Sunday, October 07, 2007

Gastronomic Extravagance

It probably won't surprise anyone that London is now the most expensive city to dine in. As per Zagat Survey, the average price of an evening meal in a Zagat rated restaurant is $78 per person. Tokyo and Paris follow close behind with $73 and $ 72 respectively. BusinessWeek provides more details.

Gordon Ramsey LondonHere's a picture of Gordon Ramsey in London. Their $224 seven-course dinner is the most expensive meal in town—and that's without drinks and the 12.5% gratuity. Samplings include roasted foie gras with white asparagus, pan-fried scallops with octopus and parmesan sauce, and roasted duck breast with rutabaga and honey.

The restaurant's celebrity chef has been awarded 10 Michelin stars so far and some of you may have seen him on TV hosting Hell's Kitchen or Kitchen Nightmares on FOX. For other pricey meals in restaurants across the globe, click here.

The Golden Opulence SundaeAnd here's a look at The Golden Opulence Sundae, the world's most expensive at $1000 per serving, at the Serendipity, New York City. Scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with smoky Madagascar vanilla are coated in 23-carat edible gold leaf, which leaves a ring of gold dust around people’s mouths. Suffused with bittersweet chocolate and rare chocolate chunks, gold-plated dragets and truffles, the sundae is eaten with an 18k gold spoon and a mother-of-pearl spoon is reserved for the mini-bowl of sweetened, de-salted caviar on top. The utensils stay at the restaurant, but the Baccarat crystal goblet is yours for the taking.

The Sultan's Golden CakeFinally, the $1000 Sultan's Golden Cake at the Ciragan Palace Kempinski at Instanbul. It takes 72 hours to make this edible brick of gold, available by special request. Spiked with apricots, pears, quince and figs that have been marinating in Jamaican rum for two years, and flavored with shaved caramelized black truffles, this 24-carat gold leaf-covered cake is presented in a sterling silver handcrafted cake box with a golden seal.

If you have still have any more money left to pamper your taste-buds, click here for other options.

5 comments:

ecrvain said...

Not a big foodie but you do make it sound very tempting Shantanu :)

priyadarshan said...

yes, I agree with Gagan on the second part " but you do make it sound very tempting Shantanu :)"

Anonymous said...

@gagan, priyadarshan: Welcome to my blog, and thanks. :-)

Anonymous said...

How about the 1000 dollar omelet made with lobster and sevruga caviar at Norma's in New York? Food for chumps with money!

Great blog, Shantanu... do check out Chowhound if you're planning a trip to NYC, they're always full of opinionated recommendations that won't put a hole in the pocket.

Anonymous said...

@amrita: I guess that are enough ways to part with your money, even when you have a lot of it. :-)

'Will keep Chowhound in mind!