BLACKBOOK IN THE KNOW BLACKBOOK IN THE KNOW Joaquín Cardoso of El Roma Bistrot vegetables and a rustic, barebones kitchen. Your meal consists of whatever is available that day, but expect quesadillas, stews and tlacoyos that spotlight farm-fresh ingredients and pipinghot tortillas made with corn from local producers. There’s also no menu to be found at Mariscos Don Vergas, a monthsold stall in Mercado San Juan that’s only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 10am until it runs out of food. Behind a tiny, seven-seat counter with a party vibe, twentysomething chef Luis Valle furiously works his magic on seafood fresh off a plane from Sinaloa. The resulting dishes could be marlin quesadillas, a spicy octopus and scallop aguachile or shrimp tacos – the best vitamin T of all. Culinary PAGE-TURNERS Fäviken’s Magnus Nilsson tours the Nordic region to produce 450 examples of its finest baked creations – savoury and sweet, modern and traditional; phaidon.com Bogotá Bites Clockwise from far left: Emilia Grace; scenes from Chicheria Demente‘s rustic interior T he Colombian capital is a sprawling cosmopolitan city, and its restaurants reflect this international outlook – which is why you’re just as likely to find an incredible Peruvian or Japanese spot as one that celebrates local ingredients. When it comes to Italian, there’s the new brick-walled Emilia Grace (emiliagracerestaurante.com) in Zona G (for “gourmet”), which turns out classics like arancini and pappardelle bolognese. (The owners also run a pizzeria, ramen bar, Greek restaurant and burger joint.) A few minutes north, in Chicó Norte, a global trend has finally touched down with the recent opening of Patrono Food Hall. It’s home to nine different vendors selling everything from Taiwanese bao to fried chicken sandwiches to ice cream made to order with liquid nitrogen. For a taste of Colombia, head to the months-old Chicheria Demente (+57 320 9373 488), in La Concepción, the second project from former finance executive Nicolas Wiesner. Set in a restored 1900s farmhouse, it’s like an upscale piqueteadero, a rustic, roadside eatery where families and friends gather. Here, the menu transforms Colombian products into dishes like a grilled T-bone with black garlic butter and tempura-battered courgette flowers served with smoked honey. And the chicha – a traditional, sour corn drink – is as local as it gets, made by producers in the surrounding neighbourhoods. Food blogger Nik Sharma (A Brown Table) combines Indian flavours with southern US recipes – and 270 sumptuous photos – in his debut book. chroniclebooks.com San Sebastián-based American Marti Buckley explores the history of her adopted region’s most beloved dishes and the processes behind them; artisanbooks.com Canadian chef Matty Matheson charts a culinary journey from his Ontario upbringing to TV stardom, via some classic recipes; abramsandchronicle.co.uk PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: © EL ROMA BISTROT, © CHICHERIA DEMENTE (2), © EMILIA GRACE ; BOOKS: COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHERS 42 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM FOR HOT TABLES IN MUST-VISIT CITIES, GO TO: CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
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