Ten top chefs reveal where they’d eat their last meal on Earth

One last meal. That’s all you have left in this fantasy game. One visit to a restaurant in your favourite country, and that’s it. One final dish at an Italian trattoria. One last hurrah at a Mexican taqueria. One final fling at a Japanese sushi bar.

So where are you going? What are you ordering? There’s a lot of pressure around this decision, even if you’re just a casual visitor, a sometime fan. Now, imagine if this is your life’s work, your abiding passion.

Preparing bun at Dong Ba Market, Hue, Vietnam.Credit: Alamy

Of course, this game is supposed to be fun. It’s one that plenty of food-obsessed travellers would have played in the past. Your final meal, your death-row dish. The world is about to end. What would you eat? And where would you eat it?

We’ve given that premise a little spin here, and gone to 10 chefs, cooks and restaurateurs (but mainly chefs) who are experts in a specific national cuisine with an almost impossible question: where would you have your last meal in that place?

What’s the one restaurant that you just couldn’t say no to, the one that is perfectly representative of a place and all its gastronomic greatness, where you would be happy to have your last meal?

You can see from the responses below that there’s a cohesive theme: simplicity. The food chefs and cooks crave, the cuisine that truly moves them, is simple, affordable and fun. And not surprisingly, the notion of a last meal is something that truly resonates among this culinary cohort.

The last Vietnamese soup

Bun Bo Chu Ha, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Intensely flavoured … Bun Bo Hue Vietnamese noodle soup.Credit: Alamy

The chef Dan Hong, Mr Wong, Sydney, NSW

Chef Dan Hong.

The last meal “I’ve always said my last meal on Earth would be my mother’s own bun bo Hue, so for this it would definitely be a bun bo Hue restaurant. The bun bo Hue I had in the Vietnamese city of Hue were excellent, but I had an even better one in Saigon, at Bun Bo Chu Ha.

I remember the broth there having so much depth from the lemongrass and chilli spices, and the variety of meat was amazing: pigs’ trotters, beef shin, sliced pork hock, beef bone marrow and cha lua pork sausage.

The variety of herbs to put in your soup too, like lemon balm, banana blossom, morning glory, sweet basil ... and I love to eat it with a dipping sauce of fermented shrimp paste, fish sauce, lime, pickled garlic and fresh chillies.”

Bun Bo Chu Ha is at 300 Vo Van Tan, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No website or phone. For Mr Wong, see merivale.com

The last bistro

Le Baratin, Paris, France

Simple but very well executed … Le Baratin, Paris.

The chef Louis Naepels, Chauncy, Heathcote, Vic

Louis Naepels.Credit: Hugh O’Brien

The last meal “If my last meal was at a bistro, I would go to Le Baratin, in the 20th arrondissement in Paris, for sure. It’s amazing.

It’s been going for about 30 years, the same chef the whole time, a woman called Raquel Carena. It’s one of the original bistros that included natural wine, before natural wine was even a thing.

She’s a self-taught cook, and she just cooks the most amazing food – simple but very well executed, French but with a Spanish influence. Very traditional, but done well, which is not easy to find in Paris now.

Le Baratin is at 3 Rue Jouye-Rouve, 75020, Paris, open Tuesday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. Ph: [phone]. For Chauncy, see chauncy.com.au

The last sushi bar

Tokiwasushi, Yokohama, Japan

Kazuki Tsuya.

The chef Kazuki Tsuya, Kazuki’s, Melbourne, Vic

The last meal “If I could, I would choose Sushi Mizutani for the last sushi in my life, but Mizutani-san retired in 2016 and closed his restaurant. He was 70 then. I was fortunate to eat there a few months before it closed – truly one of the greatest sushi chefs in history.

So, for my last sushi I would choose a restaurant called Tokiwasushi run by Hayashinouchi-san, who was standing next to Mizutani-san as his second chef when I dined at Sushi Mizutani.

Hayashinouchi-san is now the third-generation owner of Tokiwasushi. I love dining at small owner-chef restaurants, seeing people who love what they do and take full responsibility for their creation and business.”

Tokiwasushi is at 4-4-4 Tokiwacho, Naka Ward, Yokohama; open daily for lunch and dinner. See tokiwasushi.com. For Kazuki’s, see kazukis.com.au

The last tapas bar

Bar As Pias, Cambados, Spain

Not on the everyday menu … raw goose barnacles.Credit: iStock

The chef Ruben Lopez Mesa, A Table of 10, Orange, NSW

Ruben Lopez Mesa.

The last meal “I would go to Galicia (in northwest Spain) where my dad is from, which is massively underrated as a destination. It was a surprise, actually.

We arrived one day in Cambados and all the restaurants were closed, but I saw these guys having their staff meal at Bar As Pias and they found out I was visiting from Australia. They said, sit, and we’ll feed you. Oh my God.

So I ordered a bottle of albarino wine, and then the chef started putting incredible dishes in front of me. First zamburinas (scallops), lightly grilled with olive oil, garlic and salt. Then he brings percebes (goose barnacles), then pulpo (octopus), then an empanada, mussels in escabeche… It was one of the best experiences of my life.”

Bar As Pias is at Rua Alberge 1, Cambados, Spain and is open daily for lunch and dinner. Ph: [phone]. For A Table of 10, see atableof10.business.site

The last trattoria

Trattoria al Moro, Rome, Italy

Typically Roman … Trattoria al Moro, Rome.

The chef Guy Grossi, Grossi Florentino, Melbourne

Guy Grossi.

The last meal “For the last meal I think of Rome, and places like al Moro. Al Moro is very old-school, traditional – but still, the food is elegantly presented and the service staff are professionals, they don’t miss a beat.

It’s typically Roman. You’d have the artichokes when they’re in season, that’s a real go-to. They do a fantastic dish with brains, which are fried in butter and come to the table on a sizzling pan.

The pastas are great too, they have their own carbonara, which they mix at the table. Rome has some of the best food in the world, and I love their attitude, the way eating is so important.”

Trattoria al Moro is at Vicolo delle Bollette 13, Rome, open Monday to Saturday for lunch and dinner. See ristorantealmororoma.it. For Grossi Florentino, see florentino.com.au

The last Thai noodle joint

Suan Thip, Nonthaburi, Thailand

Fermented rice noodles, khanom chin.Credit: iStock

The chef Bee Satongun, Paste, Mittagong, NSW

The last meal “This restaurant [in the eponymous province northwest of Bangkok] has all the old Thai food, like you probably cannot get somewhere else. They had one Michelin star for five years.

I really like the way it’s set up, the atmosphere, the traditional Thai house, the garden. If you walk in there, it’s like if you walk back in time to when I was young.

Bee Satongun.

If you ask me to order just one dish, I want to have nam prik, which is a sweet peanut sauce that originates from aristocratic cuisine. And then khanom chin noodles, the only noodles that originated in Thailand.

My mum used to serve them, so that would be my choice. This type of khanom chin, with nam prik, when I was young, a lady with baskets would sell them in our street, and she made the best nam prik I have ever had in my life.”

Suan Thip is at Soi 76, Bang Phut sub-district, Nonthaburi, and is open seven days for lunch and dinner. See suanthip.com. For Paste, see pasteaustralia.com

The last taqueria

Costillas al Carbon El Paisa, Mexico City

Your one-stop taqueria in Mexico City.Credit: Costillas al Carbon El Paisa

The cook Rosa Cienfuegos, Tamaleria & Mexican Deli, Dulwich Hill, NSW

The last meal “I feel bad saying this because there are so many places that are my favourite. But the one I’m going to pick is a pork-rib taco with cheese at Costillas al Carbon El Paisa.

I used to go here with my family since I was a little girl. Even the last time I went to Mexico, my last stop was going here.

Rosa Cienfuegos.

This taqueria [a Mexican eatery specialising in tacos] is a restaurant too, so you can sit down; there’s also an ice-cream shop there, which is very popular in Mexico City.

You can try a little of everything. But the main food here is the ribs, charcoal ribs. They’re so good and so tender.”

Costillas al Carbon El Paisa is at Calle Clavelinas 124, Nueva Santa Maria, Mexico City, open daily for lunch and dinner. Ph: [phone]. For Tamaleria & Mexican Deli, see mexicanfoodaustralia.co

The last Korean joint

Okdongsik Seogyo, Seoul, South Korea

An intimate dining experience at Okdongsik Seogyo.

The chef Jung Eun Chae, Chae, Melbourne

Jung Eun Chae.

The last meal “Gukbap is a classic Korean dish where cooked rice is added to hot soup. Typically, it’s served in a ttukbaegi, a heated stone bowl, a comforting meal based around a rich broth with flavours from ingredients like veggies, meat, and sometimes seafood.

Okdongsik is a small, 10-seat restaurant in Seoul that specialises exclusively in pork gukbap. With just 100 bowls served daily, their unwavering commitment to the basics of cooking and their pursuit of excellence set them apart.

It’s no surprise they’ve earned a Michelin star. If I only had one meal left in Korea, I would easily pick their gukbap.”

Okdongsik Seogyo is at 44-10 Yanghwa-ro 7-gil, Seogyo-dong, Seoul. It’s open daily for lunch and dinner. Ph: [phone]. For Chae, see chae.com.au

The last Chinese restaurant

Yue Kee Roast Goose Restaurant, Hong Kong, China

Dorothy Lee.Credit: Jason Loucas

The restaurant general manager Dorothy Lee, Longshore, Sydney, NSW

The last meal “I’m from Hong Kong, but not from the main area, so this place is a little bit far away, but it’s worth it. Basically, Yue Kee is a Chinese restaurant, you can order most of the common Chinese food there – steamed fish, hot and cold entrees, stir-fried dishes. But goose is their signature dish, and if people are going to Hong Kong I really recommend this.

I remember we used to just go here all the time when I was growing up. I think about it often really. They use charcoal to roast their gooses, and they were the first one to do that, to roast it over coals. They’ve been doing it for more than 50 years, and it’s so, so good.”

Yue Kee is at 9 Sham Hong Rd, Ting Kau, Hong Kong, and is open daily for lunch and dinner. See yuekee.com.hk. For Longshore, see longshore.com.au

The last Indian breakfast

Lazeez Zafrani Harisa, Srinagar, India

The chef Helly Raichura, Enter Via Laundry, Melbourne

Helly Raichura.

The last meal “Last year I travelled in India for the book I’m writing, and when we went to Kashmir our driver took us to this breakfast joint in Srinagar. We go in and there’s this old gentleman sitting on the floor next to this massive pot, making a dish called harisa.

Essentially it’s cuts of mutton, with some spices, cooked down until it becomes like a pate. He puts it on a small plate, heats up some mustard oil mixed with water, which he sets on fire, like a flambe, and drops it on the meat.

And then he just pushes the plate across to us, like, here, eat this. I’m from a vegetarian family, but I was like, this is amazing. The meat was melt-in-mouth, and the flavours – nothing was overpowering.

Lazeez Zafrani Harisa is on Rajouri Kadal-Gojwara Rd, Dangapura, Srinagar, and is open daily from 6.30am to midday. No website or phone. For Enter Via Laundry, see entervialaundry.com.au; smartraveller.gov.au

If you could choose the place for your last meal where would it be in the world and what would be the cuisine? Write to us at [e-mail] and we’ll publish the most interesting and inspiring letters.

Back to the beginning: my first great meal overseas

Bee Satongun

“When I was young we used to catch the train to Kanchanaburi, Thailand, to see my grandma, and it stopped at this station where people sell khao kaeng, which is curry on rice. They make bowls out of banana leaves, put the rice in, then the curry on top. My dad would jump out and get that to eat on the train. And you enjoy it even more because it’s like you had to fight for it, fight the queue and fight to get back on board in time.”

Jung Eun Chae

Sushi … unforgettable.Credit: iStock

“My earliest travel memory involving food is enjoying sushi in Japan. Being a sushi enthusiast, it felt like sushi paradise. High-quality sushi was accessible and affordable, no matter where you went. This experience stayed with me, motivating me to continue discovering diverse cuisines and striving to create equally memorable moments in my future travels.”

Ruben Lopez Mesa

“The first time I did fine-dining was at a place called Vi Cool in Madrid. Modern tapas, created by a Catalan chef called Sergi Arola. It was the first time I saw traditional flavours, like patatas bravas, made in fine-dining. He was breaking with tradition and I had never seen anyone do that in Spain before. That was the moment I thought, yes, I’m going to do this.”

Dorothy Lee

“It has to be in Paris. At this restaurant in Saint-Germain I had pan-fried skate and it actually blew my mind. I was quite young, I wasn’t even in the industry yet, but I just thought, this is why people say French cooking is essential. It was so simple, so buttery. We went there three nights in a row. That made me get really interested in Western food.”

Dan Hong

“On my first trip to Spain we were staying in the town of Roses and went to a small seafood restaurant called Rafa’s. This was where I experienced my first local red prawn cooked ‘a la plancha’ on a bed of rock salt. I had never experienced a prawn so sweet, so juicy and the head was an explosion of the most delicious ‘bisque’ only God could create. A proper revelation.”

What would your last meal be and where would you eat it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.