Marque

4/5/355 Crown St, Surry Hills NSW, Australia

As a former electrician, head chef Mark Best has certainly brought a spark to the Sydney dining scene since opening Marque with his wife (and maître d’) Valerie in 1999. A student of both Alain Passard and Raymond Blanc, Best’s influences are obvious throughout his menu, none more than so than with the 10-course degustation. Scallops with vadouvan, radish, turnip and apple; almond jelly with blue swimmer crab; roast scampi with mustard and ham vinaigrette – Best makes the most of what’s on his watery doorstep. But posh nosh aside, he knows not everything is about volume. For AUS$45 you can get the ever-changing, three-course market menu offering the likes of kombucured kingfish with pea, matcha, tea and lime; roast Muscovy duck and smoked vanilla millefeuille with apple and violet. A 2010 winner of the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants breakthrough award, Best’s stock is rising fast. It’s easy to see why.