Dining Galleries — Elemental

Time to get metaphysical. Water, fire and earth will guide this meal, their primal cues to direct a menu that speaks to the modern zeitgeist. Simple elements, extraordinary fare. Michelin-starred Chiara Pavan is among Italy’s leading culinary figures. Her base is Venissa Ristorante on the island of Mazzorbo, found beside the lagoon north of Venice, where dishes speak to their unique surrounds. Expect the best South Australian seafood to feature as Pavan adopts water as muse. Fire, meanwhile, is for Lennox Hastie. It powers the open-plan kitchen at his Sydney restaurant Firedoor, where a wood oven works overtime to shape one of the city’s most unique dining experiences. Top European restaurants gave this UK-born chef his start, with a five-year stint at Asador Extebarri proving pivotal. Nicola Palmer will be guided by earth – apt for an executive chef who runs the Clare Valley’s organic, biodynamic Penobscot Farm together with a leading regional restaurant. Seasonal produce features across lauded degustation menus at her Watervale Hotel. There’s a thrill in cooking inspired by the elements – and in a dining experience led by chefs with such command of them. Go back to basics in the most revelatory of ways.