TastesSightsSounds

10 OF THE WORST EVER DISHES ON KITCHEN NIGHTMARES PHOTO SCREENGRAB/YOUTUBE It’s not always easy to feel pity for the hugely successful, belligerent brand that is Gordon Ramsay , but watching this compilation of the worst dishes ever on Kitchen Nightmares, the show that saw Ramsay attempting to save almost certainly doomed restaurants with a new menu, a refurb and a punchy script, there’s a feeling that some would equate to pity rumbling somewhere, tangibly inside. This horror show of a multi-course menu features classics such as sushi pizza (salmon, crab, and mayonnaise, topped with, yes, cheese), a phallic kebab and a potentially life-threatening lobster bisque. How many of us would be able to finish any of these dishes? If watching Ramsay squirm is your thing, then take a look at what he had to eat when he popped into The Late Late Show recently, or the time he just about managed to keep a still beating snake heart down in Vietnam . READ NEXT: 6 TIMES RAMSAY ACTUALLY LIKED THE FOO

3 QUINOA BURGER RECIPES FOR YOUR NEXT BARBECUE Quinoa burgers are a great vegetarian alternative to traditional burgers . By mixing cooked quinoa with a blend of vegetables, legumes or seafood you can concoct superb quinoa burgers perfect for any barbecue or get together. Most quinoa burger recipes require the use of a food processor so the ingredients blend together nicely, however, if you don't have this nifty kitchen gadget on hand you can chop the ingredients finely and mix them by hand for a rustic touch. Next time you make quinoa be sure to cook a double batch so you can use the leftovers to whip up these exquisite quinoa burger recipes. Click here for tips on cooking quinoa . QUINOA AND SALMON BURGERS This quinoa burger recipe is made more substantial with the addition of cooked salmon and spinach. It is topped with a luscious avocado cream and served with peppery arugula. Click here for this quinoa burger recipe . CHICKPEA QUINOA BURGERS Chickpeas and flaxse

6 DELICIOUS BLENDS TO SPICE UP YOUR CUISINE From baharat to za'atar, herb and spice mixes are indispensable to many cuisines around the world. Here are six blends to give your dishes a flavour boost. Bahārāt, berbere, dukkah, harissa, ras-el-hanout and za'atar: you're probably familiar with the names of these well-known spice blends which bring an irresistible touch of African and Middle Eastern flavours to any plate. But can you name the individual spices in each blend? Let’s find out which spices and herbs are comprised in each blend, how they are used in local culinary traditions and how they are being interpreted by some of today’s most acclaimed chefs. BAHĀRĀT Origin: Middle East. Flavour: sweet and spicy. Bahārāt (which simply means "spices" in Arabic) is a typical blend of Middle Eastern cuisines in general and especially those of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine. The traditional mix calls for cumin , caraway, cardamom , black pepper, nutmeg , clove

SENEGALESE CUISINE: 10 DISHES WORTH DISCOVERING Senegalese cuisine is one of the richest cuisines in West Africa and a fusion of influences from France, Portugal, the Middle East, the Americas, and Vietnam. Traditional food from Senegal is made for sharing where guests gather around a single dish, which is usually hearty and very fragrant and can be enjoyed with a spoon or a piece of bread. We discover more about this hot, flavourful and topical cuisine in10 dishes worth discovering, below. The Ingredients of Senegalese Cusine Fish naturally takes centre stage in Senegalese cuisine due to the countries geographical proximity to the sea. Mero, red carp, tuna, sole, monkfish, barracuda, swordfish ... The choice of fish is wide and the cooking of this dish varied from dried and braised to smoked or even fermented. Meat is not so commonly featured although there are nevertheless beautiful cuts available to buy at the markets, like mutton, beef or goat, at a price. Chicken is generally mo

HOW TO MAKE THE -AISE SAUCES: 5 GREAT VIDEO RECIPES PHOTO CHEFSTEPS Emulsifying eggs with oil or butter is a sure fire route to deliciousness. Take the three most famous -aise sauces for example: mayonnaise, hollandaise and bearnaise. All start from this base, though the eggs remain raw in mayonnaise, while a bearnaise is simply a hollandaise with added shallots, pepper and herbs. Home cooks can be a little intimidated when it comes to making these -aise sauces, whether it be a fear of using raw eggs or the propensity of hollandaise to split. So with that in mind we've collected five great video recipes, including tips from some of the world's best chefs, to show you how to make mayonnaise, hollandaise and bearnaise correctly. It's easy when you know how! LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SECRETS OF THE -AISE SAUCES http://bit.ly/2FaS7V9

ANDRÉ CHIANG WINS ASIA'S 50 BEST LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2018 PHOTO NIEVE PHOTOGRAPHY Chef André Chiang of Restaurant André in Singapore and RAW in Taipei has been named as the recipient of the The Diners Club® Lifetime Achievement Award 2018 as part of this year's Asia's 50 Best Restaurants awards sponsored by S.Pellegrino and Acqua Panna. Chiang, who trianed under the likes of Michel Troisgros , Alain Ducasse , and Pierre Gagnaire in France before opening his eponymous restaurant in 2010 is famous for his 'Octaphilosophy' approach to cooking, designing dishes around eight core elements: Pure, Salt, Artisan, Texture, South, Unique, Memory, and Terroir. See some of his most inspirational dishes . The Taiwanese chef recently closed his Singapore flagship to concentrate on projects in his home country and told us last year that he was looking forward to rediscovering his homeland's cuture and produce, as well as helping to train a new generation of chefs

LEARN HOW TO MAKE A TRADITIONAL IRISH STEW PHOTO STOCKFOOD A traditional Irish stew is flavorful, hearty and comforting. Just the thing to warm you up on a cold day or wash down with a pint on St. Patrick's Day . Naturally, every cook has his or her own special way to prepare a traditional Irish stew. Some cooks brown the meat, others don't. Then there's the lamb versus beef debate. Lastly, one must decide which root vegetables and herbs make the cut. With that in mind we've gathered our favorite recipes for traditional Irish stew so you can experiment with the flavor combinations you like best. Ready to get cooking?  TRADITIONAL IRISH GUINNESS STEW RECIPE Our recipe for traditional Irish lamb stew calls for a hearty blend of lamb, Guinness beer, barley, carrots and potatoes. Rosemary, parsley, thyme and celery contribute freshness and a welcome pop of color. Click here for this traditional Irish lamb stew recipe . TRADITIONAL IRISH BEEF STEW RECIPE Another great

REUNIFICATION RAILWAY: A TASTING TRAIL THROUGH VIETNAM On this historical railway from Hanoi in the north, to Ho Chi Minh City in the south, we take you on a Tasting Trail through the flavours of Vietnam. Tasting Vietnamese food can feel like a journey in itself – from the umami punch of nuoc mam fish sauce to the tang of sweet chilli - often all in one bite. But to really know this regional cuisine we advise a physical journey, and what better way to do it than on Vietnam’s famous Reunification Express Railway ? ON THE RAILS From Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) in the south, the Reunification line will take you over 1000 miles through lush green jungle and neatly tilled rice paddies, on mountain-hugging tracks that twist above bays and beaches on the shores of the South China Sea. Built by the French in 1936, and shut down in 1954 when Vietnam was divided into North and South, the railway was bombed, broken up and abandoned during decades of war. But in 1976 Vietn

WHAT'S ON IN MARCH: 8 TOP FOOD EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD With signs of spring starting to appear, food events are also gathering in number and pace, with a number of world cass events shooting up around the world this month. From the exciting announcement of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants (live streamed from Macau) on 27 March to a dozen Women in Gastronomy championing all that's good about food in Bangkok and state of the art stadium style show cooking in LA - March is the month to watch out for. Find out what's on here. Food Events in March 2018 1.CHARLESTON WINE + FOOD FAIR 2018 - US 28 FEBRUARY TO 4 MARCH, 2018 Over 100 events are on offer at this at South Carolina's all encompassing food festival in partnership with Acqua Panna and S.Pellegrino. Chef demonstrations, signature dinners, and extensive, hands-on classes form just some of the five days of the highly anticipated 13th edition of this culinary hoe down. Find out more here. 2. IDENTITÀ GOLOSE 2018, MILA

SEE THE TASTING MENU AT POSSIBLY JAPAN’S BEST SUSHI RESTAURANT PHOTO YOUTUBE/SCREENGRABS There are many sushi restaurants in Japan that could lay claim to the title of the country’s best – Sukiyabashi Jiro or Sushi Saito , both in Tokyo, spring to mind – but head south to Kokura and you’ll find another contender, one where less is most definitely not more. At the coastal town's Tenzushi restaurant, chef Isao Amano is offering diners a wholly different sushi experience from the Edomae-style (raw fish and vingered rice). There Amano serves a kyushu-style of sushi, which uses rice wine instead of vinegar, adding layers of flavour with additional toppings and even grilling and roasting certain ingredients. As you can see from the video below from Simon and Martina, this means each bite is filled with an array of flavours, a world away from the clean simplicity of Edomae. Amano also starts each omakase (meaning 'chef's choice') meal with toro, or fatty tuna, which is usua

DEVILED EGGS: 8 WAYS TO GET CREATIVE WITH DEVILED EGGS PHOTO MARCO VERCH/FLICKR We've officially entered deviled egg season. What could be better than offering a few twists on this classic Easter dish? Basic deviled eggs are delicious but incorporating a few extra ingredients like bacon, crab, herbsor even avocado will make your Easter deviled eggs extra special. Ready to give these Easter deviled eggs ideas a try? Here is what to cook: DEEP FRIED DEVILED EGGS Deep fried deviled eggs are easy to make and completely irresistible. The crispiness of the egg whites is the perfect contrast to the creamy filling. A must-try recipe! PINK DEVILED EGGS These deviled eggs are pretty in pink thanks to being pickled in a beet broth. It's a simple way to add a punch of color and flavor to classic deviled eggs. ASSORTED DEVILED EGGS Assorted deviled eggs are a great idea when feeding a crowd. That way you give everyone a few choices they can sample. Avocado, cream cheese

ALEX ATALA: 'FEEDING THE WORLD IS A PARADOX' The Brazilian superstar chef wants to plant 10 seeds: 10 big ideas that will help feed an ever more densely populated planet. If you’re a chef and you want to save the world, you better make sure your house is in order first. And Alex Atala wants to save the world – more precisely, he wants to feed it. “How to feed the world is a paradox, nobody has the answer,” says the Brazilian, whose two-Michelin-star D.O.M. restaurant in São Paulo currently sits at number 16 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list . We meet at the IKRA gastronomic festival just outside Sochi, Russia, where Atala will demonstrate the cooking of the kind of Amazonian ingredients – palm heart, manioc (aka cassava or yucca), river fish – that have seen him lauded as the reviver of national pride in the Brazilian larder. “As chefs, I believe our first commitment is to delicious food. Once you have a good restaurant, a good team, you want to push your team, your f

THE WEEK IN BITES This week at FDL we brought you an exclusive interview with Swedish chef Björn Frantzén, tips on distinguishing wild and farmed tuna, and much more. WILD VS. FARMED TUNA This week at Fine Dining Lovers we kicked things off with an article on how to distinguish farmed and wild tuna. Chef Tomoo Kimura of Sushi Kimura restaurant in Singapore explained they are several factors to take into account including: weight, flavor and seasonality. Discover all of the chef's tips .  FRANTZÉN'S LUXURY Also this week we stopped by Sweden to chat with chef Björn Frantzén. The chef was positively glowing after news that his restaurant Frantzén was announced this week as Sweden’s first ever three Michelin star restaurant . Chef Frantzén talked to FDL about how he is redefining luxury and his plans for the future. Read all about it here . BALSAMIC VINEGAR AND COGNAC Other top stories this week included an in-depth look at balsamic vinegar and five things to look for in hig

RICHARD EKKEBUS' INSPIRATIONAL DISHES Have a look at some delicious dishes prepared by chef Richard Ekkebus of Amber, the signature restaurant of The Landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel, Hong Kong. Largely recognised as one of the finest, if not the finest French restaurant in Asia, Hong Kong’s Amber at the Mandarin Oriental is a must visit spot for any fine dining lover in the city. Consistently in the top five of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and currently number 24 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, it has held two Michelin stars for nine consecutive years. Picture above: Miyazaki wagyu beef, strip loin, barbecued with dulse & red cabbage slaw, oxalis, horseradish & pepper berry emulsion © Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong At the helm is Dutch-born Executive Chef Richard Ekkebus , who arrived in Hong Kong in 2005 via the kitchens of esteemed French chefs, such as Pierre Gagnaire , Alain Passard and Guy Savoy. But Ekkebus has managed, with the cla