THE CHEF
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Kylie Kwong, Billy Kwong, Sydney
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
"I would fly to Hong Kong and back just to have a mouthful of one Michelin star chef Tim Ho Wan's Steamed Rice Noodles filled with BBQ Pork," says Kwong.
"Wobbly, silky, velvety, perfectly created rice noodle sheets act as a delicate, sheer veil over the most succulent, juicy, caramelised, delicious, tender BBQ pork – an absolute textural sensation – it's so simple yet so utterly sublime," she says.
"The sheets of rice noodle literally shimmer in front of you, a dash of soy and some fresh chilli transport this mouthful to another level!"
The eponymous restaurant started as a hole-in-the-wall eatery specialising in dim sum, and now has another branch in Hong Kong as well as five in Singapore. But Kwong would always choose the original location to feast on the noodles.
"This particular branch of his world-famous dim sum eatery is my favourite – it is modest, unassuming, down to earth, humble and all about the food – very much like the man himself," says Kwong.
THE DETAILS
Tim Ho Wan, steamed rice noodles filled with BBQ Pork starts about $3. See timhowan.com
THE CHEF
Shannon Bennett, Vue de Monde, Melbourne
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
"The chocolate biscuit from [restaurant] Bras in Laguiole, France," says Bennett without hesitation. Otherwise known as coulant de chocolat, the lava-like chocolate dessert was created in 1980 by chef Michel Bras.
It's renowned and has been appropriated worldwide for, as Bennett says, "that liquid centre …need I say more?" Bennett was given some tips by the master himself a few years ago and now serves it in his Bistro Vue, with the permission of Bras, whose namesake restaurant is in the south of France.
It's still worth a visit because Bras now serves variations on the theme, including an icy version, hot, with fruit and even vegetables.
THE DETAILS
Bras coulant de chocolate costs about $50. If you did want to try before you fly, the recipe for the coulant is available on the Bras website. See bras.fr
THE CHEF
John Lawson, No 8, Crown Melbourne
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
Lawson would fly 22 hours for a Green Garden Gazpacho from Blue Hill at Stones Barnes in New York state's Hudson Valley but it's not just for the cold soup.
"It's an amazing working farm, restaurant and educational centre," he says.
"The owners inherited the farm from their grandmother and it's their mission to encourage people to eat locally and be more aware of the effect of everyday food choices."
Everything served at the restaurant is sourced from the surrounding fields, as well as other farms to highlight the abundant resources of the region. Visitors are offered multi-course "farmer's feasts" with the best seasonal offerings from the farm and market.
"I hadn't heard about the dish as menus don't exist at Blue Hill and the dishes served change daily and sometimes hourly," says Lawson, who first visited the restaurant in 2007. He especially loves that ingredients are collected from the garden upon ordering and, as if proof were needed, presented to the diner before cooking.
THE DETAILS
Blue Hill at Stones Barnes, menu changes daily. See bluehillfarm.com
THE CHEF
Ryan Squires, Esquire, Brisbane
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
"You would be a fool to travel so far for one dish," says Squires before unfoolishly naming Christian Puglisi's celebrated Relae, in Copenhagen, as the restaurant he would head to. The dish?
"Veal tongue and salsify," he says. "I first tried it in 2011 on recommendation from Noma."
Puglisi is a former Noma alumnus who, together with Kim Rossen, opened the new Nordic restaurant in the Norrebro district. Once notorious, the area is now filled with hip eateries and bars.
"It's just not the dish, it's the environment, the experience, its the restaurants next door [that you travel for]," says Squires.
THE DETAILS
Relae has two set menus, one for omnivores and another for vegetarians starting at $87. See restaurant-relae.dk
THE CHEF
Elvis Abrahanowicz and Ben Milgate, Porteno, Sydney
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
Abrahanowicz fondly remembers feasting on a baby goat cooked over charcoal in a small restaurant in Villa Carlos Paz, Cordoba, Argentina.
"Made by a local older man, this dish was the best meat I have ever eaten, I've never forgotten it," he says. "The restaurant is in the town that my mother came from, I just came across it by pure luck when visiting there in 2002 and have not had a chance to go back since."
Villa Carlos Paz is a city with a population of 75,300 in the province of Cordoba. There are a handful of asado restaurants along the streets of Libertad and 9 de Julio.
"My folks went to the restaurant last time they went back, and the old man [Adan, who is the master of Porteno's fire pit] agrees, the baby goat dish is amazing," he says.
THE DETAILS
Villa Carlos Paz Tourism, see villacarlospaz.com
THE CHEF
Andrew McConnell, Supernormal, Melbourne
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
The busy chef is on the road at the moment so doesn't have to think back too far for the dish he'd travel for. "Three weeks ago I tried the mackerel with candied lemon, white anchovy and lovage at L'Astrance by chef Pascal Barbot," says McConnell.
The three Michelin-starred Parisian restaurant offers no menu and instead asks diners to choose the number of courses they desire and leave it up to the chef.
"Its simplicity in composition yet it is complex, layered and elegant," says McConnell.
Would-be diners are advised to book well ahead because the restaurant seats fewer than 40 and is closed on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
THE DETAILS
L'Astrance offers not a menu but a three-course fixed-price lunch from about $100. See astrancerestaurant.com
THE CHEF
Martin Benn, Sepia, Sydney
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
Martin Benn would head directly to two Michelin-starred Jimbocho Den, Tokyo for the Ikura with sushi rice and grilled Buri Hamachi. "Like everything in Japan, it is so seasonal and is only available in September and October," says Benn.
The tiny restaurant, set amongst antique stores and secondhand booksellers, is discreet, a small wooden sign its only beacon. But the food is bold. "The rice is called shinmai, which comes from the first rice crop of the year and is more sticky and shiny than usual," says Benn.
"Also, just as the rice, the ikura [salmon roe] is very seasonal, it comes from Hokkaido." Den's chef, Zaiyu Hasegawa, creatively adds to the spectacle with humour, such as serving "Dentucky Fried Chicken" in a KFC cardboard box
THE DETAILS
Jimbochi Den Tokyo serves a set-menu dinner for about $124. See jimbochoden.com
THE CHEF
Dan Hunter, Brae, Birregurra, Victoria
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
Dan Hunter would buy plane tickets to San Sebastian and drive an hour to the Atxondo hills for a table at Asador Etxebarri. "I'd order the baby eels [angulas] lightly smoked over charcoal," says Hunter.
Etxebarri chef Victor Arguinzoniz is known as the wood-grill maestro. "[It's] a rare, revered product in the Basque country handled with skill and individuality," says Hunter of the dish. The menu is created daily, based upon those seasonal products that are most freshly available. "I was lucky enough to be in the Basque country in 2009 during the angula season," he says. The baby eels are available from November to March.
THE DETAILS
The menu changes daily but the guide price per meal is about $180, excluding wine and tax. See asadoretxebarri.com/en/
THE CHEF
Teage Ezard, Ezard and Gingerboy, Melbourne, Black by Ezard, Sydney
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
Teage Ezard would travel to both coasts of the United States to sample Thomas Keller's signature dish again. "I tried Keller's oysters and pearls, which is a sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and Sterling white sturgeon caviar for the first time at French Laundry in the Napa Valley, then for a second time at Per Se in New York – within one week," says Ezard.
"The dish is extremely rich, luxurious and decadent; a memorable experience that will never be forgotten," says Ezard. While the dish is the same, each setting offers a distinct experience. Per Se offers striking views of Central Park while Keller's first restaurant, French Laundry, is housed in a former saloon in the more-verdant Napa Valley.
THE DETAILS
French Laundry's fixed-price Chef's Tasting Menu costs about $325. See frenchlaundry.com; perseny.com
THE CHEF
Nicky Riemer, Union Dining, Richmond, Victoria.
THE RESTAURANT AND THE DISH
"The one place I can't forget, and I have visited three times over two trips to Italy, is Cantinetta Antinori in Florence," says Riemer. And the dish she tried again and again was the risotto.
"The first visit was with [fellow chef] Karen Martini when we were two young chefs. We visited Florence through our mutual love of Italian food and wine," says Riemer. "Several years later I went back to Florence on my own and revisited the restaurant and had a sublime porcini risotto with a glass of Antinori Tignanello."
Riemer loved the trattoria so much she went back the next night, sat at the same table and ordered the risotto and wine again. And she'll do it again. The restaurant is run by the Antinori family, who have been winemakers for 26 generations (yes, 26).
"They have the true Italian spirit of hospitality and know how to match the perfect plate of food with a glass of wine," she says.
THE DETAILS
Cantinetta Antinori's menu is seasonal. Allow for about $75 a head for two courses with a glass of wine. See cantinetta-antinori.com