Interviews People

My Weekend with Aiste Miseviciute, Founder of LuxEat

On My Weekend this week we chat to Aiste Miseviciute, the founder of LuxEat, a luxury global food platform that curates bespoke culinary events. Aiste’s journey began as a fashion model, traveling across the globe and experiencing food in some of the most exciting places on the planet. She founded LuxEat in 2007, initially as a blog, to document her dining experiences and to showcase the inspiring people she met in the food industry along the way.

Through her extensive network of chefs and restaurateurs across Europe, Asia, the USA, Aiste began curating her own culinary dinners and events, providing an opportunity for others to experience the world’s best cuisines. In 2014, she starred in the documentary Foodies: The Culinary Jet Set, which premiered at the San Sebastian Film Festival and appeared in cinemas and on TV in nearly 40 countries.

Originally from Lithuania, Aiste now lives in London. We find out how this talented food lover spends her weekends.

Friday Night

Friday night means the end of the school week, which I usually dedicate to time together with my 8 year old son. He loves Japanese food and loves cooking it. Once I pick him up from school, we go to the Notting Hill Fish Shop, which has some of the best quality fish and seafood in London and is on our way home. We pick up sashimi grade tuna (usually, medium fatty cut, “chutoro”), some fresh wasabi and make tuna handroll temaki dinner at home. Making temaki at home is easy and entertaining not only for kids, but also adults.

After dinner, we often watch movies, such as anime by Studio Ghibli. One of my son’s favorites is My Neighbour Totoro and Spirited Away. Both are a must-watch!

Saturday AM

On Saturday mornings I work out and do boxing with my trainer. I don’t do it every week, but I love going to Facegym in Notting Hill for a face work out session. I don’t know if it makes you look younger, but you definitely leave relaxed and glowing! When the weather’s nice I take my son to Holland Park or Hyde Park, where he does biking or play dates with his friends. We often pop into The Japan House London, which is near to where I live. It’s a great Japanese arts and cultural center and shop, with a very carefully curated selection of Japanese items from books, to ceramics or lacquer objects.

Saturday PM

I travel a lot for my work, so when I am in London, I prefer to stay at home. When I do go out for dinner, I like to try new, up-and-coming places and to write about them. My recent discoveries in London include British bistro and grill Dorian in Notting Hill, which has some of the best sirloin in London. I also very much enjoyed dining downstairs at kaiseki restaurant Roketsu, which has just started serving à la carte, modern Japanese izakaya Evernight and West African influenced Akoko, which has just appointed a new chef , the very talented Ayo Edeyemi. I also like going to very old school places too, such as the London institution Wiltons. If I go to Wiltons, I like passing by the Dukes bar, where the legendary barman Alessandro Palazzi makes the best martinis in London.

Sunday AM

Sunday morning is usually homework time and also my son’s tennis lesson. Then we have a dim sum or Chinese lunch. For the best dim sum, I love Imperial Treasure or Min Jiang at the Royal Garden Hotel. I also love a good old Sunday roast at a pub. I usually go to The Alfred Tennyson Pub on Motcomb Street. And if I am in Knightsbridge, then I would pop into Cedric Grolet pastry shop in the Berkeley Hotel. His sculptural croissants and “trompe l’oeil” often look more like art than food.

Sunday PM

In the afternoon I love going to either the British Museum for its Egyptian galleries or the V&A, which always has really interesting temporary collections. (I believe there is one on Donatello at the moment.). And the V&A’s The Toshiba gallery has a very well curated Japanese collection of katanas, kimonos and contemporary glass and ceramics objects.

We usually have dinner at home on Sunday night and I usually cook something light and healthy. I recently learned how to make Ukrainian borsch, which is easier than I thought!

Aiste Miseviciute, founder of LuxEat

Find out more about LuxEat here or follow at Instagram here.

%d