Victoria Burrows

2 weeks ago | scmp.com | Victoria Burrows

Italian chef Giuliano Baldessari likes to wear a rubber fetish suit in the kitchen. The skin-tight shiny black latex covers him from head to fingers to feet, leaving only his eyes and mouth exposed. He does not wear the rubber for kicks. It is, for him, a sort of therapy. Since childhood, Baldessari, now 47, has struggled with hyperactivity. A difficult upbringing only exacerbated his inability to process complex emotions and focus on tasks in front of him.

3 weeks ago | scmp.com | Victoria Burrows

Inside the sleek, minimalist interior of FZN by Björn Frantzén in Dubai, executive chef Torsten Vildgaard serves a small bowl of XO sauce with the main course of barbecued duck and foie gras. The sauce has deep umami flavours balanced by a caramelised sweetness and a hint of earthiness, a sigh of smoke underneath it all – heavenly when slathered on the pillowy bread that arrives alongside the duck.

1 month ago | msn.com | Victoria Burrows

Continue reading More for You   Continue reading More for You

1 month ago | scmp.com | Victoria Burrows

Eating an exceptional dish is often likened to a symphony, with flavours all working together to create a harmony greater than the sum of its parts. But individual dishes are in turn one part of a greater performance: the menu. In the finest restaurants, especially those serving tasting menus, the full dining experience from amuse-bouche to petit fours is defined by a consistent harmonious flow.

2 months ago | scmp.com | Victoria Burrows

Sitting back in an armchair between the bookshelves and the log fire, novelist Kamila Shamsie reads out her latest, soon-to-be-published short story. The tale, of a Pakistani goddess who takes root in a British garden, is captivating, but there is another layer to our admiration: the writing encapsulates so many of the things we have learned over the past few days – less is more; never underestimate the intelligence of the reader; show, don’t tell.