Why Helsinki’s restaurant scene is at its hottest right now

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 12th November 2013:

At the beginning of October this year, Helsinki’s Chez Dominique closed indefinitely. For Helsinki, and Finland, it was a big shake up.

The two Michelin-starred Chez Dominique was Finland’s highest awarded restaurant, having been featured on the World’s 50 Best restaurant list alongside numerous other accolades.

But after 15 years at the helm of what’s arguably Finland’s best restaurant, chef/patron Hans Välimäki has decided he would take a hiatus to concentrate on his other restaurants.

So it was lights out for Chez Dominique; Finland’s culinary scene seemingly dimmed a little too.

Thankfully, the curtains weren’t drawn for long.

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Shaun Rankin: Jersey’s Island Chef

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 2nd October 2013:

Ormer by Shaun Rankin, Jersey

Foraging has been so popular in restaurant lexicon that if it hadn’t already existed, it would surely have been introduced into the Oxford English Dictionary alongside ‘foodie’. But while foraging is a fad that many would like to get into, few restaurants do it with style.

However, on the island of Jersey, there’s one restaurant where foraging is at the heart of everything they do – Ormer by Shaun Rankin.

Rankin’s Ormer only opened in May this year but it was able to secure its first star in the latest Michelin guide for Great Britain and Ireland, just four months after opening. He had previously been head chef at Bohemia on Jersey where he also attained a star.

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Celebrity chef pop ups? No thanks, I’d rather spend my money on the real thing

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 1st May 2013:

Best restaurant in the world

Have you noticed a sudden influx of international chefs to London recently? And that visiting chef pop-ups of the Michelin-starred variety are popping up everywhere?

Well, as you’ll have probably gathered, they are in town for the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards. The highly regarded award, now in its 11th year, draws some of the world’s best chefs to the city. With their arrival however, came the slew of pop-ups.

Why not showcase their skills? After all, they are already in town.

Indeed many of these chefs are worth seeing in action, not only for their food, the demonstration of skills but also for the local knowledge that they can share. For the average person, it’s a great insight into some of the world’s best chefs, their food and their restaurants.

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Michelin-starred restaurants of the Côte d’Azur

Published on Yahoo Lifestyle UK & Ireland on 5th October 2012:

Port de Fontvielle, Monaco

As you fly into Nice, the glamour of the Côte d’Azur is immediately obvious. Yachts and speedboats race across the shimmering azure coastline like shooting stars flashing against the midnight sky; it’s still the playground of the oligarchs.

But the Riviera is also studded with jewels of a different kind – the Michelin-starred restaurants.

What are the big names?

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