Tetsuya's

'Rock star' chef Tetsuya Wakuda has had plenty of hits over the years, and his 10-course degustation feels like a 'best of' album of Australian event dining. Confit ocean trout? Still one of Australia’s best dishes after two decades, gloriously soft, beautifully textured. Salad of the sea? Always packed with flavour, as five seasonal seafood components such as tuna and leatherjacket mingle among seaweeds, tapioca pearls and sushi rice. Chocolate cake? Tetsuya’s gloss remains on this wonderfully indulgent dish, layered with vanilla, chocolate and macadamia pourings so precise in temperature and consistency that you’d never replicate it at home. Service can feel rehearsed, and the consulate-style dining rooms evoke functionality more than sparkle, but the impressive wine and sake list compensates. An infusion of more new ideas and creative imagination (recently Singapore-directed) would set Tetsuya's up for the next decade of hits.

And … In Singapore, try Tetsuya’s acclaimed sister restaurant, Waku Ghin.

THE LOW-DOWN
Vibe Stiff formality meets Japanese tradition.
Best bit The Tetsuya classics. 
Worst bit Not enough classics-to-be.