1 00:00:07,133 --> 00:00:10,453 Speaker 1: You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack Tame podcast 2 00:00:10,573 --> 00:00:11,693 Speaker 1: from News Talks at Me. 3 00:00:12,933 --> 00:00:16,413 Speaker 2: It arrived in the hands of a waiter who moved 4 00:00:16,493 --> 00:00:20,053 Speaker 2: with the lightness and grace of a ballet dancer across 5 00:00:20,093 --> 00:00:24,653 Speaker 2: the restaurant floor. It had a fleshy color, a creamy 6 00:00:25,333 --> 00:00:28,653 Speaker 2: brown kind of hue, and it was inflated to the 7 00:00:28,693 --> 00:00:32,613 Speaker 2: size of a balloon, but the shape was slightly less 8 00:00:33,013 --> 00:00:39,533 Speaker 2: uniform asparagus, said the waiter prepared in this pig's bladder. 9 00:00:41,173 --> 00:00:44,093 Speaker 2: I don't know how many bladder based meals you've had 10 00:00:44,133 --> 00:00:46,173 Speaker 2: in your life, but that was a first for me. 11 00:00:47,133 --> 00:00:51,173 Speaker 2: The asparagus, I should say, the single spear of asparagus, 12 00:00:51,293 --> 00:00:57,493 Speaker 2: was absolutely delicious, although not quite so amazing that I 13 00:00:57,573 --> 00:01:01,413 Speaker 2: personally felt compelled to give up roasting food in my 14 00:01:01,533 --> 00:01:05,693 Speaker 2: oven in favor of bladder cooking. From then on, I 15 00:01:05,773 --> 00:01:09,053 Speaker 2: was dining at a place called Leven Madison Park. It's 16 00:01:09,093 --> 00:01:12,253 Speaker 2: this extraordinary fine dining restaurant at the foot of Madison 17 00:01:12,253 --> 00:01:14,733 Speaker 2: Ave in New York, just across the way from the 18 00:01:14,773 --> 00:01:19,093 Speaker 2: Flat Iron building. Tom Brady had his penthouse across the road. 19 00:01:19,173 --> 00:01:21,853 Speaker 2: I once saw Rupert Murdoch walking his dog in the 20 00:01:21,893 --> 00:01:26,813 Speaker 2: park outside and the food at Elp is almost as 21 00:01:26,853 --> 00:01:30,213 Speaker 2: fancy as its neighbors. As a winner of three Michelin 22 00:01:30,333 --> 00:01:33,973 Speaker 2: Stars eleven, Madison Park is widely considered one of the 23 00:01:34,133 --> 00:01:40,653 Speaker 2: very best restaurants in the world. The Michelin Star system 24 00:01:41,133 --> 00:01:44,853 Speaker 2: is certainly an effective marketing tool. At the very least 25 00:01:44,853 --> 00:01:49,093 Speaker 2: it has been with me, perhaps before I had kids, 26 00:01:50,173 --> 00:01:53,093 Speaker 2: not quite so much now, when there was slightly more 27 00:01:53,133 --> 00:01:57,533 Speaker 2: dispendable income. I sought out Michelin Star restaurants all around 28 00:01:57,573 --> 00:02:01,053 Speaker 2: the world. So in New York I went to the 29 00:02:01,093 --> 00:02:04,253 Speaker 2: Michelin Star restaurant The Musket Room, headed up by Kiwi 30 00:02:04,293 --> 00:02:07,893 Speaker 2: Matt Lambert. I dined in bill Bao, where they have 31 00:02:07,973 --> 00:02:11,813 Speaker 2: a higher concentration of Michelin starred restaurants than anywhere on Earth. 32 00:02:12,653 --> 00:02:14,973 Speaker 2: I've lined up early and eaten at what was the 33 00:02:15,013 --> 00:02:19,093 Speaker 2: world's cheapest Michelin starred restaurant, Dim Sum in Hong Kong, 34 00:02:20,213 --> 00:02:23,693 Speaker 2: and as much as anything, I've treated eating at most 35 00:02:23,733 --> 00:02:28,373 Speaker 2: of these places as an experience, so a rare treat, 36 00:02:28,533 --> 00:02:32,853 Speaker 2: not so much a source of nourishment necessarily, but as 37 00:02:32,893 --> 00:02:38,133 Speaker 2: food for memories. As the Michelin Star judges turn their 38 00:02:38,133 --> 00:02:41,853 Speaker 2: attention to New Zealand's restaurants scene. I just hope they 39 00:02:41,853 --> 00:02:45,693 Speaker 2: don't come here expecting the absolute finest of fine dining, 40 00:02:46,013 --> 00:02:48,693 Speaker 2: and I appreciate that these days they look at a 41 00:02:48,813 --> 00:02:52,853 Speaker 2: range of different sorts of restaurants. Right, But for a 42 00:02:52,893 --> 00:02:58,693 Speaker 2: few exceptions, the lardie dar isn't really us. We don't 43 00:02:58,773 --> 00:03:03,573 Speaker 2: do fussy, we don't do fiddley. We want a more casual, 44 00:03:03,813 --> 00:03:07,933 Speaker 2: relaxed style that kind of befits our culture. Really good ingredients, 45 00:03:07,973 --> 00:03:11,093 Speaker 2: cooked well and more often than not, designed to be shared. 46 00:03:12,413 --> 00:03:14,973 Speaker 2: And it's funny as incredible as my night was all 47 00:03:15,013 --> 00:03:18,893 Speaker 2: those years ago at eleven Madison Park, the single best 48 00:03:19,253 --> 00:03:23,533 Speaker 2: meal of my life. Wasn't it a Michelin starred restaurant. 49 00:03:23,933 --> 00:03:27,413 Speaker 2: There were no white tablecloths, There was no Somalie curated 50 00:03:27,453 --> 00:03:31,613 Speaker 2: wine list, no Old World New World. It was in 51 00:03:31,653 --> 00:03:36,533 Speaker 2: a tiny, legally questionable fire trap of an apartment in 52 00:03:36,613 --> 00:03:40,773 Speaker 2: Paris that my best mate called his home. I had 53 00:03:40,813 --> 00:03:43,493 Speaker 2: flown in with another friend the day before, and the 54 00:03:43,533 --> 00:03:46,213 Speaker 2: three of us had gone for a long jog by 55 00:03:46,213 --> 00:03:49,013 Speaker 2: the Sein to try and kick the jet lag. On 56 00:03:49,053 --> 00:03:51,093 Speaker 2: the way back home, we stopped by one of the 57 00:03:51,133 --> 00:03:55,293 Speaker 2: local farmers' markets and picked up some gooey cheese, some tomatoes, 58 00:03:55,573 --> 00:04:00,053 Speaker 2: some salami, and some baguette. We sprawled out on the 59 00:04:00,093 --> 00:04:03,893 Speaker 2: floor of the apartment, still grubby and sweaty, cutting off 60 00:04:03,973 --> 00:04:08,693 Speaker 2: hunks of each and stuffing them into our It was heaven. 61 00:04:09,653 --> 00:04:15,733 Speaker 2: And that's the thing about the best meals. Ultimately, the 62 00:04:15,733 --> 00:04:20,493 Speaker 2: best meals are not made with the truffle moose or 63 00:04:20,493 --> 00:04:24,653 Speaker 2: the poached do Do's egg, or even the inflated pigs bladder. 64 00:04:25,373 --> 00:04:30,973 Speaker 2: That's not what makes the magic. People make the magic. 65 00:04:31,733 --> 00:04:34,853 Speaker 1: For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live 66 00:04:34,933 --> 00:04:37,733 Speaker 1: to News Talks ad B from nine am Saturday, or 67 00:04:37,813 --> 00:04:39,733 Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.