8 Out-Of-This-World Dining Experiences Inspired By Chef’s Table

Eden Gillespie is a freelance journalist who's learning Spanish and…

Let’s state the obvious, eating your way around the globe makes for a happy holiday. So if eating at a Michelin star restaurant is one of your life goals, get ready to feast your eyes (and stomach) on these eight out-of-this-world dining experiences inspired by Chef’s Table.[listicle]

Fäviken, Sweden

Set in the frozen landscape of Sweden inside a hunting lodge, chef Magnus Nilsson has perfected the art of fine dining with his restaurant Fäviken.

After taking culinary training at L’Astrance in France, Magnus opened up shop six hours north of Sweden’s capital in a remote and icy location. This has hardly proven an obstacle to his success. His Viking-like restaurant listed as the 19th best restaurant in the world in 2014.

The 12-seat restaurant is like an ancient Nordic hideaway, with a delightfully frosty climate to match. The chef has made the most of local ingredients, the menu offering pine bark cake, potatoes boiled with autumn leaves, cured reindeer meat pie and beer-injected cockles.

Photos: Fäviken/Facebook

Central, Peru

The unknown spoils of the Amazonian have inspired Peruvian chef Virgilio Martinez throughout his career.

Critics say that to understand what Virgillo does as a chef, you need to understand Peru itself. The country is one of the most biodiverse in the world and the region’s the tastes of the desert, mountains, jungle and sea coming together in his dishes.

Virgillo is a dreamer, famous for voyaging into remote areas and making his dishes a painting of the landscape. At Central, he serves “17 ecosystems” in one experience, offering plates from altitudes of -20 meters to 3900 above sea level.

Photos: Central/Facebook

Hiša Franko, Slovenia

Ana Roš is self-taught. She is also regarded as the best female chef in the world.

Her restaurant Hiša Franko has put Slovenia on the gastronomic map, providing magical food in an unexpected location.

Her punchy flavours have made her famous, with snail in a spring garden being one of her memorable dishes. She’s also known for off-the-wall combinations like squid with sweet breads.

Photo: Hiša Franko/Facebook

Jeong Kwan, South Korea

Sixty-year-old Buddhist nun Jeong Kwan is all about food being philosophical. The catch? She doesn’t own a restaurant. She cooks for her community at Baekyangsa Temple.

Vegan food-lovers will appreciate her meals, which are 100 per cent free from animal products. Pickled lotus root, cabbage kimchi, steamed eggplant and shitake mushrooms are all part of her repertoire.

Jeong Kwan says that food should keep someone’s mind calm and ready for meditation. Journalists worldwide say her food is unforgettable, presenting “a life-changing experience”.

White Rabbit, Russia

At only 26 years old, White Rabbit’s Vladimir Mukhin is a figurehead for a new wave of Russian cuisine.

A fifth generation chef, he rebelled against his predecessors, reinventing cooking. This rebellion came in the form of serving moose lips. Yep, you read that right. Moose lips.

Attica, Melbourne

Ben Shewry grew up in a rural town in New Zealand, so isolated that he didn’t even own a television. So he honed in on his culinary skills, before cooking became his lifelong hobby.

His website cites Ben’s inspiration as “the volcano, rivers, ocean, and native bush that make up Taranaki, as well as his current Australian surroundings”.

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Now his Melbourne restaurant Attica is ranked 21st in the world. His restaurant unites New Zealand and Australia better than a good old-fashioned rugby match. From salted red kangaroo with bunya bunya to pukeko eggs and plum pines, his dishes are definitely worth the splurge.

Photos: Attica website

Gaggan, Thailand

Inspired by Indian street food with the freshest ingredients, Gaggan Anand is making “progressive Indian cuisine”, only in Bangkok.

The Indian chef was raised on Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd and his dishes have been dubbed playful and revolutionary. This renowned joker has had the last laugh with critics, his food placing 7th in the world in 2017.

Recipes include white asparagus spicy miso, chocolate pani puri and a yoghurt explosion.

Photos: Gaggan/Facebook

n/naka, United States

Niki Nakayama specialises in the Japanese art of kaiseki and was trained in Japan under chef Masa Sato.

Her restaurant is hidden with no signage, leaving the expectations of guests blank, up until the minute they enter into the room. Her flavours are just as light and subtle as the anonymous bungalow setting, seen in her modern tsukuri, zensai duck, mushimono clam, seabass and garlic dishes.