Next

Well made documentaries have a way of getting into your head. After watching a few episodes of Chef's Table (a series that profiles a single world-renowned chef in each episode), when we heard that the restaurant Next (by Grant Achatz) was running a "50 World's Best" menu it was merely a matter of when we were going to go, rather than if.

The allure of a short-appearance menu, featuring recreations of brilliant dishes from world-renowned chefs, was too much to pass up. 

We ended up booking the last seating on a cool Friday night, and settled in for a 17 dish extravaganza, getting ever-more sillier as the dinner and wine-match progressed. But my, what a feast and delightful time we had. 

After entering the dark but bustling restaurant, we were given orders not to touch the centerpieces. It soon became apparent why - they had edible components. 

Rose - Quique Dacosta

Our first dish was presented as part of the roses decorating our table. The rose, apple, and pomegranate bite was tart and refreshing, and just a touch sweet. 

This was followed by what seemed like a simple cracker, but really, should be the cracker-style amuse bouche by which all others are judged. 

Jerusalem Artichoke - Geranium

More complex than a potato crisp, this was salty, and crunchy, and the only disappointing thing was that there was only one per person. 

A cold, initially confusing dish was up next.

An Oyster's Frozen Kiss - Mugaritz

The idea here was to bring the ice-ball up to your lips, so that you effectively kissed the ice in order to eat the oyster. Having not made it out to Mugaritz when we were in San Sebastian, we were looking forward to trying this. We were not disappointed. The oysters had a rich taste, and were just a little briny. The radish flower was delicate and pretty to look at, although didn't add anything perceptible to the taste and so didn't take away from the purity of the oysters. Delightful! 

Eggs Benedict - Eleven Madison Park

Eggs Benedict - Eleven Madison Park

This next dish was fun. Quirky presentation in a little tin can, with bits of ham and asparagus, offset with indulgent caviar, made this the fanciest Eggs Benedict I've ever had. And with the cutest little English muffins too. Perhaps one day we'll make it out to Eleven Madison Park - after all, NYC is only a short plane flight away.

Marine Soil - Central

The next dish was beautifully presented and had me dreaming of pottery classes again. The sea urchin was creamy and custard-like, the razor clams were super sweet, and the jicama was a nice crunchy contrast. Celebrating all things ocean, this was one of my favourite dishes of the night.

King Crab - Noma

That said, this was my favourite dish. Succulent and sweet king crab, with beef garum and rose miso lending a good dose of umami, and hens egg yolk to amp up the creaminess. The smell alone was heady and intoxicating. I never wanted this dish to end (and am considering making a trip to Noma as soon as it reopens). But as always, as showstopping as this was, the show must go on. 

Tartare - Estela

Tartare - Estela

After the headiness of the king crab, this bison tartare didn't quite shine as brightly as it should have. The most filling dish of the night, it was well constructed, and full of flavour, but didn't really pack a punch. 

Badger Flame Beet - Blue Hill at Stone Farms

I'm also all for celebrating the essence of an ingredient, but as heirloom and special as a beetroot can be, and as sweet and earthy as it was, I'm not sure it should have warranted a spot on this menu. Each to their own though I suppose. 

Riso Cacio e Pepe - Osteria Francescana

I was on much happier ground with the risotto dish from Massimo Bottura. Rich with Parmesan, and touched with pepper and not much else, it really was a masterclass in perfectly cooked risotto. Soft grains, with bite, and really just a super-perfected comfort meal. Lovely.

Langoustine - Restaurant Tim Raue

With wasabi, mango, and Thai vinaigrette, this lobster-esque dish was delicate and refreshing. Not what I would have imagined German food to be, but that's half the beauty of this menu - breaking perceptions and spreading globalism, all while sitting at the same table. 

Monkfish - Aubergine

Another masterclass in presentation was this Monkfish dish. Or maybe I just have a thing for blue plates. The fermented peppers were a touch spicy, and offset the sweetness of the white fish. Which are also a hideously ugly species if you're ever inclined to look them up. 

I should mention at this point, the wine pairing was really hitting me, so while I tried to keep critical of the dishes, in honesty, I was having too much fun at this point to do more than just enjoy the experience. 

Vuelve a la Vida - Quintonil

Sweet scallops, rich tender beef tongue, and a slightly tangy salsa to tie it all together. This is what my limited experience would call elevated Mexican food. Which reminds me I do need to travel to Mexico at some point and try real Mexican food, not just tacos and Chipotle.  

All Parts of the Pumpkin - Attica

I really, really, wanted to like this dish. But I didn't. Too acidic and too jarring compared to the preceding dishes, I was hoping for a better representation of Australian fine dining. I hadn't had the chance to visit Attica back when I was living in Melbourne, and this dish hasn't compelled me to try. Which is a shame.  

Squab - Next

What I did enjoy was Next's own dish. Perhaps as a cheeky nod to the fact they're not yet in the 50 World's Best list but thoroughly deserve to be. The meat (pigeon) is tender, with a beautiful delicate herbal flavour from the lavender sauce. I can't wait to see what Next does, well, next. 

Memory - Restaurant Andre

This dish was rich. Foie gras and black truffle - what a combination. Looking like a dessert and tasting like a savoury flavour bomb, it was delicious but undoubtedly heavy. Go hard or go home I guess.

Apples - Relæ

And was immediately followed by something refreshing and light. Some crunchy chanterelles accompanied the classy apple granita, and served as a nice palate cleanser. 

Then came the bold dessert celebration, where all was swept off the dining table, and a sheet laid down turning it all into a giant canvas.

Chocolate - Alinea

An Alinea signature, dessert is a show to cap the end of a long entertaining food journey. Yogurt is treated like paint, with milk chocolate and blueberries adding substance, this is a super fun dish to see being created, and to consume. You are literally eating off the table. 

What a way to end the night.  

Next - The World's 50 Best Restaurants Menu

All in all we had a great night out. Expensive but worth every penny, the menu really did showcase the insane amount of skill possessed by the team of chefs. Served in dark-cool surroundings by super-professional yet friendly waiters, it's an experience I'm keen to return to, time and time again. Which, luckily for me, I can given the regularly changing menu. What a joy of a restaurant!

Next
953 W Fulton Market, Chicago, IL

Wed - Sun 500am - 1130pm

Alain Ducasse au ©née (Brunch)

Continuing this year's Parisian-based birthday celebrations, I was treated to what was the fanciest and most indulgent brunch I've ever had the pleasure of eating. The brunch at the Alain Ducasse au ©née shares a glittering space with the famed restaurant, and with an impressive succession of dishes, washed down with a glass of champagne (or if you're feeling health-minded, cold-pressed juices). 

Is it written in law somewhere that every brunch in Paris must start with a basket of pastries? If not, then it really should be. 

Basket of Pastries

 These were fine examples of pastries - buttery, flaky, and not too sweet. We had to be careful not to eat too many though, as there were a good few courses of dishes still to come. 

To start the string of dishes, amuse bouche. 

Amuse Bouche

Perhaps the bread was a bit crunchier than what I would have liked, but I can be fussy sometimes I suppose. My choice of started was light and refreshing.

Sea Bass Ceviche, Tomatillo, Fresh Heart of Palm, Lime, Coriander 

There was a nice balance of flavors in this dish, with a not-too-overpowering acidity, and I appreciated the delicate construction of this. M chose something a little heavier.

Entree of the Day

M ordered the special entree of the day which if I recall correctly was a rich mushroom tart. The earthiness of the mushrooms counterpointed by the tart pickled onions and caper-berries. This was a M-choice dish rather than my, and he seemed to enjoy it.  

  

Onto the mains:

Dish of the Day

 My choice was the dish of the day - a turbot I believe with broccoli/Romanesco broccoli. I found the greens a touch overwhelming but the fish was very well prepared, tender and delicate.

M, somewhat unsurprisingly, chose the luxurious dish.   

/

Soft-Boiled Eggs with Artichoke Base, Truffle, and Lobsters

Somewhat amusing in presentation, the dish of course lived up to the expectation. The artichoke I found to be bland, but the eggs were exactly as soft-boiled eggs should be, with the truffle and lobster taking this to the next (expensive) level.

No meal would be complete without a cheese plate. With plenty of variety to choose from, I took a particular liking to the 18-month aged Comte, and of course the Camembert.

Cheese Plate

And a some berries for variety (although I dislike cranberries).

Desserts were impressive - crispy chocolate, light mousse, coffee mousse, light cream, berry tart. What an ending to a great meal. My favourite was the berry tart - not sugar-laden and with plenty of berries is my idea of a good dessert. 

Desserts Galore

Desserts Galore

Overall we had a great meal, and was definitely an experience to celebrate a birthday in Paris. If nothing else, the room is so beautifully decorated with a thousand or so crystals that it's worth a visit. 

©née

Hotel ©née

, , France
Mon - Sun 11am - 1pm

Vue de Monde

I was lucky enough to be spoilt rotten by M with a lunch at Vue de Monde for my birthday. He kept the details a secret until the last minute, only informing me that I must dress nice for the occasion. As we neared the Rialto Tower however, it slowly dawned on me where we were headed and I couldn't hide my delight - I'd never been to Vue de Monde before and he'd always raved about how amazing the experience was. Indeed, this hatted restaurant prides itself on not only the quality of food, but the quality of the experience with even the tiniest details paid attention to.

We made our way up to the 55th floor in a private elevator that was all dark mirrored surfaces and exited into a hallway that opened out to the Lui Bar. A set of glass doors then lead to the restaurant, via the extensive wine room of course.

We were seated by the wall-to-wall windows with a stunning view of Docklands and the Port of Melbourne.  After a string of days filled with miserable grey clouds, it seemed as if the sun had come out especially for me (I can dream right?). 

Port of Melbourne

Being a celebratory occasion, we sipped on champagne made especially for Vue de Monde, NV Larmandier Bernier ‘Cuvée Vue de monde’ Vertus Champagne AOC, while we took in the stunning view, the handsome all-black decor and the interesting stone and wood "decorations" lying on the table. We had a great time guessing what each item was used for but the waiter simply told us to wait and find out. After all, it was part of the experience. 

NV Larmandier Bernier ‘Cuvée Vue de monde’ Vertus Champagne AOC

We then had to make the tough decision on whether a degustation or an a la carte menu was appropriate based on time restrictions. The waiter assured us that we'd have plenty of time for the 6 course degustation (he was right), but I was a little annoyed that I didn't get to glance either menu and consequently, had no idea what was coming. Not to worry though because the degustation did a more than adequate job of sating both my appetite and my curiosity, and because expectation is half the fun.

Parsnip Chips

The parsnip chips they provided as snacks were very similar to standard potato chips but were slightly less floury. I won't fool myself into thinking they were any healthier, but really, does any care in this indulgent environment?

It wasn't long before the entrees arrived, interestingly presented on a variety of rocks and gems. Seeing as all four dishes arrived at once, I would have liked a little more guidance on which order in which we should have consumed the dishes. In any case, this is the order in which I though the dishes should have been eaten.

First up, the lightest dish - a little parcel of celeriac and sunflower seed paste.

Celeriac, Sunflower Seed

In all honestly, I wasn't particularly impressed by the dish finding the combination of bitter celeriac, and nutty sunflower seed paste to be clashing, but ultimately somewhat bland. The second dish was a little better, but still failed to impress me.

Oyster Paste in Gelatin

While definitely a marvel of construction (I couldn't figure out how they'd made the gelatin set so perfectly in a circle) and with a strong oyster flavour, I still would have much rather had a fresh oyster instead. Thankfully, from here on in, the taste of the dishes improved substantially.

Smoked Eel, White Chocolate, Caviar

The combination of salty, smokey flavours and crunchy sweet caramel is hard to beat. The smoked eel was soft, while the thin layer of caramel added a nice contrast in texture. Biting into one of those small balls of caviar added to the experience even more though. Pretty much a perfect appetiser that more than made up for the apathy I felt for the other two dishes.

Salt Cured Wallaby

The salt cured wallaby was initially brought out on a large rock of salt. I don't know how long they leave the strips of meat on the rock for, but they must have an awful lot of salt rocks in the kitchen. Whatever they did, the meat was delicious, being both perfectly seasoned, and a new experience for me in terms of flavour.

It wasn't until after all this the degustation itself started. The first dish consisted of six little morsels of spanner crab and avocado, with kholrabi (a type of cabbage that resembles a turnip) and beach herbs.

Spanner Crab, Kholrabi, Avocado, Beach Herbs

The crab was sweet and delicate and the avocado was creamy. The kholrabi was also a little sweet and I found this to be a very refreshing dish. Just as we were thinking a bit of substance would be welcome, the waiter arrived with a literal bag of bread, and a barrel of freshly churned butter that was obviously made in house.

Bag of Bread

Fresh Butter

I rarely eat bread, but when I do, I prefer it to be warm and fresh from the oven. I didn't find this bread particularly good, but at least the butter was smooth and creamy, and presented on one of the rocks that had sat on the table. I could have eaten the entire block myself if they'd provided some tasty sourdough to accompany it. 

Next up was M's favourite dish of the day. 

Roasted Marron, Tarragon Butter

The wafer in the back corner of the picture was light and crisp, and contained a sweet marron puree. I actually enjoyed this more than the marron itself which I found to be a little under-flavoured, but which worked very well with the tiny bit of marron salt they'd provided. The best part of the this? They gave us no eating utensils so we could savour the last hits of flavour as we cleaned our fingers. Who says top restaurants won't let their patrons have a little bit of fun? Finally, we were served with cutlery which the waiter rested gently on the pieces of wood that had previously been part of the centerpiece.  

The dish that was presented next was only partially finished when it arrived at the table. A chef followed the waiter with a grater, and a mouthwatering-ly large chunk of black truffle. 

Fried Duck Egg, Lamb Sweetbreads, Pickled Onion, Truffle

This twist was all part of the Vue experience. You should have seen M's barely contained excitement (the boy loves his truffles). I would be lying if I said I didn't feel extremely happy myself. All you could smell at first was the glorious scent of the fresh truffles. How decadent! The duck egg was saltier than I expected with a glorious amount of yolk that ran freely into the sauce with the first cut of the knife. Initially, I thought the sweetbreads were made of pork rather than lamb, but in any case, they provided a nice solidity to the dish. This flavours in this dish worked wonderfully even though they were all very strong.

After an intense dish though, a palate cleanser was thoughtfully provided, and our interaction was required. Liquid nitrogen was poured on a bundle of herbs and edible flowers, and I was told off by the waiter as I took a picture. It turns out that we were to use a pestle fashioned of wood to grind the freeze dried herbs ourselves.

Crushed Herbs

I was having a lot of fun by this stage, but was still wondering how we were supposed to eat the herbs. Turns out, they were to be served with a light cucumber sorbet.

Cucumber Sorbet, Crushed Herbs

A refreshing combination, although I had issues with the spoon.

Needlessly Fancy Spoon

While decorative, I found it too fussy (and had the same opinion of most of the cutlery) and hated the feel of it in my mouth. I'm obviously used to plain spoons that have no other function than to transfer food from a containing vessel into my mouth.

I didn't have too much time to dwell on this though because I was distracted by the arrival of the next dish.

Barramundi, Herb Emulsion, Prawn, Smoked Bone Marrow

I'm not sure I appreciated any taste added by the froth/sea-foam, but it added to the image of the dish being "fresh from the sea". The seafood elements were indeed fresh without the need for heavy sauces, yet the emulsion added just the right amount of flavour. I particularly liked the crispy sheets that were reminiscent of seaweed but haven't the faintest idea of what they actually were. 

A meal at Vue de Monde wouldn't be complete of course without some perfectly cooked Wagyu beef. 

Blackmore Wagyu Beef, Beetroot, Saltbush

What another beautifully presented dish! The Wagyu was cooked medium rare and deliciously juicy and the beetroot pieces were small and sweet. I love the fact that Vue uses native Australian produce in their food although the use of a hardy, salt-tolerant plant was a little surprising. There were also little wild apples dotted around the dish which I was intrigued by but ultimately disliked the flavour of. Overall, I thought this dish was pretty marvellous though.

When the next set of palate cleansers arrived, I thought, "surely not". I was fairly full by this stage. I always had room for sweets though, and these were very fine sweets.

Passionfruit Licorice Beer

The passionfruit licorice beer was intensely strong on the nose but was light and bubbly in the mouth. I like my ginger beer and usually hate very sweet drinks, but this was almost a hybrid of the two that both surprised me and impressed me.

Coconut Sorbet Balls

The coconut balls were just the right size to pop in your mouth and slowly allow to melt. I couldn't wait to see what they had planned for dessert though and I wasn't disappointed. It was, in my opinion, an amazing feat of engineering.

Chocolate Souffle, Chocolate Mousse, Creme Angalise

Oh, you guessed it would be chocolate souffle? It was brought out to us in all its puffed up glory, but the waiter quickly poked a hole in the top and filled it up with creme angalise.

Chocolate Souffle, Chocolate Mousse, Creme Angalise

The souffle was beautifully cloud-like and the smooth mouse and creme added a rich indulgence to the dish. This is something I doubt I could ever replicate at home but would love to try again. I love being spoilt with dessert (even if my dentist has told me to stay away from sweets).

By this time, the next booking for our table had arrived, so we were happy to be moved to the bar and served our coffee and very unique petit fours there. Continuing with the Australian theme, we were presented with edible gum leaves, chocolate bark, cherry mousse lamingtons and gin jellies.

Petit Fours

The gum leaves and the jellies were pretty to look at, but not that interesting to consume. I initially thought the same of the chocolate bark until it started popping in my mouth. I turned to M with a look of amazement and insisted he try it for himself. Pop-rocks! Pure happiness in your mouth.

The chocolate mousse disguised as a lamington and filled with a silky cherry sauce was also brilliant - like a cherry ripe but better structured and textually more interesting.

Cherry Chocolate Mousse Lamingtons

I floated down the elevator in a state of bliss (probably also helped by a reduction in the effects of gravity) but the experience wasn't over yet. We were sent away with a paper bag of treat for "the morning after". How thoughtful, and definitely left us with something to remember the experience by!

"For the Morning After"

I've had my fair share of top-class dining experiences now (although I'd never say no to more) and although this wasn't necessarily the best food I've had, it was certainly a complete and well thought out experience. The food was fresh and interesting, and the menu was uniquely Australian, the staff were efficient and friendly and the surrounds were tasteful and indulgent. I couldn't have been better spoilt on my birthday, or have spent it with a better person. I'm smiling again as I type up this post - that's what I call a great experience.

Vue de Monde
Level 55 Rialto Towers


Lunch Tue-Fri, Sun reservations from 12pm-2pm
Dinner Mon-Sat reservations from 6pm-915pm