Having registered in culinary school mostly for the copious presence of women therein, Mauro Uliassi, after cultivating his excessive passion for the female charm, developed along side a great love for the cuisine as well. It is thus thanks to women that today we can savor dishes such as this delicious amberfish carpaccio with coconut cream, parsley and Tropea onion, accompanied by raw prawns and sea urchin ice cream.

After earning a wonderful reputation with his first restaurant, La Côte Rôtie d’Ampuis, Manuel Viron and his companion Laurence Drevon moved to Lyon, in a hôtel particulier on the shores of the Rhône, magnificently restaured by the artist Pierre Gangloff. Inside, Manuel offers dishes of “the taste of the day” like this one. It is an interesting pre-dessert made from Fourme d’Ambert cheese with comice pears, Cracker cheese filled with Medjoul dates and a beer gelatin of dark Guinness.

For more than forty years, the fundamental philosophy of Elkano has remained unchanged. The finest prime ingredients are always used. Turbot, sole, clams, spiny lobster, kokotxas… Pedro Arregui is unbending: if the product is not of the acceptable, very high standard, you can be sure that it will never arrive at your table. Overall, the recipes here are not very complicated: at Elkano fish is prepared with the most simple of techniques, with a religious respect for the raw product. The triumph of essence.

Quique Dacosta loves Italian products and this dish is a good demonstration of it. Over the Parmesan cream, covered by a veil of basil gelatin, wild basil leaves are placed along side sprigs of Greek basil, lemon basil sprouts, red basil leaves, holy (Tulsi) basil flowers, anise (Thai) basil leaves, and common basil seeds. A dish that deals with essence and absolutes, based on subtle but intense nuances of flavor.

Worthy of Bach’s Goldberg variations!