Nearly everywhere you travel you find amazing restaurants. We live in a time when we’re fortunate enough to experience all the flavors of the world. We have chefs and restauranteurs who are driven to share these unique experiences with us. There are a few restaurants, though, that really stand out and are making their mark as they redefine the luxury dining experience.
Ultraviolet
Chef Paul Pairet’s Ultraviolet is a unique experience in an old neighborhood of Shanghai. We can’t compare it to anything because it is unlike any other restaurant you’ll encounter. They call their experimental dining concept Ultra Dining and you must experience it to completely understand.
Conceived by Paul Pairet since 1996 and opened in 2012, Ultraviolet is the first restaurant of its kind uniting food with multi-sensorial technology in order to create a fully immersive dining experience.
There is one single table in the restaurant, it seats 10, and guests dine on a set menu consisting of 20 courses. Plan to book in advance by at least three months.
oNoir
For the more adventurous among us, oNoir is a French-Italian restaurant in which food is served by a blind staff to its patrons who are sitting in complete darkness.
This socially conscious concept originated from Jorge Spielmann, a blind pastor in Zurich who would blindfold his dinner guests so they could share his eating experience.
An experience is certainly is! While it may not be the most luxurious of selections from the list, its use of your other senses ensures its ranking. A visit to oNoir will heighten your appreciation for the visual aspect of dining. They have two locations, one in Montreal and one in Toronto.
The Supper Club
Defined as a restaurant without walls, The Supper Club has taken an old model and updated for today’s culinary needs.
The Supper Club an old-school social network of talented, interesting, and like-minded individuals coming together for exclusive, salon-style soirees in alluring locales across the globe.
They are currently operating in London, New York, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Each month they host eight gatherings. These gatherings could be at a hot restaurant, a beautiful private residence, or some other unique space and each features “high style, a discerning palate, and a unique sense of whimsy”. You’ll need to become a member to enjoy The Supper Club, but as they say, membership has its rewards.
The Black Swan, Oldstead
Rounding out our list is the current “best restaurant in the world”. It’s an unlikely restaurant for such an honor as it is in the village of Oldstead on the edge of the North York Moors in the United Kingdom. Its head chef, Tommy Banks, notes that “I think people like that we’re quite chilled out”. Indeed, he’s likely correct. The story of the restaurant is a bit of a fairy tale. Tommy and his brother James were put in charge of the restaurant when they were only 17 and 19 years old. Their parents bought the pub in 2006. Seven years after being put in charge, Tommy became the youngest recipient of the Michelin Star. Plan ahead and also stay in one of the guest rooms on the property.
What do you think of when you think of luxury dining? Have we challenged your thoughts of that definition? We hope you’ll explore some of these innovative restaurants that are redefining luxury dining. For more on amazing dining destinations, read The World’s Five Best Cities for Food.
