Picture this: you’re strolling along the Seine, the Eiffel Tower sparkling in the distance, when suddenly, your taste buds start a little tango. Sure, you can indulge in croissants and escargot, but then, hmmm…that unmistakable waft of wood-fire in the air…voilà! Peppe!

Ranked best Pizzaiolo in France, this pizzeria was founded by Giuseppe Cutraro, affectionately known as Peppe. A native Neapolitan, Peppe the pizza maker proudly represented France at the world Pizza Championship in Naples which he won hands down. Drop in to 11 Rue Etienne Marcel (2nd arrondissement) and select from classic Margheritas to gourmet toppings that would make even the most seasoned Italian chef nod in approval. Flavour recommendations?

Try the Campione del Mundo – yellow tomatoes, prosciutto, provolone, and mozzarella, roasted almonds and a touch of fig jam – ah bellissimo or should I say magnifique! But wait! What about Dessert?

Continue on the pizza trail by dropping into Cedric Grolet’s Coffee Cafe at 35 Av. De l’Opera (also in the 2nd arrondissement) where your dessert pizza king, with an infectious passion for the perfect pizza cookie, will serve you a slice that makes your decadent heart sing. Flavours?

Choose from Cacahuete (nuts), Fraise (strawberries), Framboise (raspberries), Pistache, Noisette (hazelnut) and Pecan. The cookies come pre-sliced and served in pizza boxes.

Pricey? Yes. Feast for the senses? Most definitely! Nutella crepes be damned! Embrace the unexpected darlings, and let the pizza adventure unfold in the City of Lights!

On a recent interstate flight I was ruminating on said options while flicking through the latest Qantas mag when I came across an article extolling the uniqueness of three restaurants in Dubai. Well that settles it said I, Europe with a stop over in this fine city. Needs must if I am to write with conviction.

But would I bring these restaurant experiences alive in the same captivating manner as Jenny Hewett who wrote the article in question? Clipped straight from the web, link at the end, read on. And if you add one (or all three), to your agenda, let us know about your experience.

Over to Jenny…

Ossiano, Atlantis The Palm Hotel

Chef Grégoire Berger’s “11-wave” experience begins with a slap, albeit of the edible variety. The emulsion-like amuse-bouche, presented in a clear, dissolving sachet and aptly named Slap of the Ocean, is eaten in the total darkness of the “plankton” room. “Don’t be scared,” says the hostess with a laugh as she swirls glowing liquid in a glass orb while an automated recording explains the experience. The scene is being set. Next to Atlantis The Palm’s Lost Chambers Aquarium, Michelin-starred Ossiano is the closest you can get to dining in the sea without scuba gear.

Berger’s latest menu, Escale, which translates to “stopover” in French, charts the 37-year-old chef’s seaside travels from childhood to now, taking in flavours and anecdotes from Brittany to Japan and Morocco, with bursts of olive wakame and yoghurt and mushroom with dashi.

After the amuse-bouche, we’re led to the dining room for the 10 remaining seafood courses. A humpback whale and ethereal crimson-red Spanish fighting fish are giants among the 65,000 other sea creatures in the aquarium in front of us, which comes courtesy of a cleverly placed large-scale digital animation at the back of the room that’s reflected onto the glass.

At one point, the server decants a homemade mulled pinot noir and lights a candle to detect sediment. “I’ll be serving you this candle for your dinner tonight,” he says, snuffing out the flame and chopping the deceptive log of foie gras into four pieces to be spread with sour fruits on brioche.

The surprises don’t stop there. A code is required to unlock a treasure chest containing uni (sea urchin) and seaweed and guests are led to the bar for the mid-meal palate cleanser, a non-alcoholic tequila shot chased with pop rocks and sorbet instead of salt. At the end of the meal, we take home gifts of housemade Japanese dashi in a jar and a booklet capturing chef Berger’s coming-of-age through food.

Seven Paintings, Hyde Hotel Dubai

Those taught not to play with their food will need to reconfigure their manners at the mind-bending, seven-course interactive experience Seven Paintings. In the ballroom of the Hyde Hotel in Dubai’s Business Bay, you’re invited to paint edible colours onto chocolate to recreate your own Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh and add mock “tears” from a dropper bottle to the Picasso dish of chilled poached prawn, mango and passionfruit.

This art-focused meal was conceived by Nadine Beshir, CEO and show producer of Dubai-based Dinner Time Story, and chef Omar Sartwari, who regularly pops up as a projected miniature of himself on the table. The venture, which employs multimedia art, technology and projectors, is Beshir’s fourth. She recently launched a Message in a Bottle experience from the JA Hotel & Resort in Jebel Ali, which takes place aboard the family-friendly boat, Sirene, and has a strong message about climate and sustainability.

The dishes at Seven Paintings are tied back to artworks by Leonardo da Vinci, Banksy, Picasso, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Vincent van Gogh. For the Pollock dish, where guests are encouraged to create an artwork with salad dressing, “we wanted guests to not only understand the art but also to experience it from the artist’s point of view”, says Beshir. “Pollock was about translating movement with music into abstract art. The natural colours of foods like capiscum, beetroot and spinach represent paint and we give our guests the chance to use a paintbrush, listen to jazz and paint on the table.” For extra irreverence, the consommé that accompanies the beef arrives in a Coca-Cola bottle in a nod to the Andy Warhol era.

There’s something underground and a little bit rebellious about this dinner and that’s part of its appeal.

Krasota Dubai, Downtown Dubai

“I’ve always looked at a restaurant as a theatre,” says Vladimir Mukhin, head chef of Russian-born concept Krasota Dubai. Marrying food with visual art from co-owner Anton Nenashev’s digital art studio, the gastronomic theatre opened in April with a grand, interactive immersion that magically brings to life the works of eight renowned 19thand 20th-century Russian artists, including Marc Chagall.

The restaurant seats just 20 guests on a large circular table in a round room that has the effect of a diorama and plays on every human sense. Mukhin uses texture and complex flavours, such as the tart prickly sea-buckthorn berry, to create sensory moments. The soft crunch of young almonds in the crab with limoo amani (dried lime) animates the crystallised texture of Mikhail Vrubel’s painting technique.

Thanks to 20 projectors (one for each diner), a suite of industrial cameras and optical trackers, dishes such as scallop, finger lime and sea asparagus sit under a whirl of moving digital graphics. Meanwhile, masterpieces, including Ukrainian-born Russian painter Ilya Repin’s All In the Details, are projected around the room.

The Krasota team trained in AI for months to distinguish plates from other objects. “No matter where the guest moves their plate, the effect moves along with it,” says Mukhin. This is no amateur production. There are also costumes to help convey the narrative. Our waiter, Abdul, changes his outfit nine times, at one point appearing at the table wearing a sculptural, iceberg-esque headpiece.

The new show, Imaginary Future, which launched in October, explores eight scenarios of human development to come in the next 30 to 50 years, such as life underwater.

Qantas October 23

From Japanese flavour bombs and clever Australian twists to traditional French fare, I’ve just made your life easy by rounding up 10 of our best degustation destinations worth your holiday dollars, starting with my absolute fave…

 Rogue Bistro

NEWSTEAD

A block away from my home, the bolt hole for celebrations, the dark and brooding atmosphere at Rogue Bistro livens the senses to the culinary experience ahead. Immersed in their six-meal degustation menu that rotates monthly, features the freshest local and seasonal produce and epitomises perfect simplicity, and I’m in heaven. I also love that the menu caters to all dietary requirements, ensuring no one misses out.

WEBSITE |I NSTAGRAM

Deer Duck Bistro

AUCHENFLOWER

Deep in the heart of Auchenflower you’ll find Deer Duck Bistro – this French Renaissance-inspired spot delivering a fine dining experience of delectable culinary delights.

Featuring five modern Australian and European degustation menus, there is something for every foodie (yes, including vegetarians). A quirky and artistic vibe, Deer Duck Bistro promises a renaissance of sound, sight, and taste! Oh yum!

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Montrachet

BOWEN HILLS

Scratch that Parisian itch at Montrachet, one of our most acclaimed French restaurants offering a seasonal French menu both traditional and contemporary. Foie gras, lobster tartare anyone? Pair this with Beluga caviar and your favourite French wine. Montrachet’s tasting menu features a six-course meal, where you’ll enjoy flavourful yet delicate French cuisine from start to finish. Yet to experience this one as I just can’t move past their famous double baked crab and cheese souffle, however that caviar coupled with a delectable french wine is beckoning!

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM

Exhibition Restaurant

BRISBANE CITY

Nestled under the streets of Brisbane City, Exhibition is an intimate 24-seat restaurant dishing up a rare multi-sensory dining experience. Exhibition takes inspiration from Japanese-style omakase and the highlight here is in the details – from the handmade cutlery to ceramics from Japanese artists, and cooking artefacts. Staying true to an ethos of simplicity and sustainability, the six-course degustation is as thoughtful as it is mind-blowing.

WEBSITE |I NSTAGRAM

Joy Restaurant

FORTITUDE VALLEY

Joy epitomises the degustation menu, proving that great things really do come in small packages. The compact 10-seat restaurant holds a six-star culinary experience in its intimate omakase-style offering, lovingly served up by founding chefs Tim and Sarah Scott. Whereas other degustations are served under dim lighting with a moody ambience it’s all in the name here at Joy – a unique degustation experience that’s more quirky than imposing.

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM