Put your money where your mouth is: this statement certainly rings true for guests who are prepared to pay the price to dine at these exclusive eateries. From assembling high tech avant-garde cuisine in Shanghai to dining underwater in the Maldives, here are seven of the most expensive restaurants around the world offering a dining experience worth remembering for a lifetime.
Ithaa – Conrad Rangali Island, Maldives
Dining five metres below the ocean, Ithaa is the world’s first underwater restaurant with panoramic views of coral gardens and marine animals drifting by in the spectacular Maldives.
The menu is inspired by local flavours with a Western fusion. Serving up dishes such as lobster and snow crab, pan-seared sea scallops and three-mustard-marinated wagyu beef, this 7-course dinner will set you back around $390 (excluding drinks).
Guy Savoy de Paris – Paris, France
Why not combine a visit to the city of love with a trip to Guy Savoy? Showcasing the best of French haute cuisine, the award-winning chef has two flagship restaurants (one in Monnaire de Paris and the other in Las Vegas) as well as three other locations in Paris.
A 13-course set meal (excluding drinks) will cost €478.00 per head. To fire up the appetite, example dishes include iced poached oysters, caviar with smoked sabayon, marmite of braised duck foie gras and fondant carrot with carrot ‘scales’. One to reserve for the ultimate ‘treat yourself’ moment.
Kitcho Arashiyama – Kyoto, Japan
What lies within this tea ceremony house is a modernised take on traditional flavours. Kitcho Arashiyama only serves kaiseki cuisine – a Japanese style of dining involving a sequence of courses influenced by seasonal foods from the land and the sea. Ranging between $380- $570, this family-run establishment has since evolved to a three Michelin-star restaurant with four other establishments under their belt.
As diners make themselves comfortable in the tatami-matted room, an epicurean experience awaits with a series of beautifully delicate presented dishes, sake recommendations and a view overlooking the gardens of Kyoto.
Ultraviolet – Shanghai, China
It’s notoriously difficult to get a reservation at Ultraviolet so to be one of 10 guests to dine here is an achievement in itself. Dubbed the first ‘experiential eatery’ in the world, French chef Paul Pairet had this sci-fi concept planned for 15 years before finally opening the doors to the public in 2012.
With the $570 USD price tag, the dining room itself may seem alarmingly stark to begin with: a table in the middle and blank walls with no lavish furniture in sight. But this is no ordinary dinner. Watch as technology transforms the room into a kaleidoscope of simulated scenes (a rainy day in England, the French countryside and a walk through the woods) with the use of projected lights, smells and sounds to further enhance each of the 20 courses served.
Masa – New York City, USA
Omakase is a Japanese phrase meaning to leave trust to the chef and in the case of Masa, this is the only choice as there is no à la carte menu in sight. Three Michelin-starred sushi chef Masa Takayama first trained at the legendary Ginza Sushiko in Tokyo before moving to the States to start his own venture.
Situated in the Time Warner Center, the hustle and bustle of Manhattan is swiftly silenced as guests perch themselves at the sushi bar (made from rare hinoki wood). Coming in at $595 USD per person (excluding drinks), Masa is often considered to be the most expensive restaurant in America. Bookings are taken three weeks in advance and menus change on a daily basis depending on the seasonal specialities available that day.
Osteria Francescana – Modena, Italy
A 12-course menu marrying traditional Italian gastronomy with stylistically contemporary flavours? Now, that’s amore. Named as the best restaurant in the world (2016, 2018) in The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, Osteria Francescana may be situated in the quiet town of Modena but it certainly creates enough noise to attract an international audience.
Locally born chef, Massimo Bottura combines regional influences with a current twist. A quick glance at the à la carte menu shows a varying mix of traditional and modernised cooking with dishes such as the famed ‘five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different textures and temperatures’ to the refreshingly honest ‘we are still deciding what fish to serve!’ There is also an option of a tasting menu for €290 with an additional wine pairing at €190.
Sublimotion – Ibiza, Spain
Founded by two Michelin-starred chef Paco Roncero, this 12-seat restaurant currently tops the list as the world’s most expensive eatery at €1,500 per head. Located in Ibiza’s Hard Rock Hotel, Sublimotion offers diners a feast for the senses with a fully-immersive 20-course dinner.
With award-winning composers and a Spanish illusionist entertaining between meals, guests are taken on a multi-sensory culinary experience with DJ sets to a theatrical show travelling through time and space. One minute, the dining room takes flight from a VR-simulated aeroplane before the scene dramatically shifts to an underwater experience. One thing’s for sure, having the world at your fingertips has never tasted better.
