Ask Mario: a free monthly newsletter full of food, restaurant & chef news etc

In this exclusive extract from Sudi Pigott's fun new book. "how to be a better foodie", discover which restaurants are the hottest tickets on the planet. Why every foodie should visit them at least once, and what to order once you get there. All you gourmets out there, start dreaming now... Iconic pilgrimages Tables to salivate over and, blow-the-expense and waiting list, to try at least once. We know it’s bordering on the fanatical, not to mention gastro-geeky, but the truly committed Better Foodie has a mental wish-list of iconic restaurants that they aspire to make a pilgrimage to, at least once in their lifetime. Blow the expense or difficulty in getting there, not to mention the machinations and intense negotiations necessary to secure a reservation, the determined Better Foodie will plot and plan and considers no restaurant too far… L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris, Tokyo, New York, London Such is Joël Robuchon’s legendary reputation for extreme culinary perfection he’s habitually referred to as the best chef on the planet – even among the most hardboiled critics. Robuchon famously closed his three star temple to haute cuisine in Paris to retire, only to reinvent himself as the forerunner of the ‘bistronomique’ – the highest echelon gastro-bistro. Influenced by tapas and sushi bars, the sublime tasting menu of ‘greatest hits’ is a must, including chestnut soup with foie gras, a shot of poached egg, wild mushrooms and cream; sea scallop with truffle butter; and quite perfect Poulet de Bresse. Le Quartier Francais, Western Cape, South Africa Margot Janse’s Tasting Room at a refined auberge in a French Huguenot enclave of the Cape winelands. She creatively and rigorously seasonally blends French, Malay and South African influences into thought-provoking Better Foodie tasting menus: wild mushroom spätzle with poached duck egg and trufflee froth; crayfish ravioli with wilted lettuce, garlic purée, olive and vanilla foam; paprika-cured Impala loin with cumin scented aubergine; and saffron custard with honey fruits. E Bulli, Girona Probably the hardest to book restaurant in the world, it’s only open for dinner April-September. The Catalonian pilgrimage is non-negotiable: the Better Foodie must experience first-hand the ultimate in irreverent and innovative haute gastro-couture, where staff always outnumber diners. Each season eighty new dishes are created. The 26-course tasting menu, that changes daily – some mere bites or pops – encapsulates this tour de force, plus a few from ‘the archive’: parmesan marshmallow and electric milk; soft boiled quail egg with crisp caramel crust; and melon caviar are surrealism for the palate. Bukhara, New Delhi Better Foodies adore the intensity of flavour and the drama of cooking in clay tandoori ovens, and are suitably blown away by dining at the cave-like Bukhara. We highly approve of being encouraged to eat with our hands (whilst wearing bib-like napkins); messy eating is very Better Foodie. Tiny mutton chops with cloves and cinnamon drizzled with saffron; whole shoulder of lamb marinated in vinegar and black cumin; pomfret with paneer are experiences to relish. Le Manoir Aux Quat Saisons, Oxfordshire, UK Indefatigably passionate Raymond Blanc lives the chef’s plot-to-plate utopia. The bucolic and ultra-spoiling hotel/restaurant is surrounded by the most stunning gardens/potagers including the UK’s most adventurous Asian vegetable collection. Better Foodies aspire to combine the state-of-the-art cookery school with the full menu gourmand splurge: poached brill with wasabi and scallop agnolotti; corn-fed squab with coco beans and chanterelles; earl grey chocolate tart. Cal Pep, Barcelona This is the iconic, manic (there is no menu; pointing is de rigeur) tapas bar – a favourite of Ferran Adria, and the inspiration for London’s Fino. Incomparable seafood includes tiny chiperones with garbanzos (squid with chickpeas); tallarines (wedge clams); langoustines a la plancha; and botifarra (Catalan sausage with beans). Finish with foam shots of crema catalana. Pierre Gagnaire, Paris Wildly creative and intellectual, Gagnaire’s three-star risk-taking menu is always evolving, which leaves the fanatical Better Foodie craving more. His complex menus require fulsome creation and often involve one ingredient treated in several ways. His progressions of petite puddings – especially the chocolate – are truly memorable. Michel Bras, Laguiole, France The apogee of back-to-nature, Pared down three-star cuisine, using rare ‘forgotten’ vegetables and herbs growing wild in the Auvergne – absolutely in tune with Better Foodie sensibilities. The view from the startling modern building is part of the aesthetic. Gargoillou is probably the greatest vegetable dish: more than 30 poached separately with extraordinary multiple textures and encapsulating Bras’ philosophy. Better Foodies also order poached galloise blanche chicken with aligot and his much-imitated molten chocolate cake. Jiro, Tokyo Tucked away in the metro subway, the tiny but exquisitely formed Jiro takes the preparation of sushi and its rice to dizzying heights of perfection (reputedly every grain of rice has been counted!). According to chef Joel Robuchon, it redefines all notions of how the ultimate sushi should taste: the sea urchin, toro tuna marinated in soy sauce for precisely fifteen minutes, and pearl hued turbot are peerless. Manresa, Santa Cruz, California Absolutely in the vanguard of the most inventive and dextrous California cuisine, with influences from Spain, France and Japan (the fish is mostly from Tokyo’s fabled Tsujiki market), David Kinch’s intelligent, playful, matchless technique is truly revelatory. Even the 26-course tasting menu never stays static: sea scallop with bottarga watercress risotto; shellfish and almond gratin; oyster and sea urchin in a sea water gelee; wild mushrooms and foie grass en papillote with slow-poached egg. Da Fiore, Venice Family-run paean to seafood, both earthy and refined, lauded by Marcella Hazan. Dishes the Better Foodie desires include turbot consommé; asparagus and parmigiano custard; red mullet with fresh figs and mint; and Venetian lagoon seasonal speciality: moeche (baby crab). Tetsuya Wakuda, Sydney Ever craving thrilling innovative culinary experiences, the Better Foodie will adore Tetsuya’s fusion of Australian and Japanese ingredients, treated with haute French culinary prowess and served on exquisite bespoke ‘fusion’ ceramics. The dégustation menu transports with silky confit of Petuna Tasmanian ocean trout (from the world’s purest waters) with fennel and daikon; roasted baramundi with bitter greens and truffled peaches; grilled fillet of veal with wasabi and sea urchin butter; orange and black pepper sorbet with honey. French Laundry, California Ultra-sophisticated and technically perfect Thomas Keller’s Californian/French cuisine pays fanatical attention to ingredient provenance of the highest order. Sweet butter-poached Maine lobster with pea shoot salad; ‘tongue in cheek’ cheese desserts and delectable amuses make for a near-perfect Better Foodie experience. Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, London Intimate, cosseting haute French in London – though sightings of the celebrity chef are far from guaranteed. Every Better Foodie wants to have an opinion on whether the cuisine (tortellini of lobster with vinaigrette crustacea and herb velouté; carpaccio of venison with truffle cream) is as superlative as the hype. Chez Panisse, California One of the most influential American chefs of all time, Alice Water’s supra-Foodie mantra of simply prepared, local, well-sourced seasonal produce was, shockingly, outrageously radical in the early 1970s. Her commitment remains undiminished and her menus extraordinarily evocative and inviting: Hog Island oyster ragout; grilled Cattail Creek Ranch lamb with juniper berry sauce, potato and sorrel gratin and Cannard Farm mâche; and Sierra Beauty apple crisp with Meyer lemon. Can Fabes, San Celoni, near Barcelona Self-taught Catalan chef and three-star long timer, Santi Santamaria, doesn’t court publicity, yet the wood-beamed restaurant/hotel/bistro in Montsera National Park close to Barcelona is a gem: prawn ravioli with cep oil; pigeon with duck tartare; and hare en croute with coco beans are masterly and wholly memorable. Echaurren, Ezcaray Besides the established classics, the Better Foodie aspires to keep ahead and claim a pioneering experience with the next generation of iconic chefs. Fourth generation family-run in an arcaded and timbered ski-resort the traditional Riojan menu is overseen by mater in one dining room and son Francis Paniego’s trail-blazing vanguardia cuisine in the other. Oysters with baked squash purée; Iberian ham ice cream with tomato seeds; Iberico croquetas of exquisite lightness; stunning-textured merluza confitada, deep fried and poached. The Fat Duck, Bray, UK Light years ahead, Heston Blumenthal’s culinary frontier-defining curiosity is insatiable. Besides his fabled snail porridge, sardines on toast sorbet and playful deconstructed childhood sweets, his current preoccupation is with the emotion of dining. His fascination with molecular gastronomy is apparent in the pure pleasure of definitive classic and historical dishes, as in his fun and adventurous dégustation menus. Masa, New York Temple to rarified sushi where legendary Masa Takayami really is behind the bar preparing an omakase (translates as ‘chef, I’m in your hands’ experience – there’s no written menu – Takayami has a ‘black book’ to record what each customer eats and their reactions), which may include blissful white truffle tempura in season; aja mackerel in shiso blossom; kobe beef sukiyaki; shabu shabu of lobster; and foie gras, barely poached in broth and dipped in tosazu (vinegar and soy) sauce. Le Louis XV, Alain Ducasse, Monte Carlo This is the pinnacle of de luxe dining upstaged by superlative ingredients. Humble and earthy Mediterranean ingredients are raised to the sublime in jaw-dropping, sumptuous surroundings. Menus are divided into The Vegetable Garden, The Sea and The Farm. Divine asparagus with tiny, mountain morels, rare San Remo gamberi of complex sweetness, wild seabass a la plancha with raw and cooked Italian violet artichokes, milk-fed Pyrenean lamb with hints of cardamom, squab pigeon with truffled liver and chard, hot wild strawberries on icy mascarpone sorbet. And the most mesmerising bread and cheese trolleys. Numerous chefs rate it as their most memorable culinary experience ever. Indisputably a must on every Better Foodie’s ‘to visit’ list – bank balance notwithstanding. Once there we request fabled dishes We feel no compunction about asking for those long-hankered-afer dishes, even if off menu (surely acceptable Foodie code for how seriously we take our dining). Such pursuits definitely bring out the inner collector in the Better Foodie (we always ask for a menu to add to our growing stash). We can’t help a certain amount of acquisitiveness in terms of hankering after those most talked about, purr-inducing, pure Foodie taste experiences. We even enjoy them vicariously, and will happily engage fellow Better Foodies who’ve already notched up a visit to a hallowed dining room in detailed course-by-course savouring. We gleefully, if surreptitiously, congratulate ourselves when we can tick off a good number of definitive dinners in any respected gastro-journal ‘best of the world’ list.