360 Degrees (Dubrovnik, Croatia) 08/2018

Michelin starred restaurants are not too common in Croatia but there’s one in Dubrovnik. Right on the edge of the Old City harbour it’s terrace seating look over an ever changing scene as ferries and other boats constantly come and go.

The scenery is second to none. Also available are cubicles, equipped with fans, if one does not wish to sit outside. Table settings are simple and attractive.

Cutlery

and glassware are excellent.

From start to end this is a classy restaurant.

Their menu is remarkably flexible. They have two five course degustation menus. One ‘Retrospective’ Mario, the chef’s, best dishes over the last decade and ‘Mario’, his current best dishes. They have remarkable flexibility. Two people at the one table can each have a different tasting menu and beyond that they also allow one change per patron which allows avoidance of an undesired product or choice of an item not on the selected menu.

There is also an à la carte menu.

We chose to have both tasting menus.

Starting with the traditional amuse bouche

Bread comes with two butters - one a foie gras flavour and the other truffle flavoured!

the menu continued as follows:

RETROSPECTIVE

RED PRAWNS

Carpaccio / Citrus emulsion / Sour turnip.

MACKERAL

Bonito dressing / Chimchurri / Celery purée / Cucumber

We swapped this for a beetroot risotto

OCTOPUS

Fennel / Lime ravioli / Fish soup

SEABASS

Cream of garlic and potatoes / Cuttlefish / Lemon cream / Green sauce.

This was some sort of palate cleanser!

COFFEE

Chocolate and coffee granache / Cocoa nibs crumbs / Marscapone cream / Vanilla ice cream.

MARIO

CARROT

Slow cooked / Cream & chips / Black garlic / Pine nuts

SCAMPI

Kadaif / Jerusalem artichoke / Scampi cappuccino

TURBOT

Cauliflower cream / Clams / Dark fish stock

BLACK PORK

Neck / Sour onion tart / Pork skin chips / Sweet potato / Cream of mustard

CHOCOLATE

Coffee / Chocolate mousse / Orange / Raspberry sorbet 

The meal was completed with an offering of hand made sweets/chocolates,

including some surprise inclusions.
Comments: These are adventurous menus in which it is inevitable that some dishes will not meet expectations, indeed it is possible that none of them will! Everything was very good but, in my view, they are lucky to get a Michelin star and might struggle to keep it. As always presentation was excellent. Some dishes were rather tiny, e.g. the scampi but overall they were adequate. 
Score: 17/20

Cracco (Milan) 08/2018

Early this year Cracco moved a few hundred meters from an interesting tiny street, Victor Hugo, where it was adjacent to Galli, a renowned cake and confectionary maker and about 80 meters from Pec, undoubetly one of the best delicatessens in the world, to the elegant Corso Victor Emmanuel next door to the Milan Cathedral.
Formerly government offices the rooms are elegant, 

with large antique mirrors

and simple lighting.

with well spaced white clothed tables set with attractive display plates. 

Everything speaks of quality, Zalto glassware,

special cutlery, 

crockery with matching designs all in rooms decorated in Roman villa style.
The windows look out over the arcade 

which, even at 11.30 pm, has plenty of pedestrian traffic.

The restaurant offers either à la carte or a 13 course tasting menu. (190 Euro which is currently a touch under A$300)

Clueless as to what to order we naturally chose the degustation menu.

After a couple of curiously presented amuseè bush

 

These, of course, are not radishes 

There is a delicate paté under these crisps of fish skin. 

Caramelised Russian Salad

Sugar coated this was surprisingly successful, I'm sure it's not only because of my sweet tooth.

A crusty loaf of bread and plenty of butter was presented early in the meal.

Baby Sea Scallop, Saffron and Liquorice

All the flavours were there. The scallop, diced, was very mild. I'd rather it had been whole.

Marinated Snapper, Avocado, Chili Pepper and Almonds

My mouth is watering just from remembering the dish.

Santa Magharita Purple Prawns, Black Chickpea, Artemisia and Moscato Flavoured Lard 

You have to taste it to believe it. Moscato flavoured lard, set like clear aspic lay on top of the prawns, which were not actually purple. Somehow these weird combinations really worked to make exciting and memorable dishes. 

Soft Mountain Egg, Lettuce, Smoked Beetroot, Yougurt and Snail Caviar

We could eat this as an entrée every day of the week.

Risotto with Tomato, Lobster, Pea and Mint

Canaroli super fino arborio rice cooked in the Italian style but too al dente for my liking.

Hand Made Ravioli with Pigeon Offal, and Legs and Mushroom and Anise Broth, Oysters and Cocoa

Another curious dish. Tastes blended so nothing was offensive. The pasta quite al dente - again.

Pigeon Breast 'a la Milanese', and Soused Vegetables

This could be a signature dish in any restaurant in the world. Beautifully presented, perfectly prepared miniature vegetable, lightly crumbed pigeon breast and a strip of pigeon fillet, Mag Nif Icent.

Bone Marrow on the Griddle, Fava Beans, Spring Onion and Dark Chocolate

Date Sorbet, Pistachio and Black Truffle

Crescenza Fresh Cheese, Red Fruit and Elderflowers.

 

We drank house wine at approximately A$50 /glass. They evidently have an incredible cellar with some 2000 wines but for house wine there was a choice of only two - red or white! I am a trifle resentful at having had to pay almost A$20 for bottled water.

This was far and away the best meal we ate in Italy and, if we were to judge, on the basis of what we had in terms of location, service, ambiance and food Carlo Cracco's restaurant is well worth two Michelin stars.
Nothing is perfect but virtually every dish was a triumph of presentation, colour and taste with a refined variety displayed in almost every course.
Score:18.75 /20

Kyo Ya (East Village Manhattan) 01/2017

The entrance is even more obscure at night! 

No body could discover this place by accident. Not only does it have no sign of it's name outside but also it is in a basement. Once you do get there it is immediately clear that you are in a Japanese restaurant. Decor is fairly minimalist.

Lighting also simple


Furnishing is also plain and inoffensive. They have seating for 36 including a private room.

They offer an a la carte menu 

and a kasei or degustation menu, for which you have to book at least one day ahead of your visit, of nine, 10 or 11 courses priced at $90, $120 or $150 so it's quite expensive.
We chose the 10 course menu.
The table was simply set with the 10 course menu on the table.

The courses were:
"Zatsuki," Arugo Arare, a slice of fish (teal) deep fried in a crunchy coating, lightly seasoned. 
A nice start
"Sakisuki", translates as Drinker, Kintsuba Yaki Goma, Sesame Tofu and Yaki Uni with sea urchin and wasabi followed
Third course was "Oshinogi" - Grilled Saba and Pickled Cabbage Sandwich

A nice combination of tastes and textures.
"Owan" - Rencon and brown rice Potage, Age Cauiflower manju The soup is chicken soup based but has no resemblance to that.
The manju was a gluey dumpling made with cauliflower and potato but neither was recognizable,

It was an interesting and very moorish soup.
"Otsukuri"  (Sashimi) - Fresh Oyster and Sushimi of the Day - Chef's Selection came in two parts. 
The large oyster, from Washington, decorated with an edible petal in a delicious sauce, 
Followed by six slices of different fish, Abalone, Spanish Mackeral, Tuna, Striped fish, White fish and Salmon Trout  accompanied by a Sea Urchin paste, a Jelly Fish in sauce and a dipping sauce as well as Chrysanthanum, Wasabi and Seaweed. 

If you wished there were small nori sheets to make your own sushi roll as well.

This dish was as good as it looked.

Sixth course was "Yakimono" (which translates as grilled, fried or broiled food) - Kan Buri. Yellow Tail, Yellow TailKuwa-yaki with Soba gome and Julienne Winter Vegetable Salad

Another joy to the palate.
Followed by "Nimono" This refers to a dish that is simmered, it generally consist of a base ingredient simmered in shiru stock flavoured with sake and soy sauce .Fried Turnip, Aigamo Jibu-ni, Brussel Sprout Kuzu, An Kake. with a slice of duck breast.
A strange sort of soup not dominated by the turnip or the sprouts.
Eighth course was "Tomezakama" - Winter Seafood, fish, crab, scallop and salmon caviar, and Winter Fruit with Yamakake Vinegar.

Still continuing to surprise and appeal the addition of the vinegar made the dish.
It was served with Red Miso Soup and Pickles.

"Oshokuji"  Oyster and Gobo Kamakaki,

This is a substantial rice dish that is laced with oysters and ensures that no guest leaves hungry.
We took what we could not finish home, wrapped in a leaf!
The last course was 
Dessert - Chickpea Zenzai with Sweet Potato, 
Pumpkin Ice Cream.

Neither of these were very sweet which was a good way to end this meal.
This is Japanese Haute cuisine. The menu is, for us, very unusual. Although there are many ingredients to every dish and the plating is very attractive flavours were very mild. There were some unusual combinations but the dishes were quite conservative with nothing absolutely outstanding but everything very good, Small amounts of sea urchin feature in several dishes, wasabi is offered with discretion. 
There is an attempt to connect the food to the food being served in Japan at this time. It was the equal of the best Japanese food we have ever eaten.
We enjoyed a couple of carafe of sake through the meal. 

Worth its Michelin star
Score:17.5 /20