Mark Best, one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs, is set to take his culinary talents to the remote shores of Lizard Island in October for a one-off gourmet weekend.
Best has received a string of accolades for his Sydney restaurant Marque, most recently when Marque was named as Restaurant of the Year 2012 in the Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Awards at the end of August.
Best and his French-inspired restaurant Marque, in Sydney’s Surry Hills, also gained worldwide recognition last year when he won the Breakthrough Award at the London-based S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy.
Against the backdrop of the natural beauty of Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Best will work alongside Lizard Island Executive Chef Mark Jensen to prepare two nights of exciting menus, inspired by Marque, over the weekend of October 21-22.
The menus, developed exclusively for Lizard Island, will be accompanied by Champagnes from Louis Roederer on the Friday night (October 21) and Australian wines from Leeuwin Estate on the Saturday night (October 22). Leeuwin Estate is one of the five founding wineries of the famed Margaret River district of Western Australia.
The weekend will be hosted by Lizard Island General Manager Robyn Pontynen and facilitated by Jean-Jacques Peyre, wine educator and general manager of Casama Wines.
“We are honoured to be able to welcome Mark Best to Lizard Island,” said Pontynen. “Our guests will be delighted that they can enjoy his creations in such a spectacular setting.”
“In addition, to have his menus matched by wines from Leeuwin Estate and Champagnes from Louis Roderer will make this a weekend not to be missed.”
Included within the price of a two-night stay on Lizard Island, the Mark Best Weekend will be available for guests to enjoy as a complimentary highlight of their stay. A two-night stay on Lizard Island starts from AUD$3,400 per room and includes all meals, a selection of premium alcoholic beverages and a range of activities including motorised dinghies, snorkelling and gourmet picnic hampers.
Lizard Island recently underwent a soft refurbishment to bring out the best of its beachside location on the Great Barrier Reef. At Lizard, guests can do as they wish, when they wish. A maximum of just 80 guests are accommodated in 40 villas, only minutes from the beach.