What better way to stand out in the competitive industry of the restaurant business than to go nuts with a Michelin-esque presentation. Is that a single meringue served on a levitating pillow? Did we get charged an extra $10 because they served our butter on a posh-looking rock?
The world of wannabe fine-dining restaurants, of course, is not a new phenomenon. Throughout the years, we've written about it enough times to know that we shouldn't be expected to get this instead of a pea soup like we've ordered. And so, in honor of this peculiar trend, Bored Panda has curated a collection of the most outrageous fine-dining experiences out there.
This post may include affiliate links.
The Vegan Option Served At A Fancy End Of Conference Dinner
I Ordered The Salad At The Fanciest Restaurant In Town
These Snacks Served With Stones: Some Are Real Stones And Some Are To Eat. You Have To Guess
We had sweets that looked like pebbles when I was a kid. You could eat them all though. No real pebbles in the bag.
Wife And I Accidentally Went To A Michelin Star Restaurant On Our Honeymoon In Ireland
2-Michelin-Star Restaurant Had This On Instagram. This Is The Vegetarian Option. It Is Marinated Tofu With Roasted Sweet Potatoes
So, roasted colon and brick cheese with fried worms then
A Handful Of Raspberry Sauce At A Fancy Restaurant
Michelin Star Chocolate Hands
Sushi For M’lady?
Have Some Gyoza With This Houseplant
Bread In A Versace Shoe
Seen In A Sushi Restaurant In My City. I Still Can't Believe It
They call this one the "Pringle Tingle" - its made from pufferfish scraps left over from making Fugu. No, your tongue is SUPPOSED to go numb. Its part of the "experience ".
1 Pringle with a glob of...something. And I bet it costs at least $25
It might taste nice...but, cat spew with mouse poop on a pringle would see me getting a good feed of fish n chips on the way home, without a doubt!
Didn't even bother to make their own chips, smh. But you want me to pay for this.
At first sight I thought it was a boiled hamster crying "end my miseryyyy"
Next Time Just Throw The Dish At Me Please
This Free Birthday Cake At A Fancy Restaurant
This Is A Fancy Restaurant, Not A Supermarket Checkout
This $10 Salad I Paid For At A Restaurant
Restaurant’s Version Of Corn On The Cob. Wouldn’t Just Be Easier To BBQ Them On The Cob?
What 20$ Gets You In A Fancy Restaurant. I Didn't Even Know What To Do With It
Is It Forgivable When It's A Michelin Star Restaurant? (De Librije In Zwolle)
Marshmallow "Worms" Served On A Plant
My Mom Asked The Waitress What Type Of Bread It Was. It’s A Rock With The Butter For The Bread
Ate At Three Michelin Star Restaurant Alinea In Chicago. Dessert Painted On The Table, Edible Balloons, Table Fires… It’s An Experience
Chef Grant Achatz makes beautiful food and portions looks decent. This one seems ok and very creative.
Rocks And Potatoes Painted To Look Like Rocks At Michelin-Starred Restaurant
At A 2-Michelin-Stars Restaurant
Recently Sat Through A 44-Course Meal At The Atelier In Ottawa, Canada
But this one was a freaking star: “cook” at the table in liquid nitrogen, dunk into hot spicy squash soup.
Tempura Green Beans, In A Shoe
At A Michelin-Starred Restaurant In Amsterdam, My Cocktail Arrived In A Plastic Bag
Better for the diner’s experience and the planet if they just used glass.
Incarne (And Bones)
Croquette In A Box Among Rocks
Lab By Sergi Agola, Sintra, Portugal - Some Highlights In No Particular Order
Appetizers On Nails At A Conference
Guys, It May Be Possible To Have Too Much Plate
What Even Is This?
Today Is My Birthday, And My GF Gifted Me A Lunch In A One-Michelin-Star Restaurant, And This Is What The Chef Made For The Occasion. Such An Amazing Gift
Cold Cuts On A Clothes Line? No Thank You
Even At A Michelin Star Restaurant They Don’t Have Plates
6 Years To Make This Dish. Molé Madre, Molé Nuevo From Pujol
Noma, Summer Season Of 2022
This Toast I Got At A Restaurant. Yes It Came Like This
This Was At A 1-Michelin-Star Restaurant. Theme Was The World Fair, It Was Very Tasty, And Very Much Served On An Actual Can Of PBR
That looks suspiciously like something my dad found in my room when I was 14...got grounded for a month🙃
Some Kind Of Fancy Pork Piles With Grapes On A Tree? The Waiter Later Said The Dirt Is Actually Edible
3-Michelin-Star Restaurant Serves Table Cracker On Rock
Fancy Slider With Pre-Packaged Slice Cheese On It
Ordered Churros From A Fancy Restaurant In Mexico, They Replicated The Street Food Experience
When Going To Fancy Restaurants, Remember To Bring A Couple Of Paintbrushes
Chef Grant Achatz‘s Alinea is showing up again. This is a nightmare for people like me with chronic arthritis.
Went To A Fancy Restaurant. Got An Appetizer On A Rose
Locavore - Ubud, Bali
I'd starve just trying to figure out what part I'm supposed to eat!
Paid $16 For This Caesar "Salad" At A Concept Restaurant Last Night
These Rolls At A Contemporary Buffet Restaurant
Michelin Star Restaurant In France
Absolutely Epic Dessert From Alinea
Fancy Stuff On A Glass Brick
Raw Fish With Mustard And Ice Cream
This Bruschetta
This Was My $15 Dessert At A Fancy Restaurant. A Tablespoon Of Ganache With A Crouton On Top
Alchemist
The skill needed to prepare these is phenomenal. I'd love to know what each one actually is.
Wife's Dinner. London. 2 Michelin Stars. Very Tasty. Don't Even Know Where To Start On The Presentation
I am all for the artistic experience but I would just rather have my food on a plate, no rocks, not smeared on the table, just a regular old plate with silverware.
This Thing I Got At An Italian Restaurant
I Always Wanted To Eat In A Gravel Pit, Not Knowing What Is Edible
A Bird's Nest For Appetizers. To Be Fair The Food Was Amazing
Somewhere a bird is wondering why their eggs are now lying on the ground
Michelin-Starred Vegan Restaurant In Copenhagen - Ark
Hokkaido A5 & House Beef Bacon Tartare. Smoked Beef Fat Special Sauce. Fermented Little Gem And Pickled Ramps. Burger Bun Cracker
I'm starting to think that some of these posts are Amuse Bouche menu items. This particular one I would eat in a heartbeat.
Per Se, NYC
The Salad This Restaurant Gave Me
Dinner At Sio French Restaurant
Tangerine Cheesecake Served On The Cross-Section Of A Tree
Wine Bottle As Salad Plate
Quite Tame Compared To Some Of The Other Posts, But This Appetizer Served In A Huge Bowl. At A High-Class Restaurant In My Hometown
I'm Not Sure If This Counts But I Went To A 1-Star Michelin Restaurant And They Served Me Beef With Chocolate
Ordered $12 "Crab Fries" That Contain No Crab. They're Just Called That Because The Restaurant Is Crab-Themed
ABaC (3 Stars), Barcelona, Spain
When The First Out Of 5 Courses In A Fancy Restaurant Say "Pickle"
To be fair, it was pickles with walnut, garnish, and tomato sauce, all made with care and love but in the end, it was just fancy pickles.
Dinner At “Casa Perbellini”, Restaurant With Two Michelin Stars
Went To A Fancy Restaurant In India, Bill Was ~40,000 Rupees. Next Day Went To Regular Restaurant, Bill Was ~1000 Rupees And It Was 100 Times Better
Dinner At Atelier Crenn (3 Michelin Stars And 1 Green Star), San Francisco
$699/Person. Vegetable Slice On Cracker. Served On A Clothes Line. 3 Michelin Stars
Some Courses From 2-Star Michelin Restaurant In Copenhagen
Looks Like A Plant But It's An Actual Dish Served In A 2-Michelin-Star Restaurant In LA
Can’t Believe This Restaurant Did This To Me. I Love Mango Pudding, But They Made It Into The Shape Of Corn. I Hate Corn, So This Is A Nightmare For Me
That’s so sad. I adore corn. I love picking it fresh in the field, then shucking the lot, sitting on the back deck. I could quite happily eat corn on the cob every single day for the rest of my life.
This Fancy Restaurant Has A $28 Mozzarella Stick And Caviar Appetizer
Beef Tartare Served On A Wooden Hand. Part Of A Primus-Themed Menu At A Michelin-Starred Restaurant, The Musket Room
Primus themed? Cool, but I don't think I want to try the Pork Soda.
Esquisse - Ginza, Tokyo
Sorry but the bottom right dish looks like the foamy vomit a pet coughs up
Forgot To Take A Photo Of My Dessert
A Friend Went To Some Fancy Place In Barcelona
Ice Cream Served On Only The Finest Of Frozen Rocks
Vegetables Served On Stones
Disfrutar, Barcelona
This Is Getting Ridiculous
Can’t believe they served the one taco with a bite taken out 🙄 /s
One-Star Michelin Restaurant In Spain
"Side Salad" At Fancy Sunday Brunch
A glass with "whatever we found in the fridge that didn't run away when we opened it." Looks like I'm going to open me a star restaurant.
Vegan Sushi On A Rock
Skewered Chicken Served On Top Of The Bottom Of A Glass
How A Local Restaurant Is Celebrating UK 'Pancake Day'
Strawberries On A Piece Of Cod At A Fancy Restaurant In The Netherlands
Zia Restaurant, Rome
This Monstrosity At A Fancy Reception
Just Because It's A Fancy Appetizer Doesn't Mean I Don't Want It On A Plate
A Single Taco Served On A Brick Tile
Michelin-Star Restaurant Dessert Served In A Mannequin Hand
Mini Bread Served On A Bone
If that bone is warm and has marrow in it, there's no need for butter.
We Want Tea Mugs
Wife And I Went To A Michelin Star Restaurant In Ireland On Purpose During Our Trip To Ireland
As is becoming increasing clear, the words "Michelin Star" is the red flag. No doubt there will be a Michelin Star restaurant in this thread that just dishes up a totally empty plate
Papads Grow On Trees, Right? Right?
At least the papads aren’t too small. The presentation isn’t normal but it doesn’t make them inedible
The Difference In The Portion Size. Plus Both Dishes Were Over 20€ Each
Actually A Really Nice Chocolate Tart, Not Sure It Needed To Be Served In A Bowl Of Rocks Though
Oriole - Chicago 2 Stars
A Fancy Restaurant In Barcelona. Once You'd Started Eating This, It Was Basically Impossible To Put It Down Again
Dinner At Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana, 3 Michelin Stars And Twice Elected Best Restaurant In The World
$6 “Loaf” Of Challah Bread From Michelin-Starred Chef’s New Takeaway Spot
Jean Georges, Philadelphia
Dinner By Heston Blumenthal, London. 5-Course Tasting Menu
Dinner At NYC’s Eleven Madison Park - September 2022
Codium, Goes - The Netherlands, Today, Tasting Menu
Jeju Noodle Bar, NYC - 1 Star
Squid and Nuts - beautiful presentation, relatively simple prep with a fantastic pesto-like sauce underneath. A squirt of lime to bring out the acidity. Toro Ssam Bap - caviar on top of toro on top of rice. We opted for the uni supplement $25, which took it to the absolute next level. A+. Lamb Ja Jang Myun - a classic rich and hearty Korean noodle dish with lamb in lieu of traditional pork. Beautiful presentation and is so rich, akin to a ragu. Deep flavors. Family Ramyun - showpiece dish, unbelievable broth. An absolute steal at $23. Added the bansuk egg.
5/5 On Taste, 0/5 On Plate. Fancy - Schmancy Joint In CPH
Dinner Course Night At Hotel Kaneyamaen And Bessho Sasa Mount Fuji
Food In A Garden? Bowl?
We Ordered A Hot Plate Of Cumin Lamb Chops At A Fancy Chinese Restaurant And It Came Out On A Shovel
From A 1-Michelin-Star Restaurant. You Shall Eat In A Brick
Fancy Gourmet Restaurant, Dessert On The Tablecloth
The Green Green Green Signature Dish At Sorrell, Dorking, UK (1 Michelin Star)
This "Caprese Salad" From A Local Fancy Pizza Joint
Auberge Sauvage, Servon, France
Rose’s Luxury, DC. 1 star
Caviar with coconut ice cream. Pork and lychee salad. Sweet pea pasta. Vietnamese iced coffee mochi cake.
Menu. 3 Stars - Sf
I saw the one in the top left and thought "How did they sketch that cool pattern on the red-brown whatever kind of food that is?" Then I realized it's the top to the bowl. I've been on this thread too long. 🤦♀️
A Fancy Restaurant In Gerona, Spain, Divinum. Looks Like They Won A Prize For The Best Tartare With That
Michelin Restaurants, Quality And Attention To Every Little Detail. Don’t Mind If I Do
Is that strawberry sauce on the lips of the idol? And are you supposed to kiss it off? Or did I just earn someone a second Michelin star? Maybe add some rocks?
Fancy Salmon On A Shell On A Roof Tile
Exploring More Creative Restaurants
A Tiny Piece Of Fish With Three Pieces Of Canned Artichoke On Top With Brown Sauce. From A Gordon Ramsay Restaurant
Restaurant By Gordon Ramsey, London (3 Stars)
Cheesecake Served At A "Restaurant"
Eating In A Fancy Restaurant Topolopompo In Tell Aviv
Finally, I’m Fancy Enough To Have A Picture For This Post. If You Must Know, The Meal Cost Us $200
Wagyu Flank Steak In Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi
Fancy Fish Served In The Shell
Went To A Really Fancy Restaurant For My Birthday And Got This (I’m Very Much Not Called Pavi)
Pavi cancelled at the last minute and you can’t blame them for not wanting to waste it…
What do you expect when a tire company rates restaurants just so you'll have a place to drive in order to need new tires? https://guide.michelin.com/th/en/history-of-the-michelin-guide-th
Load More Replies...All I see is hygienic issues, too little portion, overpriced food. More like fraud to me. But yeah maybe because I'm too peasant who can't afford those fancy foods :D
The sad thing is there are people, some right here at BP, who'll defend this nonsense to their last breath and claim that people who see the scam for what it is just aren't "sophisticated" enough to appreciate it.
Load More Replies...I don't understand this fad of food art, and won't pay for it. There are a lot of Michelin starred establishments that earn the rating for consistency of quality of food, mastery of flavors and cooking technique, and holds a valid reason to visit the establishment for the previous reasons, and they don't serve food that looks like it should be in the MoMa. Jay Fai is a Thai street food vendor who has earned a Michelin rating specifically for her crab omelette. Her food isn't pretentious and the cost for the customer is equitable to the cost of the ingredients and labor. The best restaurants, in my opinion, don't rely on gimmicks like the ones shown in this article, but serve quality food made by competent chefs that you want to eat again and again, and can afford to eat again and again.
My favorite ramen restaurant in Paris is Higuma. There's generally a queue to get in. The interior is plain, the food (ramen, gyoza, tempura) is fantastic, the portions are generous and the price is affordable. I'd rather eat there than at any resto headed by Grant Achazt or Thomas Keller, or any of these "food artists". For comparison, the Subway sandwich chain calls their employees "sandwich artists", but never will you get a Subway sandwich that is "deconstructed" and served in dollops on rocks or salvaged wood.
Load More Replies...You know how zoos hide food in logs and up trees to provide enrichment for the animals? This is that, but for rich people.
I like to think of myself as an open-minded person...buuuttttt... all of those meals are stupid. Sorry.
That's all I could think of while reading this entire post.
Load More Replies...I am blown away by this. Give me a 20.99 Parma and chips from the pub thanks....lovely little salad on the side with a balsamic vinaigrette and too much so need a doggy bag. Why would you buy this food?
My husband and I went to a very elegant restaurant here in downtown Chicago and they served actual FOOD. Not anything like this c**p. Get reviews before you spend big bucks on these so called restaurants. I think they are just scams.
Most of this is pretentious c**p. I do not want my food served on a straw hat which cleanliness and sterility are questionable. I'm not interested in wasting my time trying to figure out which part of my dish is edible and which will break my dåmn teeth. If you serve me food in a shoe, I will throw it at your head. Food should look appetizing; it should not look like things which formerly were food at some point.
The chefs at these restaurants must really enjoy getting paid to play with food.
I’ve been to a couple fancy restaurants and thankfully I haven’t seen anything this bad in person. Even the wine bar that I went to with a $90 tasting menu ($120 with the wine paring) didn’t have portions this small. In all honesty, the place had decent sized portions, excellent presentation and truly amazing flavors, and no gimmicky aspects of the serving.I’m a foodie who loves working with food and cocktails so I can be very critical of flavors. But having good flavors does not mean that a dish should be fully consumed in three bites!
As a retired chef, I can attest to the fact that this limited group of idiots is an aberration, and not the norm. Our philosophy is that you eat with your eyes first, and I'd never consider anything so absurd. The fine dining restaurants I've been to would never consider pulling this c**p.
When I go out to eat I am NOT going there for "atmosphere" or "presentation". If I'm shelling out that much cash I better be getting enough food that they're wheeling me out on a cart in a food coma!
Sometimes catering is a pretentious field. Do you know this new restaurant trend in your country? Instead of writing the name of a dish in the menu (e.g. eggplant parmigiana, duck breast with blueberry sauce) with a presentation of the ingredients, they will just write the ingredients: cauliflower, eggplant, tomato, truffle, fleur de sel, oil. You don't even know what the plate is, if it's grilled, roasted or what ever! WTF?!?
These ridiculous examples of "high cuisine" are exactly why I would never pay for the "PRESTIGE" of eating somewhere fancy. I like buffets; I get to eat exactly what I want, and the price is almost always an unbelievable deal...especially Asian buffets.
How can a 'chef' make something like this with a straight face, they are mostly just insulting.
Surely at this point they're just taking the p**s/seeing how far they can push things??
I just want awesome tasting food that is served on obviously clean dishes without all of the ridiculous gimmicks. Put the creativity into the taste and look of the dish, but in a beautiful- not disgusting or otherwise off-putting- way. I thought Michelin stars meant culinary talent, not nonsense. I would have sent all of the above 'dishes' back, requested refunds, and left immediately.
Just when you thought "fine dining" couldn't possibly get more absurd...
My takeaway, they just pass out stars to anyone, never trust the stars and these chefs are ding bats.
Ahis confirms I'll never eat anywhere rated higher than Applebees. The food may be mediocre, but it's on a plate and there's lots of it.
This is what you get if you took a child, and told him/her to make a creative dish!
so they tell you they are michelin starred restaurants and you all believe it ! why don't they give the names of these restaurants ? No questioning at all about the veracity of these posts ? something's fishy here.
What do you expect when a tire company rates restaurants just so you'll have a place to drive in order to need new tires? https://guide.michelin.com/th/en/history-of-the-michelin-guide-th
Load More Replies...All I see is hygienic issues, too little portion, overpriced food. More like fraud to me. But yeah maybe because I'm too peasant who can't afford those fancy foods :D
The sad thing is there are people, some right here at BP, who'll defend this nonsense to their last breath and claim that people who see the scam for what it is just aren't "sophisticated" enough to appreciate it.
Load More Replies...I don't understand this fad of food art, and won't pay for it. There are a lot of Michelin starred establishments that earn the rating for consistency of quality of food, mastery of flavors and cooking technique, and holds a valid reason to visit the establishment for the previous reasons, and they don't serve food that looks like it should be in the MoMa. Jay Fai is a Thai street food vendor who has earned a Michelin rating specifically for her crab omelette. Her food isn't pretentious and the cost for the customer is equitable to the cost of the ingredients and labor. The best restaurants, in my opinion, don't rely on gimmicks like the ones shown in this article, but serve quality food made by competent chefs that you want to eat again and again, and can afford to eat again and again.
My favorite ramen restaurant in Paris is Higuma. There's generally a queue to get in. The interior is plain, the food (ramen, gyoza, tempura) is fantastic, the portions are generous and the price is affordable. I'd rather eat there than at any resto headed by Grant Achazt or Thomas Keller, or any of these "food artists". For comparison, the Subway sandwich chain calls their employees "sandwich artists", but never will you get a Subway sandwich that is "deconstructed" and served in dollops on rocks or salvaged wood.
Load More Replies...You know how zoos hide food in logs and up trees to provide enrichment for the animals? This is that, but for rich people.
I like to think of myself as an open-minded person...buuuttttt... all of those meals are stupid. Sorry.
That's all I could think of while reading this entire post.
Load More Replies...I am blown away by this. Give me a 20.99 Parma and chips from the pub thanks....lovely little salad on the side with a balsamic vinaigrette and too much so need a doggy bag. Why would you buy this food?
My husband and I went to a very elegant restaurant here in downtown Chicago and they served actual FOOD. Not anything like this c**p. Get reviews before you spend big bucks on these so called restaurants. I think they are just scams.
Most of this is pretentious c**p. I do not want my food served on a straw hat which cleanliness and sterility are questionable. I'm not interested in wasting my time trying to figure out which part of my dish is edible and which will break my dåmn teeth. If you serve me food in a shoe, I will throw it at your head. Food should look appetizing; it should not look like things which formerly were food at some point.
The chefs at these restaurants must really enjoy getting paid to play with food.
I’ve been to a couple fancy restaurants and thankfully I haven’t seen anything this bad in person. Even the wine bar that I went to with a $90 tasting menu ($120 with the wine paring) didn’t have portions this small. In all honesty, the place had decent sized portions, excellent presentation and truly amazing flavors, and no gimmicky aspects of the serving.I’m a foodie who loves working with food and cocktails so I can be very critical of flavors. But having good flavors does not mean that a dish should be fully consumed in three bites!
As a retired chef, I can attest to the fact that this limited group of idiots is an aberration, and not the norm. Our philosophy is that you eat with your eyes first, and I'd never consider anything so absurd. The fine dining restaurants I've been to would never consider pulling this c**p.
When I go out to eat I am NOT going there for "atmosphere" or "presentation". If I'm shelling out that much cash I better be getting enough food that they're wheeling me out on a cart in a food coma!
Sometimes catering is a pretentious field. Do you know this new restaurant trend in your country? Instead of writing the name of a dish in the menu (e.g. eggplant parmigiana, duck breast with blueberry sauce) with a presentation of the ingredients, they will just write the ingredients: cauliflower, eggplant, tomato, truffle, fleur de sel, oil. You don't even know what the plate is, if it's grilled, roasted or what ever! WTF?!?
These ridiculous examples of "high cuisine" are exactly why I would never pay for the "PRESTIGE" of eating somewhere fancy. I like buffets; I get to eat exactly what I want, and the price is almost always an unbelievable deal...especially Asian buffets.
How can a 'chef' make something like this with a straight face, they are mostly just insulting.
Surely at this point they're just taking the p**s/seeing how far they can push things??
I just want awesome tasting food that is served on obviously clean dishes without all of the ridiculous gimmicks. Put the creativity into the taste and look of the dish, but in a beautiful- not disgusting or otherwise off-putting- way. I thought Michelin stars meant culinary talent, not nonsense. I would have sent all of the above 'dishes' back, requested refunds, and left immediately.
Just when you thought "fine dining" couldn't possibly get more absurd...
My takeaway, they just pass out stars to anyone, never trust the stars and these chefs are ding bats.
Ahis confirms I'll never eat anywhere rated higher than Applebees. The food may be mediocre, but it's on a plate and there's lots of it.
This is what you get if you took a child, and told him/her to make a creative dish!
so they tell you they are michelin starred restaurants and you all believe it ! why don't they give the names of these restaurants ? No questioning at all about the veracity of these posts ? something's fishy here.