In today’s travel industry, the rule of thumb is never to say “no”. Limitations don’t exist in the world of hospitality, where unique experiences hold sway over commerce and guests are willing to stretch their limits for services rendered...
Hotel Omm, Barcelona
Jean Roca, Chef at the Moo Restaurant in the Hotel Omm, a Design Hotel located in central Barcelona, has created a special ‘steak tartare’ that contains high-quality ground meat served at room temperature, with mustard ice cream in the centre. Spiced-up with Sichuan pepper, curry and coriander - near the meat, not on it - so that you can season as per your taste, this $28 Catalan dish with a contemporary twist is served with a slice of onion caramel crystal on top.
Chambers Hotel, New York City
According to Geoffrey Zakarian, one of the most popular room service items at the Chambers Hotel in Manhattan is the ‘risotto of escargots’ at $22, which he calls a "delicious and slightly decadent dish." This features buttered escargots, flavoured with garlic and chopped black truffles.
Metropolitan Hotel, London
Nobu’s $51 bento box, available in the evening in a traditional, lacquered dinner box at the Metropolitan Hotel, London, contains delicacies like ‘seared tuna sashimi salad’, ‘sautéed garden vegetables in a spicy garlic sauce’, ‘spicy chicken skewer’, ‘marinated Alaskan black cod’, and assorted pieces of ‘sushi’.
The Muse Hotel, New York City
With 48 hours' notice, Patricia Williams, Executive Chef at District in the Muse Hotel in New York, lets guests create their own ice cream flavours. All ice cream is home-made to the guests’ specifications. Among the most unusual flavours created so far are togarishi mint which, Williams said, tastes delicious with chocolate cake and tamarind sorbet. It costs $14 for a pint, plus $6 for each ingredient added.
Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris
You've heard about that pesky exchange rate, right? Well, don't let 120 euros - that's $172 - stand between you and watercress nirvana. Among the stars on the Fall 2007 menu of Philippe Legendre, Chef at Le Cinq, at the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, is the watercress cream soup served with sevruga caviar from the Caspian Sea. Legendre calls the dish "the union between the river (watercress) and the sea (caviar), the hot (the watercress cream is served hot) and the cold (the caviar is cold), the peppered (watercress) and the salted (caviar)." The perfect accompaniment: Dom Ruinart Blanc de Blanc champagne.
The Kristiania Lech, Austria
The Kristiania Lech, a small luxury hotel in Lech, Austria, offers Kaiserschmarrn or "Emperor's pieces" ($24) as dessert on its room-service menu. These are puffed, little squares of a traditional Austrian pancake, dusted with powdered sugar and served with a fresh, stewed plum compote; they were made famous by the imperial court when Emperor Franz Joseph visited the Lech region. The recommended beverage: Viennese Melange--a blend of coffee and foamed milk.
Le Taha'a, Tahiti
A member of Relais & Chateaux, built to be the most exclusive resort in French Polynesia, Le Taha’a Island Resort and Spa has a room service menu whose “romantic Milky Way dinner” is served in the privacy of the guests’ bungalow terrace. One appetiser on it is South Pacific shrimps sautéed in olive oil, served over Arborio risotto, cooked al dente with a coconut-milk-based, creamy, orange sauce, mixed with local shellfish fumet. Don’t forget the recommended wine: Blanc Fume de Pouilly Silex from the Loire Valley. The price for this stellar room service meal ranges from $419 to $538 per person.