Marque Restaurant

Meet Mark Best, the pragmatic fantasist. He's the guy who still has the pliers he bought as an apprentice electrician working in the mines 200 clicks south of Kalgoorlie and 4000 feet underground, only today he uses them to adjust the knob on the slicer his kitchen uses to make paper-thin sections of bluefin tuna and abalone. He's the straight-talking guy from Murray Bridge, South Australia who chucked in the gaffer tape, insulated screwdrivers and wire strippers when he got his first taste of service in a restaurant. The chef who came late to cooking, whose rise to public acclaim was more gradual than glamorous, but a chef who has become a compelling figure to both dyed-in-the-wool diners and aspiring young cooks alike. Building on years of continuous evolution with the support of strong teams both front- and back-of-house, and with the extra lustre that a subtle refurbishment can give, Marque, the restaurant at which Best has plied his trade since 1999, has cemented its place among the very finest restaurants in this country.