Forget Paris, go to NCE and dine at Le Louis XV.

Bray
 

Having recently celebrated my birthday in the village of Bray, I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Fat Duck or Waterside Inn.

I've been to just about all of the restaurants that have been mentioned in this thread, and IMHO, none of them measure up as a true "special occasion" restaurants compared to the Fat Duck or Waterside Inn.

They're both within easy distance of Heathrow and the Waterside Inn also has rooms with a very romantic riverside setting.

Mostly good suggestions so far, but really not "meal of a lifetime" material or much better than you could get at the French Laundry (which you could go to any day that you want, presumably, if you could get a reservation). I'd suggest a different tack to a memorable meal, which is to get good (even fine) food in a memorable setting. Rather than better food in a less special setting (as all of these restaurants are, as much as I love Le Bernardin et al, they simply make for "meal of the year" and not lifetime).

By the OP's criteria I would go to Bali and either rent a private villa (with a staff of 10 and several chefs) or stay at Aman. Food will be a notch down from Taillevent, but the ambiance will more than make up for it. Just don't go to Bali and stay at the RC or PH, that would be disappointing in this context. You could even stop over at HKG on the way to Bali and have a very fine meal at Gaddi's in the Peninsula or at the IC ... cheaper than Paris and in some ways better than most of the Michelin 3-star choices (not entirely, but close enough to be competitive and interesting).

Agree with the French Laundry recommendation wholeheartedly.

But French Laundry is such a hassle getting to - I just go to Gary Danko in SF. Didn't FL get a new chef recently and have their ratings decline?

Perhaps that underwater restaurant at the Burj al Arab or having the FS Maldives (when the older Kuda Huraa amd the new Landaa Giravalu (re)open) take you to a remote atoll for a beachside gourmet picnic.....

Paris:

In addition to the above (but not the Tour restaurant): Guy Savoy, Alain Ducasse (still - coz the room is so good) and I still like Helene Darroze.

San Sebastian:

People have mentioned Arzak; but better still is Martin Berasategui in Lasarte. Akelare is very good too.

Japan:

Tawaraya, but only if you get a good room. It makes the experience. Problem is that the nuances of kaiseki are sometimes lost on non-Japanese palates. In Tokyo for haute kaiseki ? Try Waketokuyama.

I'm sure Gaddi's is one of the finest restaurants in HKG. For a most memorable meal, I recommend a restaurant that offers a stunning view. I recommend dining at the Intercontinental:

http://hongkong-ic.dining.interconti...ic/index.shtml

I believe either number_6 or luxury highly rate the restaurants at this hotel.

The IC (ex-Regent, not the other IC which is quite poor) has a superb seafood restaurant (Yu) and also excellent Chinese, but their French restaurant (Spoon) is a rare Ducasse failure and really not up to snuff. Several other great restaurants in HKG that give Paris a run for the money (they tend to be cheaper, serve larger portions and be up to 3 star quality).

Thinking about the original project, a memorable meal, I'm now leaning to something like trout fishing in NZ (or salmon fishing in Alaska if the season is right). Incredibly good food at the right location, but this is the anti-city anti-restaurant trip.

The best meals I had there were at Yan Toh Heen, whose view is
quite notable - for its absence, as the restaurant is in the basement!

I read somewhere that Nobu is supposedly replacing Spoon sometime later this year..... has anyone else heard any ruminations of this?

http://www.travelandleisure.com/arti...417BFFF6AC2926

THE AMENITIES You don't need to step outside to eat well here. Savory salads are served in the lobby. Decadent corn-fed chicken burgers and Wagyu rib eyes are delivered in the lipstick-red Steak House. Alain Ducasse's Spoon is overrated and overpriced for dinner (entrées push past the $60 mark), but at its demure Spoon Bar, you can curl up in an eel-skin chair for sweeping Hong Kong vistas and an à la carte menu (unusual for Asia). The next tenant will be Nobu, set to open in November.

Several other great restaurants in HKG that give Paris a run for the money (they tend to be cheaper, serve larger portions and be up to 3 star quality).


Care to share some of these recommendations?

Taillevent, Le Bernardin, Fat Duck, French Laundry, Inn at Little Washington, etc will all provide memorable and wonderful meals.

But I have to agree with number_6 and luxury -- if you build them up as **meal of a lifetime** you are setting yourself up to be disappointed!

It seems to me that you need to hedge your bets (spread them out across a range of experiences) and make the entire journay part of the trip to remember...

So you might
* Do the Maldives and the underwater restaurant as noted above
* Do several days in Paris and eat at ALL of the 3*s there
* Do a RTW as noted above as well, eating at a top restaurant in Europe and in Asia

One meal just won't cut it if you've built it up so much. Either add truly unique setting to the equation or make it a series of meals.

And if you make it a series of meals, consider Lyon. Buy the Michelin red guide, and march thru the top restaurants there. I have done it twice, and it truly has been the most memorable dining I have had.