My Favorite Restaurants: Top 35 Tasting Menus, Pt. 2 (#20 - #11)

20.) Lurra  (Kyoto - 2023)

There are many amazing options for fine dining in Kyoto, the home of the Kaiseki cuisine. Most are deep into the higher end of Kaiseki pricing. Instead I opted for a place run by a Norwegian with a staff of various ethnicities, and cooking up incredible fare with Japanese precision, ingredient inspiration and the rest. The only real knock is that the primary main was a absolutely ludicrously good mushroom, but mushroom the same. Still, their dishes like ricotta balls made to look like pumpkins in a delectable soup, or an incredible watermelon and caviar dish, and so much else, was crafted with the precision one would expect for Japanese cuisine. I was honored to see that Phil Rosenthal went there in his latest trip - for me once going to a place before him. It isn't the msot prominent but in a place of food royalty, it's two Michelin stars are a showcase of how worthy it is overall.

19.) Canis  (Toronto - 2019, 2020)

The last restaurant on the list to have closed during the pandemic might be the saddest loss of all. Toronto's Canis became a refuge for me a few times when I had flights cancelled returning from Toronto. It was a small tasting-menu only spot with a seven course beautiful meal with Canadian ingredients and inventive preparations. It was proper tasting menu small portions, quick bites, but just incredible presentation. They always started with two amouses, one of which would be a tartare on cracker, then always a small half-pie of duck terrine. The rest of the menu would change, from a couple fish or seafood dishes (they had a great lobster dish) to a couple great meats (honestly, had good lamb and beef, but their best dish was a duck that was braised for two days. Their sauces and consommes were always perfect. They were great in turning what was written as a 6-course meal into 8 with some throw ins. The place truly was special, and I really hate that they had to shut down.

18.) NOA Chef's Hall  (Tallinn - 2024)

I underrated Tallinn, even knowing it was a great place. On my first day there, I took a ride around the coastline down to NOA, and from that second didn't underrate it more for a second. First they seat you in a library type room, where they bring you three simple, golden bites - all incredible. Then take you to the main area, with a large hearth and open kitchen, just pumping out great food. Nominally, steeping it in Estonian cuisine, but adding such flourish. Dollops of caviar, both normal and "estonian" (from a white strawberry). Inventive techniques like how they flash cook langoustines using hot metal. An impeccable main of lamb that was one of the single best dishes I've had in a European restaurant. All of it with teh flair and exactness you would expect from a Spain or Italy, with zero pretension as well. Just a special place.

17.) Le Du  (Bangkok - 2022)

There are many top restaurants in Bangkok, and Le Du is one of the few that focus on actual Thai food (quick shout out for the now closed Bo.Lan, a place I never was able to make it to). Their thai focused tasting menu was excellent, with great use of thai veggies, thai spices, thai curries, everything. The only real knock I can have is there was no standout meat dish. But there were excellent catfish, crab, shrimp, so much more. Le Du also had the most reasonably priced wine pairing I've seen, and good win to boot. The restaurant is doing some great things showcasing a cuisine that so rarely is featured in upscale venues in its own capital.

16.) Pier  (Cape Town - 2022, 2023)

Pier is run by the group that runs even more notable restaurants in the Cape Town area, and is located in the heart of the most touristy area of the city in the V&A Waterfront, not an area for a truly creative explosion of primarily seafood, but all Capetonian food. The restaurant had some incredible dishes with incredible presentations, uncluding a pork jowl and crayfish soup, a mussel and ham sauce put within an oyster, to an incredible lamb flash-grilled in front of you with a million different fixings and sides and incredible sauces. Pier was so clean, so smart, such a great restaurant in a city full of them. Even the cheese course was amazing. Pier was a truly great experience.

15.) Anan  (Ho Chi Minh City  -  2023)

I've eaten here three times. First sampling some of their a-la-carte menu (I don't think there was a tasting then). Then getting a tasting menu that was a sampling. Well, in 2023 they graduated to the class of a michelin star along with a proper, incredible, chef's tasting menu that was a gastronomical delight through my favorite world cuisine. Anan is spearheading the way of showing how fancy, brilliant, inventive, Veitnamese cuisine can be at the tweezer and tasting level. Dishes like their one bite pho, their play on various Vietnamese classics made in their own way, their incredible lamb finish, their brilliant desserts. Vietnam is such a rich cuisine, and Anan is the first to truly to take it to gastronomic brilliance.

14.) Sud 777  (Mexico City - 2018)

Sud 777 when I went was expensive but not notably so. It was seen as Mexico's 3rd or 4th best restaurant, and while it still probably is, it is a bit more reputed now moving up rankings for best restaurants in Latin America. Sud 777 is in a far corner of Mexico City in a residential area with the restraurant being set-up in a multi-story house. The menu was veggie forward (though not vegetarian), all sourced from their farm out back. The dishes were all excellent, from a starting pair of amouse bouches, to a brilliant braised watermelon dish (something I very much failed when trying to replicate), a marlin crudo, a beautifully soft beef cheek, and one of the most interesting desserts I've had, which was literally a roasted onion next to an onion sorbet - and it was amazing. I would love to go back to see how they've changed, if any, from their more homey core that they had at the time.

13.) Belcanto  (Lisbon - 2021)

I just went to Belcanto last fall and chronicled it fully on this blog course by course. Some of this will be a repeat. Overall, the one word to describe it is opulence, from the position near the Opera house, the gold inside, the pristine white tablecloths, and the food from delicious small bites showcasing a refined version of Portuguese cuisine, to the famous 'Garden of the Goose that laid the Golden Egg' dish, fit with a long-cooked egg covered in gold leaf. There were about 15 moments alltogether, and while some were slightly below great, most were amazing, including the gold leaf, their breads and butters, to a little gold ball of cod, to an oyster with tuna tartare and a cod pearl. The food was authentically Portugeuse, from river prawns to so many great sardines and cod, to the main dish having a beef liver nata tart. Belcanto was immaculate in its gaudiness, even though it was pumping up what is often seen as a less refined cuisine.

12.) Mume  (Taipei - 2019)

I talked in the Belly of the Beast section of how most of the ones ranked above it are more on the molecular gastronomy side - and the top three all are, but Mume is frankly not, but it is truly mesmerizing. Like Pujol it is only six dishes but each was amazing in its focus and depth. Their two starters of jicama & prawn then a plum, kombu and tuna crudo were both just beautiful. The wagyu beef tartare was incredible, with teh softest bread for you to lap it up with. The two 'mains' of braised milkfish and oxtongue were impeccable. Even the dessert of tropical 'snow' was awesome. To some degree, while I could never see myself being able to make the dishes that the top three do because I wouldn't know where to begin, these are not dishes that are out of the realm of possibility. I could make something that looks similar; what is out of the realm of possibility is any idea that they would taste nearly as good, be as clean, as refined, as perfect as 'normal' food can be,

11.) Mayta  (Lima - 2022)

I went to Mayta not really knowing how good it was, and was astounding by the quality of its tasting menu. Not the longest, but maybe the one that truly had no bad dish. A little bit later, it was ranked as the 32nd best restaurant in teh world. Hard to argue. The setting is great, with stone tables and greenery everywhere. The food was incredible, with some of the most interesting dishes I've had - from a aged, roasted eggplant with an incredible foam, maybe the best cooked fish I've ever had, and a really beautiful duck and black rice main. Even the desserts were nice. Sure, you coudl wish it was longer, but there was also no miss, no oversight, nothing but great dish after great dish.

My Favorite Restaurants: Top 35 Tasting Menus, Pt. 1 (#35 - #21)

35.) Mikla  (Istanbul - 2024)

Istanbul has a few great spots, and while I do have one ranked a bit higher, none are as reputed as Mikla. The place has all the trappings of a classic tasting menu spot - white everywhere, impeccable plating, creativity and more than anything graet use of local ingredients. My only complaint, if you can even call it that, is a seafood-forward meal where I was wanting something more hearty, but the quality of the seafood and fish makes up for it anyway. Turkey has a few spots - Mikla is right up there.

34.) Deane House  (Calgary - 2019)

I believe Deane House has closed, but at the time it was one of Calgary's top restaurants, and most interestingly when I went had a whole menu featuring various preparations of Alberta's greatest gastronomical contribution: beef. From tartare, to pate, to raviolo's, to just plain great cooked beef. They had a particular view, a particular speciality, and did a great job showcasing it. The setting also, built inside and in the grounds of a house right in the middle of the urban maw that is Calgary, was quite special as well. I'll say this about our friend's up north - there is a lot of great food in Canada.

33.) Canoe  (Toronto - 2022, 2023)

As I was saying.... Canoe took over for me as my tasting menu of choice after Canis (higher up the list) closed down. It is on the top floor of a downtown office buildign with a great view, but would be ranked similarly high if it were on teh ground floor of a low-rise (like Canis). The food was prstine, if a bit light, from a great take on oysters to a perfectly cooked strip steak finish. The best dish might have been the thickest, heartiest, most well cooked chowder I may have ever had. Canoe was a great restaurant, more than befitting taking over from Canis as my Toronto go-to.

32.) Mak N Ming  (Vancouver - 2018)

This is also the first one on this list to have since closed due to the pandemic. Anyway, Mak N Ming was a husband/wife teamed restaurant in Vancouver that served an excellent, if a bit heavy, tasting menu, all with a refined, modern Asian bent. From an excellent Ramen, to a dish they called 'dirt' which looked like a pot filled of dirt that you ate (honestly, forgot exactly what it was), to two excellent tartares. Mak N Ming was a great restaurant with a clear focus. I think it also set a good squeeze between overly fancy, "tweezer" food with just great tasting food. My only one complaint isn't even a fair one in that it was a heavy meal. Then again, they really gave you your moneys worth.

31.) Laurel  (Budapest - 2024)

Laurel is a classic spot. White tablecloths, white clad waiters. Really sharp, classic dishes with a great refinement. My favorite restaurants probably lean on more the inventive and avant garde type, but Laurel goes more for just having great food. There was no real complaints at all about Laurel - some standouts as well, including an amazing venison dish as the main, easily the best venison dish I've ever had. Also a refined, elevated version of Goulash, with a dish titled catfish paprikash, that was just outstanding. Laurel was a classy establishment that knows it super well - the adults tasting menu for Budapest, if you will. This will make more sense as a comparison when I talk about the other Budapest spot to come.

30.) Belly of the Beast  (Cape Town - 2020, 2022, 2023)

Housed in a warehouse in a area of the town being gentrified. The six course meal is served at a very leisurely pace, with the focus being on the food and its creativity. The dishes were all made with such heart and mixed a lot of interesting components - from ones like a South African take on babaganoush with venison tartare, then three giant mussels with various sauce toppings, then a beautiful chantarelle mushroom dish, a peri-peri dusted flaky hake, and a karoo lamb with a perfect sauce. The desert was even a warm, lovely cake. It wasn't the fanciest, but each dish was impeccably prepared. Pretty soon we'll start getting into restaurants that go more in the gastrology route - but there are some brilliant restaurants that are just 'normal" in a sense that still are worth going out of your way to eat at.

29.) Ryunique  (Seoul - 2022)

Ryunique is fairly new in the Seoul restaurant scene, and I think it is on the way to being even more seen as a leading restaurant in a leading food city. The food was generally beautiful, the only knocks is there were a few courses that looked better than they tasted, and their main, while excellently cooked, was a bit basic. They had a few standout dishes though, like maybe the best set of desserts that I've had at a tasting menu. 

28.) Finnjavel  (Helsinki - 2024)

Finnjavel I first saw on Somebody Feed Phil, that episode, and that visit to Finnjavel being one of the reasons I wants to go to Helsinki in the first place. The restaurant was excellent too, living up to those expectations. Nothing incredible, but a series of 9/10 dishes. Some were quite great, including their main dish - a cabbage wrapped lamb which was just delicious. Out of any restaurant on my trip, this one probably had the best desserts as well, such as a beautiful play on french toast, and a petit eight of little bites to end it. Maybe it would've ranked higher had their been a bit more playfulness but it was a seriously good meal.

27.) Den  (Tokyo - 2023)

I want to write this and not come across to negative, as all in all Den is a fantastic meal with some of teh sharpest flavors and best ingredients you can ask for. But it also astounds me it is so highly rated on Top-50 type lists. Not that it is bad. Their fish in peanut broth is something I still dream about. Their 23-piece salad, each cooked in different ways, is about as stunning as it can get. The ingredients are perfect. And if anything, for Japan it is fairly affordable a Michelin Star spot. All in all a great meal, but I think there are better places of less repute.

26.) Alo  (Toronto - 2023, 2024)

I still have longed to find the replacement for Canis in Toronto (still to come on the list), and Alo is the closest I've gotten. By trade it markets itself as French inspired, but if anything the food is more fusion with Japanese influence, and just sublime. Great preparations of tartare, of chawanmushi, of venison, of so much else, with exactness that comes from a dedicated team of chefs that are super interesting to watch up close on their chef's counter. Alo is still not Canis (both in taste and being more expensive) but it is about as good as I've found in The Six.

25.) Alaf  (Istanbul - 2024)

I was planning a visit to Alaf before realizing they had a tasting menu option. For my last meal in Turkey I decided to splurge for it, and man was it incredible. They are pushing boundaries - deserts made to look like chilies, takes on innards to be eaten like burgers, their cutesy version of "lamb kebab", and so much else. Not all hit the mark, but man were they showcasing the entirety of Anatolian cuisine, from camel tarts to skullfish. I expect only bigger and better things from this relative newcomer spot in the Istanbul culinary world.

24.) Restaurante 99  (Santiago - 2018)

We were hoping to go to Borago, which is Santiago's top rated restuarant, but 'settled' for Restaurante 99 instead, which was excellent. The food is based on local ingredients but is more of modern fusion than any real 'Chilean' focus, but it was still excellent. It was early January, so we sat outside and because of that the pictures are a bit blurry, but do show off some of the inventiveness of the menu. There was a dish with aout six or seven preparations of mushrooms, including one constructed mushroom using two different preparations to make it look like a large mushroom. There was a bowl of perfectly seasoned little cockels, two great amouse bouches, and honestly I think my favorite set of desserts ever at a tasting menu spot - one called a 'red pepper' which was a sorbet with bits of red pepper again constructed to look like a red pepper. Restaurant 99 was a great spot, our best meal on maybe my favorite trip of all time.

23.) Salt  (Budapest - 2024)

And here's the inventive. playful one of Budapest, the place that hit a lot of the right spots. It had the most courses of any spot on my most recent trip - 15. Not all of them worked, but even the ones that didn't fully, I had to admire the pushing of envelopes - such as a first little bit which was jsut a bundle of raw herbs, salt and yeast butter. But when they were on, man were they on. An incredible hen of the woods mushroom dish. Such brilliant uses of various picked ingredients, just adding taht little tartness to each dish. A dynamic bread course with the dip being duck and goose pates. A just brilliant main of pork cheek and beet. Various uses of old time yogurt and curd based desserts. They weren't there to knock you out with refinement, but with vision of a culinary history more deep than you would think.

22.) Sushi M  (Tokyo - 2023)

I wanted to splurge on one sushi tasting menu. There are more famous spots in Tokyo, and more expensive ones, but I have to say hard to think any are plain better than Sushi M. One counter, dark lighting except for single spotlights on each table space. A sushi master behind the counter calmly creating magic. What I loved msot is beyond the say 12-15 pieces of nigiri, from all types of tuna to abalone, to squid to so much else (uni, egg sushi, etc.), was how they layered in other stuff, from a cold seafood soup, to a great little amouse bouche, to even of course a wagyu beef dish in the middle. Their sake pairing was incredible as well for those who prefer that to a more traditional wine. I truly could not have had anything better than this incredible meal.

21.) La Colombe  (Cape Town - 2024)

Cape Town has a series of incredible spots, including two to come. La Colombe has been around for many years, an old mainstay in teh Cape Town fine dining circuit, but it was not until this my 7th trip that I went. Situated far away up on a winery hill, the setting could not be more gorgeous, only met by the food. If it were a few more courses, probably ends up higher on the list, but it was pure ecstasy. One of the best poultry dishes I've had, in a quail three ways. As always a brilliant lamb finish. A brilliant bread course with compound butters shaped to make to look like fruits. They mixed whimsy, elegance and refinedness perfectly.