DANIEL SIA,

culinary director of The Lo & Behold Group

The White Rabbit in Moscow, Russia comes to mind. The table my wife and I had was perfect – we were in direct view of the sunset – and that set the mood for the rest of the evening. The degustation menu was a stunning showcase of the local produce in each dish – the restaurant manager introduced every ingredient used as if he was reading poetry. If you’ve watched the Netflix’s Chef’s Table episode of White Rabbit’s chef-owner Vladimir Mukhin, you will definitely remember the iconic moose lips as part of the menu. Unfortunately during our visit there wasn’t any, but we had the chance to try a treasure trove of dishes. From freshly baked bread made from the bark of the birch tree, homegrown honey and wild strawberries and swan’s liver to the “original” liquour that Russians used to drink (made from wheat before vodka became a big hit). After our rather ful(l)filling meal, we were each gifted a housemade scent of their local borodinsky bread.