Scaling the heights: star chef Best to reinvigorate a Sydney icon

Celebrated Australian chef Mark Best - one of the finest pan handlers of his generation - will open Infinity by Mark Best next month.

Best, known for his outstanding Marque restaurant in Surry Hills, will head a new culinary project on the top level of Sydney Tower.

In partnership with Trippas White Group (TWG), the reimagined restaurant on level 81 will be re-born as "a reflection of contemporary Australian dining".

Best has been earmarked as the man to reinvigorate the iconic Sydney space.

“Infinity by Mark Best is an opportunity to define what Australian dining can truly be: delicious, contemporary, culturally resonant, and grounded in ingredients and identity,” Best said.

“I want to tell a story of place, memory and innovation - to express who I am, and who we are - on a plate.

"I want to explore the evolving story of Australian cuisine, drawing on memory, transforming the familiar, and crafting a dining experience that connects land, culture and imagination; in a setting unlike any other, 81 floors above the city that shaped me.”

Best’s opening menu will include signature snacks like Coffin Bay oysters with grilled sea foam and South Coast Sea Urchin crumpets.

The wine list, curated by Best alongside sommelier for Infinity by Mark Best, Polly Mackarel, will be exclusively Australian.

Paul Romanella, executive general manager at TWG, said: “Partnering with one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs is an exciting milestone for TWG. This collaboration is not only a celebration of culinary excellence but a bold statement of our commitment to championing the best of Australia in a world class setting. Together, we’re creating an unparalleled dining experience.”

Designed to seat 90 guests, Infinity by Mark Best opens on August 13.

See https://infinitysydneytower.com.au/whats-on/mark-best/

Toothsome twosome sign on with new Melbourne hotel

When I lived in Sydney some years ago, the late lamented Marque was our "special occasion" restaurant. Chef Mark Best has a rare talent.

This week it was announced that the soon-to-open Ritz-Carlton in Melbourne has unveiled its culinary team. Executive chef Michael Greenlaw will take the helm, in partnership with culinary advisor Mark Best.

The pair apparently shares "a vision to deliver hyper-local, innovative and inspiring cuisine".

Greenlaw has a track record of over 15 years spent in five-star hotels and Michelin-starred and hatted restaurants - including Bibendum in London, Gilt in New York and Melbourne's Vue de Monde.

Best is, of course, an icon of Australian cuisine, whose culinary pedigree spans three decades.

Greenlaw says: “Our vision for the dining experience at The Ritz-Carlton Melbourne is driven by a quest for the unusual, the hard to find and the hyper-seasonal.

"It's this quest that shapes the way we source our produce, informs our menus and inspires the culinary experiences we create for diners. We want Melbournians as well as guests to adopt our restaurant as their own.”

Best says Greenlaw will shine when the hotel opens in March next year.

“Michael Greenlaw is one of the quiet heroes of the Australian culinary scene," he says.

"His food is thoughtful but also unexpected, beautiful but never stuffy. The experience will be all about what is on the plate, and Michael and I just love the fact that you can look out the windows and see where the food on your plate is sourced; from the Macedon Ranges in the west to the Dandenongs to the east, and Port Philip Bay stretching out in front of you.

"It gives a deep sense of connection and that sense of place that sits at the heart of what The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne is all about.”

The signature restaurant will be on Level 80 of the high-rise building.

"We are thrilled to have culinary stars of the calibre of Michael Greenlaw and Mark Best join our leadership team”, says Antony Page, general manager of The Ritz-Carlton.

"With their combined talent, passion and experience, The Ritz-Carlton, Melbourne's restaurant and bars will be an exciting addition to Melbourne's vibrant food scene. Our ambition is for our signature restaurant to be a must-visit destination for locals as well as our in-house guests."

For further information, you can visit the hotel's website here.