Every year, 900 of the leading chefs, restaurateurs and members of the food media create the S. Pellegrino World's 100 Best Restaurants list.
As of 2015, Australia has demonstrated a stellar performance, propelling four of its dining gems to this prestigious list — a record achievement that was spurred on by all the right factors: unique and awe-inspiring landscapes, some of the freshest produce in the world, and some of the most innovative and passionate chefs.
Eager to discover the top 4 spots to experience world-class dining in Australia? Check out these distinguished establishments, as ranked in the famous list:
#32: Attica
The pride of Melbourne, Victoria, Attica is helmed by chef Ben Shewry who takes homegrown pride and infuses it in his celebrated dishes. Not only does Australia boast of so much fresh produce, but it also offers distinctive local ingredients that help design a very interesting Australian cuisine.
Want a mouthwatering sample? How does Flinders Island Wallaby with native currants and wattle-seed salt sound? Nowhere else in the globe will you be able to partake of this creative dish.
#58: Quay
An Australian take on Japanese, Korean and Chinese cuisines — that's the premise of chef Peter Gilmore's restaurant Quay in Sydney, New South Wales. According to Gilmore, Sydney witnesses rich diversity every day, and this easily inspired him to help Australian cuisine evolve and take exciting new directions when it comes to tastes and the combinations of raw natural ingredients.
Growing up in a multicultural society provides Gilmore with the fuel and inspiration to come up with balanced, harmonious flavours with beautiful new textures.
#84: Sepia
Martin Benn opened Sepia in Sydney after working in some of the best restaurants in the world (including Tetsuya's, another famous restaurant in the Land Down Under).
Benn's business partner, his wife Vick Wild, shares that the two of them travel a lot and observe that Australia's restaurant scene can compete with any foreign country's. In addition to highlighting Australian ingredients, Sepia also boldly embraces other cultures (such as Asian) and comes up with sophisticated cuisine that discerning customers are sure to rave about.
#87: Brae
Chef Dan Hunter worked in a number of European restaurants (including serving as head chef in the Basque country at a restaurant called Mugaritz) before coming home to Birregurra, Victoria to open Brae.
For Hunter, ingredients take centre stage in his dishes and he elevates them by playing up a wide assortment of gustatory influences — anything from indigenous to immigrant. Good food, he says, must be able to reflect "our upbringing, interactions and day-to-day experiences" — and that is what Brae does to perfection.
Explore the finest dining experiences in Australia today.