Maltese food writer selected as World Restaurant Awards judge among greats like Bottura & Ottolenghi!
Ivan Brincat is travelling the globe in search of the best restaurant in the world.
Ivan Brincat has been keen on food and wine for a very long time. “I used to read a lot about the topic and developed an interest. When I moved to Belgium in 2005, it became easier to access top-end restaurants.”
What he calls ‘the aha moment’ came at Gambero Rosso in a small fishing village in Tuscany called San Vincenzo. “There, the food of Fulvio Pierangelini clearly left a huge impact on me, and I've been hungry ever since!”
In May 2014, after yet another inspiring meal, this time at Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana, Ivan decided to start writing about his love of haute cuisine. “It started as a simple blog, but then evolved into Food and Wine Gazette, where I am now approaching 1,000 articles in just over four years.”
The prestigious and high-quality content on Food and Wine Gazette firmly established him as not just a gourmand, but a well-respected connoisseur. Most recently, it has landed him a spot on the highly diverse international judging panel of the World Restaurant Awards.
The full judging panel, including international superstars like Massimo Bottura & Yotam Ottolenghi, along with Malta's own Ivan Brincat.
This includes chefs who are household names all over the world, such as Massimo Bottura, David Chang, Rene Redzepi, Dan Barber, Elena Arzak, Ana Ros, Clare Smyth, Daniel Humm, and Yotam Ottolenghi, as well as some of the most reputable food writers on the global stage.
Being a judge for the World Restaurant Awards
“There are also over 36 nationalities involved and being Maltese may also have played a role,” Ivan says. “It is of course humbling and also incredible to be part of such an international panel. At times, I do wonder how this was possible, given that I do this in my free, personal time!”
Ivan was chosen to inspect the restaurants in the short list of Enduring Classics – restaurants that have been open for more than 50 years. “Other teams have been visiting the restaurants that have been short-listed in other categories of the awards, from innovative thinking to atmosphere, as well as restaurants that have a speciality, and restaurants where no reservations are required,” he explains.
His journey as a judge has taken him from New York, where he dined at steak house Peter Luger's, to Getaria, Spain, where he visited Elkano, a fish restaurant, to Lyon in France, where he sampled the cuisine on offer at Paul Bocuse and La Mere Brazier.
For the last leg of the journey, Ivan is heading to Kyoto, to dine at a restaurant that has been open for more than 400 years. “This is not my first visit to Japan so I am looking forward to return and eat in this kaiseki restaurant and also to visit other places in Tokyo. After that, along with my travel companion, we will need to decide which restaurant will have impressed us most to win the category of enduring classic.”
When the results are known, Ivan and his fellow judges will have to choose the restaurant of the year, which will be announced at the Awards in Paris on 18th February.
What about Malta? Will we ever have a restaurant that’s worthy of being included in the WRA?
“I think that it is possible, particularly in certain categories,” Ivan says. “The food scene in Malta has evolved considerably over the past 10 years. There are a number of young chefs and a number of restaurants that are starting to push the bar, that are creative and trying to do new things.”
However, there is a caveat. “These chefs and restauranteurs need help and they also need a certain level of openness from the general public to try new things. I believe that the audience needs to be a bit more receptive towards innovation and to seeing new things. A chef and a restaurant ultimately need to survive and if they don’t have support, no amount of willingness can help create something great.”
“It has of course become easier because many more people are travelling and are open to new ideas and that is a good thing. It is also great that many young Maltese chefs are travelling and gaining experience in some of the top restaurants in the world. Ultimately, this is essential if the food scene is to develop.”
Ivan says there needs to be a clear focus and a much greater use of Maltese ingredients. “Restaurants and chefs need to help Maltese producers and vice-versa – this is essential otherwise we might end up having great restaurants at some point but no narrative. Chefs and their teams need to focus on the food first but also on where it comes from. There is a lot that can be done – from foraging near the sea, to using vegetables that have great taste because of the sun, to using sustainable fish and seafood that are caught not by industrial fishing but by independent fishermen.”
He adds that the arrival of internationally-renowned chef Tim Butler, who will be opening his restaurant later this year in Valletta is also likely to have a major impact and bring to Malta a number of international food writers and influencers.
“It is therefore essential that an ecosystem is built from the ground up and that this is done well. It is an area that we, as Malta, have neglected collectively, but food has become an essential part of the travel experience. We are still in time, because we don’t have to start from scratch.”