Konstantin Filippou: Vienna to Vue

There's no one quite like Konstantin Filippou cooking in Europe right now, and no one cooks food quite like him. Born in Graz, he’s the child of an Austrian mother and a Greek father, and while the food at his eponymous two-star restaurant in Vienna is very much informed by his understanding of central European and Mediterranean cultures, it’s not Greek or Austrian – it’s something special and unique.

Glance at a menu today and the breadth of his interests and influences is immediately apparent, as is his passion for fine seafood, in dishes such as caviar with genmai rice, yolk and fig-leaf oil, or red prawn with five-year-old soy, salted lemon and Kalamata olive, or his “sea salad” of sardines, creamy bouchot mussels and cornichons.

“The sourcing of local ingredients for our menu has already begun," says Konstantin, "and I’m so excited to craft my dishes with them, highlighting the incredible produce from your region."

This will be Konstantin’s first-ever visit to Australia, and he’s working with Vue de Monde chef Hugh Allen to present an elegant yet adventurous, boundary-pushing menu that will be quite unlike anything anyone else is cooking in our part of the world right now.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be coming to Melbourne for this iconic food festival," he says. "This is my very first time in Australia, and I can't wait to showcase my unique take on Mediterranean cuisine. I hope to see you there – please join me for an unforgettable culinary experience.”

If the finer end of the dining spectrum is a place you like to play, this is an event you won’t want to miss.