When we saw the Chef’s Table<\/a> episode for Attica<\/a><\/strong>, I was impressed. \u00a0And the continued honors for the restaurant and Chef Ben Shewry have been many — as the current Australasia best restaurant (2017), I literally couldn’t wait to enjoy a meal at the venue. \u00a0Friends, as I always strive for honesty, I have to admit that after the experience, I’m going to take a break from the World’s Top Restaurants for awhile. \u00a0I think that I need to start doing more research on my restaurant selections when traveling. \u00a0It’s not that the food was particularly good or bad, or that there was anything wrong with the service (it was professional, but not overwhelmingly personal), it’s more that for the price point and reputation my expectations were considerably high. \u00a0Were they too high? \u00a0I don’t know. \u00a0As Hubs and I had our best meal of the year (so far) at Test Kitchen<\/a> (ranked similarly in the past few years), I thought that the experience at Attica would be at least on the same level.<\/p>\n Thus, I walked into Attica like I did to every fine dining restaurant — with open anticipation and optimism. \u00a0One of the things I like best about dining at restaurants of this quality is knowing that I’m having a meal prepared by an absolute master of their craft. \u00a0Think about it, there are very few industries in the world where you can directly interact with the best of the best. \u00a0Perhaps that’s why the disappointment in meals like this not living up to expectation are greater.<\/p>\n So, what led to my disappointment?<\/p>\n While I’m choosing to focus on what made this such a ‘meh’ evening, I will mention the technique and presentation of each dish was stellar and at the caliber it should be. \u00a0However, for the ranking, I have to think that this is a standard expectation.<\/p>\n The price (with wine pairing and a glass of champagne each) came in near an eye-watering AUD1,000 (the most expensive meal we paid for in country). \u00a0While I never consider restaurants at this level to be a place where I consider ‘value for money,’ I couldn’t help but compare to the pricing (and overall experience) at both Gaggan and Test Kitchen (both of which are far more reasonably priced).<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n Would I go back? \u00a0This is another pass. \u00a0I’m actually a bit upset that we bypassed Vue Du Monde<\/a> (recommended by numerous friends) to go to Attica. \u00a0Overall, the price point doesn’t match the experience and quite honestly I’m surprised it continues to rank as highly as it does.<\/p>\n\n