“I’ll Have What She’s Having” World-class Dishes

In the wonderful journey of exploring culinary delights one happens, quite often by chance, to come across some dish so spectacular that one firmly believes it must be the best of its kind in the world! With the help of some of my hopeless foodie friends, including the Champagne Lady, Arancini Man, the Chocolate Lover, and Duck Man, we have uncovered a few dishes and ingredients which we wholeheartedly believe fall into the “I will have what she is having …” category (from the movie “When Harry Met Sally” ). So, here we go:

For the best, fresh, white truffles on earth,

For the best, fresh, white truffles on earth, we believe that TartufLanghe, Alba, Italy is tops!
For close to twenty years now we have visited this family business and our beloved truffle hunter on early morning hunts, in season, on an annual pilgrimage

Tajarin Piemontese
(with White Truffle) at
Ca’ Del Lupo, Alba Piedmont, Italy

CONNEMARA LOBSTER RISOTTO

I have always thought that, as ingredients go, lobster and risotto marry very well indeed and, by sheer chance, the Truffleman came across this stunning dish of Connemara Lobster Risotto by Chef Amélie Le Guennec at a hidden gem of a place called Cullen’s at the Cottage, Ashford Castle in Ireland. This poetic dish is so spectacular that one firmly believes it must be the best of its kind in the world!

For the best ever world-class,
hand-sliced smoked salmon,

it is hard to beat Zabar’s on the Upper West Side in Manhattan:

and together with those famous New York bagels and cream cheese

Without a shadow of a doubt, the world’s best doughnuts can only be found at The Donut Pub (most like the oldest continuing doughnut pastry shop in Manhattan) – just have a look at these lip-smacking images.

For the best Tahini Cookies, Panzers, St John's Wood, London are the best ever

Who does not need a cup of coffee first thing in the morning?

For the best coffee, it must be Colombian, and for a world-class act, the coffee bar Amar, To Love Coffee, on Chelsea Green, London (or at an iconic British red telephone booth) is the place to go:

The best chicken in the world

The best chicken in the world surely must be the famous Poulet de Bresse, raised near Lyon, France (with a befitting “appellation d'origine contrôlée” status). We suggest trying this specific Poulet in the classic “Volaille Demi Deuil” (chicken in half-mourning) style prepared by none other than the famous Mere Brazier in Lyons. Mere Brazier was founded by Eugenie Brazier (one of the original Meres Lyonnaises ) , the first female Chef with two three-star Michelin star restaurants. She was also the first woman to receive three Michelin stars. Be warned, your tastebuds might be singing an opera aria all the way through this dish, as we experienced.

The best duck could not be anything else than a truly authentic Peking Duck roasted on location in Beijing. With the 170-year-old secret recipe which includes plum sauce and secret herbs, Duck Man and I tried several restaurants on an annual basis in Beijing over several years and in the end crowned Chef Kent Jin (“Made In China” at the Grand Haytt) as the undisputed King of duck dishes worldwide

For the food of king’s, caviar, by far the best is King’s Fine Foods’s Siberian Sturgeon Caviar

The Best Peanut Butter

Now when it comes to peanut butter, not only is the taste crucial, but the texture and mouthfeel, as a famous chef once taught me, are paramount. This is a “to-die-for” peanut butter - all the way from Amsterdam.

The Best Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

On the serious subject of chocolate and hazelnut spread, the best we ever tasted must surely be Powellnux and, here is the kicker, this chocolate and hazelnut spread is a superfood. Only an Italian professor could possibly put together such a delicious superfood chocolate spread!

Now when it comes to Jelly …

it has to be subtle with hints of elusive flavours dancing on your tastebuds. It should conjure up the joy of foraging for an exquisite crab apple on a crisp autumn morning, followed by the delicate cooking process that coaxes it to surrender its unique taste notes. Jen Williams has brilliantly managed to do just that with her sublime crab apple jelly!