THE SIZZLING SIX

From the annals of history to making history, here is the Spice list for the most exciting restaurant launches of this year.

- RASHMI UDAY SINGH

Take your pick! Get ready to taste the glorious nostalgic romance and oomph of a bygone era. Or opt to zip into the imaginary future. Either way, this year, more than ever the new restaurants are defining themselves as destinations, immersive experiences where music, history, art, story telling, technology, Al, play stellar roles almost as important as food itself. And this years six sensational new restaurants which I experience (read dine) are vividly different from each other, with only the aim to surprise, seduce and serve up memorable experiences, tying them together.

The 400-year-old gastronomique icon La Tour dArgent in Paris, reopens, redesigned, transformed to offer an immersive experience from the ground floor to the seven-floored roof. References to the past from the archives guide the mammoth transformation, where history melts into the new decor. Even the service keeps pace with carvings and flambée's, as does the ballet of the Maîtres d'hôtel dressed in tails and of course the legendary dishes take centre stage. The icon set up a rooftop bar, and also it's own super-luxe apartment which transports to the past of the founding Terrail family.

In glamorous Monte Carlo, there is a revival too, of the music, the food and the vibe from 50 years ago. The high octane and world famous Maona, which gets it's name from Maria Callas, renowned opera singer, "Ma", and Aristotle Onassis, "Ona", business tycoon, who had a nine-year love affair with Callas. An immersive experience that takes us back to the future-the complete opposite of these two-is Krasota in Dubai. The innovative gastro-theatre uses science, visual arts, AI, servers in costume, film, and music, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. Infinitely memorable!