Attica, Ripponlea, Victoria (Alissa and Don Eat Australia)

When it comes to restaurant reservations, I'm a pretty organised guy. For our honeymoon, I secured tables at all the more difficult to book restaurants months in advance; the then (3 Star-Michelin) Caprice in Hong Kong was secured 6 months ahead, Otto e Mezzo Bombana and Iggy's reservations booked within the first week of their booking windows being opened for the dates we wanted. I even kept a file with all our 20+ reservation confirmation emails printed out just in case we confused times or a restaurant forgot to take our booking down properly. What can I say; I'm a planner by profession.

So when I realised I'd missed the first two days to book a table at Attica, I was filled with a deep foreboding that we'd totally missed out on getting a table for our Melbourne trip - even with a range of dates for the restaurant to select from. The third day in a reservation window for a table 3 months away should not normally be this hard to secure, but such is the frenzy since Attica's incredibly successful 2013; voted #21 in the world on the S Pellegrino List, The Good Food Guide's 2014 Restaurant of the Year and a Chef of the Year win for Head Chef Ben Shewry. David Chang recently went so far as to say Shewry is doing 'god's work in Melbourne', so actually getting a reservation at Attica is kind of a big deal. With all this hype, most of the dates I had wanted were totally booked out, and the only date available did not have a table for two.
"What do you have?"
"We have a table for 4 or for 6."
"Okay, I'll take the four."
"You know you won't be able to split it..."
"That's okay... we'll make it work!"

Iggy's, Orchard Rd, Singapore (Alissa and Don Eat Asia Day 22, Part 1)

I don't generally eat beef. I mean, if I accidentally order it or if I'm served it I will eat it but in general its not a regular part of my diet. I gave up eating beef about 3-4 years ago after reading about the environmental impact of cattle farming and not wanting to give up all meat decided that beef was an easy one for me to cut out. Perhaps its because it was never my favourite I seldom miss eating beef, especially since I've taken a strong liking to kangaroo as my bovine analogue of choice. For this trip I knew there were going to be times where beef would be on set menus or were integral parts of an authentic dish (as in Satay Perut), so I decided that I would partake in beef in those circumstances.

Why do I start with a long spiel about beef eating? Because if ever there was an argument that I should be eating beef, Iggy's definitely makes a strong case.

Dum Pukht, Mumbai, India (Alissa and Don Eat Asia Day 18, Part 2)

Flying back into Mumbai from Cochin I was dreading the inevitably annoying taxi experience we would have. We were headed to the hotel ITC Maratha for our dinner at Dum Pukht, a restaurant that specialises in the eponymous refined style of cooking food at low temperatures and longer durations in containers sealed with dough. Even though we went with the safe route of the prepaid counter, dealing with the taxi driver was reliably frustrating as they initially put our suitcase on the roof rack without tying it up, and then the driver had a friend come along for 'baggage' service - aka getting a tip for doing nothing.

Arriving in our beat up yellow and black taxi at the luxury hotel was a comically out of place juxtaposition that you may find in a Wes Anderson movie In spite of probably looking a bit out of place next to all the private cars, the hotel staff were lovely, and after scanning our bags through their strict security assisted us as we headed to Dum Pukht for our meal. When we arrived it seemed that in spite of a confirmation email that my reservation had not been recorded, however given that they were not particularly busy we were seated immediately in the restaurant's opulent dining room. Having eaten here 4 years ago, the restaurant had had a serious refit in the interim and really looked like a restaurant fit for Indian royalty from a bygone era. By far, Dum Pukht had the best décor of any restaurant we ate at in India.

Our waiter Ashok initially gave us the a la carte menu, but also gave us the option of a complimentary meal if we bought a very expensive bottle of wine (not something I was interested in) and also a set dinner featuring many of their signature dishes. Seeing their famous Dum Biryani on the menu, we decided that the non-veg multi-course set dinner was the way to go, along with a bottle of French Syrah.

Instead of the obligatory bread of other more European fine dining establishments, we were served some tube shaped papads. Though the presentation was very interesting it was not exactly surprising in terms of flavour – about what I would expect for a good papad.

Our starter was a kabab taster consisting of Murgh Chandi Tikka (chicken) and Dum Pukht Kakori (lamb). The chicken was delicious and incredibly soft – completely different to the spicier style more commonly encountered. This tikka used a 'royal' cumin marinade resulting in a lighter, more refined dish. Still, as good as this was, it was no where near as amazing as the lamb. A signature dish of the restaurant's, the lamb was described as 'melt in your mouth' - though this was an understatement. Just touching the kabab with a knife was enough to cut it, and it was easily the smoothest lamb mince I've ever eaten, spiced wonderfully with cloves, cinnamon and saffron. We wondered how on earth they managed to remove the meat from the skewers as the softness would have been a difficult challenge even for the most careful of chefs. Ashok explained that once there was a king who loved eating lamb kababs, however as he had no teeth he commanded his royal kitchen to make lamb mince so soft he could eat it without chewing. This was the dish they created. After our excellent lunch at East Indies, it seemed like we'd struck gold yet again.

Our main was served in two courses. The first was a trio of curries – the dum cooked Murgh Khushk Purdah (chicken), Shahi Nehari (lamb) and Maash Qaliya (moong bean). 

All three were excellent in their own right but the real standout was again the amazing lamb. Cooked overnight, the lamb curry was 'assimilated' (whatever that means) with extract of basmatti in milk with almond paste.

It was so smooth it looked like the smoothest gravy known to man, with most refined spiciness. This was served with a a basket of roti. The naan was more restrained than the over the top variety at Trishna, and though it would have been inappropriate in this setting we felt we preferred Trishna's naan. The paratha on the other hand was easily the best paratha we had in our trip – lovely layers of cooked dough that outclassed every parotta we had in Kerala. Possibly the best I've ever had.

There was so much curry, that even with an additional scoop of chicken and lamb to our bowls there would have been over half a bowl of each curry left when we decided to move onto the rice, so if you're a bigger eater than we are you can really fill up at this stage of the evening. But please please please leave some space for what would have to be one of the best biryanis you'll ever eat. Due to the slow cooking method and the more restrained spiciness of the dum pukht cooking method, the rice in the signature Dum Biryani has a very different texture to any other biryani I've ever had. Where most rice holds together in clumps to some extent, each grain could almost been eaten one by one – this is the most perfectly cooked rice. Having been basically slowly steamed in its own juices while sealed in its cooking vessel, the rice is incredibly flavoursome while maintaining the refined elegance of fine dining. I'd usually choose naan over biryani, but I'll make an exception for this Dum Biryani.

We took a bit of a break after the rice, and then moved onto dessert. We were served a quartet of Indian sweets – Gulab Jamun, Ras Malai, Saffron Falooda noodles and Saffron and Pistachio Kulfi. All we perfect examples of these Indian sweets, with the Gulab Jamun and Ras Malai being very traditional and the other two dishes being opulent versions of the classics thanks to the addition of saffron.

To finish, we were served a tray of non-tobacco paan as a freshener.

The Verdict: Exceptional

If you're not staying at ITC Maratha, getting to Dum Pukht can be a little inconvenient – especially if you're staying in the Fort area. That means the best time to go is on the way to or from the airport, and we found going to Fort from ITC was expensively jacked up in price because of the assumption we must have had some money to have eaten there. Still, in spite of all the inconvenience I can thoroughly recommend the food at Dum Pukht as being truly exceptional examples of Indian cuisine at its more refined, elegant and opulent. There is another Dum Pukht in Delhi that I have on good authority is even better than in Mumbai, being the best restaurant in India on the S. Pellegrino list. Regardless, if you're in either city Dum Pukht should be required eating.

Indigo, Mumbai, India (Alissa and Don Eat Asia Day 9, Part 2)

Located behind the luxurious Taj Hotel and famous for being a favourite haunt of everyone from Bill Clinton to the Bollywood elite, Indigo has become a famous institution of Mumbai's fine dining scene. The restaurant has a beautiful website, and upon reading their impressive sounding fusion menu I knew we had to make a reservation for a meal at no. 28 on S. Pellegrino's Best Restaurants in Asia list.

Our taxi pulled in behind the Taj, and it was not 100% clear which restaurant was Indigo. Perhaps to maintain their exclusivity (or perhaps because we we're blind), we did not see any signage pointing out that this was indeed Indigo. However, upon seeing the rooftop lined with fairy light-filled palm trees and the swanky interior of the ground floor, I knew we had to be at the right place.

'Indigo?' I asked the well dressed doorman.

'Yes sir,' he said as he ushered us in.

When I made the reservation the restaurant couldn't confirm us a table on the rooftop balcony as they had had a penciled in reservation for the top floor, presumably a private party or a famous celebrity not wanting to be bothered by starstruck diners. As luck would have it, the rooftop was relatively empty, and we were given a seat with a good view of the restaurant as well as overlooking the street below. I'm glad we go a seat here – this is likely one of the prettiest restaurants in Mumbai, looking like it borrowed some design tips from restaurants in Udaipur.

It pays to make a reservation as along with their usual seasonal menu a special additional menu was made available for us to choose from, including a few I'd shortlisted as 'must tries' when I saw their menu online.

We ordered two cocktails as aperitifs – Alissa ordered a Zombie (Bacardi white and dark, Amaretto, crème de banana, orange juice, lime juice and grenadine), and I had the Long Beach Ice Tea (which has all the spirits, plus cranberry juice). I always feel a good cocktail should always be greater than the sum of its parts and these were excellent cocktails – balanced in not being overly or weakly alcoholic; these were juicy with fruit and refreshing.

Dinner is served in three courses, all a la carte. Rahul Akerkar, the chef at Indigo, has such a great sensibility for combining flavour that it took us a while to decide what we wanted to eat as everything sounded so good. To give you an idea of some of the dishes we did not order – Potato and morel gnocchi with truffle veloute; Jerk spiced tandoori roasted chicken with jus; scallion polenta and sauteed broccoli; ravioli of mud crab, broiled lobster tail with Indigo's lobster risotto; and crispy duck breast with pulled duck pastilla.

As we were deciding, the obligatory bread basket was placed on our table. The bread was, unfortunately, a little disappointing compared to the amazingly crispy on the outside, soft in the middle creations of both Otto e Mezzo Bombana and Caprice. This might be a matter of local taste, but as a result Alissa and I did not really partake much in the bread. Oh well, all the more space for the dishes we finally decided on and ordered.

As we waited for our first course, an amuse bouche of what I think was apricot chicken mousse was served to us. This was good but not amazing, as the sweetness was the thing that Alissa and I were left with, and not much else. A decent try, but we've definitely had better.

Our first course items arrived in reasonable time. I've been dying to try some heart of palm and desiring something a bit lighter after the perpetual curry diet, my first course was Prawns and Hearts of Palm Salad, with arugula, raspberry coulis and ranch dressing. This was just what I wanted – the prawns were cooked perfectly with the ranch dressing not overpowering. The palm hearts had been seared nicely and after the anticipation of finally getting to eat palm hearts, this was not a let down. On the fork, all the elements combined beautifully. I was very happy with my selection.

Alissa wasn't after something light and instead went for decadently heavy – French Farm Foie Gras Terrine served with pickled rhubarb, rhubarb soup and fruit nut brioche. Alissa commented that the Foie Gras was so deliciously creamy it had something of the quality of blue cheese. The rhubarb soup was served as a foam and the pickled rhubarb tasted almost like a compote. Both were a nice sweet and light contrast to the creaminess of the Foie Gras. Alissa felt that the bread for the fruit and nut brioche was markedly better than the bread served in the bread basket and that the fruit and nut salsa was delicious, again pairing nicely with the richness of the Foie Gras. As with mine, this was an impressive first course.

After a well paced break our second course arrived. I'd ordered the Rack of New Zealand Lamb, with green tea risotto, miso eggplant and wakame emulsion. Given the experimental fusion of the dish, this was either going to be good or a complete disaster. Thankfully, this was excellent. The lamb was perfectly cooked and was very juicy, with the wakame emulsion being a surprisingly good pairing with the strong flavours of lamb. The miso egglant just tasted like very good eggplant, so I wasn't sure where the miso part was, but then miso can sometimes be subtle that way. The real star of the dish though was the incredible green tea risotto. Who would have thought to add macha powder to risotto, and that the chalky, slightly bittersweet flavour of green tea would combine so well with the cheese flavour of risotto? This part of the dish was outstanding.

Alissa's main was on my shortlist of second course choices, but the dish sounded so perfectly attuned to Alissa's taste buds I had to let her be the one to order the Sous Vide Pork Belly with maple glazed apple, choucroute and corn sauce. As you'd expect with as precise a cooking method as sous vide, the pork belly was perfectly cooked - unctuous and juicy - not at all dry and overcooked as disappointing pork dishes can be. As sous vide's non-direct cooking method often means that while cooked perfectly it lacks maillard reaction flavours, however Indigo astutely gave the pork a delicious maple glaze. While it wasn't crispy as you expect pork belly to be, Alissa felt that the maple glaze was the best thing about the pork. Being a massive fan of apple with pork, the glazed apple was also a hit with Alissa, and mixing a piece of pork and piece of apple with some of the corn sauce was a delicious mouthful.

I knew what I wanted as my dessert before we even arrived at Indigo, and I'm very glad we booked ahead as it was not on the main menu – odd considering its something of a signature dessert. On the plate, the Chocolate Jalapeno Fondant with Vanilla Ice Cream and Lemon Sauce looks very ordinary, though as soon as you drive a spoon into the fondant a lovely river of thick, warm chocolate oozes out onto the plate.

If you've read other posts on the blog, you'll know I'm a bit harsh when it comes to chocolate dessert. Not the case this time. Tasting a spoon of the fondant alone, it at first just tastes like a very good chocolate fondant, but nothing special or overly memorable. And just when I was about to pass judgment I was hit bit the delayed zing of the jalapeno, and had to admit this was an excellent dessert or as the waiter put it, 'this one is truly awesome'. The vanilla ice cream and lemon sauce may seem to be a bit simplistic (I probably would have wanted something like white chocolate ice cream for example), but I think it showed great restraint on the part of the chef as it allowed the fondant to be the true focal point and 'hero' of the dish.

When Alissa chose the Pineapple Upside Down Cake, I wasn't sure how they were going to elevate this dish from the image I have of cooking it in high school cooking classes as a fairly rustic and old fashioned dessert. When the dish arrived, you could tell right away that they had succeeded. The cake was plated beautifully between two sheets of sheets of caramel, seared caramelized pineapple and rosemary ice cream(!) on the side. I'm not much of a cake person, but this was excellent; reminiscent of but far better than the upside down cakes I've eaten in the past. The highlight of the dish was the rosemary ice cream; combined with the soft sponge of the cake, its burnt caramelized pineapple glaze and the glazed pineapple pieces the rosemary flavour sat wonderfully in the picture that the dessert painted – to my mind, something like an old school British colonial meal, the kind of conjuring up of nostalgia and memory that someone like Heston Blumenthal would champion.

Petit Fours served were simple chocolates. These were unfortunately very ordinary in comparison to the desserts we had just eaten, and couldn't compare to the chocolate petit fours at both Otto e Mezzo or Caprice.

The Verdict: Excellent

With such an extensive menu filled with many dishes that sound amazing, Indigo's menu will have you spoiled for choice. Yet considering two of my three dishes as well as our wine came off the additional menu prepared for us, I thoroughly recommend making a reservation to get more choice for your Indigo experience. Service was exceptional – waiters were polite, attentive but never overstayed their welcome by the table side. And most importantly, all the dishes we chose were excellent and very satisfying, with the only real let downs being the less than stellar bread selection, the good but not great amuse bouche and the ordinary petit fours. I'll forgive these small missteps as the good points greatly outweighed the negatives. While I don't think I'd travel to Mumbai just to eat at Indigo as there are places in Australia that do this kind of food as well or better, its definitely a must eat destination for surprisingly modernist cooking in an otherwise largely traditional dining scene.