These revolving restaurants take the concept to new culinary heights.
Perlan in Reykjavik, Iceland
Thorlakur Ludviksson-Hringbrot
More from TravelandLeisure.com
- America's Most Dangerous Airports
- Vote for America's Best New Landmarks
- World's Most Visited Tourist Attractions
More from Yahoo! Travel
When you’re dining at a revolving restaurant 250 feet above Cape Town, you expect the views to be fantastic. The real surprise is when the food appears—and it’s excellent.
What better way to savor a beautiful city than from this vantage point: a window seat at a revolving restaurant where the shifting views complement the gourmet courses. At Cape Town’s Top of the Ritz, that means pairings of just-caught mussels with a view of iconic Table Mountain, spicy curry-butternut soup with the sandstone Twelve Apostle peaks, rack of lamb with beaches, and dessert with the sunset dipping below the Atlantic.
Over the past 50 years, revolving restaurants have opened in more than 50 countries on six continents, from Colombia to Nepal to Canada. Along the way, the concept has gone from futuristic novelty to often-tacky tourist traps. But set aside that skepticism: we’ve pinpointed select revolving restaurants that are worth the price of admission.
Perlan: Reykjavik, Iceland
Built above a geothermal spring, Perlan serves a practical function—storing the city’s water tanks—and the indulgent one of fine dining in its giant glass dome. Enter, and you’re greeted by sweeping views of the deep-blue ocean and volcanic mountains surrounding Reykjavik. Get your fill of fresh local seafood such as sous vide smoked trout ($20) and, in autumn, a special wild game buffet ($73) of Icelandic delicacies like wild goose, reindeer, and puffin.
Heads Up: Strókur, a geyser right outside the restaurant, can provide quite the mealtime show, shooting white plumes of steam high into the air.
Top of the World in Las Vegas
Courtesy of Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower
Top of the World: Las Vegas
Every glittering light of the Las Vegas Strip can be seen from this 844-foot-high restaurant—the crown of the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower. The extravagant four-course tasting menu mixes classics such as lobster bisque and filet mignon with more inventive dishes like roasted miso Mediterranean loup de mer with shoyu ginger glaze, followed by crème brûlée and cheesecake lollipops.
Heads Up: Don't be alarmed if you see a person propel past your window—the new SkyJump thrill ride leaves from right above the restaurant.
Summit Restaurant in Sydney
Courtesy of Summit Restaurant and Lounge Bar, Australia
Summit Restaurant: Sydney
Red carpets, pink-tinged lighting, and sleek lounge furniture create a sultry vibe within this dining room, which revolves past the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and Olympic Park. Australian TV chef-lebrity Michael Moore put local reef snapper and pan-fried quail breasts on the two-course dinner menu ($89). For a more low-key meal, head to the Orbit Lounge Bar and pair an Aussie craft beer like Lord Nelson Old Admiral Strong Ale ($10) with small bites such as deep-fried whitebait—small and savory herring-like fish ($16).
Heads Up: On a clear day, you can see the lush Blue Mountains surrounding the city.
Drehrestaurant Allalin: Saas-Fee, Switzerland
The world's highest revolving restaurant is on top of a glacier 11,000 feet above sea level, reached by a remarkable alpine subway. A dozen of the highest peaks in the Swiss Alps slowly swirl by as diners warm up with hearty Swiss-German fare like kalbsbratwurst (veal sausage) with hash-brown-like rösti ($32), and Älplermakkaroni: macaroni in a creamy cheese sauce with ham, bacon, potatoes, and stewed apples ($32). If you're still frostbitten, a glass of mulled glühwein wine ($9) should do the trick.
Restaurant 181 in Munich
Courtesy of Restaurant 181
Restaurant 181: Munich
Chef Otto Koch's acclaimed restaurant inside the Olympic Tower was recently awarded its first Michelin star. Named for its placement 181 meters above ground, the restaurant has three airplane-esque options. In 181 First, the opulent eight-course tasting menu ($209) starts with langoustine tartare on a bed of sevruga caviar; 181 Business offers à la carte dishes like morel-crusted veal ($43); while the best value is 181 Economy's Sunset Menu, serving a three-course prix fixe ($52) from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Heads Up: Don't get lost in the long view of the Bavarian Alps; one of the city's architectural triumphs, the canopied Olympic Stadium inspired by Alpine peaks, is directly below.
Top of the Ritz in Cape Town
Marcel Schwab
Top of the Ritz: Cape Town
Wedged in between the Atlantic Ocean and towering Table Mountain—with the new World Cup Stadium to the north and posh Camps Bay beaches to the south—this dining room showcases Cape Town's main attractions in one gradual revolution. The menu, meanwhile, covers traditional South Africa fare, dishes like ostrich carpaccio ($7) and a salad of biltong (beef jerky) and goat cheese ($7), plus plenty of wine from the vineyards of nearby Stellenbosch.
Heads Up: Robben Island, the offshore prison where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years, is immediately to the north.
SkyCity in Seattle
Robert Fried / Alamy
SkyCity: Seattle
Atop the Space Needle, in the space that ignited the revolving craze decades ago, SkyCity remains the best place for panoramic views of Seattle, Puget Sound, and snowcapped Mount Rainier. Fortunately, the menu is not stuck in the '60s. Chef Jeff Maxfield puts creative twists on Northwest classics, from Dungeness crab cakes with apple-fennel slaw and herbed aioli ($13) to grilled wild king salmon with blueberry butter, wilted pea vines, and micro herbs ($47).
Heads Up: It's hard to beat a multicolored sunset over the Olympic Mountains across the sound.
Restaurant Näsinneula in Tampere, Finland
Courtesy of Nasinneula Restaurant
Restaurant Näsinneula: Tampere, Finland
A hundred miles north of Helsinki, this 550-foot lakefront tower in quaint Tampere is hardly a tourist trap; its restaurant is consistently mentioned as one of the best in Finland. Local, seasonal ingredients such as just-picked morel mushrooms in spring or vendace roe from Lake Näsijärvi (right outside the windows) in winter are incorporated throughout the menu. You'll just have to trust that some items—such as parfait of white chocolate with juice of sea buckthorn shrub ($16)—are more delicious than they sound.
Heads Up: When the seasons change in October, the red-orange-yellow leaf-peeping here is as good as in Vermont.
No comments:
Post a Comment