Healthy High tea

November 23, 2015November 23, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

Normally I don’t write 2 times about the same thing, but sometimes I make an exception, either because I like the product/place very much or the people behind it (in this case both). Although it has already been a few months since my first healthy breakfast experience by “Floom” during one of its famous brunches. It didn’t make me a lesser fan. My only problem was that due to lots of full weekends I wasn’t able to join the other brunches they held after the one I went to :-(. This weekend the tables turned. I found out they would not only have their ‘traditional brunch, but also a high tea in the afternoon!!! I cleared my agenda and contacted Floom to add a chair at the the table of friend who told me 🙂 I know it seems like me inviting/pushing myself at my friend’s table…but I just wanted to get floomanised again!!! So if for that I need to push… be it 😉 🙂 but for the record, my friends were more than happy to have me at their table… I obviously first asked them… if they would have said ‘No’I would have asked for a free table riiiiiight next to their table and looked at them in a very angry way 😉

So all of this just to say I joined Floom’s high tea aka Floom delight 🙂 :-)It was only the 2^nd time I tried Floom’s dishes, but just like the first time I was surprised how njammy all of this food is even it being of a healthy level I usually don’t have in the morning/afternoon. Part of the temptation is also because of the nice presentation… the eye wants what they eye wants. Just like with the ‘regular’ Floom brunches they always try to find a nice and unique location, which in this case was very unique! At some point I was afraid they were gonna ask me to do some push-ups after eating as the high tea took place at m4teria. M4teria is basically a gym where you train with a personal coach 🙂 luckily it wasn’t part of Floom’s concept this time… it would have taken eating healthy to a whoooooole new level.

What makes me even happier is to see that Floom tries to involve other local products in its brunches or better the passionate people behind these products. Like for last weekend’s event Aldo Neri a bakker (with a big B) that brings bread to another level or Migino that is famous for its oils made out of nuts ( a favorite of lots of famous chefs) that made in case of the brunch his Nutella-like chocolate paste but without added sugars 🙂 . Even the Bubbles, Cuvée Joseph, we had were local … basically nothing but getting surprised and learning new things this afternoon….

Let us not forget the Floom home made products as that’s what the whole high tea or brunches are about (well that and being healthy). Please feast your eyes on a the list of some of the bits and bites we got to enjoy

Scones
Dried fruit jam (I ate the whole jar)
Raspberry chia jam
Granola bites
Mini chocolate donuts
Carrot cake flap jacks
Granola cookies (they came with a raspberry jam on top of them, njaaaammy…)
Raspberry cookies
Raw cookies
Sandwiches with salmon and cucumber ; beetroot and carrot (on of my favorites) and egg-salad

Glad I was part of this edition!! Fingers crossed I make it for their next brunch or delight event!! If you would want to be part of their next brunch of delight event, check their facebook page!!

Spanish premium style bubbles

November 6, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / 1 Comment

When people talk about Cava wine they always feel the need to compare it with Champagne (the same goes for Spumante or Prosecco). They mostly also see Cava (or prosecco or Spumante or any other sparkling wine) as an inferior product compared to Champagne. To my opinion the only things they have in common is the way they get produced and the fact they both have bubbles in them… besides that it are products that have their own style with their own identity and characteristics. That one prefers drinking Champagne over Cava (or another sparkling wine) or vice versa is a matter of taste and preference for a particular style (or that’s what it should be, not just because of the name of a product). This doesn’t mean I don’t like Champagne, I’m just saying there is more than only Champagne 🙂

A few weeks ago I joined a dinner hosted by the Spanish Ambassador to get to know the top segment of Spanish bubbles aka Premium Cava’s. The choice of restaurant for this dinner at ‘Le Chalet de la fôret’ didn’t come as an entire surprise knowing the restaurant recently added a new TOP member to their team. After working 4 beautiful years at the legendary restaurant ‘Comme Chez Soi’ my dear friend César Roman decided it was time for something new and joined the 2 Michelin starred restaurant ‘Le Chalet de la fôret’s team. I cannot imagine a better ‘ambassador’ for Spanish wines than César, he’s one very proud Spanish person 🙂 (who can blame him?). César’s aim at ‘Le Chalet de la fôret’ is making their wine cellar the most beautiful/best in Belgium…

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Did you know the following things about Cava? Did you know that yearly there are produced around 241 million bottles on over 33 352 hectares of land ? With 97% of the land being in the Sant Sadurni d’Anoia region, basically the area around Barcelona (to keep it simple). It also seem that Belgians are on the most important cava drinkers. There are 3 kinds of Cava: Cava (around 9 months of aging), Cava Reserva (around 15 months of aging)and Cava Gran Reserva (around 30 months of aging)? Of the 241 million bottles I mentioned before 30 million are considered as Premium cava which are Special Cuvées, Reserva’s and Gran Reserva’s….

The biggest “problem” during the dinner was keeping up the pass :-). There were about 10 different Cava’s served during our 5 course meal. It might not seem a lot, but you would be surprised…. You probably think I will say I loved every Cava we were served during the dinner, to that I say no! There were some I preferred over others, but this doesn’t mean they weren’t good, they just were not my cup of tea… (of course not, you were having Cava not tea 😉 OK, bad joke). We started and ended in the same way, with beautiful bubbles 🙂

Just FYI the full list of cava’s we tasted:

2012 Microcosmos by Llopart (rosé)
2013 Privat Brut Nature Reserva by Alta Alella
2012 Reina Maria Cristina Vintage Brut Reserva by Codorniu
2012 Carles Andreu Reserva Brut (rosé) by Carles Andre
2006 Casa Sala Gran Reserva by Freixenet
2008 Gran Claustro Gran Reserva by Perelada
2005 La Capella Gran Reserva by Juvé & Camps
2010 Núria Claverol by Sumarroca
2004 Particular de Recaredo Gran Reserva by Recaredo
2013 Subirat Parent Brut Reserva by Vilarnau

My preferred Cava’s of the night were the 2010 Núria Claverol by Sumarroca because of its complex brioche/almond/ smokey aroma’s with citrus accents and even hinds of pear… basically a rich cava with refined buttery touches 🙂 (butter = good). Fun fact, the bottles of the Núria are numbered… Another favorite is the 2012 Maria Del Mar Brut Nature Gran Reserva by Pere Ventura that has a ‘creamy’ texture with more or less the fruity accents as the previous one, but this time more herbal tones as well. Next in my favorites list would be the 2004 Reserva Particular by Recaredo. I notice loads of tropical fruits, ‘jammed’ citrus (like a marmalade), fresh bakery accents with sweet spices with a very fresh and pleasant elegance with a medium long after taste… simply beautiful!! Last but not least the 2013 Subirat Parent Brut Reserva by Vilarnau. The last one is one that I think is the biggest ‘everybody’s friend’ of the whole evening as the other cava’s were more complex and therefor more special… The Vilarnau had a very fruity (lycee, peach) smell, the taste reminded me a bit of a tropical fruit salad 🙂 basically a very pretty and distinctive wine. I was surprised that eventhough of the premium Cava’s came from bigger Bodegas, they were not of lower quality!! SO basically size doesn’t seem to matter in Spain 🙂 😉 (just pointing out the facts)

As we ate at a lovely restaurant like Le Chalet de la fôret something must also be said about the food?! In general you can say that ever dish looks like a picture and you can see the advanced way of cooking from the first look you give to the plate…however you do see that the chefs knows his basics as they come back in every dish (you need to know the basics before you can start experimenting). The first dish one the menu was (after some appetizers) a grilled cadoret Oyster from Bretagne, buckwheat and iodée vinaigrette, followed by a seabass (line caught) salisfy, Jerusalem artichoke and a Xarel-Lo sauce . To continue with pheasant breast with white truffle, foie gras sauce, pumpkin variation and sautéed ceps. Followed by a melted Old Bruges cheese. To finish with a chocolate dessert with mushrooms. Yes mushrooms 🙂 I must admit that this was the strangest dish of all and not really my thing, but i finished it anyhow

The dish that after 2 weeks is still the first image that pops in my head when thinking of Le Chalet is the pheasant breast with white truffle, foie gras sauce, pumpkin variation and sautéed ceps. Maybe for that reason the Cava served with this (Particular de Recaredo Gran Reserva by Recaredo) was one of my favorites? Who knows 🙂

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The dinner wouldn’t end perfect without all the ‘friandises’ aka sweets that come with the coffee 🙂 The chefs have outdone themselves as I like every piece of the assortment 🙂 🙂

An evening to remember!! In case you would want more info on Cava don’t hesitate to contact the Cava Rugulatory board as they will be able to answer all you questions 🙂

Sherry with capital S

October 20, 2015October 20, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / 2 Comments

Ever since my wife and I visited the bodega of Tio Pepe a few years ago we became huge Sherry Jerez) fans. Lots of people know this and started giving bottles of Sherry as a gift and whenever I walk into a shop where they sell sherry’s the meat is weak and I end up buying a bottle :-)… basically this results in having quit a few bottles of Sherry and funny enough 90% from Lustau 🙂 We occasionally do enjoy drinking it in the evening in front of TV to accompany some dessert. I say occasionally as we mostly only open bottles of wine when we have company… we just don’t have the need for it on other days… So the best thing to do is to find some friends who want to sacrifice themselves and organize a get together/tasting to open all of them ;-).

That’s exactly what I did, I organized myself a Lustau Sherry tasting at home!! Coincidentally the friends I invited and that sacrificed themselves are some of the best sommeliers in Belgium and far beyond the country borders. Gianluca di Taranto (The Jane) who is always keen to learn more about wines and Cesar Roman (Le chalet de la Forêt) who is the biggest Sherry fan I know. I know how to pick my friends 🙂 :-). Not only did they bring themselves, they also brought a few bottles and some food 🙂 so basically extra bottles to taste…

Just like in my blog post a few years ago I’m still of the opinion that wines like Sherry, Porto, Madeira and Marsala are under valuated for an unknown reason… although I just think the problem is that those people never tried a good Sherry, Porto, etc… Otherwise they would be a big fan just like me! Unlike what they know or think there are many different kinds of these wines (as that’s what they are in fact), a flavor for everybody and for every occasion. In the Sherry world for example you have Fino, Palo Cortado, Amontillado, Manzanilla, Oloroso, PX (Pedro Ximénez), etc… There is a bigger difference than only the name. They have different smells, tastes, color, etc… Me personally I am an Oloroso fan as it always leaves a nice I would say nutty caramel (not sweet, unless they blended it with PX) kind taste in your mouth. If you are more into very sweet wines, you’d be better to go for a PX or an Oloroso Dulce… If you like more refined taste a Palo Cortado or Amontillado…

Like I mentioned before I had a Lustau Sherry Tasting with a few friends, and below you’ll find the bottles we tasted:

‘3 en Rama’ collection: existing out of a Fino from Jerez de la Frontera, another from El Puerto de Santa María and a Manzanilla from Sanlúcar de Barrameda

Lustau Fino Jarana
Manzanilla Papirusa
Oloroso ‘Don Nuño’: from the classic/familiar Lustau collection
Oloroso Añada 1997: only produced in very special harvest years that undergoes a partial fermentation process and is aged for 13years
Palo Cortado VORS
47 La bota de Palo Cortado which is not from Lustau, but from Equipo Navazos

I was told to better understand/appreciate the difference from the ‘En Rama’ collection is putting them next to the ‘familiar’ aka classic Fino and Manzanilla collection. We did as told 🙂 En Rama style basically means that the Sherry has been bottled straight from the cask with no additional treatment. What they try to do is to make a product as biological as possible. In reality the ‘en rama’ sherries still undergoes minimal clarification, as a 100% raw wine, bottled without any filtering would go bad after a one or two weeks and has a non appetizing color. So they do filter it the ‘en rama’ but only taking away the largest, solid particles.

En rama

Time to put all the theory in practice and start opening bottles. As the best to enjoy a drink is with food, we filled the table with Iberic ham, cheeses, freshly made hummus, home made porcini under oil to mention a few :-). The most special piece on the table was the ‘Manteca colora’ which is a kind of pâté that tastes a bit like chorizo which in this case looked a bit like a heart but was surprisingly good. According to my dear friend Cesar this is something that farmers eat before going on the land… so you can imagine it is not a cholesterol friendly piece of meat 😉

We started our tasting by comparing the 2 Manzanilla’s. Manzanilla is the same wine as a Fino, but it just aged in a different place closer to the sea (in a particular area near San Lucar) resulting in a product tasting very differently than a Fino. The first thing that we notice is the difference in color as the ‘En Rama’ is much more yellow than the Papirusa (probably due to the less filtering). When you smell and taste the ‘En rama’ you notice that it is much more complex and contains more acidity… I find it very fascinating that nature can do such wonderful things when letting it do its thing without helping (to much)

When putting the 3 Fino’s (Regular, En Rama Puerto and En Rama Jerez) next to each other the differences are even more striking!! Especially the 2 En Rama’s where the ‘En Rama Fino El Puerto Santa maria’has a much saltier taste to it because of the influence the sea had (a as you might have understood by the ‘El Puerto’ part that it is near the sea)… Whereas the ‘En rama from Jerez de la Frontera’ has notes from apples that reminded us of Calvados (the smell). Normally I’m not really a Fino fan as I remembered it being very sharp both in taste and smell… but maybe that’s the house style of Tio Pepe as the Lustau Fino’s were much less ‘aggressive’… I would even say that the regular/familiar Fino was soft and smokey 🙂

If I would have to make a choice between the Manzanilla’s and Fino’s above the one that I would most probably be tempted to drink again would be the “En Rama” from Jerez de la Frontera… I think because of its complexity and something unexplainable that attracts me more to it 🙂 It was indeed a very good suggestion to put the ‘En Rama’ next to the Familiar collection.

The Oloroso’s were and are still my favorites and were exactly how I expected them to be 🙂 Although both oloroso’s serve for a different purpose, the Don Nuño is more for with meat I might even say game meat and the Añada being a blend from Oloroso and PX would be more appropriate with a dessert. The Añada was definitly the favorite from the ladies at the table (So we are now sure they have a sweet tooth 🙂 )

The stars of the evening were without any doubt the Palo Cortado VORS and the 47 La bota de Palo Cortado by Equipo Navazos. It might be strange to put them next to eachother as the VORS is around 30 years old and the 47 La Bota is around 80 years old, but they competed really well next to each other. I don’t know what it is, but the is always a mistery around Palo Cortado, such a mistery that there was even made a documentary about it that was presented on the Berlin Film Festival!? Palo Cortado is a wine that “occurs”, rather by accident – you can’t actively produce it and I think that this is the big reason for all the legacy and mistery around it 🙂 That, and the fact that the taste of these product is a combo from all the best from Oloroso and Fino and Amontillado in 1 wine but with more complexity and interesting flavors to discover 🙂 So what’s not to love ?? My personal preference went to the VORS, but the sparkle in the eyes of Gianluca and especially Cesar when sipping of the ’47 bota’ I guess that was their favorite… maybe that it is the difference between pro sommeliers and me an ‘amateur’… I think the 47 bota was to complex and to special for my taste buts… maybe I’ll have to train them some more to refine them like a pro sommelier!

I had a wonderful evening with my 2 dear friend Cesar and Gianluca (and their wives and the little Ignacio (Cesar’s son) who was extreeeeeeemly cute 🙂 ) I learned a lot tonight from you guys and can’t for the next ‘tasting’ event. I became an even bigger Sherry fan as I was before (or maybe I should thank Lustau for that 😉 )

In case you want to know more about sherry in general, as very good website to look on would be sherrynotes. In case you want to know more about Lustau Sherry in Belgium (like where to purchase, etc..) you can contact or pass by my friend of Young Charly as they do the import of Lustau. For the other countries check the Lustau website

Just the two of us

October 15, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

Tuscany seems to be a very popular topic lately. It is funny that ever since I said I don’t like going to Tuscany because it is always too busy, I’ve been more in Tuscany than ever before and the same goes for the wines and food :-). You might have noticed it on my instagram or facebook, a few weeks ago I was having my summer holidays in Tuscany, or to be more precise in Terricciola. The big difference between my holidays now and the ones from the previous years is that now we are not 2, but 3 🙂 which results that we can still go to restaurants, but not the same kind… if it weren’t for the fact we asked my daughter’s grandmothers to join us the second week of our holiday that is. This way my wife and I were able to have a day or at least one evening for just us 2… a date night if you will 🙂 For this date I already had the perfect restaurant in mind, Del Duca in Volterra, When I was here 2 years ago I didn’t manage to eat here. The first time I saw the restaurant while walking through the narrow medieval streets of Volterra the restaurant already attracted me!! This was even before meeting the owner/chef Genuino and daughter Claudia (who is host and sommelier in the restaurant) who are the most charming people you’ll meet.

Del Duca serves refined Italian dishes using as much local products as possible and preferably home-made products. Their home-made products go from hams, cheeses, bread, etc… it is stuff like this that separates a cook from a chef for me. Next to the refined food, the second reason to visit Del Duca would be for its exquisite wine list (if you go, ask to see their beautiful wine cellar) with lots of unknown treasures on it!! As I knew they also make their own wine on their estate ‘Podere Marcampo’ (about which I’ll talk in a next blogpost) this seemed like the perfect occasion to taste some of them… this all after a nice glass of Prosecco Rustico by Nino Franco to start what turned out to be a wonderful night out with my beautiful/charming wife whom I love soooo much!! (Scoring points)

Like always there were so many things on the menu that tickled my fantasy, but it were the ravioli with wild boar filling and potato/saffron sauce that did it the most. I must admit that I found it a strange kind of sauce with a potato sauce, but it worked out and was in balance with the strong flavor of the wild boar and saffron. My wife’s eye fell on the vegetable souffle with Tuscan ham. As wine we had the Marcampo which is a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Sangiovese that didn’t overpower our dishes, but rather a harmonization.

We continued with in my case with a piece of red chianina meat (filet) with a Chianti/port sauce that like you probably can imagine needs a strong wine next to it like the Giusto Alle Balze that is a 100% Merlot wine. As Merlot lover here again the wine was a win. My wife stuffed guinea fowl with a bacon crust and she continued with the Marcampo wine.

Just like every meal, this one had to be ended in beauty! According to my wife the chocolate mousse with caramel fudge on top of it was THE BEST she had ever had… now (few weeks after it) I sometimes still hear here asking for it in her sleep 🙂 . I took the puff pastry filled with custard (Calories don’t frighten me 😉 ) that just needed a nice dessert wine like Moscato di Pantelleria from the Salvatore Murana estate (sweet, but not to sweet).

A night to remember sums it all up I think. I wouldn’t have changed anything: nice location, great food and great company… Very satisfied and more in love then ever my wife and I set sail back to reality and to our lovely daughter 😉 and look forward to hopefully once again enjoy another delightful meal at Enoteca Del Duca

Del Duca

Having liked their wines and me being so close to their vineyard AND liking Claudia and her family so much I just had to visit their vineyard!! More in one of my next posts

Enoteca Del Duca

Address: Via di Castello, 2, 56048 Volterra PI, Italy

Website: www.enoteca-delduca-ristorante.it

Phone n°: +39 0588 81510

The night with a Bolgheri Pearl

October 13, 2015October 13, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

Italy has – just like France – some iconic wine estates. In Piemonte for example they have Gaja. In Tuscany they have even 3 of these iconic wine estates, Sassicaia (technically speaking this is Tenuta San Guido), Tignanello and Ornellaia. Today I will will give you some background about Ornellaia. The reason I mention the other 2 estates is that together they are better known as ‘Super Tuscans’. What makes them special is that they were the first vineyards in Italy to produce wines ‘bordeaux’ style by using French grapes in combination with the Tuscan ‘sangiovese’ grape… which basically results in very beautiful Italians wines with a French flare. A few nights ago I joined one these 3 estates, namely the Ornellaia estate, for a dinner at one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Belgium Spiga d’oro.

Before I continue I do want to mention that I’m not going to mingle myself in the discussion if wines like the top Ornellaia wines are not worth their price, as I think that it depends of your financial resources if you find those wines expensive or not. It also depends if wish to spend your money on wines like this.. But I agree to say that without any doubt they are very good wines and I wouldn’t mind to have to drink them again 🙂 and that is what it is all about, right?

Ornellaia wine

It was actually my friend Bram who asked me to join the Ornelaia dinner and I’m glad he did as I had never tried the Ornellaia wines before with exception for the ‘Le Volte’ I got as a Christmas present a few years ago (which I liked). The fact that the diner was taking place at Spiga d’oro was a bonus 🙂 Franco makes every dish a refined Italian celebration and pleasure for one’s taste buds 🙂

It is more than obvious that you cannot start your dinner with the best wine, you have to build up crescendo and end with the best… this way you’ll remember that best for always and crave for more :-). I think I must rephrase that sentence, as I’m sure it is every winemakers aim to make every wine his best wine!! Maybe I should have said you should end with the wine that got even more attention, care and patience from the winemaker:-). The purpose of an ‘entry’ level wine is getting to know a vineyard or estate. This wine will also be the wine with which 90% of the people will have the first contact with you estate, so you would want it to be an ‘everybody’s’ friend. I think that the winemakers of the Ornellaia estate succeeded in this purpose with ‘Le Volte’! During the dinner it was indeed the second time I tasted it and although this time it was the 2013 vintage and the one I had before the 2008 vintage, it tasted as youthfully fresh and left the same fruit-forward mouth feel as I remembered it. This time with a bit more tones of red cherry, sweet spice and I even want to say chocolate.

Le Volte’s freshness worked really nice with subtlety of the Veal involtino with fennel salami, ragú of chianina and a Fiorentina spinachsauce we were served as a 1^st course. As well as with the chickenliver crostini or short raised calzone with pecorino Toscano we were served as appetizers (that were heavenly btw)… I’m a pizza fan, but not such a fan of pecorino cheese, but Franco showed me with this ‘simple’ dish that it’s all about how one prepares it…

What was about to follow was an absolute winner for me from the moment I saw it on the menu, Papardell di Grano Duro with fresh truffle sausage from Panzano (made by a top butcher aka Cecchini). God, I so love sausage (I wanted to say Italian sausage, but ALL men reading it would take it in a wrong way 😉 pervs (I know, it takes one to know one ;-)). Now it was time to start exploring new unknown wines (for me) of the Ornellaia estate and go 1 step higher with the 2012 ‘Le Serre Nuove’ that with his fuller body can work against the ‘fattiness’ of the sausage and harmonize with its walnut and red fruity (because of the Merlot) aftertaste (although I think if you age this wine a bit more you have an even more sparkling star)

What was about to follow was in some ways an unexpected surprise as they only make 2000, yes 2000 bottles of this wine!! Resulting in only having around 60 bottles available in Belgium. I’m talking about the Ornellaia Bianco. I know it seems strange to have a white wine after 2 reds, but its strong enough to handle it. In this wine you’ll find a blend of Sauvignon and Viognier… a strange combo, but it works! That’s all I can say… the only down side, as they only make 2000 bottles buying one isn’t an option (for both budget and availability reasons 🙂 ).

I don’t want to suck up to Franco or so, but with the marinated chianina tartare with cantuccini breaded goose liver, Cetara anchovy and beetroot dish he showed me again that it’s all about the preparation. Just like pecorino (or Goat cheese), I’m not a too big fan of goose liver, the taste just doesn’t float my boat (Although I am a big pâté fan)… so I’m not sure what Franco did, maybe it was my favorite cookie crust around it that made it different, but I liked 🙂

The previous wine was without any doubt the headline of the night, but the wine I’m sure everybody came for was the one and only Ornellaia Superiore!! This wine needs something strong with it, so it got served with a Tagliata from grilled Chianina (red meat) with chianti salt, braised spinach with truffle pecorino, fried Porcini and chickpea crème. Both winners I’d say (wine and dish). The dish makes me happy because of its rich flavors (I love gravy and butter!!!) … and I can only say the same for the wine. I like my wines full bodied, strong and yet this wine is all about elegance with a long finish and interesting flavors of blueberries (some said tobacco, never tasted tobacco, so no idea how it tastes :-))

My wife was sooo jealous when she saw what Franco had prepared for us as dessert, a Vahlrona chocolate Baba in a vanilla soup with a blueberry basil coulis (My wife is a chocoholic).With the dessert we were served Ornus from Ornellaia (which comes from Fraxinus Ornus”, the Latin name for the Manna-Tree or Flowering Ash (in Italian, Orniello). To my opinion it was a bit too sweet . I don’t like to be ‘negative’ but it wasn’t 100% my taste, a little bit more acidity would have made it perfect. So it is not that they had force me to drink it, as it was nice, but not as much as I had hoped 🙂 (but that’s my taste)

Nevertheless, I had a wonderful evening full of wonderful experiences and I am glad I could be part of this unique event to try these unique wines!! (in unique company 🙂 )

In case you would want to purchase or more information about the Ornellaia wines in Belgium I would advice you to contact Young Charly (for other countries check website Ornellaia).

Life is better with a box of chocolates

September 17, 2015September 17, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

My mom has been a loyal client at one of Belgium’s best ‘chocolatiers’ aka Del Rey for many years. Or at least of their tasting lounge that is located right next to their shop where you can eat some of the best desserts (also salty dishes) you can imagine. Me having inherited my mom’s sweet tooth, I am her usual partner in crime when she goes to the Del Rey tasting lounge. Sometimes a son has to make sacrifices for keeping his mom happy :-).

Last weekend we were fortunate enough to have a sneak peek behind the scenes of this wonderful chocolate shop to see the beating heart of the best Belgian chocolates. Officially Del Rey opened its doors in 1949 (back then it was called Maison Ray). But it is not until 1975 that Bernard Proot comes into the picture to learn his craft (art of chocolate) from Chef Arnout Marchand and take over Del Rey in 1983 with his wife (and what a lovely year that was, I was also born that year so it was the best year ever) and making Del Rey a success story! Such a success that since 2004 you can also buy their chocolates in Japan (which is the only country outside Belgium where you are able to buy them) and being awarded with many prestigious awards.

Del Rey is also a member of the Relais of desserts. The fact that Del Rey was accepted to join this prestigious organisation says enough. The Relais Dessert is basically a group of the best 100 pastry chefs and chocolatiers from all over the world, you can compare it with the San Pellegrino list for restaurants. My mom and I are fan without any doubt.

It was actually Bernard’s son Jan Proot (2^ndgeneration and as passionated as his dad when I hear him speak) to give us the tour. Jan joined the company 7 years ago and learned his craft by working at Del Rey and by doing some internships at 2 top pastry/chocolate masters Wittemar and Oberweis (you try looking at those 2 or Del Rey’s website without getting hungry!? I dare you). I’m also convinced that the 3^rd generation is assured as Jan’s oldest son (around 3 years old) was asking the whole time if he could make cookies together with his dad or granddad 🙂

Del rey creaties

What some people forget, is how time consuming it is to make chocolates, they just think it is pouring it in a mold and it is done 🙂 I can say for a fact that there is more to it then that (I also learned how to make chocolates when I was in Chef school). Chocolates are made in different stages, first you need to create a base in the mold, let the chocolate set, do the second layer, create filling, etc… with the most important thing to keep in mind -> Patience 🙂 as in between every step you have to wait to be able to continue with the next, multiply this step by X chocolates a day 🙂 (check link for the whole Del Rey chocolate range) and this is only the chocolates, I’m not even talking about making cakes, american style wedding cakes, ice cream, macarons or any other type of dessert. This is also why Del Rey is not working with 6 people or less anymore like back in 1975, but with 30 full time people 🙂 I found their area were they work very big, much bigger than I had imagined it… but if I hear Jan or his dad, a bit more space would not hurt 🙂 If I remember it correct they have 1 house from 5 houses. Maybe they should consider a 6th house to create even more space.

The difference between a chocolatier like Del Rey or for example Leonidas or Godiva is that everything made by Del Rey is handmade, homemade and gets quality checked one by one… as for the other two I mentioned there are more of the mass production (which isn’t necessarily bad, but less refined). I think that what makes their chocolates so special is the combination of high quality chocolate, know-how that they built up over the past 60 years and renewing yourself without forgetting where you came from or your basics. And in this case it are the small details that count, for example when my mom and I eat at the chocolate lounge I usually eat (before I attack the sweet stuff) a quiche Lorraine as they even make their own shortbread base which gives even a ‘simple’ dish like a quiche a total different dimension! It is also that same dedication of perfection that Del Rey puts into it chocolats, desserts, its famous macarons, wedding cakes, etc…

If you want to try the Del Rey desserts, ice cream, etc… I suggest you come to Antwerp, go to the Del Rey Chocolate Lounge, order yourself a coffee Del Rey (which is basically a coffee that gets served with 2 home made chocolate, some cookies, 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream (the real stuff)) and one of their desserts and I’m sure on your way out you’ll be walking out with a box of chocolates 🙂 because life with a box of chocolates is soooo much nicer!! I know I’ve been eating them at least 30 years 🙂

P.S.: I had taken my own pictures to share on this post, but due to problems with the SD card from my camera I wasn’t able to retrieve them yet. Once I have them I’ll share them 🙂

Feeling Royal

September 16, 2015September 16, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

That I love wine is not a secret anymore and that I like wine from all over the world neither… but I do have a few preferred wine regions. In my top 3 is without any doubt Valpolicella. To situate it, the Valpolicella region is around Verona and a stone throw away from the Garda Lake. I like the Valpolicella wines because it are rich, full bodied and if you go to the Ripasso or Amarone level stronger wines that ask for some stronger food like a good piece of meat for example. So when my dad send me that there was a wine & dine event from the highly reputated Valpolicella wine estate Allegrini I didn’t have to think twice, when he then added it was at the astonishing Chateau Neercanne in Maastricht no thinking was required anymore… it just is a MUST DO and we also didn’t really have to convince our friends Carlos and Ignace to much to join 😉 . Although Allegrini is one of Valpolicella’s biggest and most reputed wine estates from this region, I actually know/knew the Allegrini wines from the days my dad had his restaurant and where he used to sell a few of their wines like the Lagrolla and the Amarone. It is also in my dad’s restaurant I fell in love with the wine region after my first sip of Amarone that happend to be from Allegrini. After that sip I got the taste for more… and even after having tasted lots, I must admit that Allegrini’s Amarone is definitely in my top 3 (of Amarone’s). FYI I’m not saying this to suck up or so because I’m writing an article about Allegrini wines, it is just a fact that I am sharing with you :-).

Chateau Neercanne (1)

Chateau Neercanne (6)

Carlos, Me & Ignace

Making wine is something for very patient people and takes a lot of effort (lots of manual labor) and as if wasn’t hard enough the first wine makers from the Valpolicella region thought they could make it even harder. What distinquighes Valpolicella wine making, or at least for Amarone (the Top Valpolicella wine) , from other wines is that after picking the grapes they are put in bins (they used to be in wood, but nowadays in plastic) to let them loose their juices naturally… so you can imagine that it takes a while before the juices is out of the grapes. From the juice they make Amarone wine and from the juice there still is in the grapes they make Ripasso which comes from the word ‘ripassare’ which means ‘re-use’ of the grapes from the Amarone. After this the wines also age in wooden barrels for while. So this is why a an Amarone costs a bit more than the usual bottle of wine, but for me it is definitely worth the price (not for every day of course). I know some people will say they don’t get the ‘fuzz’ around Amarone wines… this is probably a judgement based on an Amarone bought in a supermarket, not that you can’t buy good wines in a supermarket, but some top wines you just have to try the best to understand why it is so highly appreciated! To those people I say try an Amarone like the one from Allegrini and you’ll immediately it a totally different thing and you’ll get it 🙂 I do know the price is much higher, that’s why you should buy it and drink it at a special occasion

Back to the wine & dine event 🙂 The first part of the evening was actually a wine tasting from wines from other vineyards within the Allegrini group in company of the Allegrini family (Marilisa Allegrini) who explained us more about all the wines (also the rest of the evening) . It were wines from their Corte Giara estate to be more precise. If I’m not wrong it is estate managed an run by the next generation of the Allegrini family Starting off with a Pinot grigio and Soave that are perfect for one a warm summers day with some Parma (or San daniele) ham with some fresh figs under a pergola :-)… to continue with the reds from the same estate with exception for the ‘Palazzo della Torre‘ which is from the ‘original’ Allegrini estate … You would expect the Amarone would be my preferred, but no it were actually the ‘Palazzo della Torre‘ and the Ripasso that got my preference as they had a bigger punch and were richer of taste… not that the Amarone wasn’t good (it was), but maybe I’m more a lover of the classical ‘valpolicella’ or ‘Amarone’ taste and this one didn’t have it 😉 Ooor maybe I just have to try them again with a meal, because then they it might become a whole different story. Stronger wines usual need some food (strong) with it. Just to be sure, I’ll buy a few bottles and compare them again 🙂 🙂 (any excuse to buy good wines is good 😉 )

Chateau Neercanne (5)

After the wonderful tasting with little nibbles it was time to start with the official part and try the wines from the ‘original’ Allegrini estate (not to say their best wines). No better way to do this than with a meal prepared by Hans Snijders from Chateau Neercanne !! Which comes down to great dishes cooked to perfection with sauces that make every sauce you tasted before taste like water… I could have eaten a whole pot of sauce (from every dish we were served 🙂 ). Also to eat dishes like this in a magnificent setting like in Chateau Neercanne makes me feel like a king! Somehow it also makes me feel like dressing up like a king from the Renaissance era 🙂 And to make the evening more complete we had Marilisa Allegrini to give us more about the Allegrini wines and even the beautiful Valpolicella region!

I know all the wines they would serve would be good, but personally I was mostly looking forward to taste the bitter-sweet dark chocolate, raisin, dried fig (maybe even a bit of cherry) aroma’s and flavors of the Amarone Classico from Allegrini again!

You guys know I love eating at restaurant Pazzo in Antwerp and you might remember that some time ago I mentioned that chef Ingrid Neven from Pazzo has started her career at Chateau Neercanne… and the first dish we got served at Chateau Neercanne, Marinated salmon with nori, scallop with a avocado cream and Sambai vinaigrette, tasted like a Pazzo dish 🙂 🙂 how funny is that?? I think it was the taste of the sambai vinaigrette that gave me this idea …So now I know where Ingrid learned to make her great vinaigrette’s and sauces 🙂 A very beautiful dish with refreshing flavors with a perfect sweet, sour lemony taste … something that always makes me happy and that got well balanced out with the Soave DOC from Allegrini

What followed only went crescendo. starting with a in soy , ginger and brown sugar marinated duck with apple chutney that was in perfect harmonization with the La Grola ‘s dark fruit (wild berries) flavors

The frosting on the cake was without any doubt the Angus with stewed angus, chanterelles and gnocchi with Belper cheese… I know the dish looks small on the dish, but it was very big in flavors that were needed to be able to match up with a strong wine like the Amarone Classico from Allegrini.

A meal stands or falls with the last dish you get, as that is the one that stays longest in your memory… There are lots of restaurants where you’ll get a wonderful meal, but where dessert is just ok, not the sweet piece of heaven you would want at the end of your meal… Hans Snijders in our case managed to make a goal with the dessert he served us, a taste of Dulcey chocolate, creamy caramel and flavours of coffee… I was afraid the coffee flavors would be too present, but the were well balanced out. We were served a recioto della Valpolicella Classico which is a sweeter wine with accents of cherries… We were even served a little meringue pie as second dessert 🙂

We had a wonderful evening!! First of all because of the lovely company at my table who I consider as family (of course my dad is actually family, but you know what I mean 🙂 🙂 )… but it would have been this fun without Hans Snijders, Marilisa Allegrini and their know-how of making good products !! Thank you to them and their teams for giving us an unforgettable evening

The first Belgian wine bar

September 11, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

Belgium is not really known as a wine country, unlike Italy or France for example. However did you know that there are over 80 official winemakers in Belgium? Well there are!! Until a month ago it was very hard to actually find out which ones existed and I’m not even talking about tasting some… with exception for maybe 2, 3 or maybe even 4 wine houses like Clos d’opleeuw that is internationally known for its high quality and in blind tasting is thought of being an expensive Burgundy wine… but no my dear friends it is Belgian wine. A few other more well-known Belgian Wineries: Genoes-Elderen, Ruffus or Schorpion… People following my blog for a few years might know a few more Belgian wine estates as I have written about a few… Anyhow to make a long story short there FINALLY is a place/ bar where they only serve Belgian wines 🙂 :-)and it obviously is in Antwerp 😉 🙂 Where else 🙂 . It doesn’t even stop with an extremely wide assortment of Belgian wines that can be enjoyed per glass or bottle (you just pay 15 EUR on top of the price you would pay if you would take a bottle home)… you can also enjoy these wines with a plate refined Belgian meats or cheeses (artisanal from small local producers). If you are a pâté lover like me do try theirs because it is deeeelicious .

I said to myself before entering the Belgian Wine bar I was gonna try a wine I didn’t know, but the meat was weak when I saw they had Clos D’opleeuw 🙂 But more reason for me to go back and try something different. I’m a fan and even prouder to be a Belgian 😉

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You can find the Belgian Wine bar at the Oudevaartplaats 24 in Antwerp. For people who know Antwerp is basically is at the square in front of the “stadschouwburg” theater or where you have the open air market in the weekend.

Never judge a book by its cover

August 31, 2015August 31, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

“Never judge a book by its cover” has been more accurate than ever before!! Last week my friends and I decided (or better I told them where we were going 😉 ) to have a meal at Friture René (as part of our gastronomical odyssey ). For the people who don’t know what a ‘Friture’ is, it basically is a place where you can get French fries for ‘take out’ and sometimes you can even eat them at the place where they make em. Usually you can also buy a piece of chicken, sausage or something else to go with it… kinda like a fish and chips place in UK.

Basically nothing fancy… Friture René is a ‘brasserie’ like place with old school red/white checkered tablecloths (like you can see on the pictures below) where you can eat French fries (or better Belgian Fries) with either meat(steak), meat (entrecôte), meat (other meat preparations like Belgian beer stew) and mussels 🙂 . So in case you are a vegetarian, I would stick with the Belgian Fries 🙂 or maybe a dessert. For the meat eaters amongst you, the piece of meat (Cube roll) we had was one of the BEST pieces of meat I have EVER eaten!!!! I am not kidding!! On top of the fact that they have amazing meat (also local Belgian meats) they have an amazing wine list that some fancy restaurants would jealous of, a wide assortment of refined tea’s and coffee’s (Colombian, Peruvian and other South American blends) and beers from small local breweries…. You have to see it to believe it. I would have never expected to find all of this in a ‘friture’ 🙂 (especially the tea’s 🙂 ) It might not come as a surprise that amongst the ‘habitués’ or regular customers there a lots of famous Michelin Star chefs and sommeliers… who were actually the once telling me to come/go to Friture René.

The fact that all 4 friends who were with me were talking to everybody about it it the best sign that I’m telling the truth about how good it is! And again it is the simple food that rules our night and is spoken about many days after it 🙂 A place for people all levels of society and for everybody’s wallet.

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As if a 400g piece of Entrecote wasn’t enough, just to make sure we wouldn’t leave home hungry we each took a starter (all homemade) … also here nothing fancy, but oooh so good. In case you missed it, we didn’t think of our cholesterol at all that night…not that on other occasions I think of it, usually I have my wife with me for that 😉 , but she wasn’t there 🙂 …no just kidding, I have wonderful wife (who I think has already given up after 16years 🙂 )

I don’t anything else to add to this article besides the fact that I (we) had a f..king great meal and get hungry just the thought of it!!

Friture René

Address: Verzetsplein 14, 1070 Anderlecht

Website: Friture René

Little film of friture rené

Like coming home

August 26, 2015August 26, 2015 / dolcevitaspinelli / Leave a comment

I get red cheeks of shame when I think that after all the times I have eaten at Brasserie Lids, I have never written about it!! Brasserie Lids is a lovely neighborhood restaurant in the heart of the old part of Antwerp city where I always like to go with my family (My wife, my baby girl and me (and sometimes our moms)). It is one of those places where I don’t have to worry if my baby girl makes a bit more noise…sometimes when she does make a bit more noise, Raïssa (owner) picks her up and does a little tour with her in the restaurant (FYI, my daughter always likes to see everything) after which she calms down and falls asleep.

Elo & Raïssa

We also like to come here because Raïssa, the owner and cook, studied together with my wife at University and is a friend of hers 🙂 It’s surprising though the career switch Raïssa has made from communication science to cooking in her own restaurant. One thing I’m sure about is that she is happy about the switch because you can really tell she is in her element in the kitchen and she brightens up the restaurant with her big smile and man does she like to laugh 🙂 :-). Because of all the things I said before eating at Brasserie lids feels like coming home. You also be surprised how peaceful it is at Brasserie lids considering it is in the city center 🙂 like an oasis of peace in the city

You don’t need to expect molecule or Michelin star food, but just good homemade classic Belgian/French dishes like Vol-au-vent (that has won a few awards for best of Antwerp), steak,etc… and weekly changing suggestions depending on what the market offers. Dishes (good portions) that you enjoy with a good glass of wine of local Belgian beer and for an affordable price. She even makes her own mayonnaise, which is something you don’t see that much anymore…

So next time you don’t feel like cooking and feel like a home cooked meal and you are in Antwerp … do try Brasserie Lids and hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much I always do!

Brasserie Lids

Address: Veemarkt 4, 2000 Antwerp – Belgium

Website: www.delids.be

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