Diners Feast on the World's Most Expensive Meal
$30,000 for Dinner, and That Doesn't Include the Tip
Fifteen people ponyed up to participate in culinary nirvana -- 25 were invited guests. Organizers told the Guardian the guests included executives from Fortune 500 companies, a casino owner from Macau and a Taiwanese hotel owner, but their identities were kept secret.
The chefs have three Michelin stars apiece -- the discerning restaurant guide's highest rating. Having so many culinary titans in one room might create tension -- but the chefs insist this was not a competition.
"There's no rivalry," French chef Alain Soliveres told the AP. "The pressure is something within each of us, it's not between us."
Having some of the wealthiest foodies in one location might be a tempting target for thieves. Ten would-be Japanese diners canceled after a New Year's Eve bombing in Bangkok killed three people.
Even the mega-rich like freebies, and this meal came with a couple, the Bangkok Times reported. Diners got a free ride from the airport in a private limo and a suite at the Lebua Hotel.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Sidebar: The Menu
(as reported in Britain's Guardian newspaper)
Crème brûlée of foie gras with Tonga beans
Alain Soliveres (chef)
1990 Louis Roederer Cristal
Tartar of Kobe beef with Imperial Beluga caviar and Belons oyster
Antoine Westermann
1995 Krug Clos du Mesnil
Mousseline of pattes rouges crayfish with morel mushroom infusion
Alain Soliveres
2000 Corton-Charlemagne, Domaine Jean François Coche-Dury
Tarte Fine with scallops and black truffle
Antoine Westermann
1996 Le Montrachet, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Lobster Osso Buczco
Jean-Michel Lorain
1985 Romanée-Conti, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Ravioli with guinea fowl and burrata cheese, veal reduction
Annie Feolde
1961 Château Palmer
Saddle of lamb "Léonel"
Marc Meneau
1959 Château Mouton Rothschild
Sorbet "Dom Pérignon"
Supreme of pigeon en croute with cèpes mushroom sauce and cipollotti
Heinz Winkler
1961 Château Haut-Brion
