Danes.
All pictures courtesy of noma.
