Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs
introWhile they focus day in and day out on achieving the highest level of culinary arts, a lot of top chefs miraculously find time to open, or help develop, other ventures as well. Often these are more casual concepts, serving simpler, but equally satisfying fare at more affordable prices. Having their fingers in other pies brings the chefs different streams of revenue, and diners who can’t (yet) afford to dine at gastronomic temples get a taste of culinary genius. Win-win, we’d say. [Photo: Chef Grant Achatz at Roister/Allen Hemberger]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
RaueChef Tim Raue started making waves with his signature Asian-inspired cuisine following the opening of his eponymous restaurant in Berlin, which now boasts 2 Michelin stars and a coveted spot on the ‘World’s 50 Best Restaurants’ list. At Brasserie Colette, with branches in Berlin, Munich and Konstanz, Raue reinterprets French comfort food with his characteristic play on sweetness, spice and acidity. His latest venture is Villa Kellerman in Potsdam, about an hour from Berlin, serving modern renditions of regional classics like Königsberg meatballs with beetroot and mashed potatoes. [Photo: Jörg Lehmann]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
HermanDutch chef Sergio Herman cooked up three Michelin stars at now-closed Oud Sluis, near the Belgian border, and has since moved on to other restaurant projects, both haute and casual. One of them is Frites Atelier, a Benelux chain focusing on high-end, gourmet French fries. Before the launch, the chef taste-tested different potatoes and toppings for a year and a half, to elevate the fast food favourite to culinary perfection. [Teaser photo article: Chantal Arnts]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
SpecerietNext door to 2-Michelin-starred Gastrologik in Stockholm, Speceriet offers a more casual version of its famed modern Swedish cuisine. Chef-owners Jacob Holmström and Anton Bjuhr source locally from small producers because, as they say, “this makes sense and triggers our creativity.” At Gastrologik’s little sister this is no different, but instead of an evening-long 20-course tasting menu, you pop in for a few dishes that can be shared, such as venison tartare, deep-fried blue mussels or beer-baked pointed cabbage. [Photo: Frederik Rollman]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
CommissaryThe creativity of British-born chef Luke Dale-Roberts is widely recognised, and he demonstrates his style – international cuisine with a South African twist – in his quirky, industrial Cape Town restaurant, The Test Kitchen. Dale-Roberts and his team are also behind other popular restaurant concepts in the city; The Commissary, opened under the chef’s mentorship, is a back-to-basics eatery dishing out straightforward yet bold-flavoured grub. [Photo: Andy Lund]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
Blue HillThe tasting menu of ultimate farm-to-table restaurant Blue Hill on Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York, consists of around 30 courses and a corresponding price tag. If you want to get a taste of chef Dan Barber’s culinary philosophy – maximum flavours with minimum environmental impact – opt for one of the provisions at the Blue Hill Café and Grain Bar, such as freshly milled, whole grain pastries or salads made with locally grown ingredients. [Photo: Andre Baranowski]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
RoisterWhile the multisensory tasting menu at Chicago’s Alinea is arguably the culinary ride of a lifetime, it will set you back around $300 per person. Chef Grant Achatz’s Roister is more laid-back and – obviously – loud (they like their ‘90s rock here), with the kitchen and the blazing hearth in the centre of the restaurant. Go for brunch or dinner, and expect creative, New American dishes such as aged cheddar rillettes, Yukon duck hash or Colorado lamb shanks. [Photo: Allen Hemberger]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
AtlaWhen top chef Enrique Olvera of Mexico City’s Pujol opened up shop in New York City, he had a relatively casual restaurant in mind, but Cosme – helmed by chef Daniela Soto-Innes – became an instant hit, and ambitions went up along with prices. Opened in NoHo in 2017, Atla is now the casual all-day contemporary Mexican restaurant the dream team had in mind, serving classics with a twist: think herb guacamole, chilaquiles and cauliflower tacos. [Photos: Atla NYC]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
CrennWe previously featured rockstar chef and humanitarian Dominique Crenn, whose Atelier Crenn in San Francisco was awarded a third Michelin star in 2018. Where the dishes of the fine dining Atelier are described as ‘poetic’, the cuisine of sophisticated bistro Petit Crenn is more down-to-earth. An homage to Brittany, the French region where Crenn grew up, the restaurant is bright and airy, and dishes featuring fresh vegetables and seafood take centre stage. [Photo: © Jordan Wise Photography]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
PorkLeading Brazilian chef Jefferson Rueda was trained as a butcher before moving on to work at high-end kitchens throughout Brazil and Europe. In the centre of São Paulo, Rueda runs A Casa do Porco with his wife, Janaina – a restaurant celebrated for its nose-to-tail philosophy and focus on small producers. While their mission is to serve haute cuisine at democratic prices, you could go even more fast casual, indulging in an excellent hot dog at the couple’s Hot Pork stand or an ice cream at Sorveteria do Centro. [Photo: Facebook]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
CarneMauro Colagreco rose to fame with his vibrant cuisine at Mirazur on France’s Côte d’Azur – currently topping the industry’s list of the best restaurants in the world. The Argentine chef probably doesn’t get much sleep, though, as he’s also helping develop numerous other restaurant concepts all over the world, such as Carne, a series of innovative burger restaurants in the Buenos Aires province.
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
SeoulFergus Henderson’s The Perfectionist’s Cafe at London Heathrow. Bruno Loubet’s Seeds at Brisbane Airport. Rick Bayless’ Tortas Frontera at Chicago O’Hare. Celebrity chefs are helping change the bleak dining situation at airports all over the world. At Pyunghwaok in Seoul’s Incheon Airport, Michelin-star chef Jungsik Yim showcases Korean classics from north to south, including beef hot pot, Pyongyang-style cold noodles and fried chicken. [Photo: Incheon Airport Blog]
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Food
Dining Trends: 15 Casual Concepts From Top Chefs.
KwongIt came as a bit of a shock to fans when Kylie Kwong announced the closing of beloved Billy Kwong, her Sydney restaurant of 19 years. Thankfully, the Australian celebrity chef known for her signature Chinese-Australian cuisine is planning on opening a more casual eatery later this year. Located in South Eveleigh, a developing commercial, retail and recreational hub, it will be a casual daytime restaurant with a small menu that leans heavily on ingredients sourced from Yerrabingin, Australia’s first indigenous rooftop farm.
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